Volume 19 Issue 2, February 2020

Aligned anisotropic organization of the extracellular matrix by fibroblasts has now been shown to depend on cell reorientation following collision, with the cell collision guidance dependent on the transcription factor, TFAP2C.

A three-dimensional printing approach based on the photopolymerization-induced phase separation of resins is used to fabricate complex glass structures with distinct chemical composition and porosity.

A transparent, high-permittivity elastomeric dielectric material shows potential for light-emitting soft robots and stretchable optoelectronics that can self-heal.

Cancer cells have now been shown to lack rigidity-sensing due to alteration in cytoskeletal sensor proteins, but can be reversed from a transformed to a rigidity-dependent growth state by the sensor proteins, resulting in restoration of contractility and adhesion.

Both a Dirac band and a flat band — signatures of topology and correlation — are found in a prototypical antiferromagnetic kagome lattice compound FeSn.

Progress in utilizing spin current as a probe of quantum materials,—including topological insulators, superconductors, spin liquids, magnonic systems and spin superfluidity,—is reviewed.

A remarkably low critical current is found to reorient the magnetic order in a magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenide, suggesting this class of materials could form a basis for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

The ultrafast response of a pyroelectric sensor with near-infrared responsivity is demonstrated by combining a pyroelectric thermal detector with wavelength-selective nanoparticle absorbers.

A prototypical kagome metal with magnetic and topological properties is identified.

Enhanced spin-charge conversion in graphene is realized by proximity coupling to WS₂ and electric-field tunability is demonstrated.

Strain can modify properties, but to prevent cracking is limited to films below a critical thickness. Here, by inserting atomic layers into a ferroelectric superlattice, chemical pressure is generated in thicker films, with enhanced figure of merit for tuneable millimetre-wave dielectrics.

Stretchable and self-healing light-emitting capacitors operating at low frequency and low voltage have been realized using a transparent elastomeric dielectric with high permittivity.

Photoelectrochemical production of syngas from water and CO₂ is technologically attractive but overpotentials, low selectivity and catalyst cost remain challenging. Tunable syngas production integrating cobalt porphyrin catalysts with perovskite and BiVO₄ photoabsorbers is now shown.

Ion-selective membranes are widely used for water purification and electrochemical energy devices but designing their pore architectures is challenging. Membranes with narrow channels and hydrophilic functionality are shown to exhibit salt ions transport and selectivity towards small organic molecules.

Orthogonal self-assembly of amphiphilic diblock copolymers and polyoxometallates followed by calcination allows the formation of cross-stacked multilayer 3D arrays of tungsten oxide nanowires.

Photopolymerization-induced phase separation of resins enables the high-resolution 3D printing of glass oxides with intricate shapes and distinct chemical composition.

As in haematopoietic cells and platelets, agonist binding to protease-activated receptors PAR1 and PAR2 in non-haematopoietic cells also triggers signalling pathways that lead to α₅β₁-integrin-mediated cell adhesion.

The generation of aligned extracellular matrices by fibroblasts is shown to depend on cell reorientation following collision, leading to closer alignment of the cells’ long axes. This cell collision guidance depends on the transcription factor TFAP2C and localized regulation of actomyosin contractility.

A range of cancer cell types are shown to lack rigidity-sensing due to alteration in specific cytoskeletal sensor proteins and this sensing ability can be reversed from a transformed to a rigidity-dependent growth state by the sensor proteins, resulting in restoration of contractility and adhesion.