Techniques and instrumentation articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electronic and vibrational correlations report on the dynamics and structure of molecular species, yet revealing these correlations experimentally is challenging. Here the authors develop a method called GAMERS that probes correlations between states within the vibrational and electronic manifold with quantum coherence selectivity.

    • Austin P. Spencer
    • , William O. Hutson
    •  & Elad Harel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene nanoribbons are promising candidates for 2D material electrical interconnects; however, the top-down fabrication of nanoribbons has remained a challenge. Here, Chenet al. have used a hexagonal boron nitride template to grow narrow, integrated graphene nanoribbons with small bandgaps.

    • Lingxiu Chen
    • , Li He
    •  & Mianheng Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Double-resonance Raman scattering is a sensitive spectroscopic probe of the interplay between electrons and phonons in a crystal. Here, the authors unveil the signature of double-resonance intervalley scattering by acoustic phonons in two-dimensional MoS2, underpinning the physics of valley depolarization.

    • Bruno R. Carvalho
    • , Yuanxi Wang
    •  & Marcos A. Pimenta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hyperpolarized MRI uses molecules with a nuclear spin polarization beyond the thermodynamic equilibrium to enhance imaging contrast. Here, Schmidtet al. enable a single MRI system to both generate a hyperpolarized tracer and perform imaging, eliminating the need for an external polarizer.

    • A. B. Schmidt
    • , S. Berner
    •  & J. -B. Hövener

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Single electrons of solid-state defects can be used to detect nearby nuclear spins, but so far only a few at a time have been resolved. Here the authors propose an approach based on delayed entanglement echo that demonstrates improved detection and manipulation capabilities of nuclear spins by an NV centre.

    • Zhen-Yu Wang
    • , Jorge Casanova
    •  & Martin B. Plenio

  • Article
    | Open Access

    X-ray optics are notoriously challenging to fabricate due to the strict tolerances that result from the short wavelength of radiation. Here, Seibothet al. carefully quantify aberrations in complex X-ray lenses and correct them with an easy-to-fabricate broadband phase plate.

    • Frank Seiboth
    • , Andreas Schropp
    •  & Christian G. Schroer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molybdenum has long been speculated to undergo an exceptionally steep increase in melting temperature when compressed but without direct experimental evidence. Here authors claim such a direct observation and also report a transition at high pressure and high temperature.

    • Rostislav Hrubiak
    • , Yue Meng
    •  & Guoyin Shen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hydrogen gas can drive detachment of protective surface oxides from metal substrates and this process is accelerated at moderately elevated temperatures relevant to applications. Here the authors use environmental transmission electron microscopy to monitor associated void coalescence processes and clarify roles that diffusion and hydrogen-vacancy complexes play.

    • Meng Li
    • , De-Gang Xie
    •  & Zhi-Wei Shan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The interaction between photonic bandgap materials and light is largely determined by the wavelength-scale material structure. Here, Sellerset al. develop a new metric of network structural order and demonstrate its connection to the photonic bandgap of an amorphous gyroid network.

    • Steven R. Sellers
    • , Weining Man
    •  & Marian Florescu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Graphene, and other 2D materials, do not exist as strictly planar sheets but instead have topographic ripples on the sub-nanometre scale. Here, Latychevskaiaet al. present a method to non-invasively image ripples in 2D materials with a single-shot, wide-area, electron diffraction measurement.

    • Tatiana Latychevskaia
    • , Wei-Hao Hsu
    •  & Ing-Shouh Hwang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The atomic mechanisms of reversible phase transitions are challenging to probe experimentally. Here, the authors induce melting and freezing processes in bismuth nanoparticles inside a high-resolution electron microscope, observing the atom-level stages of this phase transition pathway in real time.

    • Yingxuan Li
    • , Ling Zang
    •  & Chuanyi Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Existing force sensors are designed for driving frequencies above tens of kHz due to heating and sensitivity loss. Here the authors demonstrate precise force metrology for below kHz frequency range by combining the Doppler-shifted optical transition in trapped ion and quantum lock-in technique.

    • Ravid Shaniv
    •  & Roee Ozeri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Carrier mobility is a basic semiconductor property. Manteet al., use femtosecond lasers to investigate coherent acoustic phonons and relate their deformation potentials to estimate the intrinsic electron and hole mobilities of CH3NH3PbI3 single crystals to be 2,800 and 9,400 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively.

    • Pierre-Adrien Mante
    • , Constantinos C. Stoumpos
    •  & Arkady Yartsev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The structure of water in the first layer on surfaces is essential to our understanding of various phenomena, such as surface wettability and heterogeneous catalysis. Here, the authors use atomic force microscopy with a CO-functionalized tip to image water defects on copper surface at atomic resolution.

    • Akitoshi Shiotari
    •  & Yoshiaki Sugimoto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ostwald ripening is thermodynamically favoured in many liquid and gas systems, where small particles tend to dissolve into large ones. Against this effect, Huanget al. use patterned microstructures to guide the evolution of two-dimensional liquid foams as a platform for the assembly of nanoparticles.

    • Zhandong Huang
    • , Meng Su
    •  & Yanlin Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid-state NMR can in principle be used to study calcium environments in biomaterials such as bones/teeth, but43Ca lacks receptivity. Here the authors present an approach to acquire 43Ca data for hydroxyapatite at its natural isotopic abundance, distinguishing between core and surface Ca sites.

    • Daniel Lee
    • , César Leroy
    •  & Gaël De Paëpe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Materials with spatially modulated nonlinear optical properties are used for quasi-phase matching. Here, Yanet al. exploit the nonlinearity of intermolecular charge transfer states together with oblique-angle deposition to achieve nanoscale modulation of the second-order susceptibility.

    • Yixin Yan
    • , Yakun Yuan
    •  & Noel C. Giebink

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It remains unclear why energy storage systems with nanoscale constituents are less susceptible to stress-induced damage than their bulk counterparts. Here, the authors probe in real time the intercalation-driven phase transitions of nanoscale palladium hydride, finding that these nanoparticles are able to fix crystallographic flaws as they form.

    • Tarun C. Narayan
    • , Fariah Hayee
    •  & Jennifer A. Dionne

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetoelectric coupling allows switching of magnetic states via gate voltage pulses. Here the authors propose and demonstrate a purely antiferromagnetic magnetoelectric random access memory based on Cr2O3, reporting 50-fold reduction of writing threshold compared to ferromagnetic counterparts.

    • Tobias Kosub
    • , Martin Kopte
    •  & Denys Makarov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shaping ceramics into complex forms is a formidable goal. Here, the authors present an approach to self-shaping ceramics, inspired by self-folding processes in plants, in which the ceramic microstructure is embedded with aligned platelets that control the orientation of heat-induced shrinkage.

    • Fabio L. Bargardi
    • , Hortense Le Ferrand
    •  & André R. Studart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The polysaccharide xylan binds to cellulose microfibrils in the plant cell wall, but the nature of this interaction remains unclear. Here Simmonset al. show that while xylan forms a threefold helical screw in solution it forms a twofold screw to bind cellulose microfibrils in the plant cell wall.

    • Thomas J. Simmons
    • , Jenny C. Mortimer
    •  & Paul Dupree

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • 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

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface modification of high-capacity lithium-rich layered oxides for improved capacity retention is an active area of battery materials research. Here authors demonstrate lithium-rich layered surfaces with a framework matching the host's, but with nickel atoms regularly arranged between layers.

    • Sangryun Kim
    • , Woosuk Cho
    •  & Jang Wook Choi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising for catalysis, gas storage, and microelectronics. Here, the authors introduce a vapour-phase synthesis of UiO-66 thin films, beginning with modulated atomic layer deposition of porous, amorphous films, followed by acetic acid vapour-enabled crystallization to the MOF structure.

    • Kristian Blindheim Lausund
    •  & Ola Nilsen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Earthquakes have been theorised to produce gravity signals that may arrive before seismic waves, but until now they had not been detected. Montagneret al. have detected prompt gravity signals from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake thus allowing an early warning of earthquakes before seismic wave arrival.

    • Jean-Paul Montagner
    • , Kévin Juhel
    •  & Philippe Lognonné

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoscale processes may directly impact macroscopic mechanical behaviour. Here authors describe a ‘phase-transformation strengthening’ mechanism in nickel-based high temperature alloys, allowing suppression of deleterious deformation processes at elevated temperatures by specific alloying elements.

    • T. M. Smith
    • , B. D. Esser
    •  & M. J. Mills

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Robust coherent diffractive imaging generally requires many exposures that may damage samples. Here, the authors develop a single-shot X-ray imaging method applicable to general samples for materials and biological sciences, also enabling imaging of dynamic processes, using a pulsed X-ray laser.

    • Fucai Zhang
    • , Bo Chen
    •  & Ian K. Robinson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ambient chemical transformations between nanoparticles are poorly explored in materials science. Here, the authors find that two atomically precise, isomorphic clusters of gold and silver can convert between each other in solution through a series of alloy clusters, preserving structure, topology, and metal-ligand stoichiometry.

    • K. R. Krishnadas
    • , Ananya Baksi
    •  & Thalappil Pradeep

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Doping can introduce structural distortions in a molecular crystal in the form of polar domains. Here, the authors combine pyroelectric measurements and computation to reveal the molecular structure of such domains in centrosymmetric α-glycine crystals doped with L-amino acids.

    • E. Meirzadeh
    • , I. Azuri
    •  & I. Lubomirsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetic resonance imaging is a promising non-invasive approach to visualize paramagnetic materials in devices, but the short lifetime of signals currently limits its use. Here, the authors develop an approach which overcomes this hurdle to spectroscopically image lithiation fronts during battery operation.

    • Mingxue Tang
    • , Vincent Sarou-Kanian
    •  & Elodie Salager

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Analysis of the mechanical properties of two-dimensional materials is important for device development. Here, the authors report a microscopic method for measuring the adhesion of graphene on top of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, which exploits atomic-scale blisters formed upon neon atom intercalation.

    • Jun Wang
    • , Dan C. Sorescu
    •  & Petro Maksymovych

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Probing individual impurities will become increasingly important as devices shrink towards the nanoscale. Here Rashidi et al., introduce a method based on time-resolved scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of surface dangling bonds to investigate the dynamics of individual dopants in silicon.

    • Mohammad Rashidi
    • , Jacob A. J. Burgess
    •  & Robert A. Wolkow

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Low repetition rate lasers are suitable for studying nonlinear optical phenomena, while near-field microscopy allows high spatial resolution for nanomaterial characterisation. Here, Wang et al. enable scattering-type near-field microscopy with low repetition rate lasers through phase-domain sampling.

    • Haomin Wang
    • , Le Wang
    •  & Xiaoji G. Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The efficiency of a catalyst relies on the stability of intermediates on its surface. Here, the authors find that van der Waals interactions between acetate adsorbates on Au(110) provide a small but necessary energy contribution to stabilize the acetate and drive restructuring of the Au surface.

    • Fanny Hiebel
    • , Bonggeun Shong
    •  & Cynthia M. Friend

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