Ternary alloys of rare-earths and transition metals exhibit complex ferrimagnetic behavior as a function of alloy compositions. Here, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism of the Gd₆(Mn_1−xFe_x)₂₃ series is used to explain the composition dependence of sublattice Curie temperatures in terms of element-specific magnetic moment evolution.

Magnetic Josephson junctions are important for studying the interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism. Here, an inverse proximity effect with tunable nanoscale spin ordering at the superconductor/ferromagnet interface of Nb-permalloy structures is observed, confirming theoretical predictions on these systems.

Due to their plasmonic properties, silver nanoparticles are promising across a vast range of applications, from physics instrumentation to biomedicine and environmental science. Here, the photon-to-heat conversion efficiency of individual nanoparticles is elucidated by designing and fabricating an ultra-sensitive bolometer with 26 pW power resolution.

Self-assembly of small nanoparticles is difficult to control and the resultant structures have weak stability. Here, a general centimeter-scale superlattice assembly strategy for noble metal nanoparticles of less than 15 nm is used to yield stable hexagonal close-packed monolayers.

Liquid marbles make use of surface particles to contain a water droplet, via a core-shell structure. Here, the fabrication of liquid marbles with a small quantity of surface polystyrene particles is demonstrated, and their rolling behavior on surfaces is studied.

Commercial adiabatic demagnetisation refrigerators are typically based on hydrated salts that are subject to corrosion and have poor thermal conductivity and low entropy at sub-Kelvin temperatures. Here, YbNi_1.6Sn is identified as a metallic magnetocaloric which retains high entropy into the 100 mK regime, providing an economical and durable alternative to magnetic refrigeration.

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

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