Volume 7 Issue 5, May 2022

An article in Nature presents an all-polymer light-emitting diode that can be stretched to 100% strain while preserving a high brightness.

An article in Nature Communications reports a 3D nanoprinting platform that combines a microfluidic atomic force microscope to precisely deposit tiny amounts of polymer ink and surface-initiated crosslinking chemistry to solidify the ink immediately upon delivery.

An article in Nature presents a superconducting diode that works without the need for a magnetic field.

Centrifugal and/or shear forces induced by rotary motion can drastically alter outcomes of chemical experiments and processes. This Review surveys rotary systems in which such forces control self-organization phenomena, materials synthesis or even chemical reactivity at molecular and macromolecular scales.

Organelles are compartments inside cells that play important parts in intercellular and intracellular communication, reflecting the metabolic state of the cell. This Review discusses biological pathways that can be exploited to target cargo to specific organelles in vivo, highlighting nucleic acids as suitable delivery vehicles for organelle-level imaging, diagnosis and therapy.

Cold chain requirements, distribution challenges and high costs limit the global rollout of many vaccines. This Review discusses plant molecular farming in combination with advanced materials strategies as a new platform for the local production of thermostable vaccines and other biologics.

The design of superionic conductors necessitates a fundamental understanding of how to invoke fast ion transport in the solid state. This Review discusses the role of framework anion rotational dynamics in enhancing cation diffusion through the paddle-wheel mechanism and its exploitation at room temperature.

Long-acting drug delivery formulations enable sustained and prolonged drug release at the site of action or for systemic delivery, overcoming the need for frequent and repeated drug administration. This Review discusses US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved long-acting drug delivery formulations, highlighting different slow-release mechanisms and delivery platforms, and the materials used to achieve them.