Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Aberration-corrected electron microscopes are now being exploited to achieve quantitative atomic-resolution information about surface morphology from a single image.
Semiconducting quantum dots have been used to harvest triplet excitons produced through singlet fission in organic semiconductors. These hybrid organic–inorganic materials may boost the efficiency of solar cells.
Effective limiting of the intensity of low-power light transmitted through organic thin films under ambient conditions has been achieved by proper design of donor–acceptor systems.
Control of thermal emission with microsecond switching times has been achieved by using sub-band transitions in composite quantum-well and photonic-crystal structures.
The epitaxial growth of oxide heterostructures is generally thought to occur in a deterministic fashion. Recent results on the Ruddlesden–Popper phases show this is not always the case, and that a dynamic rearrangement of the layers during growth can spring up surprises.
The dream of printing highly efficient solar cells is closer than ever to being realized. Solvent engineering has enabled the deposition of uniform perovskite semiconductor films that yield greater than 15% power-conversion efficiency.
Mastering the impact of surface chemistry on the electronic properties and stability of colloidal quantum dots enables the realization of architectures with enhanced photovoltaic performance and air stability.
Although promising, the use of organic semiconductors has not yet revolutionized consumer electronics. Synthesis of high-performance materials, enhanced control of morphology and smart exploitation of unique photophysical phenomena are the way forward to overcome the technological hurdles of this field.
Standing spin-waves can be excited in artificial chains of magnetic atoms using inelastic electron tunnelling spectroscopy, thereby offering a route to speed up the switching of their magnetization.
The structural similarity of organic semiconductors to biological compounds suggests the use of these materials in biomedical applications, yet their implementation is not straightforward. Research in this area is growing fast, thanks to the combined efforts of the multidisciplinary bioelectronics community.
In contrast to the ultralow friction that exists between carbon layers in multiwalled carbon nanotubes, multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes are found to exhibit ultrahigh interlayer friction as a result of their ionic character.
Simulations of a well-studied model of water provide strong support for the coexistence of two distinct metastable liquid-water phases, a long-debated possibility that experiments on supercooled water at negative pressures may be able to confirm.
