Synthesis and processing articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Uniformly distributing nanoparticles on nanofibres can benefit electrocatalysis by increasing surface area, but it is complex. Here the authors use facile, inexpensive, nozzle-free electrospinning to produce dispersed nanoparticles on nanofibres, attaining increased voltage in a commercial-scale fuel cell.

    • Norbert Radacsi
    • , Fernando Diaz Campos
    •  & Konstantinos P. Giapis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How nanocrystals assemble into superlattices is poorly understood, given the difficulty of probing these processes in real time, in a controlled environment. Here, the authors use space- and time-resolved in situ small angle X-ray scattering to monitor the ordering of nanocrystal superlattices by electric field, which allows them to extract quantitative information about the assembly process.

    • Yixuan Yu
    • , Dian Yu
    •  & Christine A. Orme

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic materials tend to excel in either stiffness or extensibility, whereas a combination of the two is necessary to exceed the performance of natural biomaterials. Here the authors present a bioinspired polymer consisting of cyclic β-peptide rings that is capable of transitioning between rigid and unfolded conformations on demand.

    • Kenan P. Fears
    • , Manoj K. Kolel-Veetil
    •  & Thomas D. Clark

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Elucidating the formation of quasicrystals, which have long-range orientational order but no translation periodicity, remains a challenge. Here, the authors track and geometrically describe how a decagonal nickel–zirconium seed grows into a tenfold twinned dendritic structure.

    • Wolfgang Hornfeck
    • , Raphael Kobold
    •  & Dieter Herlach

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Alumina is thought to be the main condensate to form in the gas outflow from oxygen-rich evolved stars. Here, the authors perform a condensation experiment with alumina in a low-gravity environment, and find spectroscopic evidence for a sharp feature at a wavelength of 13.55 μm.

    • Shinnosuke Ishizuka
    • , Yuki Kimura
    •  & Yuko Inatomi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) find increasing application as sensor material, but fast switching solvatochromism was not realized. Here the authors demonstrate that combination of electron-rich and -deficient building blocks leads to COFs which fast and reversibly change of their electronic structure depending on the surrounding atmosphere.

    • Laura Ascherl
    • , Emrys W. Evans
    •  & Florian Auras

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multi-shelled nanomaterials offer interesting electrochemical properties, but have been limited in composition. Here the authors use dual templating to integrate electroactive metal chalcogenide layers with hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne, achieving electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution.

    • Sifei Zhuo
    • , Yusuf Shi
    •  & Peng Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mackinawite is commonly assumed to be the first solid phase in the iron sulfide system. Here, the authors report the existence of a highly reactive nanocrystalline solid phase that is a necessary precursor to the formation of mackinawite.

    • Adriana Matamoros-Veloza
    • , Oscar Cespedes
    •  & Liane G. Benning

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Subtractive manufacturing of microstructures is important for many applications, yet photoresists for 3D laser lithography allow only removal after development under harsh cleavage conditions. Here, the authors introduce a set of chemoselective cleavable photoresists allowing the orthogonal cleavage of microstructures under mild conditions.

    • David Gräfe
    • , Andreas Wickberg
    •  & Christopher Barner-Kowollik

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene shows great promise for gas separation applications, but obtaining large membranes that are free of cracks and tears remains highly challenging. Here, the authors realize monolayer, crack-free, millimeter-scale graphene membranes that exhibit selective gas permeation solely thanks to their intrinsic defects

    • Shiqi Huang
    • , Mostapha Dakhchoune
    •  & Kumar Varoon Agrawal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Identifying new compounds with intrinsically high conversion efficiency is the key to demonstrating next-generation thermoelectric modules. Here, Zhu et al. report the discovery of p-type ZrCoBi-based half Heuslers with thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 9% and large high-temperature stability.

    • Hangtian Zhu
    • , Ran He
    •  & Zhifeng Ren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Water splitting by nanostructured, abundant catalysts provides a renewable means to make carbon neutral fuels, but the ideal material morphology and composition remain uncertain. Here, the authors prepare superaerophobic, multi-metallic sulfide nanotube arrays as bifunctional water splitting catalysts.

    • Haoyi Li
    • , Shuangming Chen
    •  & Xun Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gold nanoclusters are known to grow stepwise from gold-thiolate monomers and oligomers. Here, the authors find that the evolution of silver nanoclusters differs completely from that of gold: rather than following a bottom-up pathway, the clusters evolve from similarly-sized Ag-thiolate cluster intermediates.

    • Yitao Cao
    • , Jiahao Guo
    •  & Tierui Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding bottom-up growth mechanisms of 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes) may enable new synthetic routes to tailor functional properties. Here, the authors use in situ electron microscopy, density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the homoepitaxial growth mechanisms of a single TiC adlayer from a Ti3C2 monolayer substrate.

    • Xiahan Sang
    • , Yu Xie
    •  & Raymond R. Unocic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In order to displace fossil fuel technologies, it is crucial to develop efficient solar-to-fuel conversion materials using abundant, cheap elements. Here, the authors prepare few-layer black phosphorous with amorphous cobalt phosphide and produce hydrogen gas with light at high efficiencies.

    • Bin Tian
    • , Bining Tian
    •  & Yue Tian

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The self-organization of nanocrystals into complex superlattices involves the interplay of different interactions. Here, the authors systematically reveal the effects of particle shape and ligand coverage on the assembly behavior of branched octapods into planar superlattices.

    • Andrea Castelli
    • , Joost de Graaf
    •  & Milena P. Arciniegas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The synthesis of patchy colloids is limited by poor control over the location and shape of ligand domains. Here, the authors use adaptable polymer masks to protect select areas of the particle during functionalization, allowing them to create patchy colloids with unconventional surface morphologies.

    • Zhenxing Wang
    • , Bowen He
    •  & Hongyu Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal species are highly mobile within mesoporous silica, making it difficult to template growth of metallic nanocrystals inside the channels. Here, the authors introduce a solid-liquid-solution interfacial strategy to suppress migration of the metal species, achieving control over a variety of mesostructured nanomaterials.

    • Jixiang Fang
    • , Lingling Zhang
    •  & Hongjun You

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The crystal structure of a solid-solution alloy is generally determined by its elemental composition, limiting synthetic control over the alloy’s properties. Here, the authors are able to selectively control the crystal structure of Au–Ru alloy nanoparticles by rationally tuning the reduction speed of the metal precursors.

    • Quan Zhang
    • , Kohei Kusada
    •  & Hiroshi Kitagawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The crystal orientation of a magnetic nanowire can strongly influence its properties, yet nanowire growth with directional control remains challenging. Here, the authors use glancing angle deposition and angle switching to grow iron cobalt nanowires in seven different <hkl> crystal directions.

    • Y. Tao
    •  & C. L. Degen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional dealloying methods to produce bicontinuous open nanoporous structures for catalysis are limited to very few alloys and produce chemical waste. Here, the authors develop a green process, vapor-phase dealloying, to selectively remove high partial vapor pressure components and create nanoporosity in a wide range of alloys.

    • Zhen Lu
    • , Cheng Li
    •  & Mingwei Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The application potential of organic nanotubes is currently limited by their lack of designable or dynamic properties. Here, Chen et al. use sequence-defined peptoids to assemble a new family of pH-responsive stiff nanotubes whose dimensions, components and functions can be easily tailored.

    • Haibao Jin
    • , Yan-Huai Ding
    •  & Chun-Long Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising technology for sensitive optical sensors, generally using rough metal films. Here, Liu et al. synthesize high-quality graphene quantum dot films which offer a large SERS enhancement due to a strong light-matter interaction with Van Hove singularities.

    • Donghua Liu
    • , Xiaosong Chen
    •  & Dacheng Wei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Large-scale graphene production remains challenging because of the tendency of graphene to stack with itself, which requires its dispersion in large amounts of solvent. Here the authors achieve the environmentally favourable production of highly concentrated graphene in water through a non-dispersion, flocculation strategy.

    • Lei Dong
    • , Zhongxin Chen
    •  & Kian Ping Loh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Superatoms—clusters that exhibit some of the properties of elemental atoms—could serve as building blocks for functional materials, but their synthesis outside of the gas phase is highly challenging. Here, the authors use a dendrimer template to successfully produce Al13 − in solution.

    • Tetsuya Kambe
    • , Naoki Haruta
    •  & Kimihisa Yamamoto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Doping metal nanoclusters at specific sites is a powerful strategy for tuning their properties. Here, the authors precisely control the alloying sites of bimetallic nanoclusters by replacing entire surface motifs with structurally similar heteroatom motifs, tuning the surface composition motif-by-motif rather than atom-by-atom.

    • Qiaofeng Yao
    • , Yan Feng
    •  & Jianping Xie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photochemical synthesis is a popular approach to fabricate metallic nanoparticles, however stabilizing individually-dispersed atoms by this method remains challenging. Here, the authors freeze their precursor solution prior to UV irradiation to obtain atomically-dispersed platinum catalysts with high electrocatalytic performance.

    • Hehe Wei
    • , Kai Huang
    •  & Hui Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural silk fibers are produced using a simple and green approach compared to alternative synthetic methods. Here, the authors show a bioinspired approach to spin regenerated silk fibers using anisotropic liquid crystals and dry spinning, resulting in remarkably robust fibers.

    • Shengjie Ling
    • , Zhao Qin
    •  & Markus J. Buehler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Carbon dots are an emergent class of nanomaterials that hold promise for innovations in imaging, sensing, and catalytic technologies. Here, Stolarczyk and colleagues control the nitrogen-atom content and location within carbon dots, reporting the resulting impact on emissivity and photocatalytic behaviour.

    • Santanu Bhattacharyya
    • , Florian Ehrat
    •  & Jacek K. Stolarczyk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Owing to their unique properties, hollow metal nanocrystals demonstrate greater catalytic promise than their solid counterparts. Here the authors produce hollow and inflated palladium nanocrystals with thin shells via a repeated Kirkendall cavitation process, and demonstrate their activity for formic acid oxidation.

    • He Tianou
    • , Weicong Wang
    •  & Yadong Yin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coating porous membranes with nanoparticles can enhance their separation and antifouling properties, but methods to do so remain complex. Here, Lee and colleagues use solvent transfer-induced phase separation to prepare nanoparticle-functionalized hollow fiber membranes from bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels.

    • Martin F. Haase
    • , Harim Jeon
    •  & Daeyeon Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hollow nanoparticles can be synthesized by galvanic replacement or the Kirkendall effect, which are generally regarded as two separate processes. Here, the authors use liquid TEM to follow the entire galvanic replacement of Ag nanocubes, finding experimental evidence that the Kirkendall effect is a key intermediate stage during hollowing.

    • See Wee Chee
    • , Shu Fen Tan
    •  & Utkur Mirsaidov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An understanding of how caged carbon materials self-assemble from doped graphite is a long-standing challenge. Here, the authors show that distinct bottom-up processes lead to the synthesis of high-symmetry clusterfullerenes.

    • Marc Mulet-Gas
    • , Laura Abella
    •  & Paul W. Dunk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The catalytic activity of a noble metal nanocluster is tied to its atomicity. Here, the authors report an atom-precise, fully scalable synthesis of platinum clusters from molecular ring precursors, and show that a variation of only one atom can dramatically change a cluster’s reactivity.

    • Takane Imaoka
    • , Yuki Akanuma
    •  & Kimihisa Yamamoto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    T-carbon is a previously predicted but so far unobserved allotrope of carbon, with a crystal structure similar to diamond, but with each atomic lattice position replaced by a carbon tetrahedron. Here, the authors produce T-carbon nanowires via laser-irradiating a suspension of carbon nanotubes in methanol.

    • Jinying Zhang
    • , Rui Wang
    •  & Chunming Niu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strain engineering is an essential tool for modifying local electronic properties in silicon-based electronics. Here, Ahn et al. demonstrate control of biaxial strain in two-dimensional materials based on the growth substrate, enabling more complex low-dimensional electronics.

    • Geun Ho Ahn
    • , Matin Amani
    •  & Ali Javey

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Carbon-based electrodes able to intercalate Li+ and Na+ ions have been exploited for high performing energy storage devices. Here, the authors combine the ion intercalation properties of porous graphitic carbons with the redox chemistry of iodine to produce iodine–carbon batteries with high reversible capacities.

    • Ke Lu
    • , Ziyu Hu
    •  & Jintao Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MOF-based membranes have shown great promise in separation applications, but producing thin membranes that allow for high fluxes remains challenging. Here, the authors use a gel–vapour deposition strategy to fabricate composite membranes with less than 20 nm thicknesses and high gas permeances and selectivities.

    • Wanbin Li
    • , Pengcheng Su
    •  & Eddy Zeng

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