Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Tracking a spin-polarized superconducting bound state across a quantum phase transition The Yu-Shiba-Rusinov state, arising from exchange coupling between a magnetic impurity and a superconductor, undergoes a quantum phase transition at a critical coupling. In a scanning tunnelling microscopy experiment, Karan et al. reveal distinct tunnelling spectra on each side of the transition in a magnetic field, which allows them to distinguish the free spin regime from the screened spin regime. Sujoy Karan, Haonan Huang & Christian R. Ast Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Ultrasmall single-layered NbSe2 nanotubes flattened within a chemical-driven self-pressurized carbon nanotube The chemical-driven large pressure arising inside carbon nanotubes creates energetically stable, flattened, single-layered NbSe2 nanotubes with enhanced intermolecular electronic interactions, suggesting a chemical approach to produce materials with tailored structural and electronic properties. Yaxin Jiang, Hao Xiong & Fei Wei Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Ultra-selective uranium separation by in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework Methodologies to achieve efficient and selective uranium separation originating from nuclear waste are desirable. Here the authors report the in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework for uranium separation, leading to superior performance in uranium uptake and outstanding uranium generation efficiency from seawater. Qing Yun Zhang, Lin Juan Zhang & Feng Luo Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Unusual flexibility of transparent poly(methylsilsesquioxane) aerogels by surfactant-induced mesoscopic fiber-like assembly Aerogels are mechanically friable despite their attractive properties such as visible-light transparency and low thermal conductivity. Here the authors show mechanically flexible, highly transparent aerogels based on fiber-like pore skeletons. Ryota Ueoka, Yosuke Hara & Kazuyoshi Kanamori Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Wide-range soft anisotropic thermistor with a direct wireless radio frequency interface Thermistors typically read at DC or low frequencies have limited temperature-sensing ranges. Here, authors show how a radio frequency readout can overcome the decades-old range limitation of thermistors, while creating a wireless interface for a soft thermistor composite through antennas and RFID. Mahmoud Wagih, Junjie Shi & Steve Beeby Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Self-assembled dendrimer polyamide nanofilms with enhanced effective pore area for ion separation Membrane technology using well-defined pore structure enables high ion purity and recovery but achieving uniform pore structure and effective pore area is challenging. Here the authors introduce dendrimers that self-assemble, facilitating the formation of polyamide nanofilms with well-defined effective pore ranges and uniform pore structures. Bingbing Yuan, Yuhang Zhang & Q. Jason Niu Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Synergistic dual-phase air electrode enables high and durable performance of reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells Efficient air electrodes drive reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells, accelerating renewable energy conversion and storage. Here, the authors propose a highly active hybrid air electrode that effectively controls phase content, enhancing electrochemical activity and stability through synergistic effects. Zuoqing Liu, Yuesheng Bai & Zongping Shao Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Low-temperature grapho-epitaxial La-substituted BiFeO3 on metallic perovskite In the field of multiferroic thin films, attaining low-temperature epitaxy has been a long-standing problem. In this work, authors propose a pathway to significantly reduce the BiFeO3 thin film growth temperature using the BaBiPbO3 template. Sajid Husain, Isaac Harris & Ramamoorthy Ramesh Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Distributed quantum sensing of multiple phases with fewer photons Enhanced sensitivity is a key parameter in quantum metrology. Here the authors demonstrate a distributed quantum phase sensing method that uses fewer photons than the number of parameters needed, and an enhanced quantum sensitivity is achieved. Dong-Hyun Kim, Seongjin Hong & Hyang-Tag Lim Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Commensurate and incommensurate 1D interacting quantum systems The authors demonstrate a method controlling the lattice filling of doped 1D Bose-Hubbard system of Rb atoms composed of chains of 3 to 6 sites in an optical lattice. The control is achieved by changing of the light potential and interaction strength. Andrea Di Carli, Christopher Parsonage & Stefan Kuhr Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access Self-propelled assembly of nanoparticles with self-catalytic regulation for tumour-specific imaging and therapy In vivo manipulation of the dynamics of nanoparticles’ is essential for disease-specific imaging and therapy, but tends to involve complex design processes. Here, the authors report a strategy for manipulating the assembly of nanoparticles in vivo through a self-catalysis-instructed dimerization of tyrosine, offering convenient fabrication, high reaction specificity and biocompatibility. Mengmeng Xia, Qiyue Wang & Daishun Ling Article 11 January 2024 | Open Access In vivo assembly enhanced binding effect augments tumor specific ferroptosis therapy The poor tumour delivery efficacy of GPX4 inhibitor has dampened its in vivo therapeutic value. Here the authors report a peptide ferriporphyrin conjugate to improve tumour penetration, endocytosis and GPX4 inhibition, synergistically enhancing its anticancer activity by ferroptosis. Da-Yong Hou, Dong-Bing Cheng & Hao Wang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Temperature and quantum anharmonic lattice effects on stability and superconductivity in lutetium trihydride Superconductivity was recently reported experimentally in nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride with Tc = 294 K at 1 GPa. Here, via theoretical calculations taking into account temperature and quantum anharmonic lattice effects, the authors find that room-temperature superconductivity in the suggested parent phase of LuH3 cannot be explained by a conventional electron-phonon mediated pairing mechanism. Roman Lucrezi, Pedro P. Ferreira & Christoph Heil Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Elucidating protonation pathways in CO2 photoreduction using the kinetic isotope effect Yin et al. reveal a protonation pathway in CO2 photoreduction on TiO2, challenging electron activation theories and diversifying photocatalyst design, distinct from Fischer-Tropsch and Sabatier processes. Shikang Yin, Yiying Zhou & Pengwei Huo Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Cobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with lithium-stoichiometry control for sustainable lithium-ion batteries As electric vehicle batteries adopt cobalt-free layered cathodes to tackle supply chain issues, it greatly impacts battery lifespan. Here, the authors develop a lithium stoichiometry control method to synthesize cobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with high cycling stability, enabling long-life sustainable batteries. Ke Chen, Pallab Barai & Feng Wang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access A replacement strategy for regulating local environment of single-atom Co-SxN4−x catalysts to facilitate CO2 electroreduction The local coordination environment determines the properties of single-atom catalysts. Here, authors develop a thermal replacement method to fine tune the coordination structure of cobalt-based single-atom catalysts and study their activity toward carbon dioxide electroreduction. Jiajing Pei, Huishan Shang & Zhongbin Zhuang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Functionally antagonistic polyelectrolyte for electro-ionic soft actuator Electro-active ionic soft actuators generally present slow responses and poor durability when are applied as artificial muscles. Here, the authors describe a polyelectrolyte membrane based on the assembly of Nafion molecules into micelles with efficient ionic conducting pathways for electro-ionic soft actuators and soft robotics with fast responses and long durability. Van Hiep Nguyen, Saewoong Oh & Il-Kwon Oh Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Field-induced bound-state condensation and spin-nematic phase in SrCu2(BO3)2 revealed by neutron scattering up to 25.9 T SrCu2(BO3)2 realizes the Shastry-Sutherland model (SSM), a 2D frustrated dimer model. Here, via high-magnetic-field inelastic neutron scattering measurements and matrix-product-state calculations, Fogh et al. find evidence for Bose-Einstein condensation of S = 2 two-triplon bound states, which is a spin-nematic phase. Ellen Fogh, Mithilesh Nayak & Henrik M. Rønnow Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Oxophilic Ce single atoms-triggered active sites reverse for superior alkaline hydrogen evolution The Ru single atom-nanocluster alkaline hydrogen evolution catalyst suffers from that hydrogen forms on its less active single atom side. Here, the authors report that oxophilic Ce single atom can reverse the hydrogen formation site to more active Ru nanocluster, enabling enhanced hydrogen evolution capabilities. Fengyi Shen, Zhihao Zhang & Kebin Zhou Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Towards provably efficient quantum algorithms for large-scale machine-learning models It is still unclear whether and how quantum computing might prove useful in solving known large-scale classical machine learning problems. Here, the authors show that variants of known quantum algorithms for solving differential equations can provide an advantage in solving some instances of stochastic gradient descent dynamics. Junyu Liu, Minzhao Liu & Liang Jiang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Synthesis of core@shell catalysts guided by Tammann temperature The authors report a synthetic strategy to create core@shell catalysts using strong metal-support interactions and low-Tammann-temperature compounds. The resulting materials are highly stable and may be useful in industrial applications. Pei Xiong, Zhihang Xu & Molly Meng-Jung Li Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Hydrogen evolution with hot electrons on a plasmonic-molecular catalyst hybrid system Direct participation of plasmon-induced hot electrons in the photoelectrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen. This report solves a long-lasting contentious issue surrounding plasmonic materials on catalytic applications. Ananta Dey, Amal Mendalz & Jacinto Sá Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access C−F bond activation enables synthesis of aryl difluoromethyl bicyclopentanes as benzophenone-type bioisosteres Bioisosteric design has become an essential approach during drug molecule discovery process. Here, the authors describe a strategy for defluorinative couplings of propellanes, enabling the synthesis of aryl difluoromethyl bicyclopentanes as benzophenone-type bioisosteres. Mingshuo Chen, Yuang Cui & Xiaheng Zhang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Single-sided magnetic resonance-based sensor for point-of-care evaluation of muscle Magnetic resonance imaging is a useful clinical tool, but its widespread use is constrained by size, cost, and time. Here, the authors report the development of a magnetic resonance sensor for the clinical detection of muscle tissue, allowing for new point-of-care quantitative diagnostic measurements Sydney E. Sherman, Alexa S. Zammit & Michael J. Cima Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Scalable integrated two-dimensional Fourier-transform spectrometry The authors propose and demonstrate a novel integrated spectrometer that measures any arbitrary spectrum with two-dimensional Fourier transform, breaking the scalability limit in chip-scale spectrometry. Hongnan Xu, Yue Qin & Hon Ki Tsang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Photogenerated outer electric field induced electrophoresis of organic nanocrystals for effective solid-solid photocatalysis Charge accumulation in organic photocatalysts leads to an overlooked macroscopic particle migration, crucial for heterogeneous photocatalytic kinetics. Authors demonstrate self-driven electrophoresis of organic nanocrystals via rationally designed photogenerated outer electric field (OEF). Yan Guo, Bowen Zhu & Yongfa Zhu Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Machine-learning-accelerated design of high-performance platinum intermetallic nanoparticle fuel cell catalysts Platinum-based intermetallic alloys are promising candidates as low-platinum oxygen reduction reaction catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, the authors develop small sized and highly ordered Pt2CoCu and Pt2CoNi catalysts for fuel cells by machine-learning accelerated computational screening. Peng Yin, Xiangfu Niu & Hai-Wei Liang Article 10 January 2024 | Open Access Cryo-EM structure and B-factor refinement with ensemble representation Cryo-EM is the go-to method for visualizing large, flexible biomolecules. Here, authors introduce a new Gaussian mixture modelling method for cryo-EM modelling tasks, including refinement, composite map generation and ensemble representation. Joseph G. Beton, Thomas Mulvaney & Maya Topf Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Scalable nano-architecture for stable near-blackbody solar absorption at high temperatures Nanostructures are generally unstable above 850 °C in air, limiting their use in high-temperature solar thermal applications. Here, a scalable ceramic nano-architecture layer can significantly enhance and stabilise the absorption of an arbitrary solar absorber. Yifan Guo, Kaoru Tsuda & Juan F. Torres Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Stretchable and negative-Poisson-ratio porous metamaterials In this work, authors demonstrate highly stretchable conductive porous elastomers that can achieve up to 1200% strain with low or negative Poisson’s ratios by uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial hot-pressing strategies. Xiaoyu Zhang, Qi Sun & Guoqing Zu Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Drone-based displacement measurement of infrastructures utilizing phase information Drones are an effective and flexible tool for safety assessment of aging infrastructure, especially in locations with challenging accessibility. Here, authors demonstrate a phase-based sampling moiré technique with a drone for measurement of millimeter-scale infrastructural displacement in bridges. Shien Ri, Jiaxing Ye & Norihiko Ogura Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Motion and teleportation of polar bubbles in low-dimensional ferroelectrics Nanoscale ferroelectric domains called electric bubbles are shown to behave as dynamical particles. Using atomistic simulations and experiments, the authors reveal a bubble liquid phase and demonstrate teleportation-like displacements of single bubbles. S. Prokhorenko, Y. Nahas & L. Bellaiche Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Online legal driving behavior monitoring for self-driving vehicles Ambiguity in human-oriented traffic laws poses a significant challenge to the regulation of self-driving vehicles. Here, the authors present a trigger-based hierarchical online compliance monitor for self-assessment of self-driving vehicles using ambiguous compliance threshold selection principles. Wenhao Yu, Chengxiang Zhao & Ding Zhao Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Non-Faradaic optoelectrodes for safe electrical neuromodulation Nanoscale optoelectrodes hold the potential to optically stimulate individual neuron. Here, the authors form nanoscale capacitive optoelectrodes by incorporating zinc porphyrin into nanorods, coated by TiO2, a design that allows for far-field optical modulation of neurons with efficiency and negligible side effects. Jian Chen, Yanyan Liu & Wenbo Bu Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Switchable tribology of ferroelectrics The interaction of flexoelectric polarization arising from strain gradients with ferroelectricity impacts tribological properties and facilitates fine physical lithography without masks or chemicals, with potential applications in various fields. Seongwoo Cho, Iaroslav Gaponenko & Seungbum Hong Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Tunable and parabolic piezoelectricity in hafnia under epitaxial strain The sign of longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients is typically positive. Here, the authors tune the sign of the linear piezoelectric coefficient of HfO2 from positive to negative via epitaxial strain, finding nonlinear and parabolic piezoelectric behaviors at tensile epitaxial strain. Hao Cheng, Peijie Jiao & Yurong Yang Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Overcoming the permeability-selectivity challenge in water purification using two-dimensional cobalt-functionalized vermiculite membrane Clean water and sanitation are major global challenges. Here, Prof. Zhang’s group developed a two-dimensional cobalt-functionalized vermiculite membrane, which overcame the persistent membrane permeability-selectivity trade-off in water purification. Mengtao Tian, Yi Liu & Zhenghua Zhang Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Efficient and stable visible-light-driven Z-scheme overall water splitting using an oxysulfide H2 evolution photocatalyst Photocatalytic water splitting systems using Sm2Ti2O5S2, a visible light-active oxysulfide, exhibited low efficiencies due to low intrinsic photoactivity and rapid back reaction. Here, the efficiency was greatly improved by refining the preparation of photocatalysts and electron mediators Lihua Lin, Yiwen Ma & Kazunari Domen Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Direct observation of strong surface reconstruction in partially reduced nickelate films Surface polarity affects the electronic and structural properties of oxide thin films through electrostatic effects, which is challenging to control. Here, the authors probe the tunable surface polarity at the atomic scale. Chao Yang, Rebecca Pons & Peter A. van Aken Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Bidirectionally promoting assembly order for ultrastiff and highly thermally conductive graphene fibres Aligned 2D assembled fibres have been developed by drawing like 1D polymers, yet with disorders in cross-section. Here, the authors bidirectionally promote assembly order of graphene fibres, achieving high modulus and highly thermal conductivity. Peng Li, Ziqiu Wang & Chao Gao Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Magnetosheath jets at Jupiter and across the solar system Jets have been found in Earth’s magnetosheath for two decades and, more recently, also in Mars. Yet, their universal existence in planetary magnetosheath remains an open question. Here, authors report the presence of anti-sunward and sunward jets at Jupiter and compare them to Earth and Mars. Yufei Zhou, Savvas Raptis & Lan Ma Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Dual-plasmonic Au@Cu7S4 yolk@shell nanocrystals for photocatalytic hydrogen production across visible to near infrared spectral region Near infrared energy remains untapped toward the maneuvering of entire solar spectrum harvesting for fulfilling nuts and bolts of solar hydrogen production. Here, the authors report the use of Au@Cu7S4 yolk@shell nanocrystals for hydrogen production from untapped near infrared energy. Chun-Wen Tsao, Sudhakar Narra & Yung-Jung Hsu Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Tunable quantum interferometer for correlated moiré electrons Gate-defined superconducting moiré devices offer high tunability for probing the nature of superconducting and correlated insulating states. Here, the authors report the Little–Parks and Aharonov–Bohm effects in a single gate-defined magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene device. Shuichi Iwakiri, Alexandra Mestre-Torà & Klaus Ensslin Article 09 January 2024 | Open Access Dynamic coordination engineering of 2D PhenPtCl2 nanosheets for superior hydrogen evolution Exploring the dynamic structural evolution of electrocatalysts during electrochemical reactions is imperative. Here, the authors constructed 2D PhenPtCl2 nanosheets with Phen-Pt-Cl2 coordination structure which exhibit dynamic coordination evolution during hydrogen evolution reaction and good performance across the full pH range Gonglei Shao, Changfei Jing & Zhen Zhou Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access A micro-architectured material as a pressure vessel for green mobility A shellular is a micro-architectured material, composed of a continuous smooth-curved thin shell in the form of a triply periodic minimal surface. Here, authors propose schellular designs applied to pressure vessels and demonstrate its competitive practical features against spherical and cylindrical vessels. Yoon Chang Jeong, Seung Chul Han & Kiju Kang Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access Enabling nonconjugated polyesters emit full-spectrum fluorescence from blue to near-infrared Near-infrared luminescence is useful for advance applications, but is challenging to achieve through clusteroluminescence. Here, the authors report the use of amine-initiated polyesters for amine-ester clusters with near-infrared emission. Bo Chu, Xiong Liu & Xing-Hong Zhang Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access Flow-induced periodic chiral structures in an achiral nematic liquid crystal Under strong surface or geometric constraints, achiral nematic liquid crystals can form chiral structures. Using pressure driven flow, Zhang et al. show a pathway to mirror symmetry breaking that does not require such constraints and that occurs in nematic lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals. Qing Zhang, Weiqiang Wang & Irmgard Bischofberger Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access Interfacial self-healing polymer electrolytes for long-cycle solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries Low ion conductivity, large interfacial resistance, and dendrite growth hinder the practical use of solid-state batteries. Here, the authors introduce a self-healing poly(ether-urethane)-based solid-state polymer electrolyte to address these issues, resulting in high performance solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries. Fei Pei, Lin Wu & Yunhui Huang Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access Practical Hamiltonian learning with unitary dynamics and Gibbs states Efficient characterisation of quantum many-body Hamiltonians has important applications for benchmarking NISQ devices. Here, the authors propose a method employing Chebyshev regression to learn the full Hamiltonian of a quantum system, with a sample complexity that scales efficiently with the system size. Andi Gu, Lukasz Cincio & Patrick J. Coles Article 08 January 2024 | Open Access Electrically and mechanically driven rotation of polar spirals in a relaxor ferroelectric polymer Polar spirals induced in a relaxor ferroelectric can be quasi-continuously rotated by applying electric/mechanical fields, due to an asymmetric Coulomb interaction. The rotations are non-volatile with robust retention, and can be optically read out. Mengfan Guo, Erxiang Xu & Yang Shen