Advance online publication


The latest research papers, published online ahead of print. These online versions are definitive and may be cited using the digital object identifier (DOI).

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Letters

An omnidirectional retroreflector based on the transmutation of dielectric singularities

Yun Gui Ma, C. K. Ong, Tomás caron Tyc & Ulf Leonhardt

Published online: 28 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2489

Metamaterials allow the design of new functionality through the engineered control of light propagation, although broadband operation with these materials requires singularities in their refractive index. As a first example of a technique that uses a topological defect to achieve such behaviour in a real system, an omnidirectional metamaterial retroreflector is demonstrated.


Periodic rotation of magnetization in a non-centrosymmetric soft magnet induced by an electric field

M. Saito, K. Ishikawa, S. Konno, K. Taniguchi & T. Arima

Published online: 28 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2492

The electric control of magnetism in magnetic devices has remained problematic, particularly as energy losses due to current flow can be large. The demonstration of electric control of magnetization in a non-centrosymmetric insulating magnetic material therefore represents a new strategy for future applications.


Sequential click reactions for synthesizing and patterning three-dimensional cell microenvironments

Cole A. DeForest, Brian D. Polizzotti & Kristi S. Anseth

Published online: 21 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2473

'Click' chemistry has been broadly exploited, but the intrinsic toxicity of the reactions involved makes its translation to biological applications troublesome. Copper-free click chemistry avoids the problems of toxicity, enabling direct encapsulation of cells within click hydrogels. Tailoring of the gels with biological functionalities is also enabled in real time with micrometre-scale resolution.


Atomic-scale imaging of individual dopant atoms in a buried interface

N. Shibata, S. D. Findlay, S. Azuma, T. Mizoguchi, T. Yamamoto & Y. Ikuhara

Published online: 21 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2486

Aberration-corrected microscopy can provide structural information with atomic precision. It is now shown that even single impurity atoms in a buried interface can be imaged, provided that a particular imaging mode is used. This result can lead to a much clearer understanding of advanced materials and devices that make use of the properties of interfaces.


Electronic and magnetic phase diagram of beta-Fe1.01Se with superconductivity at 36.7 K under pressure

S. Medvedev, T. M. McQueen, I. A. Troyan, T. Palasyuk, M. I. Eremets, R. J. Cava, S. Naghavi, F. Casper, V. Ksenofontov, G. Wortmann & C. Felser

Published online: 14 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2491

Superconductivity was recently observed in the binary iron-based compound, FeSe. It is now shown that under pressure, the transition temperature can rise above 36 K. In addition, no static magnetic ordering is observed for this system, contrary to FeAs superconductors.


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Articles

Selective positioning of organic dyes in a mesoporous inorganic oxide film

Kyungtae Lee, Se Woong Park, Min Jae Ko, Kyungkon Kim & Nam-Gyu Park

Published online: 28 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2475

Although sequential adsorption of dyes in TiO2 electrodes is ideal for extending the range of light absorption in dye-sensitized solar cells, high-temperature processing has so far limited its application. A method for the selective positioning of organic dye molecules with different absorption ranges is now reported in a mesoporous inorganic oxide film.


Printed artificial cilia from liquid-crystal network actuators modularly driven by light

Casper L. van Oosten, Cees W. M. Bastiaansen & Dirk J. Broer

Published online: 28 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2487

The manufacture of polymeric microactuators is complicated when using techniques like lithography, but inkjet printing can be used to deposit self-organizing liquid-crystal networks instead. Printing sub-units with different inks is easily scalable and creates light-driven actuators with sections that can be individually addressed to mimic the flapping movements of cilia.


The dynamic organic p–n junction

Piotr Matyba, Klara Maturova, Martijn Kemerink, Nathaniel D. Robinson & Ludvig Edman

Published online: 21 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2478

The light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) is one application of organic semiconductors. Scanning kelvin probe microscopy and light-emission data obtained from operational planar LECs provide insight into the devices. The measured electrostatic potential profiles confirm that there is in situ formation of a dynamic p–n junction in the organic semiconductor during operation.


Linking a completely three-dimensional nanostrain to a structural transformation eigenstrain

Wim Tirry & Dominique Schryvers

Published online: 21 June 2009 | doi:10.1038/nmat2488

The successful use of shape-memory alloys relies on the microscopic understanding of the associated phase transformations. A recently developed analytical technique of structural data is now applied to nanoprecipitates in Ni–Ti, and clearly reveals a connection between the strain that these precipitates introduce and the phase transformation that is often observed.


Until print versions of AOP papers are published, they should be cited in the style "Author(s) Nature Materials advance online publication, day month year (doi:10.1038/nmatXXXXX)". Once the print version (identical to the AOP) is published, it should be cited as follows: "Author(s) Nature Materials volume, page (year); advance online publication, (doi:10.1038/nmatXXXXX)".

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