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Piezoresponse microscopy and spectroscopy reveal the inextricable role of surface electrochemistry in stabilizing and controlling ferroelectricity in doped hafnia.
Photochromic molecular crystal arrays aligned in the micropores of a polymer membrane show high-performance actuation when stimulated by light. These soft composites might find applications in soft robotic devices.
Metamaterial adhesives with nonlinear cut architectures provide strong and reversible adhesion, directionality and spatially programmable adhesive strength.
An electric field is found to be capable of controlling dislocation movement in semiconducting zinc sulfide, as observed in real time by in situ transmission electron microscopy.
Detailed transmission electron microscopy imaging of the dynamics of domain walls in twisted van der Waals ferroelectrics is obtained, capturing the transition to a hysteretic response.
By monitoring the lattice dynamics of single-crystal argyrodite Ag8SnSe6 through the superionic transition, low thermal conductivity and ionic transport are found to arise from extreme phonon anharmonicity.
Circularly polarized photoexcitation initiates spin domain formation in polycrystalline halide perovskite films with strong spin–orbit coupling and local inversion symmetry breaking, as revealed by ultrafast optical microscopy.
Multiwalled WS2 and WSe2 nanotubes with predominantly a single chiral angle are produced in a chemical vapour deposition reactor using gold nanoparticles as a catalyst. This strategy paves the way for the growth of transition metal dichalcogenide nanotubes with controllable structures for further exploring their physical properties and potential applications.
Quantum dots are engineered to use dopant states to achieve substantially enhanced impact ionization, which is potentially useful for light-harvesting applications.
A two-dimensional atomically flat insulator with large dielectric constant and high breakdown field strength has been successfully grown. This material could serve as the dielectric and encapsulation layers for two-dimensional materials for studying their emergent physics, as well as for next-generation electronics.
A bicontinuous conducting polymer hydrogel with high electrical conductivity, stretchability and fracture toughness in physiological environments achieves high-fidelity monitoring and effective stimulation of tissues and organs.
Controlling the twist angles between three α-phase molybdenum trioxide single layers enables the programmable and reconfigurable canalization of phonon polaritons along multiple in-plane directions.
A two-dimensional conjugated polymer is synthesized that demonstrates low electron effective masses and high mobility. These properties show that this material could act as a viable alternative to silicon-based semiconductors.
Current-inducing switching of magnetization is crucial for future magnetic data processing technologies, but switching it with speed and energy efficiency remains challenging. Using femtosecond optical pulses, instead of conventional charge currents, is found to make spintronics not only ultrafast but also counterintuitive.
