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Flat-band materials such as kagome and moiré lattices and strongly correlated electron systems including heavy-fermion compounds exhibit strikingly similar phenomena of topology and strong correlations. This Perspective article discusses Kondo physics as the underlying theme and a route to a unified understanding.
Taking inspiration from the success of organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), vapour deposition holds promises for bringing perovskite LEDs closer to commercialization. This Perspective article highlights the main bottlenecks and challenges towards high-efficiency vapour-deposited perovskite LEDs, as well as the prospects on the route towards commercial displays.
Current interest in furthering space exploration is undoubtedly relevant to materials science research. However, as we stand on the brink of a revolution, it is imperative to establish robust frameworks to foster sustainable growth. In this Viewpoint, experts in space policy, environmental stewardship and ethics reflect on issues from space debris management to international collaboration and exploitation of extraterrestrial resources.
Microscale robots have unique advantages for biomedical and environmental applications. This Review discusses materials considerations to enable the propulsion and motion control of these microrobots, as well as their fabrication and potential applications.
For more than two decades, the crystallization of various (bio)molecules and materials have been found to be non-classical and to generate unique crystal structures and morphologies. This Review discusses the non-classical crystallization pathways discovered in soft and organic materials and identifies challenges and opportunities in understanding, designing and synthesizing such structures.
Peptides and nucleic acids inspired the creation of synthetic analogues that fold and assemble on demand. By contrast, programmable glycan architectures remain mostly unexplored. In this Perspective, the authors propose that advances in synthesis and analysis could fuel the use of well-defined glycans in materials science and supramolecular chemistry.
Moisture-sorption-based energy harvesting (MSEH) is a promising strategy for obtaining heat, cold and electricity from ubiquitous moisture anywhere and anytime. This Perspective article discusses the thermodynamic characteristics of MSEH, evaluates global energy production potential and highlights challenges and strategies for realizing high-energy-productivity MSEH.
Multijunction solar cells can overcome the fundamental efficiency limits of single-junction devices. This Perspective article highlights tandem solar cells based on a wide-gap perovskite and a narrow-gap organic subcell, which could achieve efficiencies beyond 30% and can be produced without large carbon emissions.
Materialism, a podcast exploring the past, present and future of materials science, is turning five. Co-founders and co-hosts Taylor Sparks (a professor at the University of Utah) and Andrew Falkowski (a PhD student in Sparks’ group) discuss how they use storytelling to create compelling episodes and share their journey and lessons learned.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) lacks sufficient haptic feedback to the surgeon due to the length and flexibility of surgical tools. This haptic disconnect is exacerbated in robotic-MIS, which utilizes tele-operation to control surgical tools. Tactile sensation in MIS and robotic-MIS can be restored in a safe and conformable manner through soft sensors and soft haptic feedback devices.
The production of conventional meat contributes to climate change and uses up around 70% of available arable land. Cultured meat is emerging as a potential solution, but presently can be only produced at the pilot scale. Biofabrication technologies developed for biomedical applications could be leveraged to introduce automation and standardization in the production of cultured meat, accelerating its path to market.
Single-atom catalysts benefit from metal–support interactions that enable the support to be directly involved in the reaction, accelerating specific mechanistic steps to obtain unique electrocatalytic properties. This Review discusses state-of-the-art techniques for synthesizing active co-catalytic single-atom structures and explores the design strategies that enhance their catalytic performance.
An article in Nature Electronics introduces a single-step platform for integrating 2D materials into functional devices, addressing a fundamental constraint in van der Waals integration.
An article in Advanced Healthcare Materials reports a 4D-printed hydrogel dressing that shrinks at body temperature and promotes healing in chronic diabetic wounds.
An article in Science reports an exceptionally warm and thin sweater knitted from stretchy aerogel fibres, whose core–shell structures are inspired by the fur of polar bears.
Immunotherapy represents an important advance in cancer treatment, yet faces challenges owing to lack of precise control, leading to systemic effects and suboptimal results for patients. This Review explores how responsive biomaterials can enhance cancer immunotherapies by responding to various internal and external stimuli to regulate the delivery and behaviour of therapeutic agents, thereby improving efficacy and reducing toxicity in treatment methods such as cancer vaccines, T cell-based therapies and sustained delivery systems.
Current technologies of bioinspired and neuromorphic electronics still lack a universal framework for integration into everyday life. This Perspective highlights how bioinspired electronics with soft electrochemical matter based on organic mixed conductors can potentially enable the integration of diverse forms of intelligence everywhere.
