Materials science articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The performance of wide-bandgap perovskite photovoltaics is limited by the undesired phase transition and high density of deep level traps. Here, Tan et al. incorporate dipolar methylammonium cation to make the material defect-tolerant and achieve a high power conversion efficiency of 20.7%.

    • Hairen Tan
    • , Fanglin Che
    •  & Edward H. Sargent

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While the degradation of materials during usage is crucial in understanding their performance, it is challenging to understand the corrosion processes. Here, authors find copper nanoparticles to undergo an unusual potential-driven nanoclustering degradation pathway during carbon dioxide reduction.

    • Jianfeng Huang
    • , Nicolas Hörmann
    •  & Raffaella Buonsanti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    By using a near-IR optical excitation, upconverting nanoparticles may enable high-resolution imaging deep in tissue. Here, Tian et al. introduce alloyed upconverting nanoparticles with improved brightness due to newly described energy transfer pathways.

    • Bining Tian
    • , Angel Fernandez-Bravo
    •  & Bruce E. Cohen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nonlinear optical crystals suitable for the UV spectral region could simplify short-wavelength generation and make it more efficient. Here, the authors design and demonstrate that one of two asymmetric borate polymorphs exhibits promising optical and mechanical properties for generating UV light.

    • Miriding Mutailipu
    • , Min Zhang
    •  & Shilie Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the physics of fault lubrication during earthquake propagation can help assess seismic hazard. In this study, by replicating earthquakes in the laboratory at upper-crustal conditions, the authors show that fluid thermodynamics control fault lubrication, specifically at man-made earthquake depths.

    • M. Acosta
    • , F. X. Passelègue
    •  & M. Violay

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of intelligent materials, in particular those showing the highly sensitive mechanoresponsive luminescence (MRL), remains challenging. Here the authors report a strategy for constructing high performance On-Off MRL materials by introducing nitrophenyl groups to molecules with aggregation-induced emission characteristic.

    • Weijun Zhao
    • , Zikai He
    •  & Ben Zhong Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Utilizing mixed-cation-halide can improve stability of the formamidinium perovskite films and devices but sacrifices the photocurrent due to an increase in bandgap. Here Lee et al. introduced small amounts of 2D perovskite to obtain high efficiency and stability based on phase-pure formamidinium based perovskite.

    • Jin-Wook Lee
    • , Zhenghong Dai
    •  & Yang Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The description of van der Waals interactions should often account for coupling with pervasive electric fields, but this effect has been omitted in atomistic simulations. Here, the authors develop a model to study the effects of external charge on long-range van der Waals interactions.

    • Andrii Kleshchonok
    •  & Alexandre Tkatchenko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The existence of multiple topological phases in a single material, although theoretically possible, has not been verified. Here, the authors observe weak topological insulator surface states and a one-dimensional Dirac-node crossing surface state in a single metallic material Hf2Te2P.

    • M. Mofazzel Hosen
    • , Klauss Dimitri
    •  & Madhab Neupane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In block copolymer vesicles, crystallization often leads to defects and renders the structures leaky that undermines their potential biomedical application. Here the authors use an emulsion solution method to control the crystallization of an amphiphilic block copolymer at the curved liquid/liquid interface to improve the blood circulation time.

    • Hao Qi
    • , Hao Zhou
    •  & Christopher Y. Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite recent success in developing new covalent organic frameworks (COFs) materials, synthesis of chemically stable COFs still remains challenging. Here the authors demonstrate a facile strategy that transforms imine-linked COFs into robust porous aromatic frameworks by kinetically fixing the reversible imine linkage via an aza-Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction.

    • Xinle Li
    • , Changlin Zhang
    •  & Yi Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multiferroic binary oxides with the perovskite structure have been very rare. Here, Cong et al. report magnetically-driven ferroelectricity and a large magnetoelectric effect in a binary perovskite compound Mn2O3 at low temperatures.

    • Junzhuang Cong
    • , Kun Zhai
    •  & Young Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Further mechanistic insight of intramolecular singlet fission (iSF) in conjugated polymers can enable novel material design for solar cells. Here, the authors use transient spectroscopy to show iSF in an isoindigo-based conjugated polymer and propose a design rule based on morphology-dependent iSF.

    • Jiahua Hu
    • , Ke Xu
    •  & Matthew Y. Sfeir

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electronic phase separation is an important feature of many correlated perovskite compounds but hasn’t been seen in other complex oxides with similar physical behaviour such as magnetite. Hong et al. find phase separation between a magnetite-like charge ordered phase and a charge averaged phase in CaFe3O5.

    • Ka. H. Hong
    • , Angel M. Arevalo-Lopez
    •  & J. Paul Attfield

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biomimetic assembly of nanosheets into nacre-like structures and films is of interest for a range of applications; the abundance of mica makes it a good candidate. Here, the authors report on the large-scale exfoliation of ground mica into nanosheets and the assembly into polymeric mica films.

    • Xiao-Feng Pan
    • , Huai-Ling Gao
    •  & Shu-Hong Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designer organelles with new biochemical functionalities are of great interest in synthetic biology and cellular engineering. Here the authors present a single-protein-based platform for generating synthetic membraneless compartments that is capable of enzymatically-triggered alterations to phase behavior and of recruiting and concentrating cargo proteins.

    • Benjamin S. Schuster
    • , Ellen H. Reed
    •  & Daniel A. Hammer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spin-crossover molecules offer a potential route towards molecular spintronics, but retaining the bistability of the spin state upon surface deposition is challenging. Here, the authors study the spin-crossover behaviours of an Fe(II) complex deposited on graphite, determining the scale limit at which cooperative spin switching becomes effective.

    • Lalminthang Kipgen
    • , Matthias Bernien
    •  & Wolfgang Kuch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Translating high-resolution imaging methods to the curved organic surface of a nanoparticle has been challenging. Here, the authors are able to spatially resolve the sub-molecular surface details of a silver nanocluster by comparing scanning tunneling microscopy images and simulated topography data through a pattern recognition algorithm.

    • Qin Zhou
    • , Sami Kaappa
    •  & Lansun Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Non-contact atomic force microscope (AFM) dissipation contains rich information on the electron, phonon and spin states, but has been poorly understood. Here the authors demonstrated that tip-induced charge and spin state transitions in oxygen vacancies at SrTiO3 surface are revealed by AFM dissipation measurements.

    • Marcin Kisiel
    • , Oleg O. Brovko
    •  & Ernst Meyer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Continued device miniaturization and feasibility of integrating two-dimensional materials into circuits have enabled flexible and transparent optoelectronic memories. Here, the authors show a WSe2–hBN-based heterostructure memory with switching ratio of ~1.1 × 106, ensuring over 128 distinct storage states and retention time of ~4.5 × 104 s.

    • Du Xiang
    • , Tao Liu
    •  & Wei Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Paraquat is a widely used herbicide that is highly toxic to humans upon acute ingestion or chronic exposure. Here, the authors generate a photosensitive formulation that releases paraquat upon exposure to UV light or sunlight, which shows an improved safety profile in zebrafish and mouse models, while maintaining substantial herbicidal activity.

    • Cheng Gao
    • , Qiaoxian Huang
    •  & Ruibing Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The critical behavior of a continuous phase transition is determined by both symmetry and dimensionality. Wang et al. present evidence that the cubic all-in-all-out spin order in Cd2Os2O7 leads to a realization of a non-mean-field strongly-coupled quantum phase transition in three dimensions.

    • Yishu Wang
    • , T. F. Rosenbaum
    •  & Yejun Feng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    New methods for obtaining large-area monolayer molecular crystals (MMCs) on hydrophobic surfaces are needed to realize the full potential of MMCs for organic electronics. Here, the authors demonstrate bottom-up growth of high-grade n-type MMCs, which show superior performance in device applications.

    • Yanjun Shi
    • , Lang Jiang
    •  & Henning Sirringhaus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    X-ray detectors based on low-cost organic semiconductors have inherently low detector sensitivity due to poor X-ray to charge conversion and charge collection. Here, the authors demonstrate a flexible, high-sensitivity X-ray detector based on an organic bulk heterojunction-nanoparticle composite.

    • H. M. Thirimanne
    • , K. D. G. I. Jayawardena
    •  & S. R. P. Silva

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is a general consensus that the structural defects are the plasticity carriers in amorphous solids, but its microscopic view remains largely unknown. Cao et a. show that highly distorted coplanar tetrahedra act as defects in granular packings, which flip under shear to carry local plasticity.

    • Yixin Cao
    • , Jindong Li
    •  & Yujie Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Extreme static pressures exceeding a million atmospheres exist in a variety of natural environments, but obtaining such pressures in a laboratory is still a challenge. Here, the authors develop a toroidal diamond anvil design that allows for the generation of 600 GPa (6 million atmospheres) in routinely used diamond anvil cells.

    • Agnès Dewaele
    • , Paul Loubeyre
    •  & Mohamed Mezouar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mixed ionic–electronic conductors are limited by material decomposition. Here the authors reveal the mechanism for atom migration and deposition in Cu2–δ(S,Se) materials based on a critical chemical potential difference and propose electronically conducting, ion-blocking interfaces to enhance stability.

    • Pengfei Qiu
    • , Matthias T. Agne
    •  & G. Jeffrey Snyder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The synthesis of polyethylene furanoate, a promising renewable resource-based bioplastic, still has challenges. Here the authors show that bottle-grade polyethylene furanoate can be obtained within minutes from ring-opening polymerisation of its cyclic oligomers, thereby avoiding degradation and discolouration.

    • Jan-Georg Rosenboom
    • , Diana Kay Hohl
    •  & Massimo Morbidelli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While splitting water could provide a renewable way to produce fuel, highly active catalysts are needed to overcome water oxidation’s sluggish kinetics. Here, authors gain atomic-level insight on metal ion synergetic interactions that boost water oxidation performances in co-doped nickel hydroxide.

    • Jian Jiang
    • , Fanfei Sun
    •  & Mei Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Manipulation at the atomic scale comes with a trade-off between simplicity and thermal stability. Here, Achal et al. demonstrate improved automated hydrogen lithography and repassivation, enabling error-corrected atomic writing of large-scale structures/memories that are stable at room temperature.

    • Roshan Achal
    • , Mohammad Rashidi
    •  & Robert A. Wolkow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemotherapy agents are prone to producing severe side-effects, and their sequestration prior to their entering of the circulatory system is thus highly desirable. Here, the authors functionalize iron oxide nanoparticles with genomic DNA and achieve sequestration of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and epirubicin from biological solutions.

    • Carl M. Blumenfeld
    • , Michael D. Schulz
    •  & Robert H. Grubbs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Superconductor–semiconductor hybrid systems can bring together physical properties that are promising for fast and coherent quantum technology. Here, Hendrickx et al. realize such a system in planar germanium heterostructures demonstrating excellent quantum dots and tunable Josephson supercurrents.

    • N. W. Hendrickx
    • , D. P. Franke
    •  & M. Veldhorst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Suspensions appear in a wide range of industrial settings, and dispersing particles in a uniform manner throughout a fluid remains challenging for applications. Wang et al. obtain hyperuniform mixtures without fine tuning by harnessing self-organized criticality due to slow sedimentation and shear.

    • Jikai Wang
    • , J. M. Schwarz
    •  & Joseph D. Paulsen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecules can change their electronic properties when they are adsorbed on substrates, which can be useful for sensing and catalysis. Here, the authors use atomic force microscopy to show that the spin state of an iron complex can be changed upon displacing the molecule to different sites of a nitrogen-doped graphene

    • Bruno de la Torre
    • , Martin Švec
    •  & Pavel Jelínek

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polymers cross-linked with dynamic bonds can switch the phase from solid to fluid upon stimulus but return quickly to the solid state once the stimulus is removed. Here the authors report a light triggered permanent solid to fluid transition at room temperature with inherent spatiotemporal control in either direction

    • Brady T. Worrell
    • , Matthew K. McBride
    •  & Christopher N. Bowman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites are emerging materials for efficient photovoltaics; however understanding how charge/heat dissipates inside the material remains a challenge. Here, the authors use a spectroscopic approach to observe unusually slow thermal equilibration between the organic and inorganic components.

    • Peijun Guo
    • , Jue Gong
    •  & Richard D. Schaller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The interplay between superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW) in 2H-NbSe2 is still not fully understood. Here, Cho et al. use controlled disorder to probe the interplay between these two phases in 2H-NbSe2 and find that superconductivity initially competes with CDW but eventually long-range CDW order assists superconductivity.

    • Kyuil Cho
    • , M. Kończykowski
    •  & R. Prozorov

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