Article 23 January 2024 | Open Access A dynamic knowledge graph approach to distributed self-driving laboratories Global challenges demand global solutions. Here, the authors show a distributed self-driving lab architecture in The World Avatar, linking robots in Cambridge and Singapore for asynchronous multi-objective reaction optimisation. Jiaru Bai, Sebastian Mosbach & Markus Kraft Article 23 January 2024 | Open Access Dithiine-linked metalphthalocyanine framework with undulated layers for highly efficient and stable H2O2 electroproduction Realization of stable and industrial-level hydrogen peroxide electroproduction still faces great challenge due large partly to the easy decomposition of this product. Here the authors report a strategy to achieve superior performance by promoting an increased electron density of Co center due to the introduction of sulfur atoms in the linking units of 2D CoPc-S-COF Qianjun Zhi, Rong Jiang & Jianzhuang Jiang Article 23 January 2024 | Open Access Magnon thermal Hall effect via emergent SU(3) flux on the antiferromagnetic skyrmion lattice Strongly correlated and topological phases of matter can be often described using the tools of quantum field theory. Here the authors report the thermal Hall effect in the antiferromagnetic skyrmion lattice of MnSc2S4, revealing transport features that can be attributed to an emergent SU(3) gauge field. Hikaru Takeda, Masataka Kawano & Chisa Hotta Article 23 January 2024 | Open Access Total syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin Tetrodotoxin and congeners are specific voltage-gated sodium channel blockers that exhibit remarkable anesthetic and analgesic effects but total synthesis procedures are often limited by the scale. Here, the authors present a scalable asymmetric syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin from the abundant chemical feedstock furfuryl alcohol. Peihao Chen, Jing Wang & Xiangbing Qi Article 23 January 2024 | Open Access Miniaturized spectrometer with intrinsic long-term image memory Recent studies have reported miniaturized spectrometers based on van der Waals heterostructures. Here, the authors demonstrate multifunctional SnS2/ReSe2 heterojunction spectrometers providing photodetection, spectrum reconstruction, spectral imaging, long-term image memory, and signal processing capabilities. Gang Wu, Mohamed Abid & Han-Chun Wu Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Electrophotocatalytic hydrogenation of imines and reductive functionalization of aryl halides Open-shell catalytically active species are widely used in energy-consuming redox reactions, but their excited-state lifetimes are usually short. Here, the authors report a closed-shell thioxanthone-hydrogen anion species generated under electrochemical conditions, which can be photochemically converted to a potent and long-lived reductant. Wen-Jie Kang, Yanbin Zhang & Hao Guo Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Investigating the role of undercoordinated Pt sites at the surface of layered PtTe2 for methanol decomposition Methanol on under-coordinated Pt sites at surface Te vacancies on layered PtTe2 decomposes at a probability >90 % which ultimately produces gaseous molecular hydrogen, methane, water and formaldehyde. Jing-Wen Hsueh, Lai-Hsiang Kuo & Meng-Fan Luo Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Self-similar chiral organic molecular cages To enhance the utility of organic molecular cages (OMCs), the evolution of OMCs into higher-level chiral OMCs with self-similar superstructures is meaningful yet challenging. Here, the authors report a pair of higher-level 3D tri-bladed chiral helical molecular cages, displaying self-similarity in a discrete self-similar superstructure at different levels. Zhen Wang, Qing-Pu Zhang & Chuan-Feng Chen Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Self-encapsulated ionic fibers based on stress-induced adaptive phase transition for non-contact depth-of-field camouflage sensing Fabrication methods for ionic conductive hydrogel fibers are challenged by complexity and poor stability. Using a stress-induced adaptive phase transition strategy, Liu et al. fabricate self-encapsulated hydrogel fibers for depth-of-field sensing applications in a sustainable, two-step process. Ying Liu, Chan Wang & Zhou Li Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Novel nanocomposite-superlattices for low energy and high stability nanoscale phase-change memory Data-centric applications benefit from dense, low-power memory. Here the authors use a combination of chalcogenide superlattices and nanocomposites to achieve low switching voltage (0.7 V) and fast speed (40 ns) in 40-nm-scale phase-change memory. Xiangjin Wu, Asir Intisar Khan & Eric Pop Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Surface-confined alternating copolymerization with molecular precision by stoichiometric control Conventional sequence-controlled copolymerization often suffers from strict requirements on reaction kinetics of comonomer pairs and tedious synthetic processes. Here, the authors demonstrate a sequence-controlled alternating copolymerization with molecular precision on a Ag(111) surface under thermodynamic control of the polymerization selectivity. Lingbo Xing, Jie Li & Kai Wu Article 22 January 2024 | Open Access Segment anything in medical images Segmentation is an important fundamental task in medical image analysis. Here the authors show a deep learning model for efficient and accurate segmentation across a wide range of medical image modalities and anatomies. Jun Ma, Yuting He & Bo Wang Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks in solution enables continuous and high-crystalline membranes Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) attract increasing attention as porous materials. Despite the widely studied solid-state properties, little research has been done on the solution state. Here, the authors demonstrate that HOFs fragment into small particles while maintaining their original assemblies upon dispersing in solvents. Qi Yin, Kuan Pang & Tian-Fu Liu Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Global-scale magnetosphere convection driven by dayside magnetic reconnection A fundamental feature of planetary magnetospheres is internal convection induced by surrounding solar wind. Here, authors offer insights into the interplay among solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere, and evidence a dayside-driven convection pattern linked to magnetic-field-aligned currents. Lei Dai, Minghui Zhu & Graziella Branduardi-Raymont Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Programmable integrated photonics for topological Hamiltonians Topological photonics could impact the scalability of integrated photonics, but it has shown limited reconfigurability to date. Here, the authors demonstrate reprogrammable integrated photonics as a nearly universal platform for topological models. Mehmet Berkay On, Farshid Ashtiani & Andrea Blanco-Redondo Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Connective tissue inspired elastomer-based hydrogel for artificial skin via radiation-indued penetrating polymerization Robust hydrogels offer a promising solution for the development of artificial skin for bionic robots, yet few hydrogels have a comprehensive performance comparable to real human skin. Here, the authors present a general method to convert traditional elastomers into tough hydrogels via a unique radiation-induced penetrating polymerization method. Yuan Tian, Zhihao Wang & Yunlong Wang Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Unraveling the crucial role of trace oxygen in organic semiconductors Conventional deoxygenation methods typically result in inevitable trace oxygen residue in organic semiconductors. Here, Huang et al. reports a non-destructive soft-plasma treatment for deoxygenation and that removal of trace oxygen can be used to modulate p-type characteristics. Yinan Huang, Kunjie Wu & Wenping Hu Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Sub-micro porous thin polymer membranes for discriminating H2 and CO2 The fabrication of polymeric membranes with high permeance and remarkable selectivity for simultaneous H2 purification and CO2 capture is challenging. Here, the authors design a polymer membrane with sub-micro pores via controlled transformation of amine-linked polymer films into benzimidazole- and amine-linked polymer layers. Xueru Yan, Tianqi Song & Xinlei Liu Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Interindividual- and blood-correlated sweat phenylalanine multimodal analytical biochips for tracking exercise metabolism The in-depth study on the sweat–blood partitioning mechanisms of amino acids is promising for noninvasive metabolic monitoring. Here, the authors develop a wearable biochip for sweat phenylalanine multimodal analysis aimed at tracking exercise metabolic risk and exploring the sweat–blood correlation. Bowen Zhong, Xiaokun Qin & Lili Wang Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Machine learning-based high-frequency neuronal spike reconstruction from low-frequency and low-sampling-rate recordings Multichannel neural recording enhances understanding of brain function, but handling large data is challenging. Here, the authors develop machine learning-based high frequency spike reconstruction from subsampled low-frequency neuronal signals. Nari Hong, Boil Kim & Hongki Kang Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Interaction-selective molecular sieving adsorbent for direct separation of ethylene from senary C2-C4 olefin/paraffin mixture Olefin/paraffin separations are challenging in chemical industry. Here, authors report a sieving adsorbent for separating C2-C4 olefins from counterpart paraffins. The interlayer spaces are selectively opened via stronger guest-host interactions induced by olefins, as opposed to saturated paraffins. Yong Peng, Hanting Xiong & Jun Wang Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Origin of the multi-phasic quenching dynamics in the BLUF domains across the species Here the authors combine 19 F NMR and femtosecond transient absorption to characterise the structural origin of the multiphasic quenching dynamics in various species of BLUF domains, highlighting the importance of the heterogeneous active-site H-bond network. Yalin Zhou, Siwei Tang & Dongping Zhong Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Microwave quantum diode Quantum devices exhibiting non-reciprocal behaviour have been attracting attention for fundamental studies and applications. Here the authors report a microwave quantum diode based on a superconducting flux qubit coupled to two resonators, which has the advantage of compactness and scalability. Rishabh Upadhyay, Dmitry S. Golubev & Jukka P. Pekola Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access A magnetic multi-layer soft robot for on-demand targeted adhesion Magnetic soft robots offer a non-invasive way to deliver bioadhesives to targeted lesion sites to accelerate the healing. Authors present a magnetic multi-layer soft robot that is capable of performing navigated locomotion on biological tissues and on-demand multi-target adhesion at different sites. Ziheng Chen, Yibin Wang & Jiangfan Yu Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Discovery of a peripheral 5HT2A antagonist as a clinical candidate for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH), an advanced form of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), can progress to liver fibrosis. Here, the authors develop a peripheral 5HT2A antagonist for the treatment of MASLD and MASH. Haushabhau S. Pagire, Suvarna H. Pagire & Jin Hee Ahn Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Distinguishing examples while building concepts in hippocampal and artificial networks While the hippocampus is well-known to store specific memories, it can also learn common features that are shared across individual memories. Here, the authors show how this ability arises from dual input pathways and how it can inspire better machine learning methods. Louis Kang & Taro Toyoizumi Article 20 January 2024 | Open Access Engineering tumor-colonizing E. coli Nissle 1917 for detection and treatment of colorectal neoplasia There is an unmet medical need for the detection and treatment of early adenomas to prevent their progression to malignant disease. Here the authors show that orally administered E. coli Nissle 1917 can selectively colonize adenomas in mouse models and in patients as a detection tool, as well as deliver immunotherapeutics for colorectal neoplasia treatment. Candice R. Gurbatri, Georgette A. Radford & Tal Danino Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Active mid-infrared ring resonators Multifunctional active mid-infrared ring resonators and directional couplers with quantum cascade laser cores allow electrical control of resonant frequency and quality factors, tunable filtering and frequency comb generation. Dmitry Kazakov, Theodore P. Letsou & Federico Capasso Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Molecular understanding of the critical role of alkali metal cations in initiating CO2 electroreduction on Cu(100) surface Alkali metal cations affect CO2 electroreduction performance. Here, the authors provide a comprehensive molecular understanding of the alkali metal cation effects on both CO2 activation and competing hydrogen evolution based on explicit solvation models. Zhichao Zhang, Hengyu Li & Jia Li Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Unlocking osmotic energy harvesting potential in challenging real-world hypersaline environments through vermiculite-based hetero-nanochannels Harvesting osmotic energy in real world high-salinity solutions poses great challenges, authors propose nanofluidic membranes with a dual separation mechanism based on vermiculite nanosheets with an isomorphic substitution structure, showing excellent energy conversion in hypersaline environments. Jin Wang, Zheng Cui & Lei Wang Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Site-selective protonation enables efficient carbon monoxide electroreduction to acetate This work regulates solid/liquid/gas triple-phase interface, facilitating site-selective protonation in carbon monoxide electroreduction. It achieves increased energy-efficiency in acetate production and contributes to the understanding of selectively controlling the electrosynthesis of a single product. Xinyue Wang, Yuanjun Chen & Edward H. Sargent Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Direct bandgap emission from strain-doped germanium The authors proposed a Silicon technology-compatible approach to convert Germanium from an indirect bandgap to a direct bandgap via doping. This is done to expand the lattice to produce tunable effective tensile strain, aiming towards the on-chip light sources. Lin-Ding Yuan, Shu-Shen Li & Jun-Wei Luo Article 19 January 2024 | Open Access Dual electrical stimulation at spinal-muscular interface reconstructs spinal sensorimotor circuits after spinal cord injury Electrical signals with characteristic parameters for reconstructing neural circuits remain incompletely understood, limiting the therapeutic potential of electrical neuromodulation techniques. Here, the authors demonstrate that dual electrical stimulation at 10–20 Hz rebuilds the spinal sensorimotor neural circuit after spinal cord injury, indicating the characteristic signals of circuit remodeling. Kai Zhou, Wei Wei & Yaobo Liu Article 18 January 2024 | Open Access Giant optical polarisation rotations induced by a single quantum dot spin Light-matter interfaces implementing arbitrary conditional operations on incoming photons would have several applications in quantum computation and communications. Here, the authors demonstrate conditional polarization rotation induced by a single quantum dot spin embedded in an electrically contacted micropillar, spanning up to a pi flip. E. Mehdi, M. Gundín & L. Lanco Article 18 January 2024 | Open Access High crosstalk suppression in InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diode arrays by carrier extraction structure Opticalelectrical crosstalk, rather than optical crosstalk, is the primary issue in InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche diode arrays. Here, Tang et al. propose a carrier-extraction structures to replace the trenching method, effectively reducing crosstalk and maintaining device reliability. Yongsheng Tang, Rui Wang & Meng Zhao Article 18 January 2024 | Open Access Quantum fluctuations drive nonmonotonic correlations in a qubit lattice Thermal fluctuations can induce ordering in frustrated magnetic systems, yet the impact of quantum fluctuations is less explored. Here, in the controlled environment of a quantum annealer composed of superconducting qubits, the authors study a frustrated magnetic system finding that quantum fluctuations enhance magnetic correlations. Alejandro Lopez-Bezanilla, Andrew D. King & Avadh Saxena Article 18 January 2024 | Open Access Rapid-charging aluminium-sulfur batteries operated at 85 °C with a quaternary molten salt electrolyte Molten salt aluminium-sulfur batteries exhibit high-rate capability and moderate energy density, but suffer from high operating temperature. Here the authors demonstrate a rapidly charging aluminum-sulfur battery operating at 85 °C enabled by a quaternary alkali chloroaluminate electrolyte. Jiashen Meng, Xufeng Hong & Quanquan Pang Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Differential perovskite hemispherical photodetector for intelligent imaging and location tracking Differential spectrometers recognise different wavelength via their differential photodetector responsivity. The authors combine an 8-pixel hemispherical perovskite photodetector with neural network algorithms to realise 3D trajectory tracking and 2D location tacking with colour classification. Xiaopeng Feng, Chenglong Li & Haotong Wei Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Accelerating process development for 3D printing of new metal alloys Process development for 3D printing of new metal alloys can be time-consuming and variability in the printing outcome makes it even more challenging. Here, authors demonstrate an in-situ method using high-speed imaging and deep learning to accelerate the process design for a more consistent quality. David Guirguis, Conrad Tucker & Jack Beuth Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Broadband miniaturized spectrometers with a van der Waals tunnel diode Here, the authors report a high-performance broadband spectrometer based on a van der Waals heterostructure tunnel diode containing MoS2 and and black phosphorus, leveraging their electrically tunable photoresponse and advanced computational algorithms for spectral reconstruction. Md Gius Uddin, Susobhan Das & Zhipei Sun Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Alkaline-based aqueous sodium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage Aqueous sodium-ion batteries show promise for large-scale energy storage, yet face challenges due to water decomposition, limiting their energy density and lifespan. Here, the authors report a cathode surface coating strategy in an alkaline electrolyte to enhance the stability of both electrolyte and battery. Han Wu, Junnan Hao & Shi-Zhang Qiao Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Regulating Au coverage for the direct oxidation of methane to methanol The direct oxidation of methane to methanol occurs in two steps that are difficult to control. Here, the authors use the OH binding strength as a descriptor to optimize the trade-off effect between the two pathways over PdxAuy catalysts. Yueshan Xu, Daoxiong Wu & Quanbing Liu Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Reconfiguring nucleation for CVD growth of twisted bilayer MoS2 with a wide range of twist angles Twisted bilayers of 2D semiconductors are being intensively investigated due to their emergent physical properties, but their controlled bottom-up synthesis remains challenging. Here, the authors report a confined-space chemical vapour deposition strategy to synthesize MoS2 bilayers with twist angles ranging from 0° to 120°. Manzhang Xu, Hongjia Ji & Wei Huang Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access From chiral laser pulses to femto- and attosecond electronic chirality flips in achiral molecules Chirality is a unique property of certain molecules. Here the authors discuss method to induce and flip electronic chirality in oriented NaK molecules using circularly polarized laser pulses. Yunjiao Chen, Dietrich Haase & Yonggang Yang Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Flexible, scalable, high channel count stereo-electrode for recording in the human brain Electrodes available for deep brain recording and stimulation have a number of limitations. Here the authors describe a thin-film depth electrode that may offer improved spatial and temporal resolution for recording brain activity. Keundong Lee, Angelique C. Paulk & Shadi. A. Dayeh Article 17 January 2024 | Open Access Cochaperones convey the energy of ATP hydrolysis for directional action of Hsp90 The precise role of cochaperones and ATP hydrolysis in driving Hsp90’s chaperone cycle is largely unclear. Here, the authors use single-molecule FRET to show that several cochaperones are necessary to establish directionality in Hsp90’s conformational cycle. Leonie Vollmar, Julia Schimpf & Thorsten Hugel