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Antiferromagnetic skyrmions—which have distinct advantages over skyrmions found in other magnetic systems—are observed at room temperature in synthetic antiferromagnets. These results hold promise for low-power spintronic devices.
Integrin-mediated adhesions required for cell spreading and growth have now been shown, using super-resolution microscopy, to form on fibrous matrices through the dense assembly of integrins in nanoclusters that contain both ligand-bound and unliganded integrins.
Epithelial tissues behave as pre-tensed viscoelastic sheets that can buffer against compression and rapidly recover from buckling. Epithelial mechanical properties define a tissue-intrinsic buckling threshold that dictates the compressive strain above which tissue folds become permanent.
Layered 2D sheets can present impressive molecular sieving properties, but suffer from limited water stability. Here, a membrane composed of MoS2 sheets functionalized by hydrophobic groups displays stability and high performance for desalination under reverse osmosis.
Geometric analysis and constrained optimization algorithms allow for the design of kirigami patterns that can be deployed into any two- or three-dimensional shape.
Imbalance of the gut microbiome has been implicated in numerous human diseases. Nanoparticles have now been designed to target colitis by modulating the gut microbiome, local innate immune response and restoration of the intestinal barrier function.
Controlled physical vapour deposition of indium tin oxide layers with thickness down to 4 nm allows the use of these materials as active channels in high-performing transistors for digital and radiofrequency electronics.
Understanding molecular interactions between ionic liquids and interfaces is crucial for electrochemical device applications. Self-assembled amphiphilic nanostructures in surface-active ionic liquids are shown to exhibit enhanced charge storage at electrified surfaces.
The rotational dynamics of self-propelled microparticles suspended in a colloidal glass is sharply increased at the glass transition of the system while their translation diffusion is strongly hindered.
Aqueous electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 into alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels is a sustainable route towards energy-rich chemical feedstocks. A superhydrophobic surface of hierarchically structured Cu dendrites exhibits a significant increase in CO2 reduction selectivity.
The catalytic activity of metals supported on oxides depends on charge and oxidation states, but charge transfer at the interface is not well understood. A model investigating the dynamic charges and oxidation states of Pt/CeO2 single-atom catalysts now clarifies the nature of the active site.
A model is proposed to predict the corrosion rate of steels embedded in different porous media including concrete, wood and soil. It relies on the moisture state and the pore structure, which affect the electrochemical dissolution kinetics.
A ceramic electrolyte with a lithium metal anode can offer advantages over liquid electrolytes for Li-ion battery performance. A critical current density on stripping in a solid-state cell is identified, resulting in dendrite formation on plating and failure.
Organic radical molecules violating the Aufbau principle are shown to reach high luminescence quantum yield and photostability, with potential applications for deep-red and near-infrared light-emitting sources.
Mechanically switchable materials made of supercooled fluids embedded in a polymer matrix reversibly shift between soft and hard solid states upon stimulation.
A RAB5A-mediated, epidermal growth factor-dependent activation of endosomal ERK1/2 is identified as a key molecular route for a solid-to-liquid-like phase transition, sufficient to overcome kinetic and proliferation arrest in normal mammary epithelial assemblies and to promote collective invasion in breast carcinoma.
The semiconductor–electrolyte interface dominates the behaviour of semiconductor electrocatalysts. Inspired by ion-controlled electronics a universal self-gating phenomenon is now proposed to explain transport modulation during electrocatalytic reaction.
A model is established to quantitatively predict hydrogen energetics and molecule formation in nanovoids of bcc metals, clarifying the trapping and bubbling mechanisms for understanding hydrogen-induced damage.
Molecular sieving separates larger from smaller molecules, but all molecules smaller than the pore adsorb, hindering selectivity. Here, a MOF is reported with both molecular sieving and gate-opening, separating intermediate-sized molecules from larger and smaller analogues.