Nature Materials - CURRENT ISSUE : September 2008 - Vol 7 No 9
- Fish throw down the gauntlet
- Nuclear Energy: New opportunities
- Lithium batteries: Single-phase insertion
- Molecular magnets: Chirality enters by design
LATEST CONTENT
Focus
Nuclear energy
Focus issueThe steep rise in fossil fuel prices has triggered a revival of interest in nuclear energy. This focus takes a look at where we stand with nuclear technology, and what materials research is needed to realize next-generation nuclear reactors.
Advance online publication
The low thermal conductivity of some thermoelectric materials is commonly attributed to rattlers – atoms trapped in oversized cages. Two independent studies now show that rattlers indeed induce thermal conductivity to glass-like values.
Advance online publication
Fade to black
Letter by Beaujuge et al.Smart windows and switchable displays require electrochomic materials that change their optical properties on electron transfer. Organic polymers offer further benefits including high contrast, greater colour variety and flexible substrates, but their use has remained challenging. Now, a donor–acceptor approach has yielded the first neutral black polymeric electrochrome.
Advance Online Publication
Controlled differentiation
Article by Benoit et al.Cell–matrix interactions have critical roles in regeneration, development and disease. Encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells can now be induced to differentiate down osteogenic and adipogenic pathways by controlling their three-dimensional environment using tethered small-molecule functional groups.
Advance Online Publication
Compressed ammonia
Letter by Pickard and NeedsAmmonia is an important compound for producing pharmaceuticals, fertilisers and explosives. It is known to form hydrogen-bonded solids at high pressure, but ionic solids of ammonium amide are now predicted at even higher pressure.
Current issue
Mechanics of biomaterials
Article by Bruet et al.The scales of a fish are its first level of defence. Now, the multilayered structure of fish scales has been analysed according to its mechanical properties and penetration resistance. This study of the four different layers provides a mechanistic understanding of evolutionary design as well as inspiring new materials for armour protection.