Volume 15 Issue 1, January 2016

Studying three Weyl semimetals of the same family — TaAs, TaP and NbP — reveals how the properties of Weyl points and Fermi arcs depend on the spin–orbit coupling and on surface conditions.

Porous solids comprising a self-entangled coiled polymer fibre or metal wire reversibly increase their volume when either stretched or compressed in an axial direction, possibly providing a new type of mechanical behaviour for tuning functional properties.

Large single-crystalline graphene monolayers have been synthesized on a Cu–Ni alloy using a local precursor feeding method with an enhanced growth rate. The fast production of wafer-scale single crystals brings graphene closer to real applications.

Topological defects in liquid crystals guide the self-assembly of molecular amphiphiles.

This Review discusses the properties and applications of supramolecular biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and immunology.

Band structures with Fermi arcs characteristic of Weyl semimetals are observed on NbP and TaP. By studying NbP, TaP and TaAs, the evolution of the Fermi surface with the spin–orbit coupling is reported.

A superconducting phase at nanometre-scale interfaces between a pure silver mesoscopic point contact and the 3D Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂ is observed.

Point contact spectroscopy measurements show a superconducting phase around the point contact region on the surface of the 3D Dirac semimetal Cd₃As₂.

A modified chemical vapour deposition set-up allowing extremely localized injection of carbon precursors on a Cu–Ni substrate is used for the fast growth of large-area single-crystalline monolayers of graphene.

Molybdenum disulphide is a promising non-precious catalyst for hydrogen evolution because it contains active edge sites and an inert basal plane. Introducing sulphur vacancies and strain now leads to activation and optimization of the basal plane.

Aggregations of fire ants are viscoelastic with identical elastic and viscous moduli, and exhibit shear-thinning behaviour when deformed beyond the linear regime.

Multiscale molecular dynamics indicate that the crystallization of shock-compressed fused silica and quartz occurs within a few nanoseconds and is mediated by diffusion.

Molecular simulations suggest that nanodroplets of water and other liquids can be carried by thermally activated propagating ripples in graphene.

A single, self-coiled wire is shown to exhibit a Poisson function ranging from above 1 in compression to below 0 in tension. Such material architectures may offer new functionalities in mechanical devices.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) exhibits a negative longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient. In situ X-ray diffraction measurements suggest that this effect is dependent on electromechanical coupling between the intermixed crystalline lamellae and amorphous regions.

The asymmetric organic/vacuum interface created during the vacuum deposition of an amorphous organic layer doped with heteroleptic phosphors controls the orientation of the dopant molecules, which improves the outcoupling efficiency of organic LEDs.

N-Heterocyclic carbene Ir(III) complexes, used as deep blue phosphorescent emitters and as electron-blocking dopants in organic LEDs, allow the realization of devices with very high brightness and reduced efficiency roll-off.

Although protecting photoanodes using metal oxides is attractive for solar fuel applications, the photoanodes typically suffer from poor photovoltage. Now, insulating oxide layers are shown to promote enhanced photovoltages and general design principles are suggested.

Nanoscale environments created by topological defects in liquid crystals can template the self-assembly of molecular amphiphiles within the defects.