Volume 20 Issue 7, July 2021

Four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy is demonstrated to be a powerful technique for interrogating local strain of twisted graphene bilayers, revealing a two-regime lattice reconstruction process below the ‘magic’ angle.

Direct experimental observations reveal that grain boundaries in aluminium oxide migrate by a chain of structural phase transformations within the boundary core.

The combination of multicomponent magnetic nanoparticles and a mechanosensitive ion channel has been shown to achieve fast magnetomechanical stimulation of neurons within the brain.

First-principles calculations on a prototypical hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite reveal an unexpected role for hydrogen defects in the optoelectronic properties of this material.

Recent developments in the emerging field of hybrid plasmonics focusing on fundamental aspects related to nanoscopic flow of energy and excited charge carriers in these multicomponent materials and their potential applications are now discussed.

This Review highlights the approaches that have been utilized in the implementation of sensory feedback onto prosthetic devices to restore the sensation of touch and proprioception for amputees.

Optical anisotropy and electronic compressibility measurements are used to uncover stripe phases, where the rotational symmetry of charge density is spontaneously broken, in a two-dimensional semiconductor moiré superlattice.

Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and ab initio simulations reveal buckling reconstruction and in-plane strain redistribution in WSe₂/WS₂ moiré heterostructures.

The atomic process of grain boundary migration has been directly observed by scanning transmission electron microscopy, revealing transformations between different stable or metastable grain boundary structures.

Complete strain tensor fields of twisted bilayer graphene are quantitatively mapped, revealing two-regime reconstruction mechanics depending on twist angle.

The polarization of photoluminescence is found to depend on spin orientation in a van der Waals antiferromagnet.

First-principles calculations reveal that hydrogen vacancies induce non-radiative losses in methylammonium lead iodide perovskites synthesized under iodine-poor conditions, whereas they are less detrimental in formamidinium-based hybrid perovskites.

Neutron and X-ray scattering measurements provide further insight into the anharmonic behaviour of lead halide perovskites, revealing that rotations of PbBr₆ octahedra in CsPbBr₃ crystals occur in a correlated fashion along two-dimensional planes.

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries provide improved safety but typically suffer from high cost and low volumetric energy density. An electrolyte melt-infiltration approach offering reduced manufacturing costs and improved volumetric energy density in all solid cells is proposed.

Although layered oxides electrodes in lithium-ion batteries are designed under conditions avoiding phase transitions, phase separation during delithiation has been observed. This apparent phase separation is shown to be a dynamical artefact occurring in a many-particle system driven by autocatalytic electrochemical reactions.

Although bulk defects can influence the performance of electrocatalysts used for energy conversion, their structural origins are still unclear. The effects of bulk defects on CO₂ electroreduction and H₂ evolution activity on Au electrodes are now elucidated.

Vertical organic light-emitting transistors are realized by using a porous base electrode in the centre of the device, which improves efficiency and reduces operating voltage by regulating charge transport and forming an optical microcavity.

Porous materials can absorb energy by water infiltration, but studies at industrially relevant high-rate intrusions are rare. Here, high-rate experiments are performed on ZIFs showing high energy storage capacity, while molecular simulations allow design rules to be formulated for absorption materials.

Stacked elastomeric arrays containing plasmonic nanoparticles show efficient chiral responses that can be fully controlled by mechanical compression and stack rotation. These simple layered materials may be useful modulators for photonic applications.

A magnetic torque actuator has been developed and is capable of modulation of neurons expressing the mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo1, resulting in long-distance control of locomotion of mice.