Cleaning up water - p341

doi:10.1038/nmat2178

The provision of clean water for a growing global population offers many challenges and opportunities for materials research.

Full Text - Cleaning up water | PDF (184 KB) - Cleaning up water

The race for new radiation monitors - pp343 - 345

B. Camanzi & A. G. Holmes-Siedle

doi:10.1038/nmat2159

New dosimeters are needed to measure radiation up to extreme levels created by particle accelerators and nuclear fusion reactors. The time to develop these dosimeters is now.

Full Text - The race for new radiation monitors | PDF (217 KB) - The race for new radiation monitors

Explosive stories - p346

doi:10.1038/nmat2177

Full Text - Explosive stories | PDF (199 KB) - Explosive stories

Biomimetic materials: Marine inspiration - pp347 - 348

Ravi V. Bellamkonda

doi:10.1038/nmat2176

Sea cucumber skin is the architectural basis for polymer nanocomposites that can adapt their mechanical properties in response to biomedically relevant chemical stimuli, in a similar fashion to the animals' self-defence mechanism.

Full Text - Biomimetic materialsMarine inspiration | PDF (225 KB) - Biomimetic materialsMarine inspiration

Material mechanics: An angle on sticky films - pp348 - 349

Jan Groenewold

doi:10.1038/nmat2175

The interplay of various mechanical forces leads to characteristic shapes of torn adhesive films. Analysis of these shapes provides potential for new approaches to material characterization.

Full Text - Material mechanicsAn angle on sticky films | PDF (181 KB) - Material mechanicsAn angle on sticky films

Material witness: Shrouded in mystery - p349

Philip Ball

doi:10.1038/nmat2170

Full Text - Material witnessShrouded in mystery | PDF (115 KB) - Material witnessShrouded in mystery

Fullerides: Superconductivity at the limit - pp350 - 351

Thomas T. M. Palstra

doi:10.1038/nmat2173

The successful synthesis of highly crystalline Cs₃C₆₀, exhibiting superconductivity up to a record temperature for fullerides of 38 K, demonstrates a powerful synthetic route for investigating the origin of superconductivity in this class of materials.

Full Text - FulleridesSuperconductivity at the limit | PDF (215 KB) - FulleridesSuperconductivity at the limit

Information storage: Around the phase-change cycle - pp351 - 353

Alexander V. Kolobov

doi:10.1038/nmat2171

The systematic development of phase-change materials has been hampered by experimental and computational difficulties. The first successful modelling of the full phase-change cycle therefore closes an important gap.

Full Text - Information storageAround the phase-change cycle | PDF (287 KB) - Information storageAround the phase-change cycle

Main group oxides: Making the transition - pp353 - 354

Shu Yamaguchi

doi:10.1038/nmat2172

A chemically driven process turns the classic insulator, gallium oxide, into a metal by the formation of a heterogeneous mixture of crystalline and amorphous regions.

Full Text - Main group oxidesMaking the transition | PDF (162 KB) - Main group oxidesMaking the transition

Polymer semiconductors: A fast mover with a bright spark - pp354 - 355

Samson A. Jenekhe

doi:10.1038/nmat2174

The combination of high-mobility charge transport and efficient luminescence in one material has so far proved elusive in semiconducting polymers. Varying the side groups on a single polymer can improve both properties simultaneously.

Full Text - Polymer semiconductorsA fast mover with a bright spark | PDF (187 KB) - Polymer semiconductorsA fast mover with a bright spark

Organic ferroelectrics - pp357 - 366

Sachio Horiuchi & Yoshinori Tokura

doi:10.1038/nmat2137

Abstract - | Full Text - Organic ferroelectrics | PDF (1,425 KB) - Organic ferroelectrics

Subject Categories: Electronic materials | Molecular electronics | Magnetic materials

Bulk superconductivity at 38 K in a molecular system - pp367 - 371

Alexey Y. Ganin, Yasuhiro Takabayashi, Yaroslav Z. Khimyak, Serena Margadonna, Anna Tamai, Matthew J. Rosseinsky & Kosmas Prassides

doi:10.1038/nmat2179

C₆₀-based solids are the archetypal molecular superconductors, reaching transition temperatures as high as 33 K. Now, Cs₃C₆₀ solids, having a transition temperature of 38 K, have been isolated. Both face-centred-cubic and body-centred-cubic phases were synthesized, and, uniquely among C₆₀ solids, the superconducting phase was found to be body-centred cubic.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Bulk superconductivity at 38 K in a molecular system | PDF (1,187 KB) - Bulk superconductivity at 38 K in a molecular system | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Electronic materials | Molecular electronics | Superconductors

See also: Article by Sutter et al.

Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth - pp372 - 375

Stephan Hofmann, Renu Sharma, Christoph T. Wirth, Felipe Cervantes-Sodi, Caterina Ducati, Takeshi Kasama, Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski, Jeff Drucker, Peter Bennett & John Robertson

doi:10.1038/nmat2140

Despite the demonstration that nanowires can grow below the eutectic point, a clear understanding of how this happens has not been reached. Video-rate transmission electron microscopy brings new insight into the issue, showing in real time the growth of silicon nanowires with palladium catalysts.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth | PDF (900 KB) - Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanoscale materials | Semiconductors | Nanoscale materials

Simultaneous optimization of charge-carrier mobility and optical gain in semiconducting polymer films - pp376 - 380

Boon Kar Yap, Ruidong Xia, Mariano Campoy-Quiles, Paul N. Stavrinou & Donal D. C. Bradley

doi:10.1038/nmat2165

Efficient light emission combined with high charge-carrier mobility has proven elusive for polymer semiconductors, because high mobility is typically achieved using approaches that quench luminescence. A new strategy, introducing a limited number of more-effective hopping sites between otherwise relatively isolated polymer chains, achieves this aim.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Simultaneous optimization of charge-carrier mobility and optical gain in semiconducting polymer films | PDF (319 KB) - Simultaneous optimization of charge-carrier mobility and optical gain in semiconducting polymer films | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Polymers | Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Design synthesis and processing

See also: Article by Nagarajan et al.

A zeolite family with chiral and achiral structures built from the same building layer - pp381 - 385

Liqiu Tang, Lei Shi, Charlotte Bonneau, Junliang Sun, Huijuan Yue, Arto Ojuva, Bao-Lin Lee, Mikael Kritikos, Robert G. Bell, Zoltán Bacsik, Janos Mink & Xiaodong Zou

doi:10.1038/nmat2169

Microporous materials such as zeolites are widely used in separation and catalytic applications. A thermally stable family of zeolites with chiral and achiral structures built from the same layer is now reported.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - A zeolite family with chiral and achiral structures built from the same building layer | PDF (1,564 KB) - A zeolite family with chiral and achiral structures built from the same building layer | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Catalytic materials | Porous materials | Characterisation and analytical techniques | Computation, modelling and theory

Tearing as a test for mechanical characterization of thin adhesive films - pp386 - 390

Eugenio Hamm, Pedro Reis, Michael LeBlanc, Benoit Roman & Enrique Cerda

doi:10.1038/nmat2161

We're all familiar with the annoying problem of trying to peel sticky tape from a surface, only for the detached piece to narrow into a point and break off. Surprisingly, this phenomenon can be put to good use in deriving the mechanical parameters of a wide variety of thin, adhesive films.

Abstract - | Full Text - Tearing as a test for mechanical characterization of thin adhesive films | PDF (636 KB) - Tearing as a test for mechanical characterization of thin adhesive films | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Mechanical properties | Surface and thin films | Computation, modelling and theory

See also: News and Views by Bellamkonda

A chemically driven insulator–metal transition in non-stoichiometric and amorphous gallium oxide - pp391 - 398

Lakshmi Nagarajan, Roger A. De Souza, Dominik Samuelis, Ilia Valov, Alexander Börger, Jürgen Janek, Klaus-Dieter Becker, Peter C. Schmidt & Manfred Martin

doi:10.1038/nmat2164

Inducing and understanding insulator–metal transitions in binary oxide can be challenging. A transition driven chemically by an internal redox reaction is now observed in a non-stoichiometric, amorphous gallium oxide.

Abstract - | Full Text - A chemically driven insulator–metal transition in non-stoichiometric and amorphous gallium oxide | PDF (709 KB) - A chemically driven insulator–metal transition in non-stoichiometric and amorphous gallium oxide

Subject Categories: Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Computation, modelling and theory

See also: Letter by Yap et al.

Microscopic origin of the fast crystallization ability of Ge–Sb–Te phase-change memory materials - pp399 - 405

J. Hegedüs & S. R. Elliott

doi:10.1038/nmat2157

Phase-change materials are of commercial interest for their use in rewritable optical disks and as non-volatile memories, although little is known about the dynamics of the phase transition. The numerical simulation of the entire write-erase cycle therefore provides important clues towards the development of new phase-change materials.

Abstract - | Full Text - Microscopic origin of the fast crystallization ability of Ge–Sb–Te phase-change memory materials | PDF (1,325 KB) - Microscopic origin of the fast crystallization ability of Ge–Sb–Te phase-change memory materials

Subject Categories: Semiconductors | Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Computation, modelling and theory

See also: Letter by Yap et al.

Epitaxial graphene on ruthenium - pp406 - 411

Peter W. Sutter, Jan-Ingo Flege & Eli A. Sutter

doi:10.1038/nmat2166

The large-scale production of high-quality graphene layers is one of the main challenges to be overcome for successful application of this material. Epitaxial growth on ruthenium substrate produces homogeneous domains of single- and double-layer graphene on the scale of several tens of micrometres. The electronic properties of the second layer show great potential for applications.

Abstract - | Full Text - Epitaxial graphene on ruthenium | PDF (1,887 KB) - Epitaxial graphene on ruthenium

Subject Categories: Electronic materials | Nanoscale materials | Design synthesis and processing

A sensitivity-enhanced field-effect chiral sensor - pp412 - 417

Luisa Torsi, Gianluca M. Farinola, Francesco Marinelli, M. Cristina Tanese, Omar Hassan Omar, Ludovico Valli, Francesco Babudri, Francesco Palmisano, P. Giorgio Zambonin & Francesco Naso

doi:10.1038/nmat2167

Chiral detection using organic sensors has been limited to concentration levels of parts-per-thousand. The use of a thin-film transistor and of semiconducting oligomers with chiral side arms improves differential detection of enantiomers to parts per million.

Abstract - | Full Text - A sensitivity-enhanced field-effect chiral sensor | PDF (346 KB) - A sensitivity-enhanced field-effect chiral sensor | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Polymers | Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Sensors and biosensors