The image is an artist’s impression of microrobots using photocatalysis to degrade chemical and biological warfare agents for environmental remediation

Our March issue

Design of microscale robots, single-atom catalysts, glycan foldamers and programmable assemblies, perovskite-organic tandem solar cells, plus off-grid solar photovoltaics in sub-Saharan Africa.

Announcements

  • Artist's impression of a face wearing a mask that can sense health data

    In this collection we explore the different facets of wearable electronics, from the design of wearable sensors and of self-charging power sources, to the use of wearable electronics for deep-tissue monitoring and for collecting signals from the mucosa.

  • A hippo navigating in a sea full of plastic

    Plastics shape the modern world, but between their reliance on fossil fuels and their massive accumulation as waste, plastics are at the heart of a dual environmental crisis.

  • A colorful metal-organic framework

    Making the materials science community more inclusive is an important goal to work towards. This collection brings together articles discussing how the materials science community can become more inclusive, featuring action points and uncovering systemic problems underlying the current lack of diversity in academia and beyond.

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  • As new materials and manufacturing techniques are discovered, their benefits transform every branch of science and engineering. In spacecraft propulsion, a new generation of ion engines could provide unprecedented performance and flexibility in space mission design.

    • Paulo C. Lozano
    Comment
  • Nanoparticles (NPs) administered in the human body will undergo rapid surface modification upon contact with biological fluids driven by their interfacial interaction with a diverse range of biomolecules. Such spontaneous self-assembly and adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules onto the NP surface constitute what is commonly known as the protein or biomolecule corona. This surface biotransformation of the NPs modulates their biological interactions and impact on physiological systems and can influence their overall pharmacological profile. Here, we comment on how the initially considered ‘nuisance’ of the in vivo corona formation can now be considered a nanoparticle engineering tool for biomedical use, such as in endogenous tissue targeting, personalized biomarker discovery and immunomodulation.

    • Marilena Hadjidemetriou
    • Morteza Mahmoudi
    • Kostas Kostarelos
    Comment
  • An article in Science Advances presents a method to create starch superstructures to potentially improve food supply.

    • Charlotte Allard
    Research Highlight
  • An article in Matter uses rice grains as scaffolds for cultivated beef cells to produce an innovative beef-infused rice.

    • Ariane Vartanian
    Research Highlight
  • Solar photovoltaics has tremendous potential to address current gaps in electricity access for resource-challenged settings, such as sub-Saharan Africa. However, a rapid surge in installations and future growth will lead to an increase in waste from panels and batteries, which needs to be tackled urgently. Innovative technical solutions and improved policies and standards are required to address end-of-life challenges for solar photovoltaics in sub-Saharan Africa.

    • Priti Parikh
    • Ryan Wang
    • Jing Meng
    Comment
A colorful artistic impression of a metal-organic framework

Inclusivity in materials science

This collection brings together articles discussing how the materials science community can become more inclusive, featuring action points and uncovering systemic problems underlying the current lack of diversity in academia and beyond.
Collection

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