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Solution-processable semiconductors based on small molecules, polymers or halide perovskites combine sustainable manufacturing with exceptional optoelectronic properties that can be chemically tailored to achieve flexible and highly efficient optoelectronic and photonic devices. A new exciting research direction is the study of the influence of chirality on light–matter interactions in these soft materials and its exploitation for the simultaneous control of charge, spin and light. In this Viewpoint, researchers working on different types of chiral semiconductors discuss the most interesting directions in this rapidly expanding field.
The field of organic electronics has acknowledged that the key to process and device optimization is to elucidate the correlation between the active layer morphology and performance. This Review outlines how this can be achieved using accessible approaches from materials science and classical polymer thermodynamics.
An article in Nature presents a conceptually new scanning probe microscope, called a quantum twisting microscope, which enables both momentum-resolved measurements and in situ tuning of the twist angle between 2D materials stacked on top of each other.
Academia can offer a wonderful career path, but the power differentials at play in university life can turn promising careers into nightmares. Academic bullying is an age-old serious issue that affects people in a variety of positions across all branches of science. This Comment discusses how bullying slows the progress of science.
Monolayer-protected metal clusters are a unique class of versatile, atomically precise nanomaterials that have drawn attention in diverse areas of materials science owing to their molecular-like properties. This Review discusses how understanding these properties through tightly connected experimental and computational investigations can strengthen their impact from catalysis to biomedical applications.
High-performance ferroelectric materials are used in many applications, ranging from actuators to capacitors. Now, high entropy is emerging as an effective and flexible strategy for enhancing the physical properties of ferroelectrics via the delicate design of local polarization configurations.
Ultrafast spectroscopies enable the characterization of quantum materials and of their functional properties arising from strong correlations and electronic topology. This Review discusses three emerging techniques: attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, solid-state high-harmonic generation spectroscopy and extreme ultraviolet-second harmonic generation spectroscopy.
In Israel, as in most countries, the number of girls who choose to study STEM subjects in high school is still too low, and the number of women occupying leadership positions in academia and tech companies even more so. Neta Blum, a mechanical engineer who founded a programme to inspire female high-school students to choose a path in STEM, argues that mentoring is key to empower the next generation of female scientists and engineers.
Biology can help to design materials and approaches for tumour tissue engineering. Biomaterials are a requisite for modelling cancer to rebuild tissue organization, composition and function. This Review discusses bioengineering strategies that recreate the pathophysiology of tumour tissues to address questions in cancer research.
An article in Science reports new insight in the formation of defects during 3D printing of metals and presents a highly accurate method to track defects as they form, opening the way for closed-loop control systems.
Machine learning is increasingly popular in materials science research. This Review generalizes learnings from applied machine learning in robotics and gameplaying and extends it to materials science. In particular, hybrid approaches combining model-based and data-driven models are seeding the transition from the application of machine learning to discrete tools and workflows towards emergent knowledge.
The transition to climate-friendly cities has led to a renaissance of wood as a renewable building material. To prevent severe raw material shortages in the future, the material-first utilization of wood in long-living, resource-efficient engineered wood products and constructions will be key.
Clamping devices have been implemented in organ-on-a-chip systems to facilitate on-chip culture of complex biological models, the performance of various readouts and the selection of proper materials. In this Review, we highlight the current status of clamping technology, its benefits and future devices that promise a major impact in the organ-on-a-chip field.
Nucleic acids for gene silencing, expression and editing can precisely target disease at the molecular level but require effective delivery systems. This Review discusses the material and biological principles used to design delivery systems to target specific organs in the body.
The solutions to many of today’s challenges will be found at the frontier of advanced materials research and will require collaboration across synthesis, characterization, fabrication and theory. While good ideas can be generated anywhere by anyone, scientific opportunities are often concentrated among select groups. National user facilities democratize access to world-class expertise and instrumentation, acting as innovation multipliers on the scientific enterprise.
