Volume 16 Issue 12, December 2017

Biomaterials engineered with specific bioactive ligands, tunable mechanical properties and complex architecture have emerged as powerful tools to probe cell sensing and response to physical properties of their material surroundings, and ultimately provide designer approaches to control cell function.

The Hall effect with excitons is observed in monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides.

Resistive switching memories based on organic materials are closing the performance gap with their inorganic counterparts.

Single-cell force spectroscopy reveals rapid, biphasic integrin activation and reinforcement of cell–matrix bonds during the initial steps of fibroblast adhesion.

The influence of matrix stiffness and degradation on neural progenitor cell stemness was investigated in a three-dimensional culture system, highlighting the role of remodelling in enhancing cell-to-cell interaction and ultimately maintaining neural stemness.

Blocking the growth of new blood vessels has been shown to alter fibrosis in livers in a disease stage-specific manner. In vitro models of fibrosis were developed to understand this process, highlighting the role of environmental mechanics.

Advances in biomaterials have enabled control over desired cell responses. Here, the authors highlight key analytical and bioprocessing techniques, outlining a framework for incorporating these tools into designing functionally optimal biomaterials.

Fast field-driven antiferromagnetic spin dynamics is realized in ferrimagnetic Gd₂₃Fe_67.4Co_9.6 thin films at the angular momentum compensation point. In particular, at this point, the field-driven domain wall mobility is found to be enhanced.

Polarization-dependent photoluminescent mapping reveals that excitons — composite particles made of electron–hole pairs bound by the Coulomb force — exhibit the Hall effect, which originates from the large exciton Berry curvature.

Highly laminar graphene oxide flakes (10 to 20 μm in diameter) are fabricated. Reducing flake thickness to 10 nm enables water and organic solvent permeation, enabling the flakes to act as a highly effective organic solvent membrane.

Imaging of ferroelectric domain walls and their polarity is achieved through scanning stress microscopy. Twin boundaries are found to allow nanoscale gating of the two-dimensional electron gas at the LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ interface.

The activation of cleavable organometallic dimers upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation allows air-stable n-type doping of organic materials with electron affinity lower than the expected thermodynamic reducing strength of the dimers.

Organic resistive memories based on a spin-coated layer of a ruthenium complex with azo-aromatic ligands show high endurance, stability and fast switching speed, as well as good device reproducibility.

The structure of ionic liquids under confinement is not well understood and hinders their widespread use for applications. Convincing evidence of partial breaking of Coulombic ordering of ions confined in subnanometre carbon pores is now provided.

The physical properties of biomaterials affect cell behaviour. Here, the authors investigate how stiffness and degradation of hydrogels affect signalling pathways that modulate the maintenance of stemness of neural progenitor cells.

The mechanical properties of biomaterials affect cell growth through mechanotransduction signals. Here, hydrogels with fast stress relaxation were developed and showed increased cartilage matrix formation by cartilage cells compared to slow relaxation hydrogels.

Angiogenesis has been implicated in fibrotic diseases of the liver. Here, the authors developed microniches that mimic angiogenesis during different stages of liver fibrosis, and demonstrate the role of mechanotransduction in fibrogenesis.

Integrins play an important role in the adhesion of cells to their matrix. Here, the authors investigate how fibroblasts respond to mechanical loads, at the onset of cell adhesion to fibronectin, in distinct phases that are modulated by integrins.