Physical sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Progressive diseases tend to be heterogeneous in their underlying aetiology mechanism, disease manifestation, and disease time course. Here, Young and colleagues devise a computational method to account for both phenotypic heterogeneity and temporal heterogeneity, and demonstrate it using two neurodegenerative disease cohorts.

    • Alexandra L Young
    • , Razvan V Marinescu
    •  & Ansgar J Furst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Analysis of bioluminescence images of bacterial distributions in living animals is mostly manual and semiquantitative. Here, the authors present an analysis platform featuring an animal mold, a probabilistic organ atlas, and a mirror gantry to perform automatic in vivo bioluminescence quantification.

    • Alexander D. Klose
    •  & Neal Paragas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Methane- and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria use the integral membrane, copper-dependent enzymes particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) and ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) to oxidize methane and ammonia. Here the authors structurally characterize the copper-binding protein PmoD, which contains an unusual CuA site and their genetic analyses strongly support a pMMO and AMO related function of PmoD.

    • Oriana S. Fisher
    • , Grace E. Kenney
    •  & Amy C. Rosenzweig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantum nonlocality is known to be reducible to quantum uncertainty and steering, but it is unclear whether steering is actually as essential as uncertainty. Here, the authors show that both steering and uncertainty play a role in determining optimal strategies in nonlocal games.

    • Ravishankar Ramanathan
    • , Dardo Goyeneche
    •  & Paweł Horodecki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the tunable range of radiative thermal load for a given colour is important for thermal management of outdoor structures. Here, the authors theoretically and experimentally highlighted all mechanisms through which one can control the radiative thermal load of coloured objects.

    • Wei Li
    • , Yu Shi
    •  & Shanhui Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hyperpolarization methods play a crucial role in the in vivo observation of molecular metabolism by MRI techniques. Here, the authors develop NHC-containing iridium complexes which improve the NMR detectability of 1H, 13C and 15N nuclei via transfer of latent magnetism of para-hydrogen into a substrate.

    • Peter J. Rayner
    • , Philip Norcott
    •  & Simon B. Duckett

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular capsules typically bind only guests with volumes smaller than their cavities. Here, the authors find that a polyaromatic capsule accommodates linear amphiphilic oligomers in a length-dependent manner, whereas short chains are fully crammed into the cavity, long chains can be incorporated into the capsule in a threaded fashion.

    • Masahiro Yamashina
    • , Shunsuke Kusaba
    •  & Michito Yoshizawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    “Conventional chemotherapy-photothermal therapy combination has limited efficacy in drug resistant cancers. Here they develop Copper-palladium tetrapod nanoparticles to overcome these challenges and show them to work in synergy with autophagy inhibitors to treat drug resistant cancers”

    • Yunjiao Zhang
    • , Rui Sha
    •  & Long-ping Wen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The tracking and targeted release of multi-agents to cooperatively treat cancer is a developing and evolving field. Here, the authors demonstrate the anticancer effects of cubic Pd hydride nanocrystals with photoacoustic imaging properties that can release hydrogen under an NIR trigger and have photothermal effects.

    • Penghe Zhao
    • , Zhaokui Jin
    •  & Qianjun He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The quantum-confined Stark effect is conventionally observed in inorganic semiconductor multilayer quantum well structures that are expensive to make. Here Walters et al. report large Stark effects in easily made layered hybrid perovskites and exploit the orientational polarizability of dipolar cations.

    • G. Walters
    • , M. Wei
    •  & E. Sargent

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological effects can be emulated using photonic lattices where the length of a waveguide represents time, which is often limited by fabrication constraints. Here, Mukherjee et al. exploit a single-photon detector array enabled state-recycling scheme to increase the accessible time scale.

    • Sebabrata Mukherjee
    • , Harikumar K. Chandrasekharan
    •  & Robert R. Thomson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    2D electronic spectroscopy enables a spatially-averaged view of the electronic structure of a heterogeneous system. Here, the authors extend it to sub-micron resolution and ~106 times better sensitivity, to resolve spatially varying excitonic structure in a heterogeneous mixture of photosynthetic cells.

    • Vivek Tiwari
    • , Yassel Acosta Matutes
    •  & Jennifer P. Ogilvie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How nanocrystals assemble into superlattices is poorly understood, given the difficulty of probing these processes in real time, in a controlled environment. Here, the authors use space- and time-resolved in situ small angle X-ray scattering to monitor the ordering of nanocrystal superlattices by electric field, which allows them to extract quantitative information about the assembly process.

    • Yixuan Yu
    • , Dian Yu
    •  & Christine A. Orme

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Characterizing plasmonic coupling has proven elusive. Here, the authors obtain a spectrally resolved deflection map related to a focused electron beam, which has excited a surface plasmon resonance, and relate this deflection to the spectral component of the induced electric and magnetic fields pertaining to the mode.

    • J. Krehl
    • , G. Guzzinati
    •  & A. Lubk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Modern energy-storage technologies are based on porous electrodes that store charge within nanometrically-narrow pores or slits. Here the authors show an approach to probe and measure, for the first time, the charging dynamics within an individual nano-slit – the basic element of a porous electrode.

    • Ran Tivony
    • , Sam Safran
    •  & Jacob Klein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Singlet fission results in the formation of a pair of triplets, known as a quintet. Here, the authors identify long-lived quintets in dilute pentacene films at room temperature, with lifetimes influenced by intermolecular geometry having implications for the design of triplet-harvesting films.

    • Daphné Lubert-Perquel
    • , Enrico Salvadori
    •  & Christopher W. M. Kay

  • Article
    | Open Access

    With the rapid development of quantum computers, quantum machine learning approaches are emerging as powerful tools to perform electronic structure calculations. Here, the authors develop a quantum machine learning algorithm, which demonstrates significant improvements in solving quantum many-body problems.

    • Rongxin Xia
    •  & Sabre Kais

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Experimental determination of the contact angle of a two-dimensional film is crucial to understand its wettability characteristics. Here, the authors use the captive bubble method to estimate a contact angle value of 42° ± 3° for a monolayer graphene film.

    • Anna V. Prydatko
    • , Liubov A. Belyaeva
    •  & Grégory F. Schneider

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ice sublimation is a common, yet little-studied, heat and mass transfer problem with climatic and industrial implications. Here, the authors show that the sublimation of ice crystals is purely diffusive and is unaffected by the underlying crystalline lattice.

    • Etienne Jambon-Puillet
    • , Noushine Shahidzadeh
    •  & Daniel Bonn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although there are many reports on the development of devices for terahertz signal processing, the possibility of electrical control of the functionality remains elusive. Here, the authors use electrically actuated liquid metal components incorporated into terahertz waveguides for controlling power flow and for frequency filtering.

    • Kimberly S. Reichel
    • , Nicolas Lozada-Smith
    •  & Daniel M. Mittleman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The hot carriers in halide perovskite nanocrystals cool much slower than those in conventional semiconductor nanocrystals due to the phonon bottleneck. Here, Li et al. demonstrate enhanced multiple exciton generation with lower threshold in intermediate-confined perovskite nanocrystals based on this effect.

    • Mingjie Li
    • , Raihana Begum
    •  & Tze Chien Sum

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Availability of intense hard X-ray pulses allows exploration of multiple ionization effects in heavier elements. Here, the authors measure the complex charge state distributions of xenon and found a reasonable agreement by comparing with the model including the relativistic and resonance effects.

    • Benedikt Rudek
    • , Koudai Toyota
    •  & Daniel Rolles

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In semiconductor nanocrystals, efficient carrier multiplication counteracts hot carrier thermalization, increasing the overall carrier generation yield. Here, de Weerd et al. observe a quantum yield of up to 98% in CsPbI3 nanocrystals as a result of efficient carrier multiplication.

    • Chris de Weerd
    • , Leyre Gomez
    •  & Tom Gregorkiewicz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors introduce the folded metasurface optics architecture by demonstrating a compact high-resolution optical spectrometer made from a 1-mm-thick glass slab. The spectrometer has a resolution of 1.2 nm, resolving more than 80 spectral points in a 100-nm bandwidth centered at 810 nm.

    • MohammadSadegh Faraji-Dana
    • , Ehsan Arbabi
    •  & Andrei Faraon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nonaqueous redox flow batteries may offer high energy and power densities, but development of separators is key for optimization. Here the authors achieve high coulombic efficiency with a nanoporous aramid nanofibres-based separator with low permeability, high ion conductivity, and exceptional stability.

    • Siu on Tung
    • , Sydney L. Fisher
    •  & Levi T. Thompson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rod-shaped bacteria are an example of active matter. Here the authors find that a growing bacterial colony harbours internal cellular flows affecting orientational ordering in its interior and at the boundary. Results suggest this system may belong to a new active matter universality class.

    • D. Dell’Arciprete
    • , M. L. Blow
    •  & W. C. K. Poon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glycosyl cations are key intermediates in glycosylation reactions, but their structure has remained elusive due to their transient nature. Here, the authors perform an in-depth structural analysis and report that C2-participating protective groups induce acetoxonium cations with distinct ring conformations.

    • Eike Mucha
    • , Mateusz Marianski
    •  & Kevin Pagel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hygroelectric generators comprised of electrodes and a hygroscopic material with a chemical-gradient structure can produce electricity by absorbing water vapor. Here, the authors achieve a high output voltage by employing hygroscopic heterogeneous graphene oxide and materials with Schottky junctions.

    • Yaxin Huang
    • , Huhu Cheng
    •  & Liangti Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding fundamental processes that occur using solar-to-fuel conversion materials is crucial for constructing effective renewable energy collection. Here, authors find the hydrogen peroxide light-driven hole-scavenging mechanism over haematite to proceed with two active sites rather than one

    • Yotam Y. Avital
    • , Hen Dotan
    •  & Arik Yochelis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The growth of apatite crystals from amorphous calcium phosphate is an area of intense study. Here, the authors report on the use of high resolution TEM imaging to provide evidence of nucleation clusters in the transformation process

    • Antiope Lotsari
    • , Anand K. Rajasekharan
    •  & Martin Andersson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials databases currently neglect the temperature effect on compound thermodynamics. Here the authors introduce a Gibbs energy descriptor enabling the high-throughput prediction of temperature-dependent thermodynamics across a wide range of compositions and temperatures for inorganic solids.

    • Christopher J. Bartel
    • , Samantha L. Millican
    •  & Aaron M. Holder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lithium sulfur batteries are promising for next-generation energy storage, but are hindered by polysulfide shuttle effects. Here the authors use black phosphorus quantum dots to adsorb and catalyze the conversion of lithium polysulfides to lithium sulfide, achieving low capacity fade and high sulfur loading.

    • Zheng-Long Xu
    • , Shenghuang Lin
    •  & Shu Ping Lau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The charge order transition of commonly known magnetite has only recently been unraveled. Here, the measurement of the low-temperature high-pressure phase diagram of a related material (Fe4O5) elucidates the interplay of average oxidation state and charge-ordering phenomena in the iron oxide family.

    • Sergey V. Ovsyannikov
    • , Maxim Bykov
    •  & Leonid S. Dubrovinsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthesis of primary amines via operationally simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly methodologies has high impact in industrial settings. Here, the authors show a reductive amination process involving a ruthenium catalyst, aldehydes/ketones, ammonia, and hydrogen that displays a remarkable scope of primary amine products.

    • Thirusangumurugan Senthamarai
    • , Kathiravan Murugesan
    •  & Rajenahally V. Jagadeesh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spin ice materials are defined by ice rules, local constraints that lead to frustrated interactions and macroscopic numbers of degenerate configurations. Here the authors show that the ice rule in colloidal ice is emergent, limited to certain geometries, and demonstrate how it can break down under changes of the lattice structure.

    • András Libál
    • , Dong Yun Lee
    •  & Cristiano Nisoli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological connection of organic chromophores is an attractive way to design light-emitting covalent organic frameworks but the synthesis of stable light-emitting frameworks remains challenging. Here the authors report the designed synthesis of sp2 carbon conjugated frameworks that combine stability with light-emitting activity

    • Enquan Jin
    • , Juan Li
    •  & Donglin Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent experiments have indicated that YbMgGaO4 may be a quantum spin liquid with spinon Fermi surfaces but additional evidence is needed to support this interpretation. Shen et al. show weak magnetic fields cause changes in the excitation continuum that are consistent with spin liquid predictions.

    • Yao Shen
    • , Yao-Dong Li
    •  & Jun Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite recent advances in light-active soft actuators, demonstrating reconfigurable actuation under the same stimuli remains a challenge. Here, the authors realize reconfigurable photoactuation in liquid crystal polymer networks based on a synergistic use of photochemical and photothermal effects.

    • Markus Lahikainen
    • , Hao Zeng
    •  & Arri Priimagi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A new type of surface state has recently been reported in ZrSiSe but its physical properties remain unclear. Here, Zhu, Chang, Huang, et al. report rotational symmetry breaking, healing effect and anomalous Umklapp scattering arising from the nonsymmorphic effect of the floating band state on ZrSiSe (001) surface.

    • Zhen Zhu
    • , Tay-Rong Chang
    •  & Jin-Feng Jia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One of the major obstacles in nanoparticle-based therapy is to achieve tumour targeting, limiting non-specific accumulation of the nanoparticles. Here the authors propose the conjugation of anti-HER2 scFv fragments to the silica nanoparticles, increasing specificity and limiting the final size of the immunoconjugates below the renal clearance threshold.

    • Feng Chen
    • , Kai Ma
    •  & Michelle S. Bradbury

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) catalyzes β-barrel protein insertion into the outer membrane of E.coli. Here authors employ high-sensitivity solid-state NMR to reveal how the lipid environment and formation of the BamA-BamCDE complex affect BamA structure and dynamics with regards to the lateral gate and the β-barrel associated domains.

    • Cecilia Pinto
    • , Deni Mance
    •  & Marc Baldus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Secondary transporters catalyse substrate translocation across the cell membrane but the role of lipids during the transport cycle remains unclear. Here authors used hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and molecular dynamics simulations to understand how lipids regulate the conformational dynamics of secondary transporters.

    • Chloe Martens
    • , Mrinal Shekhar
    •  & Argyris Politis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In order to metastasize, cancer cells must migrate through basement membranes and dense stroma, and proteases are thought to be required due to the confining nature of these matrices. Here the authors use synthetic matrices to show that cells can migrate through confining matrices using force generation alone, rather than protease degradation, if the matrices exhibit mechanical plasticity.

    • Katrina M. Wisdom
    • , Kolade Adebowale
    •  & Ovijit Chaudhuri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Room-temperature solid-state single photon emitters in the telecom range are suitable for quantum communication. Here, the authors observe defects in high-purity 3C-SiC epitaxy layers grown on a silicon substrate, with good characteristics in terms of brightness, emission’s polarization and photostability.

    • Junfeng Wang
    • , Yu Zhou
    •  & Weibo Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tuning the mechanical properties of extracellular matrix is of great interest in tissue engineering but spatial control over stiffness in hydrogels has been demonstrated in two dimensions only. Here the authors developed a layer-by-layer printing technique which uses oxygen inhibition to control the heterogeneous stiffness in 3D printed structures.

    • Hang Yin
    • , Yonghui Ding
    •  & Xiaobo Yin

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