Reviews & Analysis

Computer simulations show that cubic and hexagonal ices nucleate through the formation of a tetragonal metastable ice phase.

X-ray scattering measurements of liquid water down to temperatures at which it spontaneously converts to ice show no signs of the much debated transition from high-density to low-density structural order.

Cells use differences in the binding rates between the extracellular matrix and integrin adhesion receptors to sense matrix rigidity.

The nuclei of naive mouse embryonic stem cells that are transitioning towards differentiation expand when the cells are stretched and contract when they are compressed. What drives this auxetic phenotype is, however, unclear.

Physical cues from the extracellular environment influence the lineage commitment of stem cells. Now, experiments on human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on photodegradable hydrogels show that the cells' fate can also be determined by past physical environments.

Soft culture substrates improve the yield of functional motor neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential for regenerative medicine, yet producing billions of hPSCs suitable for clinical use needs defined culture conditions and scalable culture systems. This Review discusses the role of high-throughput materials discovery in the development of scalable growth substrates for hPSC culture.

Inherent properties of materials, such as their adhesiveness to cells, nanotopography, stiffness, degradability or chemical functionality, can influence the fate of stem cells. This Review discusses recent evidence of how inherent material properties can be engineered to regulate stem cell decisions, as well as of signal-transduction mechanisms that convert material stimuli into biochemical signals.

Stem cells respond to nanoscale cues from the extracellular matrix or culture substrates by altering cell adhesion, which can in turn define their fate. This Review discusses how stem cell adhesion and differentiation are influenced by surface nanotopography, with a particular focus on integrin–matrix interactions and cell-adhesion-mediated signalling processes.

Enhancing the temperature at which superconductivity is observed is a long-standing objective for materials scientists. Recent tantalizing experiments suggest a possible route for achieving this.

By embedding organic dyes in a suitably designed optical microcavity it is possible to strongly mix light and matter excitations, forming states known as microcavity polaritons. These hybrid light–matter states are used to demonstrate energy transfer between organic molecules over long distances.

The remarkable properties of a bivalve shell that enable it to protect the animal against its predators could inspire the design of new lightweight armour materials.

A high-throughput approach combining combinatorial deposition of materials with parallel blow-forming speeds up the discovery rate of bulk metallic glasses that can be easily formed into complex shapes.

The demonstration of amplified spontaneous emission from thin films of perovskites could pave the way to solution-processed low-cost lasers that can be easily tuned across the entire visible spectrum.

Nacre-like bulk ceramics with a unique combination of high toughness, strength and stiffness can be produced from brittle constituents by an ice-templating approach.

It is now possible to fabricate high-quality thin films of spin ice materials. At higher temperatures, they exhibit the hallmarks of a regular spin ice, but at lower temperatures their physics deviate significantly from the properties observed in the bulk.

Strategies to increase light-trapping in solar cells can significantly improve the power-conversion efficiency of these devices. This Review discusses the use of nanostructured high-index layers to manipulate photons in thin-film solar cells, as well as the recent efforts aimed at integrating such layers in large-area devices.

At present, magneto-, electro- and mechanocaloric effects are intensely investigated as the basis for possible cooling applications. This Review discusses and compares the three effects from both a fundamental and an applied perspective, with an emphasis on the experimental methods used to measure them.