Volume 18 Issue 7, July 2019

Oxides of non-magnetic cations exhibit elusive signs of weak temperature-independent ferromagnetism. The effect is associated with surface defects, but it defies conventional explanation. Possible hypotheses are a spin-split defect impurity band, or giant orbital paramagnetism related to zero-point vacuum fluctuations.

The chiral magnetic exchange interaction, or Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, is found to propagate through dozens of atomic layers and also to be present in inhomogeneous amorphous alloys. These discoveries extend the parameter space available for realizing magnetic structures with chiral character.

Measuring the 1s–2p splitting of direct and indirect excitons in van der Waals heterostructures allows their binding energy and dynamics to be determined.

A magnetic-field-dependent spectroscopy study on single perovskite nanocrystals reveals the spectral signatures of an exciton dark state below the bright triplet states.

An intermediate affinity state of integrin α_IIBβ₃ has been identified to be a key player in platelet mechanosignalling.

Controlled Pt loading on TiO₂ nanoparticles enables single-site catalysts. With this, the coordination environment and catalytic activity can be obtained, allowing extraction of structure-function information.

A comprehensive chemical space of potential inorganic ternary metal nitrides has been explored by computational methods as a guideline for their experimental synthesis and discovery.

This Review discusses the origins of localized plasmon resonances in few-nanometre or sub-nanometre gaps between metal nanoparticles and metal films, as well recent experimental observations and potential future directions.

An interlayer Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is observed in a synthetic antiferromagnet, with implications for achieving chiral spin textures in multilayered thin films.

A composition gradient is found to provide the necessary structural inversion asymmetry for a bulk Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction to manifest itself.

Femtosecond pump–probe measurements of Coulomb correlations in WS₂/WSe₂ heterostructures reveal the interlayer exciton binding energy, determined from the 1s–2p resonance, as well as the dynamics of the conversion of intra- to interlayer excitons.

Interfacial water structures in electric double layers under bias potentials can impact the electrochemical performance of electrodes. Two structural transitions of interfacial water at electrified Au single-crystal electrode surfaces have now been identified.

An antisymmetric and chiral long range interlayer magnetic exchange interaction is measured, with implications for spintronics and chiral magnetic devices.

Extreme electronic anisotropy is revealed in the high-temperature superconductor FeSe through tour de force experiments on detwinned crystals.

Magneto-optical spectroscopy shows that the dark exciton state in single formamidinium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals is located below the bright exciton triplet. Slow bright-to-dark relaxation explains the intense brightness of the nanoparticles.

Material depletion and accumulation at the crystallization front of organic semiconductors films induce the formation of large-area regular patterns, with a periodicity relevant to optoelectronic applications in the visible and near-infrared range.

High-throughput computation is especially useful for materials screening where synthesis is challenging. Here, it is used to construct a stability map of ternary nitrides, allowing discovery of stable compounds and providing insight into principles that govern nitride stability.

Porous molecular crystals are easy to fabricate but thought to have limited stability as they are bound by non-covalent interactions. Here, a porous crystal composed of C₆₀ and phthalocyanine is demonstrated with stability to heat, acid, base and high pressures.

Oxide-supported isolated Pt-group metal atoms as catalytic active sites are of interest because of their unique reactivity. Isolated Pt species are now shown to adopt a range of local coordination environments and oxidation states in response to environmental conditions.

Proton ceramic electrolysers can produce hydrogen directly from steam, but their development has suffered from limited electrical efficiency. A fully operational and stable BaZrO₃-based tubular electrolyser with high hydrogen production rate is now reported.

An intermediate affinity state of integrins on platelets has been identified to be induced by a biomechanical activation pathway and is shown to promote platelet aggregation.