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In situ transmission electron microscopy observations reveal atomistic mechanism of water-vapour-enhanced oxidation of Ni–Cr alloys. Protons derived from water promote vacancy formation, migration and clustering.

This Perspective explores the optical, mechanical and thermal properties required to successfully design an ultralight spacecraft that can reach Proxima Centauri b, which is the goal of the Starshot Breakthrough Initiative.

Active rotational motion of pre-strained materials is achieved by elastic deformations that break rotational symmetry around their axes.

Tunnelling spectroscopy reveals a continuous closing of the superconducting gap at low temperature and high in-plane magnetic field in few-layer NbSe₂, due to the Ising spin–orbit coupling of these materials.

Microbial gas vesicles have been developed for use as MRI contrast agents whose contrast can be inactivated by applying ultrasound waves to collapse the vesicles.

Voltage control of recently discovered two-dimensional magnets has been demonstrated, highlighting their potential for low-power data storage.

Solar cells based on metal halide perovskites continue to approach their theoretical performance limits thanks to worldwide research efforts. Mastering the materials properties and addressing stability may allow this technology to bring profound transformations to the electric power generation industry.

Kiyoshi Miyata and X.-Y. Zhu analyse the ferroelectric-like dielectric response of lead halide perovskites in the terahertz region and discuss the potential role of polar nanodomains in accounting for the defect tolerance and low recombination rates of these materials.

Charge carriers in metal halide perovskites seem to be only marginally affected by defect-related trap states. Filippo De Angelis and Annamaria Petrozza suggest that the key to this behaviour lies in the redox chemistry of halide defects.

Claudine Katan, Aditya D. Mohite and Jacky Even discuss the possible impact of various entropy contributions (stochastic structural fluctuations, anharmonicity and lattice softness) on the optoelectronic properties of halide perovskite materials and devices.

Whether you like exploring the mysteries of light–matter interactions, playing with a versatile chemical platform, or developing the most efficient devices, metal halide perovskites could be the materials for you.

Heavy atoms and crystal or inversion symmetry breaking may promote Rashba effects in halide perovskites. Sam Stranks and Paulina Plochocka propose experiments to assess the existence of these effects and their implications on the photophysics of perovskites.

Monolayer MoS₂ can be laterally grown in the vapour–liquid–solid mode, forming highly crystalline nano- and microribbon structures.

Ferromagnetic resonance experiments show enhanced spin pumping in superconductors in the presence of spin sink layers.

Quantitative analysis of polymer LED degradation under current stress provides insight on the role of hole traps and their formation. Blending of the emitting material with large-bandgap semiconductors leads to trap dilution and improved stability.

Using a thin-film geometry and electric-field-driven enhancement of pyroelectric response, a relaxor ferroelectric is shown to display superior power densities for thermal harvesting.

Pyroelectric energy conversion in a thin-film relaxor ferroelectric is studied under an electric field, resulting in high energy and power densities. Performance is equivalent to a ZT = 1.16 thermoelectric, competitive for low-grade thermal harvesting.

Metallic zinc is an ideal anode material for aqueous batteries but suffers from irreversibility issues. An aqueous electrolyte based on Zn and lithium salts using either LiMn₂O₄ or O₂ cathodes now brings unprecedented flexibility and reversibility to Zn batteries.