Physical sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Physical sciences are those academic disciplines that aim to uncover the underlying laws of nature - often written in the language of mathematics. It is a collective term for areas of study including astronomy, chemistry, materials science and physics.

Featured

News & Views | 23 March 2023

Bipolar flash for bifunctional computing operations
- Fatemeh Kiani
- & Qiangfei Xia
Nature Nanotechnology, 1-2
News & Views | 23 March 2023

Unnatural α-amino acid synthesis
- Tuan Anh Trinh
- & Jennifer M. Schomaker
Nature Synthesis, 1-2
News & Views | 23 March 2023

A chloride hybrid for a stride
- Vadim Shipitsyn
- & Lin Ma
Nature Sustainability, 1-2

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
24 March 2023 | Open Access

Direct observation of a superconducting vortex diode

A nonreciprocal critical current is known as the superconducting diode effect (SDE). Here, the authors use SQUID-on-tip to study SDE in a EuS/Nb bilayer and find that the stray field from magnetized EuS creates screening currents in the Nb, which lead to SDE by affecting vortex flow dynamics.
- Alon Gutfreund
- , Hisakazu Matsuki
- & Yonathan Anahory
Nature Communications 14, 1630
Reviews | 24 March 2023

Controlling complex networks with complex nodes

Modern society relies on many interdependent networks such as electric grids, supply chain networks and ecological networks. This Perspective describes progress and challenges in harnessing insights from statistical physics and control theory to develop better control and management strategies of such complex networks and infrastructure systems.
- Raissa M. D’Souza
- , Mario di Bernardo
- & Yang-Yu Liu
Nature Reviews Physics, 1-13
Research
24 March 2023 | Open Access

Critical temperature shift modeling of confined fluids using pore-size-dependent energy parameter of potential function
- Mohammad Humand
- & Mohammad Reza Khorsand Movaghar
Scientific Reports 13, 4842
Research
24 March 2023 | Open Access

Atomic-scale study clarifying the role of space-charge layers in a Li-ion-conducting solid electrolyte

Space-charge layers are believed to profoundly influence the interfaces in all-solid-state Li batteries. Here, the authors provide atomic scale insights into this phenomenon, and discover that its impact could be fundamentally different from commonly believed.
- Zhenqi Gu
- , Jiale Ma
- & Cheng Ma
Nature Communications 14, 1632
Research
24 March 2023 | Open Access

Field-linear anomalous Hall effect and Berry curvature induced by spin chirality in the kagome antiferromagnet Mn₃Sn

Berry curvature sits at the heart of both the anomalous hall effect and topological hall effect, with the former arising from a momentum space berry curvature, while the latter arises from a real space berry curvature. Here, Li et al present an intriguing example of a combined real and reciprocal space berry curvature in the kagome material Mn3Sn, resulting in a large field linear anomalous Hall effect.
- Xiaokang Li
- , Jahyun Koo
- & Binghai Yan
Nature Communications 14, 1642
Research | 24 March 2023

Preparation of D-A copolymers based on dithiazologermole and germaindacenodithiazole as weak electron donor units

Distannylated dithiazologermole and germaindacenodithiazole were copolymerized with dibrominated benzothiadiazole and di(thiazolyl)benzothiadiazole to produce four new donor-acceptor conjugated copolymers. The optical, electrochemical, and thermal properties of the copolymers were characterized. DFT calculations revealed that these thiazole-containing copolymers possessed lower HOMOs and LUMOs than those of thiophene-based congeners, in accordance with the experimental results. The intramolecular noncovalent S‒N and N‒H bond interactions and the effects of the bridging atom (C or Ge) on the HOMO and LUMO energy levels were also suggested by the DFT calculations.
- Weipeng Sun
- , Yohei Adachi
- & Joji Ohshita
Polymer Journal, 1-9

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News and Comment

Research Highlights | 24 March 2023

Advancing with dipolar glass polymers
- Changjun (Alex) Zhang
Nature Energy 8, 220
Research Highlights | 24 March 2023

Look what the catenane dragged in

Abundant metal copper with a catenane ligand system can effectively induce the oxygen reduction reaction, a promising alternative to typical precious-metal electrocatalysts.
- Stephanie Greed
Nature Reviews Chemistry, 1
Research Highlights | 24 March 2023

Nucleating nanoparticles

A gold nanoparticle colloidal system is used to explore the effect of nanoparticle–substrate interactions on heterogeneous nucleation, providing a simple model for a complex and poorly understood physical process.
- Hannah Hatcher
Nature Reviews Chemistry, 1
Research Highlights | 24 March 2023

Building integration and cooling
- Giulia Tregnago
Nature Energy 8, 219
Research Highlights | 23 March 2023

Better catalysts in a (nut)shell

An article in Nature Synthesis reports core–shell nanocrystals with tunable single-atom alloy layers, which are effective catalysts for nitrate electroreduction to ammonia.
- Ariane Vartanian
Nature Reviews Materials, 1
Research Highlights | 23 March 2023

A gem of a material could provide a shield for spacecraft

Material that includes carbon with the same structure as diamond could be used to protect satellites from space radiation.

Nature

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Physical sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Featured

Bipolar flash for bifunctional computing operations

Unnatural α-amino acid synthesis

A chloride hybrid for a stride

Latest Research and Reviews

Direct observation of a superconducting vortex diode

Controlling complex networks with complex nodes

Critical temperature shift modeling of confined fluids using pore-size-dependent energy parameter of potential function

Atomic-scale study clarifying the role of space-charge layers in a Li-ion-conducting solid electrolyte

Field-linear anomalous Hall effect and Berry curvature induced by spin chirality in the kagome antiferromagnet Mn₃Sn

Preparation of D-A copolymers based on dithiazologermole and germaindacenodithiazole as weak electron donor units

News and Comment

Advancing with dipolar glass polymers

Look what the catenane dragged in

Nucleating nanoparticles

Building integration and cooling

Better catalysts in a (nut)shell

A gem of a material could provide a shield for spacecraft

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Physical sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

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