Stimuli-responsive oligosaccharide-based molecular designs are limited due to their intrinsic structural diversity and difficulties in selective synthesis. Here, photodegradable glyco-microfibers are synthesized by the selfassembly of cellobiose derivatives bearing nitrobenzyl groups.

Describing site-specific segregation in multi-species materials is a computationally complex task that typically requires model simplification, at the expense of atomic accuracy, or limitation to small samples. Here, the relationships between local atomic environments at grain boundaries and their segregation energies are investigated by developing suitable machine learning atomic descriptors.

Adhesives are commonly made from chemically synthesized raw materials. Here, a colloidal adhesive made entirely from cellulose shows strong mechanical properties and resistance to boiling water.

The passivation layer that forms on the surface of lithium metal contributes to lithium nucleation uniformity during battery charging. Here, vacuum thermal evaporation produces an ultra-thin lithium metal anode with reduced charge-transfer resistance that results in a more homogeneous and denser lithium plating.

Grain boundary nanodefects exist in solid electrolytes but detailed factors affecting ion transport are still limited. Here, a chemo-electro-mechanical phase-field model shows how Li penetrates Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ in the co-presence of grain boundaries and interfacial nanovoids

Magnetic resonance imaging lack biocompatible metal-free contrast agents with specific functionality. Here, hydrophilic phospho-/fluoropolymers are developed as 31P/ 19 F-MR probes for in vivo detection of reactive oxygen species.

There is growing interest in reducing the chemical complexity of engineering alloys. Here, an Mg-Ca alloy for use in bone fixation has less than 1 weight % calcium, and achieves strength and ductility superior to many conventionally-processed magnesium alloys.

Altermagnetism is attracting great interest as a new third type of collinear magnetic order, distinct by symmetry from conventional ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Now, a mechanism for an interaction-induced formation of altermagnetism in isotropic crystals is presented, based on spontaneous orbital ordering.

Sodium-ion battery safety can be improved by using non-flammable electrolytes, but they are traditionally incompatible with carbon-based anodes. Now, low-concentration phosphate electrolytes modulated by anion-cation interactions are shown to work well with standard electrodes, displaying stable operation over a wide temperature range.

Solar-powered desalination is attractive for cost-effective drinking water in rural communities. Now, nanoporous zinc films created by dealloying are shown to be efficient photothermal materials.

Adsorption has widely been studied in porous materials but the mechanism remains a mystery for nonporous systems. Now, nonporous polymeric crystals have been demonstrated to absorb molecules by coupling dynamic boron-nitrogen bonding and host-guest binding.

Celebrating one year of publishing at Communications Materials