Articles in 2021

Antibodies are widely used in biotechnology and bioengineering, but are sensitive to their environment. Here, primary antibodies are converted into thermally-stable protein liquids, achieving >60% antigen binding after cyclic heating at 125 °C and remain active when incorporated into plastics.

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene is interesting for its correlated superconducting and insulating states, but samples are typically micrometer-scale. Here, 3 × 5 mm² twisted bilayer graphene samples are fabricated, exhibiting a flat band and large bandgap revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

Topological surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators exhibit distinct magnetotransport properties. Here, a steering effect is demonstrated for three-terminal junctions, which is driven by an in-plane magnetic field and makes the junction act as a topoelectric current switch.

Predicting the synthesizability of unknown crystals is important for accelerating materials discovery. Here, the synthesizability of crystals with any given composition and structure can be predicted by a deep learning model that maps crystals onto color-coded 3D images processed by convolutional neural networks.

Solid polymer electrolytes that are resistant to volume changes during charge-discharge cycling are important for all-solid-state batteries. Here, a sulfide polymer electrolyte is fabricated by reacting PS₄³⁻ anions with iodine, obtaining cells with low resistance and high capacity retention.

Magnetic skyrmions are swirling topological spin textures induced by chiral interactions in non-centrosymmetric systems. Here, a Pt-Fe₃Sn bilayer exhibits a thickness-dependent magnetic anisotropy and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction that are key to the controlled stabilization of a skyrmion crystal.

Origami-inspired metamaterials are attractive for their programmable shape-shifting properties but are typically characterized by low structural rigidity. Here, 3D heterogeneous origami structures display highly reconfigurable mechanical properties, including finely controllable and reversible stiffness variation.

Charged domain walls in ferroelectrics are interesting as they may enhance electrical conductivity. Here, atomic-resolution imaging of Ca_3–xSr_xTi₂O₇ reveals that charged domain boundaries are stabilized by an out-of-phase translational shift of crystallographic domains and that Sr ions accumulate at the boundaries.

There is an ongoing drive for new additive manufacturing processes that produce complex parts. Here, cavity vat polymerisation is introduced, in which cavities are filled with a dual-curing resin that forms an elastomer/thermoset covalently bonded interface, creating hard-shell/soft-core parts.

There is an ongoing need to increase the operating temperature of jet engines, requiring new high-temperature materials. Here, local phase transformations at superlattice stacking faults contribute to a three times improvement in creep strength in a Ni-based superalloy.

Microscale resonators are widely used in modern technology and achieving large tunability of their resonant frequency is highly desirable. Here, a design for electro-superlubric springs, based on a restoring force between sliding solid surfaces, is predicted to have continuously tunable resonant frequencies from zero to several GHz.

Miniaturized systems for in situ plant applications are important to understand and preserve natural ecosystems. Here, the attachment of bioinspired microhooks to the surfaces of plant leaves is investigated, and on-leaf soft machines fabricated for monitoring conditions and for molecular delivery.

Three-dimensional magnetometers are key for detecting the motion of objects in automated electronics, but typically require multiple sensors on orthogonal planes. Here, a compact planar-type 3D magnetometer with low power consumption is realized using a topological ferromagnetic Fe-Sn heterostructure.

Shielding materials are crucial in protecting devices against electromagnetic radiation but are often heavyweight and operate in narrow frequency ranges. Here, highly conductive, lightweight, ultrathin, and flexible membranes based on Ag-WO₃-coated polymeric nanofibers provide multispectral shielding from microwaves to X-rays.

Moisture resistance is vital for commercializing perovskite solar cells. Here, long-chain alkylammonium cation-based 2D perovskites are used to coat 3D perovskite, enabling stable performance for six months with only a 20 % drop in power conversion efficiency.

Lead telluride is an important thermoelectric material but its metal-to-semiconductor transition above 230 °C is not fully understood. Here, atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy provides structural insights into this transition, explaining the metallic behavior by a dislocation network within the rock salt structure.

Long coherence times are a key property of superconducting qubits, but in conventional Al-based Josephson junctions they are limited by microscopic two-level systems. Here, NbN-based qubits on Si promise to overcome this limitation, showing an energy relaxation time T₁ = 16.3 μs and a spin-echo dephasing time T₂ = 21.5 μs.

Developing green-emitting InP quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLED) is lagging behind their red and green counterparts. Here, green InP quantum dots are prepared and incorporated into a QLED so to promote hole transport and reduce electron mobility, resulting in a maximum quantum efficiency of 16.3 %.

The mechanical properties of out-of-equilibrium, chemically fueled supramolecular materials are largely unexplored. Here, the effect of applied load and the concentration of reaction side products on the viscoelastic properties of chemically fueled supramolecular hydrogels is investigated.

Rare-earth iron garnets are ferrimagnetic insulators commercially known for their large magneto-optical effect. Here, strain-gradient engineering is used to induce flexoelectricity in Sm₃Fe₅O₁₂ films, achieving simultaneous remanent dielectric polarization and magnetization at room temperature.