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| Open AccessOptical gating and streaking of free electrons with sub-optical cycle precision
Pulsed electron beams with ultrafast duration are desirable to study atomic processes occurring over the natural time scales of electronic motion. Here the authors demonstrate the generation of electron pulses down to attosecond time scales by using optical gating and streaking method.
- M. Kozák
- , J. McNeur
- & P. Hommelhoff
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Article
| Open AccessScalable high-precision tuning of photonic resonators by resonant cavity-enhanced photoelectrochemical etching
Aligning the resonances of sets of optical cavities is necessary for advanced photonics and sensing applications. Here, the authors introduce resonant photoelectrochemical etching as a method to collectively and permanently tune the resonant wavelengths of ensembles of resonators on a photonic chip.
- Eduardo Gil-Santos
- , Christopher Baker
- & Ivan Favero
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| Open AccessWafer-scale integration of sacrificial nanofluidic chips for detecting and manipulating single DNA molecules
The wide use of microfluidics for biological analysis demands scalable preparation methods, yet in practice it is very challenging. Here, Wanget al. show a wafer-scale fabrication of nanofluidic chips with single-digit nanometre dimension, which is compatible with standard semiconductor processing.
- Chao Wang
- , Sung-Wook Nam
- & Qinghuang Lin
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| Open AccessImperfect two-dimensional topological insulator field-effect transistors
A challenge of using 2D materials for nanoelectronic devices is the need for defect-free lattice supporting efficient carrier transport. Here, the authors show theoretically that 2D topological insulators enable high-performance, low-power field-effect transistors without requiring defect-free materials.
- William G. Vandenberghe
- & Massimo V. Fischetti
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| Open AccessNanoparticle-induced unusual melting and solidification behaviours of metals
A material with a deep melted zone (MZ) but small heat-affected zone (HAZ) is ideal for manufacturing, but improving one zone comes at the expense of the other. Here, the authors resolve this contradiction in metals by adding nanoparticles, which change the metals’ properties in such a way that both expands MZ and minimizes HAZ.
- Chao Ma
- , Lianyi Chen
- & Xiaochun Li
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| Open AccessDynamical observations on the crack tip zone and stress corrosion of two-dimensional MoS2
How well the linear elastic fracture picture holds at small length scales and systems with reduced dimensionality remains an active area of inquiry. Here authors usein situ electron microscopy to study fracture in MoS2monolayers and report dislocation emission rates greater than expected accompanying crack propagation.
- Thuc Hue Ly
- , Jiong Zhao
- & Young Hee Lee
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| Open AccessElectrically tunable organic–inorganic hybrid polaritons with monolayer WS2
Hybrid polariton states originating from the strong coupling of photonic and excitonic states hold promise for control of nonlinear light behaviour. Here, the authors fabricate a microcavity containing organic dye and WS2, featuring hybrid polaritons arising from both Frenkel and Wannier-Mott excitons.
- Lucas C. Flatten
- , David M. Coles
- & Jason M. Smith
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| Open AccessInterfacing broadband photonic qubits to on-chip cavity-protected rare-earth ensembles
Solid-state emitters enable broadband quantum information storage, but they are affected by decoherence resulting from inhomogeneous broadening. Here the authors suppress this effect via cavity protection at the single photon level in an ensemble of rare-earth ions coupled to a nanophotonic resonator.
- Tian Zhong
- , Jonathan M. Kindem
- & Andrei Faraon
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| Open AccessLong-term efficient organic photovoltaics based on quaternary bulk heterojunctions
Organic photovoltaics suffer from degradation. Here, Namet al. develop a quaternary blend and fabricate devices which lose 28% of their initial efficiency after one year of operation at 65 °C.
- Minwoo Nam
- , Minjeong Cha
- & Doo-Hyun Ko
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Article
| Open AccessA minimal length rigid helical peptide motif allows rational design of modular surfactants
Emulsifiers are used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and biomedical industry. Here the authors fabricate rigid helical peptides that can perform as emulsifiers and thickeners, which typically requires synergistic effects of surfactants and polysaccharides.
- Sudipta Mondal
- , Maxim Varenik
- & Ehud Gazit
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| Open AccessInfrared fingerprints of few-layer black phosphorus
Few-layered black phosphorus offers an infrared bandgap, complementing that of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, the authors investigate the thickness- and strain-dependent electronic structure of black phosphorus using polarised infrared spectroscopy.
- Guowei Zhang
- , Shenyang Huang
- & Hugen Yan
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| Open Access3D nitrogen-doped graphene foam with encapsulated germanium/nitrogen-doped graphene yolk-shell nanoarchitecture for high-performance flexible Li-ion battery
The development of materials for energy storage hinges on the design of electrodes with large capacity, flexibility, fast charge–discharge rate and long cycling lifetime. Here, the authors develop electrodes based on nitrogen doped graphene with encapsulated Ge quantum dots with yolk-shell architecture.
- Runwei Mo
- , David Rooney
- & Hui Ying Yang
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Article
| Open AccessLasing in dark and bright modes of a finite-sized plasmonic lattice
Plasmonic dark modes are promising candidates for lasing applications. Here, Hakalaet al. show lasing at visible wavelengths in dark and bright modes of an array of silver nanoparticles combined with optically pumped dye molecules, opening up a route to utilization of all modes of plasmonic lattices.
- T. K. Hakala
- , H. T. Rekola
- & P. Törmä
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| Open AccessTi3C2 MXene co-catalyst on metal sulfide photo-absorbers for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production
Solar hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting requires active and stable co-catalysts to replace platinum. Here, the authors use DFT to identify Ti3C2nanoparticles as potential co-catalysts, and assess their photocatalytic hydrogen production activity.
- Jingrun Ran
- , Guoping Gao
- & Shi-Zhang Qiao
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| Open AccessElectronically decoupled stacking fault tetrahedra embedded in Au(111) films
Stacking faults in nanocrystals are generally considered unwelcome structural defects. Here, the authors find that stacking fault tetrahedra in Au exhibit quantized, particle-in-a-box electronic behaviour, revealing a potential synthetic route to decoupled nanoparticles in metal films.
- Koen Schouteden
- , Behnam Amin-Ahmadi
- & Chris Van Haesendonck
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| Open AccessMeasurement of transverse emittance and coherence of double-gate field emitter array cathodes
Field emitter arrays are key components for X-ray sources, microwave generators, RF communication and advanced light sources. Tsujinoet al., report double-gate field emitter arrays with competitive beam qualities to the state of the art UV photoexcited cathodes.
- Soichiro Tsujino
- , Prat Das Kanungo
- & R.J. Dwayne Miller
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| Open AccessProximity does not contribute to activity enhancement in the glucose oxidase–horseradish peroxidase cascade
The activity enhancement of the glucose oxide and horseradish peroxidase enzymatic cascade on DNA scaffolds has been linked to proximity effects. Here, the authors challenge this view and suggest that the activity improvement is rather due to the pH near the DNA surface.
- Yifei Zhang
- , Stanislav Tsitkov
- & Henry Hess
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| Open AccessNon-native three-dimensional block copolymer morphologies
Molecules can self-assemble to form ordered phases with defined shape and periodicity, but there are a limited set of morphologies reported. Here, the authors have manipulated block copolymer thin films via an iterative assembly process to form a diverse library of morphologies.
- Atikur Rahman
- , Pawel W. Majewski
- & Kevin G. Yager
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| Open AccessElectronic single-molecule identification of carbohydrate isomers by recognition tunnelling
Carbohydrates are common biological molecules, but display huge stereochemical complexity that often cannot be elucidated by mass spectrometry. Here the authors show that recognition tunnelling can distinguish individual stereoisomers, utilizing picomole quantities of analytes.
- JongOne Im
- , Sovan Biswas
- & Peiming Zhang
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| Open AccessRobust fractional quantum Hall effect in the N=2 Landau level in bilayer graphene
Electron-electron interactions in many-body systems may manifest themselves through the fractional quantum Hall effect. Here, the authors perform transport measurements in bilayer graphene, and observe particle-hole symmetric fractional quantum Hall states in theN=2 Landau level.
- Georgi Diankov
- , Chi-Te Liang
- & David Goldhaber-Gordon
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| Open AccessTwinned growth behaviour of two-dimensional materials
Precise control of the growth of transition metal dichalcogenides layers in atomically thin van der Waals heterostructures has gained significant attention. Here, the authors report 100% overlapped vertical ReS2/WS2heterostructures by utilizing the twinned growth behaviour of two-dimensional materials.
- Tao Zhang
- , Bei Jiang
- & Lei Fu
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| Open AccessSuper-resolution imaging of light–matter interactions near single semiconductor nanowires
Light-matter interactions with single quantum emitters are generally difficult to measure with both high-resolution and a large field of view. Here, Johlin et al. develop far-field super-resolution fluorescence methods to map near-field emitter-nanostructure interactions over several microns.
- Eric Johlin
- , Jacopo Solari
- & Erik C. Garnett
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| Open AccessChirality-driven orbital magnetic moments as a new probe for topological magnetic structures
To determine the topological character of a magnetic structure, one has to rely on techniques based on spin magnetism. Here, the authors study chirality-driven orbital moment physics and propose a new experimental protocol for the identification of topological magnetic structure, based on soft X-ray spectroscopy.
- Manuel dos Santos Dias
- , Juba Bouaziz
- & Samir Lounis
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| Open AccessConformation-driven quantum interference effects mediated by through-space conjugation in self-assembled monolayers
Tunnelling currents through molecular junctions are affected by quantum interference effects, but understanding the factors leading to them remains a challenge. Here the authors show that through-space conjugation in self-assembled monolayers leads to conformation-dependent quantum interference that suppresses conductivity.
- Marco Carlotti
- , Andrii Kovalchuk
- & Ryan C. Chiechi
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| Open AccessComplementarity of PALM and SOFI for super-resolution live-cell imaging of focal adhesions
Live cell super-resolution imaging requires a high temporal resolution, which remains a challenge. Here the authors combine photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) with super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) to achieve high spatiotemporal resolution and quantitative imaging of focal adhesion dynamics.
- Hendrik Deschout
- , Tomas Lukes
- & Aleksandra Radenovic
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| Open AccessImaging electric field dynamics with graphene optoelectronics
Detection of electric fields, central to chemical and biological processes, has been limited to measurements of current (e.g., electrodes) and secondary reporters (e.g., fluorescent dyes). Here, the authors demonstrate an optical platform capable of imaging electric field dynamics with high spatio-temporal resolution.
- Jason Horng
- , Halleh B. Balch
- & Feng Wang
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| Open AccessDirectional interlayer spin-valley transfer in two-dimensional heterostructures
Van der Waals heterostructures offer a platform for harnessing the spin-valley degree of freedom for information processing. Here, the authors transfer optically generated spin-valley polarization from one layer to another in a two-dimensional molybdenum diselenide–tungsten diselenide heterostructure.
- John R. Schaibley
- , Pasqual Rivera
- & Xiaodong Xu
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| Open AccessA metal-free electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction to multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates
Electroreduction of CO2 into C2 hydrocarbons and liquid fuels is a promising but challenging energy conversion technology, with copper exhibiting fair selectivity for these products. Here, the authors report that N-doped graphene quantum dots can also catalyze the electrochemical reduction of CO2into multi-carbon hydrocarbons and oxygenates.
- Jingjie Wu
- , Sichao Ma
- & Pulickel M. Ajayan
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| Open AccessImaging high-speed friction at the nanometer scale
It has been a challenge to characterize microscopic origins of friction at high velocities. Here authors extend atomic force microscopy to develop a dynamic technique combining force sensitivity and spatial resolution and able to probe, at each image pixel, frictional forces at velocities up to several cm per second.
- Per-Anders Thorén
- , Astrid S. de Wijn
- & David B. Haviland
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| Open AccessRadiative cooling to deep sub-freezing temperatures through a 24-h day–night cycle
Radiative cooling relies on the atmosphere’s transparency window. Here the authors achieve up to 42 °C drops in temperature for low thermal loads under diffuse sunlight by improving the selectivity of the emissivity and the thermal management of their devices.
- Zhen Chen
- , Linxiao Zhu
- & Shanhui Fan
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| Open AccessThermal imaging of spin Peltier effect
The spin Peltier effect produces a temperature difference along the direction of a spin current. Here, the authors use an active thermography technique to visualize the temperature modulation induced by a spin current injected into a magnetic insulator from an adjacent metal.
- Shunsuke Daimon
- , Ryo Iguchi
- & Ken-ichi Uchida
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| Open AccessHall effect in charged conducting ferroelectric domain walls
Conduction in ferroelectric domain walls is now an established phenomenon, yet fundamental aspects of transport physics remain elusive. Here, Campbellet al. report the type, density and mobility of carriers in conducting domain walls in ytterbium manganite using nanoscale Hall effect measurements.
- M. P. Campbell
- , J.P.V. McConville
- & J. M. Gregg
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| Open AccessSpin doping using transition metal phthalocyanine molecules
Molecular magnets are molecules with an inherent non-zero spin that can exhibit magnetic ordering. Here, the authors show that such molecules can change the many-body ground state of nonmagnetic metals at a functional scale with magnetic phthalocyanines.
- A. Atxabal
- , M. Ribeiro
- & L. E. Hueso
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| Open AccessCo-axial heterostructures integrating palladium/titanium dioxide with carbon nanotubes for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Hydrogen evolution by water electrolysis is a promising route to 'green energy', but efficiency is still an issue. Here, the authors make mixed organic/inorganic hierarchical nanostructures with high hydrogen evolution activity, identifying synergic effects in the material contributing to enhanced efficiency.
- Giovanni Valenti
- , Alessandro Boni
- & Francesco Paolucci
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| Open AccessNanoscale assembly of superconducting vortices with scanning tunnelling microscope tip
Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a powerful tool but local control of superconductivity with the STM tip is still lacking. Here, Geet al. show the use of an STM tip to control the local pinning in a superconductor through the heating effect, allowing to manipulate single superconducting vortex at nanoscale.
- Jun-Yi Ge
- , Vladimir N. Gladilin
- & Victor V. Moshchalkov
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| Open AccessScanning superlens microscopy for non-invasive large field-of-view visible light nanoscale imaging
Rare subcellular events can be tracked by correlating structural-information gathered by imaging with specific-molecule fluorescent identification. Here, the authors achieve this correlation in a quick and non-invasive way using microsphere-based scanning superlens microscopy.
- Feifei Wang
- , Lianqing Liu
- & Wen Jung Li
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| Open AccessInterrogation of bimetallic particle oxidation in three dimensions at the nanoscale
Understanding bimetallic alloy oxidation is key to design of hollow-structured binary oxides and their optimization for applications, e.g., as catalysts. Here the authors combine real-time imaging and chemically-sensitive electron tomography to uncover unexpected complexity in possible morphological outcomes of bimetallic oxidation.
- Lili Han
- , Qingping Meng
- & Huolin L. Xin
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| Open AccessCurrent crowding mediated large contact noise in graphene field-effect transistors
The performance of graphene field effect transistors is adversely affected by fluctuations in the electrical resistance at the graphene/metal interface. Here, the authors unveil the microscopic origin of such contact noise, highlighting the role of current crowding.
- Paritosh Karnatak
- , T. Phanindra Sai
- & Arindam Ghosh
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| Open AccessTracking the coherent generation of polaron pairs in conjugated polymers
Understanding of charge transfer dynamics is essential to the design of high-performance organic semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. Here, the authors show that excitons, polaron pairs and a long-lived vibrational mode are strongly coupled to each other up to 1 picosecond in polythiophene.
- Antonietta De Sio
- , Filippo Troiani
- & Christoph Lienau
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| Open AccessNanomechanical motion transduction with a scalable localized gap plasmon architecture
Flexible approaches are required for building plasmomechanical devices for tunable optical devices. Here, Roxworthyet al. introduce a plasmonic-nanoelectromechanical systems device where gap plasmon resonators are embedded into arrays of moving silicon nitride nanostructures, yielding thousands of devices per chip.
- Brian J. Roxworthy
- & Vladimir A. Aksyuk
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Article
| Open AccessHolographic free-electron light source
Controlling the generation of light in nano-scale systems is a challenging task and is of growing importance. Here, Li et al. propose a means of controlling the wavefront of light emanating from a single nano scale emitter by holographic principles using a plasmonic metasurface.
- Guanhai Li
- , Brendan P. Clarke
- & Nikolay I. Zheludev
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Article
| Open AccessRapid mapping of polarization switching through complete information acquisition
Resolution of classical piezoresponse force microscopy is limited in data acquisition rates and energy scales. Here, Somnath et al. report an approach for rapid probing of ferroelectric switching using direct strain detection of material response to probe bias, enabling spectroscopic imaging at a rate of 3,504 times faster the current state of the art.
- Suhas Somnath
- , Alex Belianinov
- & Stephen Jesse
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Article
| Open AccessKaleidoscopic imaging patterns of complex structures fabricated by laser-induced deformation
Complex surface micro- and nanostructures can be useful in many device applications, but are challenging in terms of controllability, low cost and high throughput. Here the authors have fabricated quasi 3D structures by the thermal deformation of simple two-dimensional laser-induced patterns.
- Haoran Zhang
- , Fengyou Yang
- & Qian Liu
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Article
| Open AccessA grand unified model for liganded gold clusters
There is no one theoretical model that can explain the stability of all known liganded gold clusters. Here, the authors present a grand unified model, inspired by the quark model of particle physics, which describes gold clusters as combinations of stable triangular Au3(2e) and tetragonal Au4(2e) ‘composite particles’ built from gold atom ‘elementary particles’.
- Wen Wu Xu
- , Beien Zhu
- & Yi Gao
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Article
| Open AccessMultifunctional non-woven fabrics of interfused graphene fibres
Carbon-based fibres are at the core of electrically conductive multifunctional fabrics, yet improving the weak interaction between fibres remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate an assembly method where graphene fibres are fused at junctions with record specific electrical and thermal conductivity.
- Zheng Li
- , Zhen Xu
- & Chao Gao
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Article
| Open AccessAdditives for vaccine storage to improve thermal stability of adenoviruses from hours to months
Keeping viral vaccines cold from the manufacturers to patients is problematic and costly. Here, Krol and others show additives that can significantly improve at very low concentrations the storage of adenovirus type 5 at ambient and elevated temperature.
- Maria Pelliccia
- , Patrizia Andreozzi
- & Silke Krol
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| Open AccessLaser-induced phase separation of silicon carbide
Laser beam-induced processing is industrially relevant but often challenging to study in terms of underlying phase transformations. Here authors characterize formation of thin, phase-separated carbon and silicon layers on a silicon carbide substrate by laser-induced melting and solidification.
- Insung Choi
- , Hu Young Jeong
- & Keon Jae Lee
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Article
| Open AccessReconfigurable exciton-plasmon interconversion for nanophotonic circuits
Here the authors demonstrate functionality for on-chip optical communications via reconfigurable exciton-plasmon interconversion in 200 nm-diameter silver nanowires overlapping onto two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide transistors.
- Hyun Seok Lee
- , Dinh Hoa Luong
- & Young Hee Lee
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| Open AccessMiniature optical planar camera based on a wide-angle metasurface doublet corrected for monochromatic aberrations
Metasurfaces have the potential to be used in imaging systems since they can modify optical wavefronts at subwavelength spatial resolution. Here, Arbabi et al. demonstrate a metasurface lens doublet corrected for monochromatic aberrations, and integrate it with an image sensor to realize a miniature planar camera.
- Amir Arbabi
- , Ehsan Arbabi
- & Andrei Faraon