Volume 17 Issue 8, August 2018

Monatomic glassy antimony can now be achieved via melt-quenching in a nanoconfined volume in a device setting. In contrast to alloys currently used in phase-change memories, deviation from optimized composition is no longer an issue in this simple material.

Single-particle tracking of nanoparticles dispersed in the cytoplasm of living cells shows that non-specific interactions with the intracellular environment are the major contributors for the anomalous diffusion characteristics of intracellular motion.

A paradigm relating ultrahigh piezoelectricity and multiscale inhomogeneous structure in relaxor ferroelectrics emerges from state-of-the-art neutron and X-ray diffuse scattering measurements.

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of MoS₂ doped with Rb atoms unveiled the existence of polarons, whose presence seems to coincide with the onset of superconductivity.

Charge order has been established as a ubiquitous instability of the underdoped copper-oxide superconductors. New investigations reveal that it extends to the overdoped side of the phase diagram, a region otherwise known to host a conventional Fermi liquid state.

This Perspective describes the recent advances in understanding and controlling the properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes as well as the progress towards the fabrication of new electrically driven single-photon sources.

Long coherence times in a subset of states that allows for transitions in both microwave and optical range have been reported using an isotopically purified ¹⁷¹Yb³⁺:Y₂SiO₅ crystal, rendering the system suitable for quantum information applications.

A high-resolution ARPES study on electron-doped MoS₂ reveals strong band renormalization effects near the conduction band minima, which are interpreted in terms of Holstein-type electron–phonon interactions.

Monatomic glasses formed by rapidly quenching Sb films from a molten state are shown to work as phase change materials for memory applications at room temperature.

Ultracold atoms can model single-order quantum phases, but coupling of different order parameters has not been shown. Here, this is demonstrated using two optical resonators, facilitating exploration of multiple-order systems such as multiferroics.

High and reversible nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) uptake, and low-concentration NO₂ removal from gas mixtures, is observed in a metal–organic framework. The NO₂ is bound within the pores by cooperative supramolecular interactions.

Observation of charge order in the overdoped (Bi,Pb)₂Sr₂CuO_6+δ superconductor using resonant X-ray scattering and angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, over a wide temperature range.

Key optoelectronic properties for donor and acceptor organic semiconductors are identified to obtain organic solar cells with reduced open-circuit voltage losses and high power conversion efficiencies.

Degenerately doped semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance in the infrared. Semiconducting properties such as band structure modification due to doping and surface states are now shown to strongly affect plasmonic modulation.

How local order affects the excellent piezoelectric properties of Pb-based relaxor ferroelectrics is unclear, but neutron diffuse scattering shows that non-relaxor distortions are implicated, indicating the important role of oxygen atoms.

Polymer synthesis can provide control over chain microstructure and conformation. Well-controlled chain folding in sulfonated polyethylene, leading to highly uniform hydrated acid layers of subnanometre thickness with high proton conductivity, is demonstrated.

Islet transplantation for diabetes treatment requires immunosuppression to control rejection. A microgel presenting Fas ligand with immunomodulatory properties is now shown to prolong the survival of allogeneic islet grafts in vivo.

Nanoparticle diffusion in the cytoplasm of living cells strongly deviates from random motion. Single-particle tracking analysis show that this is due to non-specific interactions with intracellular components.