Featured
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News & Views |
Sensitive proton-radiation detectors
Halide perovskite nanocrystal scintillators detect high-energy protons with sensitivity suitable for clinical applications.
- Matthew C. Beard
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Article |
Accelerating ionizable lipid discovery for mRNA delivery using machine learning and combinatorial chemistry
An approach combining machine learning and combinatorial chemistry enables the creation and evaluation of ionizable lipid libraries for lipid nanoparticle formulation to effectively deliver messenger RNA to several cells and tissues.
- Bowen Li
- , Idris O. Raji
- & Daniel G. Anderson
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News & Views |
Bulk van der Waals materials by low-temperature moulding
Strong bulk van der Waals materials can be created from water-mediated densification of two-dimensional nanosheets by near-room-temperature moulding, establishing a pathway for the energy-efficient fabrication of a wide range of bulk van der Waals materials and even composites for various applications.
- Tom Lawson
- & Liming Dai
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Article |
Giant electron-mediated phononic nonlinearity in semiconductor–piezoelectric heterostructures
Efficient phononic nonlinear processes are demonstrated in an acoustoelectric heterostructure combining a high-mobility semiconductor indium gallium arsenide film heterogeneously integrated onto a lithium niobate thin film.
- Lisa Hackett
- , Matthew Koppa
- & Matt Eichenfield
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Article |
On-device phase engineering
A strategy of on-device phase engineering of two-dimensional materials is proposed, allowing the in situ realization of various lattice phases with distinct stoichiometries and versatile functions.
- Xiaowei Liu
- , Junjie Shan
- & Feng Miao
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Article |
Elementary excitations of single-photon emitters in hexagonal boron nitride
Combining resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy, an elementary excitation in hexagonal-boron-nitride-based single-photon emitters has been demonstrated, giving rise to multiple regular harmonics that can explain the wide frequency range of these emitters.
- Jonathan Pelliciari
- , Enrique Mejia
- & Gabriele Grosso
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Article |
A DNA origami device spatially controls CD95 signalling to induce immune tolerance in rheumatoid arthritis
A pH-responsive DNA origami device displays a precise geometric array of CD95 ligands to selectively induce activated immune cell death and elicit localized immune tolerance to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis.
- Ling Li
- , Jue Yin
- & Xiaoyuan Chen
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Article |
1T′-transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers stabilized on 4H-Au nanowires for ultrasensitive SERS detection
High-phase-purity and stable 1T′-transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers are grown on 4H-Au nanowires by a facile and rapid wet-chemical method, enabling ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection.
- Zijian Li
- , Li Zhai
- & Hua Zhang
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News & Views |
“The unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics” in evading polaritonic losses
Polaritonic losses, a root impediment to the many bounties of nanophotonics, may be evaded by resorting to the mathematics of synthetic frequencies offering ‘virtual’ gain.
- Dmitri N. Basov
- & Michael M. Fogler
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Review Article |
Heterostructures coupling ultrathin metal carbides and chalcogenides
Non-layered transition metal carbides (TMCs) and layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can form various heterostructure configurations through chemical conversion. This Review highlights the progress in the fabrication and control of TMC/TMD heterostructures and the exotic properties arising from these interfaces.
- Alexander J. Sredenschek
- , David Emanuel Sanchez
- & Mauricio Terrones
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Perspective |
Potential and challenges of computing with molecular materials
Molecular materials for computing progress intensively but the performance and reliability still lag behind. Here the authors assess the current state of computing with molecular-based materials and describe two issues as the basis of a new computing technology: continued exploration of molecular electronic properties and process development for on-chip integration.
- R. Stanley Williams
- , Sreebrata Goswami
- & Sreetosh Goswami
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News & Views |
Diving into interlayer confinement
Noble gas atoms sandwiched in bilayer graphene are directly visualized with scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing solid and liquid-like dynamics of two-dimensional cluster structures at room temperature under encapsulation.
- Tao Xu
- & Litao Sun
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Article |
Prediction of DNA origami shape using graph neural network
Limited datasets hinder the accurate prediction of DNA origami structures. A data-driven and physics-informed approach for model training is presented using a graph neural network to facilitate the rapid virtual prototyping of DNA-based nanostructures.
- Chien Truong-Quoc
- , Jae Young Lee
- & Do-Nyun Kim
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Article |
Fibration of powdery materials
A universal and non-destructive technique is developed to process diverse types of powder into micro- or nanofibres, providing flexibility for material design and applications based on functional particles.
- Hanwei Wang
- , Cheng Zeng
- & Huiqiao Li
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Perspective |
Creating chirality in the nearly two dimensions
Two-dimensional (2D) materials, despite their small thickness, can display chirality that enables prominent asymmetric optical, electrical transport, and magnetic properties. This Perspective discusses the intriguing physics enabled by the structural chirality and the possible ways to create and control chirality in 2D materials.
- Hanyu Zhu
- & Boris I. Yakobson
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Article |
High-temperature Josephson diode
A large Josephson diode effect has been reported at liquid-nitrogen temperatures in twisted flakes of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ.
- Sanat Ghosh
- , Vilas Patil
- & Mandar M. Deshmukh
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News & Views |
A moiré proximity effect
Electronic moiré patterns can be imprinted remotely onto a target quantum material, inducing exotic interacting behaviour.
- Arpit Arora
- & Justin C. W. Song
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Article |
Self-assembled soft alloy with Frank–Kasper phases beyond metals
Soft building blocks tend to be near spherical, limiting their packing structures to those found in metallic systems. Here the authors report the spontaneous generation of highly deformed mesoatoms using molecular pentagons and observe Frank–Kasper phases not found in metal alloys.
- Xian-You Liu
- , Xiao-Yun Yan
- & Stephen Z. D. Cheng
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Article |
Field-free switching of perpendicular magnetization by two-dimensional PtTe2/WTe2 van der Waals heterostructures with high spin Hall conductivity
The authors demonstrate field-free magnetization switching in van der Waals heterostructures.
- Fei Wang
- , Guoyi Shi
- & Hyunsoo Yang
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Article |
Local atomic stacking and symmetry in twisted graphene trilayers
The local layer alignment in a wide range of trilayer graphene structures has been extracted by interferometric four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy, uncovering the complex picture of lattice reconstruction in twisted trilayers.
- Isaac M. Craig
- , Madeline Van Winkle
- & D. Kwabena Bediako
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Article |
Deciphering the ultra-high plasticity in metal monochalcogenides
The metal monochalcogenides are a group of van der Waals layered semiconductors with ultra-high plasticity. It is now revealed that their plasticity is attributed to the ability to transform their stacking order or phases, coupled with the concurrent generation of a micro-crack network.
- Lok Wing Wong
- , Ke Yang
- & Jiong Zhao
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Article
| Open AccessReal-time single-proton counting with transmissive perovskite nanocrystal scintillators
Current organic proton detectors have poor detection sensitivities due to low light yields and limited radiation toleration. Here the authors report a perovskite nanocrystal-based transmissive thin scintillator that can detect seven protons per second, enabled by radiative emission from biexcitons.
- Zhaohong Mi
- , Hongyu Bian
- & Xiaogang Liu
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Article |
Network of cyano-p-aramid nanofibres creates ultrastiff and water-rich hydrospongels
Biological tissues are extremely water rich but remain mechanically stiff, behaviour that is difficult to recapitulate in synthetic materials. Here the authors design a hydrogel/sponge hybrid material driven by a self-organized network of cyano-p-aramid nanofibres that combines these properties for biofunctional materials.
- Minkyung Lee
- , Hojung Kwak
- & Dongyeop X. Oh
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Letter |
Engineering correlated insulators in bilayer graphene with a remote Coulomb superlattice
Employing a remote Coulomb superlattice formed by twisted bilayer WS2, the authors demonstrate the engineering and on/off switching of a Coulomb superlattice of correlated states in bilayer graphene with period and strength determined by the remote superlattice.
- Zuocheng Zhang
- , Jingxu Xie
- & Feng Wang
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Feature |
2D materials for logic device scaling
Peng Wu, Tianyi Zhang, Jiadi Zhu, Tomás Palacios and Jing Kong discuss the reproducibility issues in the synthesis and device fabrication of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides that need to be addressed to enable the lab-to-fab transition.
- Peng Wu
- , Tianyi Zhang
- & Jing Kong
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Research Briefing |
Sublattice matching enables texturing of dissimilar materials
Inspired by the observed coherent interface between hexagonal α-Fe2O3 and tetragonal fluorine-doped SnO2, an oxygen sublattice-matching paradigm is proposed to grow textured films on lattice-mismatched substrates. Through assessing the similarity of Voronoi cells for sublattices, this approach offers opportunities to synthesize (semi)coherent heterostructures and textured films.
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News & Views |
Molecular motion cools off gold nanoclusters
Engineered ligand shells on gold nanoclusters utilizing molecular motion improve the thermal conductance between the cluster and the solvent, increasing thermal stability and enhancing performance in the photothermal treatment of cancerous tumours.
- Jacob L. Beckham
- & James M. Tour
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Article |
Stacking textured films on lattice-mismatched transparent conducting oxides via matched Voronoi cell of oxygen sublattice
Depositing textured functional materials on transparent conducting oxides remains a challenge. We demonstrate the formation of a coherent interface between a set of functional oxides and fluorine-doped-tin-oxide-based transparent conducting oxide substrate despite the lattice mismatch, owing to dimensional and chemical matching of oxygen sublattices at the interface.
- Huiting Huang
- , Jun Wang
- & Zhigang Zou
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Research Briefing |
Nano-oxide networks in metallic glass nanotubes lead to superelastic properties
Oxidation can degrade the properties and functionality of three-dimensional bulk metallic glasses. However, the formation of percolating oxide networks in metallic glass nanotubes or nanosheets can induce interesting properties, such as a recoverable strain of 10–20% and elastic modulus of 20–30 GPa, which are rarely observed in their bulk counterparts.
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News & Views |
Transforming into fully commensurate bilayers
Heat treatment can transform some moiré superlattices into fully commensurate bilayers, where atoms in opposite layers align perfectly with each other. This structural transformation gives rise to markedly brighter interlayer excitons.
- Chun Hung Lui
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News & Views |
All-2D electronics for AI processing
The monolithic 3D integration of wafer-free all-2D-materials-based electronics can produce an AI processor.
- Fang Wang
- & Weida Hu
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Article |
Atomically precise photothermal nanomachines
Gold nanoclusters show promise as photothermal materials, but are often thermally unstable. Here ligand engineering is used to integrate molecular rotors with gold nanoclusters to dissipate thermal energy and improve photothermal therapy performance.
- Jing Chen
- , Peilin Gu
- & Chunhai Fan
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Article |
Colloidal quasicrystals engineered with DNA
The rational design and assembly of colloidal quasicrystals is achieved by exploring the hybridization of nanoscale decahedra nanoparticles functionalized with DNA linkers.
- Wenjie Zhou
- , Yein Lim
- & Chad A. Mirkin
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Article |
Observation of quadrupolar and dipolar excitons in a semiconductor heterotrilayer
The authors report the emergence of quadrupolar excitons in angle-aligned WSe2/WS2/WSe2 heterotrilayers characterized by a delocalized hole residing in both outer WSe2 layers, electric-field tunability and reduced exciton–exciton interactions.
- Leo Yu
- , Kateryna Pistunova
- & Tony F. Heinz
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Article |
Quadrupolar–dipolar excitonic transition in a tunnel-coupled van der Waals heterotrilayer
The authors report the emergence of quadrupolar excitons in WS2/WSe2/WS2 trilayer heterostructures where the electron is layer-hybridized in WS2 layers and the hole localizes in WSe2. Quadrupolar excitons exhibit distinct behaviour under electric fields, enriching exciton–exciton interactions.
- Weijie Li
- , Zach Hadjri
- & Ajit Srivastava
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Article |
Accurate computational design of three-dimensional protein crystals
The process of protein crystallization is poorly understood and difficult to program through the primary sequence. Here the authors develop a computational approach to designing three-dimensional protein crystals with prespecified lattice architectures with high accuracy.
- Zhe Li
- , Shunzhi Wang
- & David Baker
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Article |
Optimizing hierarchical membrane/catalyst systems for oxidative coupling of methane using additive manufacturing
Membrane/catalyst systems in the oxidative coupling of methane are promising for their high product selectivity but suffer from low volumetric chemical conversion rates, high capital cost and optimizing performance. A dual-layer additive manufacturing process, based on phase inversion, is now proposed to optimize a hollow-fibre membrane/catalyst system.
- James Wortman
- , Valentina Omoze Igenegbai
- & Suljo Linic
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Article |
Ferroelectric-defined reconfigurable homojunctions for in-memory sensing and computing
It remains challenging to integrate memory, sensing and computing in one device. Here a compact in-memory sensing and computing architecture based on ferroelectric-defined reconfigurable two-dimensional photodiode arrays has been reported.
- Guangjian Wu
- , Xumeng Zhang
- & Ming Liu
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News & Views |
Designer quantum dot molecules and beyond
Quantum dots couple to form artificial molecules that allow for variable colour emission in response to an electric field.
- James Cassidy
- , Justin Ondry
- & Dmitri V. Talapin
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Article
| Open AccessUnit-cell-thick zeolitic imidazolate framework films for membrane application
Unit-cell-thick films of metal–organic frameworks with ordered porosity would be attractive for membrane applications as these thin systems combine large molecular flux with high selectivity. Here crystalline ZIF films are grown on a crystalline substrate with high H2/N2 gas separation performance.
- Qi Liu
- , Yurun Miao
- & Kumar Varoon Agrawal
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Article
| Open AccessLiquid-activated quantum emission from pristine hexagonal boron nitride for nanofluidic sensing
Two-dimensional crystals of hexagonal boron nitride become fluorescent when immersed in common solvents. Now, this phenomenon is used in the design of in-liquid sensors operating at the nanometre scale.
- Nathan Ronceray
- , Yi You
- & Aleksandra Radenovic
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News & Views |
Hybrid dielectrics for two-dimensional electronics
Using the van der Waals crystal Sb2O3 as a buffer layer enables the growth of high-κ dielectrics on two-dimensional materials via atomic layer deposition.
- Yang Liu
- & James C. Hone
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Article |
Superconductivity in twisted double bilayer graphene stabilized by WSe2
The authors use low-temperature transport measurements to report superconductivity in a twisted double bilayer graphene system.
- Ruiheng Su
- , Manabendra Kuiri
- & Joshua Folk
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Article |
The exit of nanoparticles from solid tumours
Nanoparticle retention inside tumours has been associated with lymphatic vessel collapse. It is now shown that nanoparticles exit from solid tumours through lymphatic vessels in or surrounding the tumour by a nanoparticle-size-dependent mechanism.
- Luan N. M. Nguyen
- , Zachary P. Lin
- & Warren C. W. Chan
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Letter |
Proximity-induced chiral quantum light generation in strain-engineered WSe2/NiPS3 heterostructures
Proximity-induced chiral quantum emission is generated by applying nanoindentation on monolayer WSe2 on an antiferromagnetic van der Waals material (NiPS3) at zero external magnetic fields, reporting a degree of circular polarization of 0.89 and a single-photon purity of 95%.
- Xiangzhi Li
- , Andrew C. Jones
- & Han Htoon
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Article |
Ferroelectricity in hafnia controlled via surface electrochemical state
Ferroelectricity in hafnia-based systems seems to be correlated with oxygen vacancy dynamics, but the coupling of this and ferroelectric response is rarely studied. Here it is shown that Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 can be antiferroionic, with antiferroelectric behaviour coupled to surface electrochemistry.
- Kyle P. Kelley
- , Anna N. Morozovska
- & Sergei V. Kalinin
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Article |
Van der Waals epitaxy of tunable moirés enabled by alloying
Controlling the periodicity of synthesized moiré materials is vital to harness their unique physics. Here the authors realize the van der Waals epitaxy of tunable moiré heterostructures and reveal the epitaxial science governing their formation.
- Matthieu Fortin-Deschênes
- , Kenji Watanabe
- & Fengnian Xia
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Article |
Electrostatic moiré potential from twisted hexagonal boron nitride layers
The authors demonstrate that the electrostatic potential originating on the surface of twisted bilayer and multilayer hexagonal boron nitride can be used to generate a moiré potential modulation on adjacent semiconductor layers, enabling the possibility of controlling the properties of this adjacent layer.
- Dong Seob Kim
- , Roy C. Dominguez
- & Yoichi Miyahara
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Article |
Electric-field-induced colour switching in colloidal quantum dot molecules at room temperature
Current quantum dot emitters are limited to small-spectral-range colour tuning accompanied by intensity reduction. Electric-field-induced reversible emission colour switching without intensity loss can be achieved on a single-particle level in quantum dot molecules with two coupled emission centres.
- Yonatan Ossia
- , Adar Levi
- & Uri Banin