News & Views in 2018

Two-dimensional materials allow the realization of soft smart dusts.

The top-down fabrication of voltage-controlled superconducting qubits brings upscaling into reach.

A quantum dot device reaches close to optimal thermoelectric efficiency by working with electrons that lever heat.

Reaction–diffusion polymerization in coacervates induces dissipative adaptation for self-dividing fibrils.

Fluorine-rich layers on both anode and cathode protect the electrodes and provide rechargeable lithium metal batteries with high energy density and intrinsic safety.

Long bundles of defect-free carbon nanotubes can exhibit exceptionally high strength.

Evanescent photons of a hot body at a temperature below 500 K can be efficiently converted into electricity in a near-field thermophotovoltaic device.

Stable, sharp-bandwidth and upconverted stimulated emissions are generated from a 5-μm polystyrene cavity pumped by a low-power continuous-wave excitation.

Antibody pre-adsorption can reduce the adverse effects of the biomolecular corona.

Biomimetic devices that mimic butterfly wing nanostructures will help the fight against glaucoma.

A graphene sheet near a metal nanoantenna squeezes infrared photons into a subnanometric gap, pushing the limits of nanophotonics.

Combined electrostatic gating and magnetic fields switch a 2D atomic crystal from an antiferromagnetic to a ferromagnetic state.

An automated robotic system is capable of assembling 2D van der Waals heterostructures of unprecedented complexity in a timely fashion.

A volatile memory built by assembly of layered semiconductors into a van der Waals heterostructure gives longer refresh times and an opportunity to improve energy efficiency.

Degenerately doped semiconductors can sustain spin-polarized populations of electrons at room temperature.

RNA polymerase-based nanomotors can not only rotate a supramolecular wheel, but can also walk along a predefined linear track — autonomously and unidirectionally.

Atomic force microscopy is used to measure reorganization energies upon charging individual molecules adsorbed on insulators.

A nanoporous membrane made of carbon nanofibres and a porous ceramic substrate shows superfast water vapour transport while blocking salts.

The use of rigid copper oxide tips makes high-resolution molecular imaging by non-contact atomic force microscopy more reliable.