Articles in 2020

High-entropy ceramics are solid solutions offering compositional flexibility and wide variety of applicability. High-entropy concepts are shown to lead to substantial performance improvement in cation-disordered rocksalt-type cathodes for Li-ion batteries.

The Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) enables coupling of magnetic spins and is responsible for non-collinear phenomena such as skyrmions. Here, using first-principles simulations and group theory analysis, it is demonstrated that an electric DMI exists and is analogous to the magnetic DMI.

Exhaust emissions catalysts can be used for the removal of harmful pollutants. This Review explores synthesis routes and materials for advanced catalysts, and identifies grand challenges for the transformation of pollutants.

Transmission electron microscopy reveals the electroplastic effects in a Ti–Al alloy, which can be uncoupled from Joule heating effects. Electropulsing during deformation enhances wavy slip of dislocations, reconfiguring the dislocation pattern, and hence increases the ductility.

In contrast with conventional views, ultra-large-scale atomistic simulations show that the staged character of strain hardening of metals originates from crystal rotation, whereas the dislocation behaviours remain the same across all the stages.

Zeolite membranes can be used for gas molecular sieving, but synthesis requires complex hydrothermal treatment. Here, single layers of zeolite precursor RUB-15 are exfoliated followed by a condensation reaction, forming zeolite membranes with H₂/CO₂ selectivity of 20 to 100 in a facile process.

Although low-temperature water electrolysers are crucial for decarbonizing the industrial sector, substantial improvements in performance and deployment rates are needed. Recent developments in devices with modified architectures and designs, and practical challenges hampering large-scale deployment are discussed.

Time-resolved X-ray scattering is utilized to demonstrate an ultrafast 300 ps topological phase transition to a skyrmionic phase. This transition is enabled by the formation of a transient topological fluctuation state.

A graphene nanocomposite hydrogel showing anisotropic swelling is used to realize an electrically conducting and removable bioadhesive that improves the mechanical and electrical integration of bioelectronics devices with wet dynamic tissues.

Zeolitic catalyst particles are grown with nanosized fins that improve mass transport into the interior of the particle. This delays catalyst deactivation in the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process.

Polymeric glasses with significant thermodynamic and kinetic stability have been fabricated using physical vapour deposition, providing a mean to gather insight into the properties of glasses aged for millions of years.

Avelino Corma, professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ-CSIC-Polytechnical University of Valencia), talks to Nature Materials about challenges facing zeolites, and issues faced in commercializing research.

Controlling nuclear spins coupled to an electron spin in silicon carbide has enabled development of a ‘quantum register’ interfaced with telecom photons, leading to the possibility of distant transport of quantum information.

Correlated real-space imaging and optical measurements of twisted MoSe₂/WSe₂ bilayers reveal strain-induced modulations of the moiré potential landscape, tuning arrays of 0D traps into 1D stripes and leading to substantial changes in the optical response of the heterostructures.

Carbon nanotubes with single-digit diameter embedded in a solid artificial membrane show pressure-sensitive ionic conductance that is similar to the mechanically activated currents of biological ion channels.

Zeolites have proven to be a boon for industrial catalysis, and our knowledge of how chemical processes work in these materials continues to increase.

A carbazole isomer, typically present as an impurity in commercially produced carbazole batches, is shown to be responsible for the ultralong phosphorescence observed in these compounds and their derivatives.