Structural properties articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Body-centred cubic metals rarely show twinning during deformation. Here, the authors use high resolution transmission electron microscopy to show tungsten, a body-centred cubic metal, spontaneously undergoes detwinning when unloaded.

    • Xiang Wang
    • , Jiangwei Wang
    •  & Scott X. Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aspects of twinning in hexagonal-close-packed crystals remain elusive. Here, the authors directly image twinning in rhenium nanocrystals and show the process is mediated by disconnections on Prismatic│Basal interfaces as the twin initially deviates from its ideal orientation before it is corrected.

    • Yang He
    • , Bin Li
    •  & Scott X. Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Prismatic dislocation loops (PDLs) form during the elastic-to-plastic transition of a dislocation-free volume under nanoindentation. Here the authors observe the initial plasticity and burst-like emission of PDLs in Au nanowires by in-situ transmission electron microscopy, elucidating fundamental aspects of the formation process.

    • Subin Lee
    • , Aviral Vaid
    •  & Sang Ho Oh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tendon driven systems offer a simple way to transmit actuation force in robotic hands but current tendon fibres have low toughness, limiting the further development of tendon-driven actuators. Here the authors report a super tough electro-tendon based on spider silk, mechanically toughened by SWCNT and electrically enhanced by PEDOT:PSS.

    • Liang Pan
    • , Fan Wang
    •  & Xiaodong Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Modulation of exposed crystal facets enhances transferrin binding to chalcogenide nanocrystals and their subsequent delivery into cancer cells. Facet-dependent protein binding occurs through inner-sphere thiol complexation and is affected by the structure of the first solvation shell.

    • Yu Qi
    • , Tong Zhang
    •  & Wei Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Additive manufacturing technologies provide versatility but are limited in terms of printing speed and resolution. Here the authors demonstrate printing of 3D structures with submicrometer features by electrostatically deflecting a jet in electrohydrodynamic jetting.

    • Ievgenii Liashenko
    • , Joan Rosell-Llompart
    •  & Andreu Cabot

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The semiconducting ABC configuration of trilayer graphene is more challenging to grow on large scales than its semimetallic ABA counterpart. Here, an approach to trilayer growth via chemical vapor deposition is presented that utilizes substrate curvature to yield enhanced fraction and size of ABC domains.

    • Zhaoli Gao
    • , Sheng Wang
    •  & A. T. Charlie Johnson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Atomically differentiating surface and subsurface is experimentally challenging. Here, the authors use in-situ electron microscopy to simultaneously monitor the surface and subsurface and show that H2 oxidation on CuO surfaces induces cycles of ordering and disordering of oxygen vacancies in the subsurface.

    • Xianhu Sun
    • , Wenhui Zhu
    •  & Guangwen Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extraordinary mechanical properties of graphene are usually measured on very small or supported samples. Here, the authors develop a method to test a large area of graphene and show that even with edge defects it displays near-ideal mechanical performance.

    • Ke Cao
    • , Shizhe Feng
    •  & Yang Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While diamond is the strongest natural material, it fails to reach its theoretical elasticity limits and is brittle. Here, the authors show that thin <100>-orientated diamond nanoneedles can reach diamond’s theoretical strength and elasticity limits in tension.

    • Anmin Nie
    • , Yeqiang Bu
    •  & Wei Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft porous crystals hold big promise as functional nanoporous materials due to their stimuli responsive flexibility. Here, molecular dynamics simulations reveal a new type of spatial disorder in mesoscale crystals that helps to understand the size-dependency of their phase transition behavior.

    • Sven M. J. Rogge
    • , Michel Waroquier
    •  & Veronique Van Speybroeck

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Constructing two-dimensional (2D) polymers with complex tessellation patterns is important for the fabrication of advanced materials but achieving such complexity is a great challenge. Here the authors report a tessellated 2D covalent organic framework with increased structural complexity as well as different pore structures.

    • Rong-Ran Liang
    • , Shun-Qi Xu
    •  & Xin Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular crystals are typically less stiff than metals or ceramics. Here the authors report an organic elastically bendable co-crystal with stiffness comparable to low-density metals, hardness similar to stainless steel and reveal the molecular mechanism which lead to these mechanical properties.

    • Somnath Dey
    • , Susobhan Das
    •  & C. Malla Reddy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene oxide sheets have been used as a model system to study how the mechanical properties of individual 2D building blocks scale to their bulk form. Here the authors show that the modulus of multilayer graphene oxide films can be enhanced if some of the sheets are weakened by introducing in-plane porosity.

    • Lily Mao
    • , Hun Park
    •  & Jiaxing Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The deformation of materials depends on dislocation activity, and suppressing dislocations should lead to brittleness. Here, the authors combine simulations and experiments to show a samarium-cobalt intermetallic can exhibit plasticity without dislocations.

    • Hubin Luo
    • , Hongwei Sheng
    •  & Izabela Szlufarska

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron diffraction can be used to determine nanocrystal structures, but is unsuitable for locating hydrogen atoms. Here the authors combine electron diffraction, solid-state NMR and first-principles calculations to resolve the crystal structures and hydrogen-bonding networks of L-histidine and cimetidine form B.

    • Candelaria Guzmán-Afonso
    • , You-lee Hong
    •  & Yusuke Nishiyama

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The adhesion of two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXenes) is important for potential MXene device fabrication and performance. Here, the authors show that adhesion of MXenes depends on their monolayer thickness and, in contrast to graphene, does not show number-of-monolayers dependency.

    • Yanxiao Li
    • , Shuohan Huang
    •  & Vadym N. Mochalin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In semiconductors strain gradients can separate light induced electron-hole pairs via the flexo-photovoltaic effect. Here the authors show that this effect can also account for the enhancement of the photoconduction in certain phase regions at the morphotropic phase boundary in Bismuth Ferrite films.

    • Ming-Min Yang
    • , Affan N. Iqbal
    •  & Marin Alexe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cyclized or folded single-chain polymeric nano-objects are generally produced with low efficiency. Here, the authors have scaled up the preparation of supramolecular single-chain nanogels by RAFT polymerizations and applied the dynamic supramolecular single-chain nanogels to regulate cell behaviours at varying scales.

    • Xiaoyu Chen
    • , Rui Li
    •  & Liming Bian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Layer-by-layer self-assembly method using small molecules holds promise to precisely combine atomically thin materials and enable fabrication of pillared structures with superior device performance. Here, the authors report controlled synthesis of supercapacitor electrodes based on 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene multilayers with a volumetric capacitance of 583 F/cm3.

    • Weiqian Tian
    • , Armin VahidMohammadi
    •  & Mahiar M. Hamedi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of artificial muscle-like actuators is often hampered by the lack of general fabrication routes towards anisotropic responsive materials. Here, the authors fabricate anisotropic hydrogels by an in-situ polymerization strategy of a lamellar network, crosslinked by metal nanostructure assemblies.

    • Haili Qin
    • , Tan Zhang
    •  & Shu-Hong Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increasing nanoparticle size usually increases the stability of ordered phases within them. In contrast, the authors show here that the L11 ordered phase only forms in AgPt nanoparticles smaller than 2.5 nm because the segregation of a monolayer Ag shell constrains the nanophase which becomes unstable at larger sizes.

    • J. Pirart
    • , A. Front
    •  & R. Ferrando

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aided by advanced electron microscopy, the authors imaged dissociated dislocations in Li2MnO3 during an initial charge to 5 V. Such defects possess high gliding and transverse mobility and prompt O2 release. This work provides fresh insights into the defect chemistry of cathode materials for batteries.

    • Qianqian Li
    • , Zhenpeng Yao
    •  & Jinsong Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The deformation mechanisms of twin boundaries in nanotwinned metallic materials are still unclear. Here the authors combine in situ transmission electron microscopy tensile tests and molecular dynamics simulations with a dislocation-based theoretical model to reveal the deformation mechanism of nanotwins.

    • A. Y. Chen
    • , L. L. Zhu
    •  & J. Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It has previously been reported that hot drops impacting on a colder surface can lead to loss of surface hydrophobicity unless the surface features are very small. Here the authors find that both small and large features but not intermediate ones are able to preserve hydrophobicity.

    • Timothée Mouterde
    • , Pierre Lecointre
    •  & David Quéré

  • Article
    | Open Access

    1T’ phases of transition metal dichalcogenides show promise for electrocatalysis, energy storage, and spintronic applications but are difficult to obtain. Here the authors synthesize 1T’ WSe2 few-layered nanosheets by kinetically-controlled colloidal synthesis, and test their electrocatalytic activity.

    • Maria S. Sokolikova
    • , Peter C. Sherrell
    •  & Cecilia Mattevi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ice-VII, the densest phase of ice, has been expected to exist only under extreme conditions, such as in Earth’s deep mantle. Shin et al. show spectroscopic evidence that ice-VII-like structures can also be found in water confined in the nanomeniscus between packed nanoparticles at ambient conditions.

    • Dongha Shin
    • , Jonggeun Hwang
    •  & Wonho Jhe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shear-induced grain boundary migration at the atomic level is still not well understood. Here the authors combine in situ shear testing experiments and molecular dynamic simulations to reveal the atomistic mechanism of disconnection-mediated GB migration in different gold nanostructures.

    • Qi Zhu
    • , Guang Cao
    •  & Scott X. Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanism underlying the superlubricity of tetrahedral amorphous carbon coatings lubricated with organic friction modifiers is still under debate. Here the authors combine experiments and simulations to reveal that superlubricious layers form due the mechano-chemical decomposition of friction modifiers.

    • Takuya Kuwahara
    • , Pedro A. Romero
    •  & Michael Moseler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Weaker ferritic/matensitic steels rather than stronger austenitic steels are usually candidates for nuclear reactors since they do not easily swell under irradiation. Here, the authors make an ultrastrong lanthanum-doped nanocrystalline austenitic steel that is thermally stable and radiation-tolerant.

    • Congcong Du
    • , Shenbao Jin
    •  & Tongde Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The toughening of layered composite materials during cyclic loading remains poorly understood. Here, the authors introduce an interfacial nanolayer to a polymer-metal-ceramic stack to triple the fracture energy during cyclic loading via nanolayer-induced interfacial bond strengthening and load transfer to the polymer layer.

    • Matthew Kwan
    • , Muriel Braccini
    •  & Ganpati Ramanath

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanosized ceria has conventionally been thought to have a cubic fluorite structure. Here, the authors use a combination of experiments and simulations to show that oxygen vacancies in ceria promote a charge-transfer induced phase transition from tetragonal to cubic.

    • He Zhu
    • , Chao Yang
    •  & Xianran Xing

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials that exhibit synchronous color change and actuation may benefit biomimetic camouflage, but stimuli can be difficult to control. Here the authors report a composite with electricity-driven electrochromic and actuating capabilities for use in a solid-state ionic polymer-metal composite actuator.

    • Kerui Li
    • , Yuanlong Shao
    •  & Hongzhi Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance combined with quantum chemical shift predictions is limited by high computational cost. Here, the authors use machine learning based on local atomic environments to predict experimental chemical shifts in molecular solids with accuracy similar to density functional theory.

    • Federico M. Paruzzo
    • , Albert Hofstetter
    •  & Lyndon Emsley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While metallic nanosized objects are stronger than their macroscopic counterparts, they rarely reach the metal’s maximum theoretical strength. Here, the authors produce faceted nickel nanoparticles and show that their strength under compression matches the theoretically predicted strength in the literature.

    • A. Sharma
    • , J. Hickman
    •  & Y. Mishin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Crystal stability prediction is of paramount importance for novel material discovery, with theoretical approaches alternative to expensive standard schemes highly desired. Here the authors develop a deep learning approach which, just using two descriptors, provides crystalline formation energies with very high accuracy.

    • Weike Ye
    • , Chi Chen
    •  & Shyue Ping Ong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chirality transfer by chemical self-assembly has been studied intensively for years but chirality transfers along the same path remains elusive. Here the authors use a multiscale chemo-mechanical model to elucidate the mechanism underlying the chirality transfer via self-assembly in hierarchical camphorsulfonic acid doped polyaniline.

    • Yang Yang
    • , Jie Liang
    •  & Zhixiang Wei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fuel cells are promising for sustainable energy generation, but are limited by the performance of electrocatalysts. Here the authors synthesize dendritic palladium–copper–cobalt nanoalloys with electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction and formic acid oxidation as well as alcohol tolerance.

    • Chaozhong Li
    • , Qiang Yuan
    •  & Xun Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Trapping air at the solid-liquid interface is a promising strategy for reducing frictional drag but could not be realized without perfluorinated coatings so-far. Here the authors demonstrate a biomimetic coating-free approach for entrapping air for long periods upon immersion in liquids.

    • Eddy M. Domingues
    • , Sankara Arunachalam
    •  & Himanshu Mishra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quasicrystals possess long range order but no translational symmetry, and rotational symmetries that are forbidden in periodic crystals. Here, a fullerene overlayer deposited on a surface of an icosahedral intermetallic quasicrystal achieves a Fibonacci square grid structure, by selective adsorption at specific sites.

    • Sam Coates
    • , Joseph A. Smerdon
    •  & Hem Raj Sharma

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The field of molecular electronics is currently held back by the lack of scalability and reproducibility of existing break junction technologies. Here, Dubois et al. demonstrate parallel fabrication of millions of gold break junctions with sub-3 nm gaps via controllable crack formation on a wafer scale.

    • Valentin Dubois
    • , Shyamprasad N. Raja
    •  & Göran Stemme

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metals deformed at very high rates experience a rapid increase in flow stress due to dislocation drag. Here, the authors stabilise a nanocrystalline microstructure to suppress dislocation velocity and limit drag effects, conserving low strain-rate deformation mechanisms up to higher strain rates and temperatures.

    • S. A. Turnage
    • , M. Rajagopalan
    •  & K. N. Solanki

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