Physical sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Palladium-based catalysts are highly effective for the complete oxidation of methane. Here, the authors employ operando transmission electron microscopy, near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations to investigate the active state and catalytic function of Pd nanoparticles in methane oxidation.

    • Shengnan Yue
    • , C. S. Praveen
    •  & Xing Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is considered the most promising photocatalyst for the highly selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde, though the origins of its catalytic activity and reaction mechanism are still debated. Here, the authors use WO3 with {001} and {110} facets as model photocatalysts, demonstrating that the photocatalytic oxidation of methane to formaldehyde in WO3 depends on the surface structure, leading to different formaldehyde selectivity.

    • Yingying Fan
    • , Yuheng Jiang
    •  & Zhiyong Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Empirically observed regiochemistries indicate that the CF2H radical has a nucleophilic character similar to alkyl radicals, but the CF3 radical is electrophilic in reactions with heterocycles. Here, the authors report DFT calculations, reproducing experimental selectivities and leading to an explanation of this difference.

    • Meng Duan
    • , Qianzhen Shao
    •  & K. N. Houk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The catalytic partial oxidation of methane (POM) is a promising technology for synthesizing syngas but suffers from severe over-oxidation on the catalyst surface. Here the authors demonstrate that regulating O* occupation in an atomically dispersed MoNi alloy can achieve high catalytic performance for POM.

    • Zheyuan Ding
    • , Sai Chen
    •  & Jinlong Gong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Topological semimetals offer the potential for new-generation spintronic devices. Here, the authors demonstrate a large out-of-plane damping-like spin–orbit torque efficiency in a heterostructure based on the Weyl semimetal TaIrTe4.

    • Lakhan Bainsla
    • , Bing Zhao
    •  & Saroj P. Dash

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Probabilistic computing demands low power and high quality random number generation. Woo et al. demonstrate the use of a spin crossover in LaCoO3 to generate random numbers that outperform software-generated random numbers in probabilistic computing.

    • Kyung Seok Woo
    • , Alan Zhang
    •  & Suhas Kumar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Perception methods that enable control systems to understand and adapt to unstructured environments are desired. Wang et. al. develop a memristor-based differential neuromorphic computing, perceptual signal processing, and online adaptation method providing neuromorphic style adaptation to external sensory stimuli.

    • Shengbo Wang
    • , Shuo Gao
    •  & Luigi Giuseppe Occhipinti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    On-chip optical sensing and metrology systems are rapidly progressing, but CMOS-compatible silicon light sources remain a challenge. This work demonstrates a broadband, foundry integrated silicon waveguide emitter and the theory that describes it.

    • Marcel W. Pruessner
    • , Nathan F. Tyndall
    •  & Todd H. Stievater

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It has long been believed that diffusion as individual atoms is the primary way for carbon to enter Fe crystals from outside. Here, the authors report an unusual mass transport way in solids, through which diamond nanoparticles can enter Fe spontaneously and translate inward for a long distance.

    • Yuecun Wang
    • , Xudong Wang
    •  & Zhiwei Shan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Delay lines for quantum information are key for quantum networking and hardware efficient quantum computers. Here, the authors present a virtual delay line for microwave pulses where data is stored in the excitations of a collection of resonators, demonstrating translation and swapping of data pulses.

    • Takuma Makihara
    • , Nathan Lee
    •  & Amir Safavi-Naeini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report a zinc oxide resonant nano-accelerometer with sensitivity up to 16.818 kHz/g, which is attributed to the nano-resonators using zinc oxide nanowires and the optimized microleverages and push-pull structures.

    • Pengfei Xu
    • , Dazhi Wang
    •  & Yan Cui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A radiation damage cycle in X-ray-ionized solvated Mg ions is reported by the authors leading to production of water radicals and low-energy electrons. The Mg ion ends in its initial state quickly and can restart the cycle, multiplying the local damage.

    • Dana Bloß
    • , Florian Trinter
    •  & Andreas Hans

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biaryl compounds with an axial chirality are valuable architectures but few methods have been developed for the construction of bridged biaryls, a subclass of these compounds that bear a tether to connect the two arenes and form a medium-sized ring. Here, the authors design a Co/SPDO-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling/desymmetrization sequence of prochiral phenols for the enantioselective synthesis of biaxial bridged m-terphenyls embedded in an azocane.

    • Shuang-Hu Wang
    • , Shi-Qiang Wei
    •  & Tong-Mei Ding

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A comprehensive understanding of the transient characteristics in solid oxide cells is crucial when integrated with intermittent renewable energy. Here, authors reveal expressions for two general characteristic times quantifying transient phenomena due to heat and mass transfer lags in SOCs.

    • Zhaojian Liang
    • , Jingyi Wang
    •  & Mengying Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Producing valuable chemicals like ethylene via catalytic CO conversion is an important nonpetroleum route. Here, authors demonstrate high-rate electrosynthesis of multicarbon chemicals via CO electrolysis, with a multicarbon product partial current density of 4.35 A cm−2 at a cell voltage of 2.78 V.

    • Hefei Li
    • , Pengfei Wei
    •  & Xinhe Bao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors reveal a link between the quantum metric and the dielectric constant of insulators, determining the geometric capacitance of insulators and revealing the intrinsic delocalization of electrons in the lattice.

    • Ilia Komissarov
    • , Tobias Holder
    •  & Raquel Queiroz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report the measurement of the Little-Parks effect in the unconventional superconductor candidate 4Hb-TaS2. They find a π-shift in the transition-temperature oscillations and an ehancement of Tc as a function of the out-of-plane field when a constant in-plane field is applied, consistent with a multi-component order parameter.

    • Avior Almoalem
    • , Irena Feldman
    •  & Amit Kanigel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lattice stability related to the structural response is the basis for understanding mechanical and physical behavior of crystalline solids. Here, the authors show a manifestation of elastic instability in high-entropy alloys via elastic strain induced amorphization.

    • Yeqiang Bu
    • , Yuan Wu
    •  & Wei Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    2D semiconductors may offer a platform for future electronics, but the wafer-scale fabrication of high-performance 2D transistors remains challenging. Here, the authors report a universal all-stacking method to fabricate wafer-scale 2D electronic devices with van der Waals contacts, based on epitaxial metallic electrodes grown on fluorophlogopite mica.

    • Xiaodong Zhang
    • , Chenxi Huang
    •  & Hualing Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors introduce a highspeed acquisition technique, sHAPR, for rapid exploration of biodynamics using fluorescence microscopy. The method leverages sCMOS cameras and custom fibre optics to convert microscopy images into 1D recordings, enabling acquisition at the maximum camera readout rate.

    • Biagio Mandracchia
    • , Corey Zheng
    •  & Shu Jia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors observe THz emission from Ni/Pt heterostructure due to long-range ballistic orbital transport. The velocity of orbital current can be optically tuned by laser fluence, opening the avenue for future optorbitronic devices.

    • Sobhan Subhra Mishra
    • , James Lourembam
    •  & Ranjan Singh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transport behavior of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) remains unclear. Here, the authors explore the fundamentals of low-wear and high-conductivity refractory HEAs, examining the cocktail effect in conductivity, and highlight its potential applications in enhancing atomic-scale image resolution.

    • Cheng-Hsien Yeh
    • , Wen-Dung Hsu
    •  & Chuan-Feng Shih

  • Article
    | Open Access

    By resonant pumping the organic cation in 2D perovskite, Fu et al. report the electronic and mechanical couplings between the organic and inorganic sublattices, evidenced by the reduced bandgap and modified lattice degree of freedom within the inorganic sublattice, and slow heat transfer process.

    • Jianhui Fu
    • , Tieyuan Bian
    •  & Tze Chien Sum

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Phosphanorcaradienes can serve as synthons for transient phosphinidene but the synthesis remains challenging. Here, the authors report a synthesis protocol for a phosphanorcaradiene, in which one of the benzene rings is intramolecularly dearomatized through attachment to the phosphorus atom.

    • Yizhen Chen
    • , Peifeng Su
    •  & Gengwen Tan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strange metal behaviour of high-Tc superconductors, characterised by unconventional electrical and thermodynamic properties, still poses challenges for theory. Smit et al. report experimental features in the self-energy of a strange metal that are consistent with predictions by holographic theoretical methods.

    • S. Smit
    • , E. Mauri
    •  & M. S. Golden

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Heterocycles, highly prized by the pharmaceutical industry, are often constructed from diazo compounds. Here, the authors report that direct photolysis of vinyldiazo compounds followed by [3+2]-cycloaddition gives access to these motifs.

    • Ming Bao
    • , Klaudia Łuczak
    •  & Michael P. Doyle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While significant progress has been made in classical Diels-Alder reactions, the use of simple and inert feedstock chemicals under mild reaction conditions still remains challenging. Here the authors present the development of catalytic asymmetric [4 + 2] dearomative photocycloaddition involving anthracene and its derivatives with alkenylazaarenes.

    • Dong Tian
    • , Wenshuo Shi
    •  & Zhiyong Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors report experimental evidence of phonon Stark effect in 2H-MoS2 bilayers. A Stark phonon appears as the interlayer excitons are tuned to resonate with the LA phonon emission line, and shows a linear energy shift upon application of an out-of-plane electric field.

    • Zhiheng Huang
    • , Yunfei Bai
    •  & Guangyu Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The instability of perovskite solar cells hinders their commercialization. Here, authors report an industrially compatible strain-free encapsulation process based on lamination of highly viscoelastic semi-solid/highly viscous liquid encapsulant adhesive to reduce thermomechanical interfacial stress.

    • Paolo Mariani
    • , Miguel Ángel Molina-García
    •  & Francesco Bonaccorso

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular computing is an emerging paradigm with a crucial role in clinical diagnosis. Here, authors develop a spatially localized, DNA-integrated circuits-based classifier, DNA IC-CLA, which enables accurate cancer diagnosis for clinical samples in a faster and more effective manner.

    • Linlin Yang
    • , Qian Tang
    •  & Da Han

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) is the name assigned to the large and non-saturating magnetoresistance that occurs in some metals and semi-metals. In this work, the authors demonstrate the first material, PtSn4, in which XMR can be switched off by changing the direction of the magnetic field.

    • J. Diaz
    • , K. Wang
    •  & P. J. W. Moll

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible distribution networks with soft open points present a promising way to accommodate distributed generators and increasing loads. Here, authors present a multi-resource dynamic coordinated planning method, allowing allocation strategies to be determined over long-term planning periods.

    • Rui Wang
    • , Haoran Ji
    •  & Chengshan Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human cervical mucosa and its interactions with the microbiome play a central role in female reproductive tract health and disease. Here, the authors develop physiological models of the human cervix using Organ-on-a-Chip technology that produce mucus, and respond to hormonal, environmental, and microbial cues similar to the living cervix.

    • Zohreh Izadifar
    • , Justin Cotton
    •  & Donald E. Ingber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Emperor penguins colony occupancy is variable and chiefly estimated with remote sensing images at end of the breeding season. Here, the authors provide a phenological model that can extrapolate occupancy from sparse data and can predict phenological events, breeding pairs and fledging chicks.

    • Alexander Winterl
    • , Sebastian Richter
    •  & Daniel P. Zitterbart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Efficient radiation is essential to reach thermodynamic limit of photovoltaic efficiency. Here, authors design thick quantum barriers to suppress interfacial quenching and boost photon recycling in perovskite cells, achieving high radiation and photovoltaic efficiencies and long device stability.

    • Kyung Mun Yeom
    • , Changsoon Cho
    •  & Jun Hong Noh

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