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Article
| Open Access
Stable prenucleation mineral clusters are liquid-like ionic polymers
Prenucleation clusters have been observed during the early stages of calcium carbonate formation, contrary to classical models. Here, computer simulations indicate that the clusters are composed of an ionic polymer with alternating calcium and carbonate ions, and a dynamic topology of chains, branches and rings.
- Raffaella Demichelis
- , Paolo Raiteri
- & Denis Gebauer
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Article
| Open Access
Tandem synthesis of alternating polyesters from renewable resources
Biomass-derived monomers are a renewable resource for the production of polymers. Robertet al. develop an auto-tandem catalytic transformation for the synthesis of aliphatic polyesters—'activated' monomers are prepared from dicarboxylic acids, which can be copolymerized with epoxides.
- Carine Robert
- , Frédéric de Montigny
- & Christophe M. Thomas
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Direct stereoselective α-arylation of unmodified enals using an organocatalytic cross-coupling-like reaction
Cross-coupling reactions are widely used for creating new carbon–carbon bonds in chemical syntheses. Using the cross-coupling concept, Wang and colleagues present an organocatalytic strategy for the direct and stereoselective α-arylation of enals that occurs under mild conditions.
- Xixi Song
- , Aiguo Song
- & Wei Wang
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Article
| Open Access
A germanate transparent conductive oxide
Transparent conducting oxides are wide bandgap conductors that have found a range of applications in optoelectronic devices. In this study, Hosono and colleagues fabricate the first transparent conducting oxide based on germanium.
- Hiroshi Mizoguchi
- , Toshio Kamiya
- & Hideo Hosono
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Article
| Open Access
Structure and compatibility of a magnesium electrolyte with a sulphur cathode
Magnesium is an ideal rechargeable battery anode material, but coupling it with a low-cost sulphur cathode, requires a non-nucleophilic electrolyte. Kimet al. prepare a non-nucleophilic electrolyte from hexamethyldisilazide magnesium chloride and aluminium trichloride, and show its compatibility with a sulphur cathode.
- Hee Soo Kim
- , Timothy S. Arthur
- & John Muldoon
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Porous covalent electron-rich organonitridic frameworks as highly selective sorbents for methane and carbon dioxide
Materials that can separate and capture carbon dioxide from power plant flue gases could help to stabilize atmospheric levels of the gas. Mohantyet al. develop inexpensive porous organonitridic frameworks with high selectivity and sorption capacities for carbon dioxide and methane.
- Paritosh Mohanty
- , Lilian D. Kull
- & Kai Landskron
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| Open Access
Colossal negative thermal expansion in BiNiO3 induced by intermetallic charge transfer
Negative thermal expansion—contraction upon heating—is an unusual process that may be exploited to produce materials with zero or other controlled thermal expansion values. Azumaet al. observe negative thermal expansion in BiNiO3which is a result of Bi/Ni charge-transfer transitions.
- Masaki Azuma
- , Wei-tin Chen
- & J. Paul Attfield
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Stabilizing lithium–sulphur cathodes using polysulphide reservoirs
Lithium–sulphur batteries may achieve higher energy densities than conventional lithium-ion cells, but the dissolution of sulphur intermediates is a continuing challenge. Here this problem is overcome using a cathode with a mesoporous structure that is able to accommodate intermediate polysulphide anions.
- Xiulei Ji
- , Scott Evers
- & Linda F. Nazar
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Synthesis of hexagonal close-packed gold nanostructures
Solid gold is most stable as a face-centred cubic structure, and stable colloidal gold with hexagonal close packing has not been produced. Huanget al.prepare square gold sheets with hexagonal close packing that are stable under ambient conditions.
- Xiao Huang
- , Shaozhou Li
- & Hua Zhang
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Article
| Open Access
A new method to position and functionalize metal-organic framework crystals
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have potential catalysis, filtration and sensing applications, but device fabrication will require controlled MOF growth. Here, α-hopeite microparticles are used to achieve spatial control of MOF nucleation, and accelerate MOF growth.
- Paolo Falcaro
- , Anita J. Hill
- & Dario Buso
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Rationally tuned micropores within enantiopure metal-organic frameworks for highly selective separation of acetylene and ethylene
Separation of acetylene and ethylene is an important industrial challenge, which may be aided by selectively adsorbant materials. In this study, a metal-organic framework material is reported, which allows highly selective separation of acetylene and ethylene.
- Sheng-Chang Xiang
- , Zhangjing Zhang
- & Banglin Chen
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Article
| Open Access
Field-induced water electrolysis switches an oxide semiconductor from an insulator to a metal
Water is composed of the electrochemically active species, H+ and OH−, but has not been used as an active electronic material. In this study, a field-effect transistor is developed that uses water-infiltrated nanoporous glass as the gate insulator; this new application of water may be useful in electronics and energy storage.
- Hiromichi Ohta
- , Yukio Sato
- & Hideo Hosono
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A microscopic view on the Mott transition in chromium-doped V2O3
The spatial scale over which metal–insulator transitions happen is not known, despite the importance of this phenomenon in basic and applied research. The authors show that in chromium-doped V2O3, with decreasing temperature, microscopic metallic domains coexist with an insulating background.
- S. Lupi
- , L. Baldassarre
- & M. Marsi
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| Open Access
Dimensionality-driven insulator–metal transition in A-site excess non-stoichiometric perovskites
Many technological applications would benefit from new ways of bringing complex materials near the insulator–metal transition region. The authors induce, in a Lantanum Strontium Titanate, a transition from insulating to metallic behaviour by structural intercalation of intrinsically insulating units, opening new avenues to engineer these materials.
- Zhongchang Wang
- , Masaki Okude
- & Yuichi Ikuhara
Metal-adeninate vertices for the construction of an exceptionally porous metal-organic framework