Applied physics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Traditional metallic communication elements suffer from substantial losses in the visible and near-infrared. Here, Barredaet al. show in a proof of principle in the microwave regime that a pair of high-index dielectric spheres can operate as a perfect switch in a beam-splitter configuration.

    • Ángela I. Barreda
    • , Hassan Saleh
    •  & Fernando Moreno

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The good thermoelectric figures of merit of p-type tin selenide single crystals are actively studied. Here, the authors show that n-type SnSe can also reach a figure of merit of around 2, at high temperatures, when doped with bismuth.

    • Anh Tuan Duong
    • , Van Quang Nguyen
    •  & Sunglae Cho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How water striders escape from danger by jumping vertically from the water surface without sinking is an open question in biomechanics. Yanget al. show that water strider species with varying leg lengths and body masses tune their leg movements to maximize jump speeds without breaking the surface of the water.

    • Eunjin Yang
    • , Jae Hak Son
    •  & Ho-Young Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The measurement of high magnetic fields has been limited to sensitivities in the nanotesla range. Here, the authors report advances in high-field magnetometry based on nuclear magnetic resonance, achieving resolution in the order of picoteslas or one part per trillion in relative terms.

    • Simon Gross
    • , Christoph Barmet
    •  & Klaas P. Pruessmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling elastic waves in medium is essential to many applications in mechanical to earthquake engineering. Ma et al. demonstrate selective suppression of different vibrational modes in a three-dimensional rod-shape structure, which shows fluid-like elasticity with only longitudinal waves propagating.

    • Guancong Ma
    • , Caixing Fu
    •  & Ping Sheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological protected acoustic wave propagation has been predicted, but yet awaits for experimental demonstration. Here, Peng et al. report one-way propagation of pseudo-spin-dependent edge states for sound, analogous to Floquet topological insulator in solid state.

    • Yu-Gui Peng
    • , Cheng-Zhi Qin
    •  & Xue-Feng Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Isolated droplets can be used as micro-reactors, yet it is challenging to operate them functionally in solution and observe chemical exchanges between droplets. Here, Tian et al. use an acoustic trap to assemble water-based micro-droplets into periodic arrays, spontaneously separated from solution media.

    • Liangfei Tian
    • , Nicolas Martin
    •  & Stephen Mann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    For meta-atoms, achieving full access to the wave parameter space remains a problem. Here, Koo et al. outline the criteria for the decoupling of wave parameter from first principles, and realize an omni meta-atom that achieves independent, broad-range access to all octants of acoustic parameter space.

    • Sukmo Koo
    • , Choonlae Cho
    •  & Namkyoo Park

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Evanescent coupling between surfaces separated by a distance smaller than the thermal wavelength can lead to radiative heat transfer greater than the blackbody limit. Here, the authors demonstrate this between two macroscopic-scale surfaces, paving the way to harnessing the effect in thermal devices.

    • Michael P. Bernardi
    • , Daniel Milovich
    •  & Mathieu Francoeur

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Moving particles on a vibrating plate dates back to 1780s, but it is still challenging to control individual particles in a parallel way. Here, Zhou et al. use a single acoustic actuator and an algorithm to control multiple objects simultaneously and independently for sorting and pattern formation.

    • Quan Zhou
    • , Veikko Sariola
    •  & Ville Liimatainen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vacuum fluctuations can produce observable phenomena which can potentially be harnessed, for example using the dynamical Casimir effect. Here, the authors show that, on the basis of the same effect, it is possible to establish distinct two-mode coherence correlations in a pumped microwave cavity owing to absence of which-way information.

    • Pasi Lähteenmäki
    • , Gheorghe Sorin Paraoanu
    •  & Pertti J. Hakonen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The control over the motion and deformation of liquid droplets is essential to many microfluidic and actuation systems. Zavabeti et al. demonstrate that applying a pH or ionic gradient across a droplet of liquid metal alloy of gallium results in its motion due to a breaking of the surface charge symmetry.

    • Ali Zavabeti
    • , Torben Daeneke
    •  & Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In nature many microorganisms are able to change their shape to adapt to the changes in the environment. Inspired by this phenomenon, here Huang et al. build artificial microswimmers with body and flagellum made of programmable hydrogel-based materials incorporated with magnetic nanoparticles.

    • Hen-Wei Huang
    • , Mahmut Selman Sakar
    •  & Bradley J. Nelson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A three-dimensional imaging system which distributes the optical illumination over the full field-of-view is sought after. Here, the authors demonstrate the capability of reconstructing 128 × 128 pixel resolution three-dimensional scenes to an accuracy of 3 mm as well as real-time video with a frame-rate up to 12 Hz.

    • Ming-Jie Sun
    • , Matthew P. Edgar
    •  & Miles J. Padgett

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transparent and electrically conducting flexible films are in high demand but production can be both time-consuming and expensive. Here, the authors report a method for assembling modified graphene flakes in controlled distributions within polymeric matrices by use of magnetic fields.

    • Hortense Le Ferrand
    • , Sreenath Bolisetty
    •  & Raffaele Mezzenga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In computers, computation is performed by assemblies of logic gates, most of which are logically irreversible. Here, the authors explore the connection between logical and physical irreversibility through an OR gate made by a micro-electromechanical cantilever that can be operated with extremely little energy.

    • M. López-Suárez
    • , I. Neri
    •  & L. Gammaitoni

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Structural lubricity—referring to ultralow levels of friction between atomically flat, incommensurate surfaces—has previously been observed under ultrahigh vacuum. Here, the authors report structural lubricity at gold-graphite interfaces under ambient conditions and on mesoscopic scales.

    • Ebru Cihan
    • , Semran İpek
    •  & Mehmet Z. Baykara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rapid insertion and extraction of lithium ions from a cathode material is imperative for lithium-ion battery function. Here, the authors present evidence of inhomogeneities in charge localization, local structural distortions and polaron formation induced upon lithiation using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy.

    • Luis R. De Jesus
    • , Gregory A. Horrocks
    •  & Sarbajit Banerjee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Combining freeform optics with micro- and nano-optics can permit wavefront shaping, phase engineering, k-space and polarization control. Here, Gissibl et al. use femtosecond 3D printing to manufacture free-form optical elements, giving sub-micrometre accuracy so that direct manufacturing on single-mode fibres is possible.

    • Timo Gissibl
    • , Simon Thiele
    •  & Harald Giessen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Active optical imaging systems use their own light sources to recover scene information but typically operate with large number of photon detections. Here, the authors present a 3D imaging system that acquires depth and reflectivity information with a single photon camera operating in low-light conditions.

    • Dongeek Shin
    • , Feihu Xu
    •  & Jeffrey H. Shapiro

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reconfigurable materials are of interest for many photonic applications. Here, Montelongo et al. demonstrate optical elements such as Bragg diffraction gratings, volumetric photonic crystals, lenses, and holograms in a composite with dispersed nanoparticles which can be recorded and erased.

    • Yunuen Montelongo
    • , Ali K. Yetisen
    •  & Seok-Hyun Yun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Active metamaterials are largely controlled by light, preventing integration in electronic systems. Here, the authors introduce electroluminescent metamaterials based on metal nano-inclusions hybridized with colloidal quantum dots and use this approach to weave intricate light-emitting surfaces.

    • Quynh Le-Van
    • , Xavier Le Roux
    •  & Aloyse Degiron

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is a need to characterize devices during operation in real-time and at nanoscopic length scales. Here, King et al. perform electroluminescence-STED imaging with a polymer based light-emitting diode, revealing nanoscopic defects that would be unresolvable with traditional optical microscopy.

    • John T. King
    •  & Steve Granick

  • Article
    | Open Access

    When reducing the size of shape memory materials to the nanoscale regime, the memory effect tends to diminish. Here, the authors report a theoretical proposal of a shape memory graphene oxide with ordered epoxy groups retaining excellent programmability and actuation capabilities.

    • Zhenyue Chang
    • , Junkai Deng
    •  & Jefferson Zhe Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In organic solar cells, the photogeneration of free charge carriers is limited by the dissociation of interfacial charge transfer states. Here, the authors study the impact of charge carrier mobilities in operational devices and show that the slowest charge carriers limit the dissociation of charge transfer states.

    • Martin Stolterfoht
    • , Ardalan Armin
    •  & Paul Meredith

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One-way sound propagation has been recently proposed in the context of topological acoustics, but is challenged by introducing uniform media motion. Here, Fleury et al.present a practical scheme to achieve topological propagation by modulating in time the acoustic properties of a lattice of resonators, resembling Floquet topological insulators in condensed matter.

    • Romain Fleury
    • , Alexander B Khanikaev
    •  & Andrea Alù

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Analogue quantum simulators could provide insights into complex dynamics, but realizing them in a scalable way remains a technological challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate how two-dimensional arrays of three ions trapped in individually controlled wells could form a scalable platform for quantum simulation.

    • Manuel Mielenz
    • , Henning Kalis
    •  & Tobias Schaetz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In organic photovoltaics, the best performing devices usually involve low-bandgap polymers whose limited solubility and stability constrain the scalability of organic solar cells. Here, Holliday et al. develop a new acceptor and pair it with canonical P3HT to obtain 6.4% efficient and stable devices.

    • Sarah Holliday
    • , Raja Shahid Ashraf
    •  & Iain McCulloch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Contrary to ferromagnets, antiferromagnets possess no net magnetic moment, which has limited their applicability as magnetic memory media. Here, the authors demonstrate a heat-assisted multiple-stable memory based on epitaxial thin films of antiferromagnet MnTe with three-fold symmetric anisotropy.

    • D. Kriegner
    • , K. Výborný
    •  & T. Jungwirth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The coupling of nitrogen-vacancy centres with plasmonic and photonic nanostructures is usually studied by top-down preparation. Here, Gong et al. use a bottom-up approach to grow metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles on nanodiamonds, controlling the nanoparticle coverage, size and composition.

    • Jianxiao Gong
    • , Nat Steinsultz
    •  & Min Ouyang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adhesive wear can proceed through qualitatively different mechanisms, with conflicting results in the literature. Here the authors observe a transition between two regimes in simulations using model interatomic potentials, allowing development of a simple analytical theory to describe past results.

    • Ramin Aghababaei
    • , Derek H. Warner
    •  & Jean-Francois Molinari

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Recent work has shown that quantum mechanical effects in plasmonic nanogap structures become important as the gap distances approach the subnanometre length-scale. Here, the authors review the major findings which challenge the classical picture of these structures and discuss future directions for the field.

    • Wenqi Zhu
    • , Ruben Esteban
    •  & Kenneth B. Crozier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Packing nanoparticles into ordered superstructures finds applications in photonic materials, but fabrication over large scales is challenging. Zhao et al. show a roll-to-roll approach to prepare flexible films of ordered polymer nanoparticles via an oscillatory shear-induced structural transition.

    • Qibin Zhao
    • , Chris E. Finlayson
    •  & Jeremy J. Baumberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shaping atomically thin materials in suspended structures may provide a viable platform for nanoscale mechanical oscillators. Here, the authors demonstrate wafer-scale, high-yield synthesis of suspended graphene nanoribbon arrays using a bottom-up approach and shed light into their growth dynamics.

    • Hiroo Suzuki
    • , Toshiro Kaneko
    •  & Toshiaki Kato

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transport of a collection of classical particles involves thermal ratchet effect or adiabatic motion, which brings complexity to control multiparticle transport. Here, Loehr et al. show topologically protected multiparticle transport of diamagnetic and paramagnetic colloids, driven by periodic modulation loops of an external magnetic field.

    • Johannes Loehr
    • , Michael Loenne
    •  & Thomas M. Fischer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The high mobility of graphene has the potential to enable design of devices working in a collisionless regime of carrier transport. Here the authors fabricate a ballistic nano-rectifier based on encapsulated graphene, showing intrinsic performances comparable to those of superconducting bolometers.

    • Gregory Auton
    • , Jiawei Zhang
    •  & Aimin Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantum teleportation has found important applications in quantum technologies, but pushing it to macroscopic objects is challenging because of the fragility of quantum states. Here, the authors demonstrate teleportation of states from light beams to the vibrational states of a macroscopic diamond sample.

    • P.-Y. Hou
    • , Y.-Y. Huang
    •  & L.-M. Duan

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