News & Views

In contrast with protocols reporting self-assembly of nanocrystals after synthesis, Pd nanocrystals rapidly form 3D micrometre-size superlattices during growth. The nanocrystals keep growing after assembly, tuning the size of the lattice.

Nanostructured films of organic semiconductors are now shown to enhance the Raman signal of probe molecules, paving the way to the realization of substrates for Raman spectroscopy with molecular selectivity.

A tuned oxide superlattice possesses two coexisting phases — one ferroelectric, the other with vortex order — which can be interconverted under electric field, changing material properties.

Plasmonic nanolasers embedded in living cells and animal tissues are shown to emit strongly, making them promising potential biocompatible probes.

Sound waves drive the organization of particle scatterers into stable structures, exhibiting phononic band gaps that heal from disturbances and adapt to changes in the drive.

Introducing high-density ordered nanoprecipitates into martensitic steel increases strength at modest cost.

Heat travelling down a thermal gradient has been found to undergo a significant deflection by a magnetic field in a multiferroic insulator.

Microporous membranes were designed from the loose packing of two-dimensional polymer chains — a breakthrough giving both ultrahigh permeability and good selectivity for gas separations.

Electrical injection into polaritons, built from admixing excitons in carbon nanotubes with light in a surrounding microcavity, has been achieved.

Large tensile pressure applied to the putative topological Kondo insulator SmB₆ results in an expansion of the lattice in all directions, and a huge increase in the temperature range over which surface-dominated conduction can be observed.

Exploring the minute mechanical deformations induced by electrical bias at the interface with electrolytes allows the identification of local crystallinity and distinguishing adsorption and intercalation of ions in electroactive polymers.

A method to realize regular patterns with nanometre precision during the synthesis of PtSe₂ and CuSe monolayers has been developed.

A Pd₄ cluster, supported by a metal–organic framework and formed by post-synthesis methods, shows high catalytic activity and selectivity for carbene-mediated reactions. This crystallographically precise material may lead to a large class of catalysts.

High-resolution imaging, composition analysis and mechanical testing reveal a disordered transitional material within the Achilles tendon-to-bone attachment, structured as a fibrous network to enable force transfer and maximize structural integrity.

A study on the formation of methylammonium lead iodide perovskite films reveals that light illumination influences the crystallization kinetics, therefore affecting the final photovoltaic performance of these materials.

Simulation determined the crystal energy landscape of a set of molecular crystals, predicting ultrahigh surface area solids with high methane storage. These were then synthesized, showing the potential of computational structure-property mapping.