A better world for science? - p917

doi:10.1038/nmat2582

Virtual worlds such as Second Life present an intriguing premise for scientific use. But are the benefits sufficiently clear for widespread uptake?

Full Text - A better world for science? | PDF (147 KB) - A better world for science?

Getting real about our virtual future - pp919 - 921

Tim Jones

doi:10.1038/nmat2580

Virtual worlds such as Second Life have been perceived as a social meeting point for a small following of devotees. A number of serious emerging mainstream applications may fundamentally alter this perception.

Full Text - Getting real about our virtual future | PDF (486 KB) - Getting real about our virtual future

Our choice from the recent literature - p922

doi:10.1038/nmat2581

Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (150 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature

Tissue engineering: Function follows form - pp923 - 924

James C. Iatridis

doi:10.1038/nmat2577

At present, when intervertebral discs fail, the only existing treatments are fusion of neighbouring vertebrae or polymer and metal implants. A tissue-engineering approach using an electrospun-fibre laminated scaffold could provide functional equivalence with native tissues in both construction form and strength.

Full Text - Tissue engineeringFunction follows form | PDF (217 KB) - Tissue engineeringFunction follows form

See also: Article by Nerurkar et al.

Magnetic nanoparticles: When atoms move around - pp924 - 925

Kazuhisa Sato

doi:10.1038/nmat2575

The degree of atomic ordering in magnetic nanoparticles decreases strongly with the particles' size. The origin of such a phenomenon has been determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and tomography, which shows how correct heat treatment can lead to atomic order also in very small nanoparticles.

Full Text - Magnetic nanoparticlesWhen atoms move around | PDF (184 KB) - Magnetic nanoparticlesWhen atoms move around

See also: Article by Alloyeau et al.

Material witness: Well preserved - p926

doi:10.1038/nmat2579

Full Text - Material witnessWell preserved | PDF (101 KB) - Material witnessWell preserved

Nanocomposites: Nanoparticles in the right place - pp926 - 928

Raffaele Mezzenga & Janne Ruokolainen

doi:10.1038/nmat2576

Hybrid materials based on block copolymers and nanoparticles are a promising class of nanocomposites. Tailoring the block copolymer properties by using supramolecular chemistry allows control of the particle spatial organization and resulting composite properties.

Full Text - NanocompositesNanoparticles in the right place | PDF (477 KB) - NanocompositesNanoparticles in the right place

See also: Article by Zhao et al.

Metamaterials: Acoustic lenses to shout about - pp928 - 929

Ping Sheng

doi:10.1038/nmat2573

An acoustic hyperlens that is able to magnify and image objects much smaller than the probing wavelength promises new applications in sonar imaging.

Full Text - MetamaterialsAcoustic lenses to shout about | PDF (276 KB) - MetamaterialsAcoustic lenses to shout about

See also: Letter by Li et al.

Artificial photosynthesis: Solar to fuel - pp929 - 930

Andrea Listorti, James Durrant & Jim Barber

doi:10.1038/nmat2578

Artificial photosynthesis is an appealing strategy for producing sustainable fuels, if we can find the right materials to make it work efficiently. Scientists of all backgrounds are coming together to see if we can beat nature at her own game.

Full Text - Artificial photosynthesisSolar to fuel | PDF (148 KB) - Artificial photosynthesisSolar to fuel

Correction - p930

doi:10.1038/nmat2586

Full Text - Correction | PDF (56 KB) - Correction

Experimental demonstration of an acoustic magnifying hyperlens - pp931 - 934

Jensen Li, Lee Fok, Xiaobo Yin, Guy Bartal & Xiang Zhang

doi:10.1038/nmat2561

Like their optical counterparts, acoustic metamaterials are capable of manipulating sound waves in unusual ways. An acoustic hyperlens is now demonstrated that is capable of magnifying subwavelength acoustic waves, and could therefore find applications in medical imaging or underwater sonar.

First Paragraph - Experimental demonstration of an acoustic magnifying hyperlens | Full Text - Experimental demonstration of an acoustic magnifying hyperlens | PDF (798 KB) - Experimental demonstration of an acoustic magnifying hyperlens | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Mechanical properties

See also: News and Views by Sheng

Gold nanocages covered by smart polymers for controlled release with near-infrared light - pp935 - 939

Mustafa S. Yavuz, Yiyun Cheng, Jingyi Chen, Claire M. Cobley, Qiang Zhang, Matthew Rycenga, Jingwei Xie, Chulhong Kim, Kwang H. Song, Andrea G. Schwartz, Lihong V. Wang & Younan Xia

doi:10.1038/nmat2564

Heat-responsive polymers grafted onto gold nanocages serve as a nanoscale delivery system for biologically important compounds. Laser irradiation of the nanocages heats the polymers by means of the photothermal effect; the polymers then change conformation and compounds are released. The polymers return to their original configuration when the laser is switched off, stopping further release.

First Paragraph - Gold nanocages covered by smart polymers for controlled release with near-infrared light | Full Text - Gold nanocages covered by smart polymers for controlled release with near-infrared light | PDF (967 KB) - Gold nanocages covered by smart polymers for controlled release with near-infrared light | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biological materials | Nanoscale materials

Size and shape effects on the order–disorder phase transition in CoPt nanoparticles - pp940 - 946

D. Alloyeau, C. Ricolleau, C. Mottet, T. Oikawa, C. Langlois, Y. Le Bouar, N. Braidy & A. Loiseau

doi:10.1038/nmat2574

The structure of magnetic nanoparticles has a strong influence on the properties of these materials at present being considered for magnetic-storage applications. It is now shown that size and shape of magnetic nanoparticles such as CoPt affect the transition from an ordered to a disordered phase, highlighting the need to take morphology into account to understand the structural properties.

Abstract - Size and shape effects on the order-disorder phase transition in CoPt nanoparticles | Full Text - Size and shape effects on the order–disorder phase transition in CoPt nanoparticles | PDF (2,525 KB) - Size and shape effects on the order–disorder phase transition in CoPt nanoparticles | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Magnetic materials | Nanoscale materials

See also: News and Views by Sato

Reduction of the bulk modulus at high pressure in CrN - pp947 - 951

Francisco Rivadulla, Manuel Bañobre-López, Camilo X. Quintela, Alberto Piñeiro, Victor Pardo, Daniel Baldomir, Manuel Arturo López-Quintela, José Rivas, Carlos A. Ramos, Horacio Salva, Jian-Shi Zhou & John B. Goodenough

doi:10.1038/nmat2549

Chromium nitride is very incompressible, making it ideal for industrial coatings. However, it is now shown that the material softens at high pressure and low temperature in connection with a phase transition from cubic to orthorhombic structure. The results could be fundamental in designing ways to improve the mechanical properties of superhard CrN.

Abstract - Reduction of the bulk modulus at high pressure in CrN | Full Text - Reduction of the bulk modulus at high pressure in CrN | PDF (518 KB) - Reduction of the bulk modulus at high pressure in CrN | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Mechanical properties | Design synthesis and processing

Large modulation of carrier transport by grain-boundary molecular packing and microstructure in organic thin films - pp952 - 958

Jonathan Rivnay, Leslie H. Jimison, John E. Northrup, Michael F. Toney, Rodrigo Noriega, Shaofeng Lu, Tobin J. Marks, Antonio Facchetti & Alberto Salleo

doi:10.1038/nmat2570

Grain boundaries are already known to have a large effect on the charge-carrier mobility of molecular semiconductors. Several experimental and computational techniques now show that the orientation of grain boundaries in a perylene diimide semiconductor modulates carrier mobility by two orders of magnitude. The results provide important guidelines for producing device-optimized molecular semiconductors.

Abstract - Large modulation of carrier transport by grain-boundary molecular packing and microstructure in organic thin films | Full Text - Large modulation of carrier transport by grain-boundary molecular packing and microstructure in organic thin films | PDF (1,396 KB) - Large modulation of carrier transport by grain-boundary molecular packing and microstructure in organic thin films | Supplementary information

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

Morphology-dependent zeolite intergrowth structures leading to distinct internal and outer-surface molecular diffusion barriers - pp959 - 965

Lukasz Karwacki, Marianne H. F. Kox, D. A. Matthijs de Winter, Martyn R. Drury, Johannes D. Meeldijk, Eli Stavitski, Wolfgang Schmidt, Machteld Mertens, Pablo Cubillas, Neena John, Ally Chan, Norma Kahn, Simon R. Bare, Michael Anderson, Jan Kornatowski & Bert M. Weckhuysen

doi:10.1038/nmat2530

Characterizing the internal architecture of zeolites is crucial for understanding their structure–function relationships, and for acid–base heterogeneous catalysis. Using a unique combination of diffraction and microscopy techniques provides a unified picture of the morphology of intergrowth structures and confirmation of surface barriers for molecular diffusion.

Abstract - Morphology-dependent zeolite intergrowth structures leading to distinct internal and outer-surface molecular diffusion barriers | Full Text - Morphology-dependent zeolite intergrowth structures leading to distinct internal and outer-surface molecular diffusion barriers | PDF (1,360 KB) - Morphology-dependent zeolite intergrowth structures leading to distinct internal and outer-surface molecular diffusion barriers | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Catalytic materials | Porous materials | Characterisation and analytical techniques

Metastable and unstable cellular solidification of colloidal suspensions - pp966 - 972

Sylvain Deville, Eric Maire, Guillaume Bernard-Granger, Audrey Lasalle, Agnès Bogner, Catherine Gauthier, Jérôme Leloup & Christian Guizard

doi:10.1038/nmat2571

Direct in situ high-resolution X-ray radiography and tomography observations now reveal instability and metastability domains in cellular solidification of colloidal suspensions and the transition to the stable phase. These results provide important insight into the study of morphological instabilities and could prove significant in the design of various types of nanostructure.

Abstract - Metastable and unstable cellular solidification of colloidal suspensions | Full Text - Metastable and unstable cellular solidification of colloidal suspensions | PDF (1,322 KB) - Metastable and unstable cellular solidification of colloidal suspensions | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Colloids | Nanoscale materials

Porous organic cages - pp973 - 978

Tomokazu Tozawa, James T. A. Jones, Shashikala I. Swamy, Shan Jiang, Dave J. Adams, Stephen Shakespeare, Rob Clowes, Darren Bradshaw, Tom Hasell, Samantha Y. Chong, Chiu Tang, Stephen Thompson, Julia Parker, Abbie Trewin, John Bacsa, Alexandra M. Z. Slawin, Alexander Steiner & Andrew I. Cooper

doi:10.1038/nmat2545

Porous materials are technologically important for a wide range of applications, such as catalysis and separation. Covalently bonded organic cages can now be assembled into crystalline microporous materials, and their porosity is found to be intrinsic to their molecular cage structure.

Abstract - Porous organic cages | Full Text - Porous organic cages | PDF (1,956 KB) - Porous organic cages | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Catalytic materials | Porous materials

Small-molecule-directed nanoparticle assembly towards stimuli-responsive nanocomposites - pp979 - 985

Yue Zhao, Kari Thorkelsson, Alexander J. Mastroianni, Thomas Schilling, Joseph M. Luther, Benjamin J. Rancatore, Kazuyuki Matsunaga, Hiroshi Jinnai, Yue Wu, Daniel Poulsen, Jean M. J. Fréchet, A. Paul Alivisatos & Ting Xu

doi:10.1038/nmat2565

By including small molecules with block copolymers in polymer nanocomposites, various types of nanoparticle can be positioned within the composite with unprecedented precision over several length scales. Moreover, the spatial distribution of nanoparticles within the combined material can be varied by exposure to heat or light, creating a new route to stimuli-responsive materials.

Abstract - Small-molecule-directed nanoparticle assembly towards stimuli-responsive nanocomposites | Full Text - Small-molecule-directed nanoparticle assembly towards stimuli-responsive nanocomposites | PDF (2,136 KB) - Small-molecule-directed nanoparticle assembly towards stimuli-responsive nanocomposites | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Composites | Polymers | Nanoscale materials

See also: News and Views by Mezzenga & Ruokolainen

Nanofibrous biologic laminates replicate the form and function of the annulus fibrosus - pp986 - 992

Nandan L. Nerurkar, Brendon M. Baker, Sounok Sen, Emily E. Wible, Dawn M. Elliott & Robert L. Mauck

doi:10.1038/nmat2558

Designing load-bearing tissues that match the mechanical performance of native ones adds extra challenges to tissue engineering. Electrospinning of biodegradable polymer fibres into oriented sheets enables the production of laminate scaffolds; when seeded with mesenchymal stem cells and cultured for 10 weeks, these scaffolds replicate the mechanical properties of native annulus fibrosus.

Abstract - Nanofibrous biologic laminates replicate the form and function of the annulus fibrosus | Full Text - Nanofibrous biologic laminates replicate the form and function of the annulus fibrosus | PDF (1,590 KB) - Nanofibrous biologic laminates replicate the form and function of the annulus fibrosus

Subject Categories: Polymers | Biomedical materials | Design synthesis and processing

See also: News and Views by Iatridis

Self-assembling chimeric polypeptide–doxorubicin conjugate nanoparticles that abolish tumours after a single injection - pp993 - 999

J. Andrew MacKay, Mingnan Chen, Jonathan R. McDaniel, Wenge Liu, Andrew J. Simnick & Ashutosh Chilkoti

doi:10.1038/nmat2569

When artificial polypeptides are conjugated to a variety of hydrophobic molecules such as chemotherapeutics, the resulting molecules spontaneously self-assemble into nanoparticles. Delivering the chemotherapeutics to a murine cancer model, the nanoparticles have a fourfold higher maximum tolerated dose than the free drug, and induce nearly complete tumour regression after a single dose.

Abstract - Self-assembling chimeric polypeptide-doxorubicin conjugate nanoparticles that abolish tumours after a single injection | Full Text - Self-assembling chimeric polypeptide–doxorubicin conjugate nanoparticles that abolish tumours after a single injection | PDF (870 KB) - Self-assembling chimeric polypeptide–doxorubicin conjugate nanoparticles that abolish tumours after a single injection | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biomedical materials | Nanoscale materials