Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Acoustic-driven magnetic skyrmion motion Skyrmions, a type of topological spin texture, have garnered interest for use in spintronic devices. Typically, these devices necessitate moving the skyrmions via applied currents. Here, Yang et al demonstrate the driving of skyrmions by surface acoustic waves. Yang Yang, Le Zhao & Tianxiang Nan Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Printed smart devices for anti-counterfeiting allowing precise identification with household equipment The authors introduce a flexible laser printing method for synthesizing integrated optical and electric Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs). The PUF devices can be read out by simple household equipment and show high uniqueness and stability. Junfang Zhang, Rong Tan & Felix F. Loeffler Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Unravelling the amorphous structure and crystallization mechanism of GeTe phase change memory materials The structure of an ideal glass, crystallisation mechanism, nanoscale effects, and even parallels to organic chemistry can be drawn by conceptualizing the amorphous GeTe structure as a superposition of Te and Ge lattices with atom-specific dynamics. Simon Wintersteller, Olesya Yarema & Maksym Yarema Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Acoustic spin rotation in heavy-metal-ferromagnet bilayers Controlling spin direction is the key for spintronic devices as it induces efficient and field-free switching. Herein, the authors propose using lattice vibrations in acoustic devices to replace the charge motion in conventional spintronic devices to realize the rotation of spin direction, that is, acoustic spin rotation. Acoustic spin rotation offers higher efficiency than spin rotation in conventional charge-current based spintronic devices. Yang Cao, Hao Ding & Dezheng Yang Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Room-temperature sub-100 nm Néel-type skyrmions in non-stoichiometric van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3-xGaTe2 with ultrafast laser writability Authors uncover room-temperature skyrmions in 2D van der Waals material, attributing their presence to Fe-deficiency-induced symmetry breaking, enabling topological Hall effect and small Néel-type skyrmions with femtosecond laser writability. Zefang Li, Huai Zhang & Xuewen Fu Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Determining intrinsic potentials and validating optical binding forces between colloidal particles using optical tweezers Understanding the interactions between submicrometer-sized colloidal particles is of interest to scientists in numerous disciplines. Here, the authors use optical tweezers alongside a full image reconstruction technique to investigate these interactions on the nanometer scale. Chi Zhang, José Muñetón Díaz & Frank Scheffold Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Lattice oxygen activation and local electric field enhancement by co-doping Fe and F in CoO nanoneedle arrays for industrial electrocatalytic water oxidation Oxygen evolution reaction is crucial in renewable energy conversion technologies. Here the authors report rough arrays of Fe and F co-doped CoO nanoneedles that highlight a conceptual strategy of coupling lattice oxygen activation and local electric field for industrial water oxidation applications. Pengcheng Ye, Keqing Fang & Yong Hu Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Micropillar arrays, wide window acquisition and AI-based data analysis improve comprehensiveness in multiple proteomic applications Obtaining a comprehensive proteomic profile for complex samples is still an elusive task. Here, the authors present an LC-MS/MS workflow including micropillar arrays, wide isolation windows and AI-based data analysis to boost proteomic coverage and throughput for multiple proteomic samples. Manuel Matzinger, Anna Schmücker & Rupert L. Mayer Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Programmed microalgae-gel promotes chronic wound healing in diabetes The treatment of infected diabetic wounds faces obstacles of bacterial infection, hypoxia, hyperexpression of reactive oxygen species, and inflammation. Here, the authors address these issues by developing a programmed treatment strategy that utilizes live Haematococcus to promote healing of diabetic wounds in a comprehensive manner. Yong Kang, Lingling Xu & Xiaoyuan Ji Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Charge-density wave mediated quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice in stripe-phase monolayer 1T-NbSe2 The realization of heavy-fermion physics in van der Waals materials with d-electrons has attracted attention recently. Here the authors present evidence for a quasi-1D Kondo lattice in monolayer NbSe2, driven into a stripe phase by Se-deficient line defects created during growth. Zhen-Yu Liu, Heng Jin & Ying-Shuang Fu Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Tuning oxidant and antioxidant activities of ceria by anchoring copper single-site for antibacterial application Nanozymes used for antibacterial therapy conventionally have complex catalytic activities that cause multiple pathways in parallel and unwanted outcome. Here, the authors report a Cu-CeO2 single site nanozyme in which Cu single site modification can enhance the peroxidase-like activity and inhibit the hydroxyl radical antioxidant capacity of CeO2 to optimise the antibacterial effects. Peng Jiang, Ludan Zhang & Yuguang Wang Article 03 February 2024 | Open Access Rapid synthesis of phosphor-glass composites in seconds based on particle self-stabilization Phosphor-glass composites can serve as efficient and stable photonic converters, but their synthesis generally requires harsh and time-consuming procedures. Here, the authors report an alternative synthesis route that requires only a few seconds and is based on particle self-stabilization. Yongsheng Sun, Yuzhen Wang & Zhiguo Xia Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Approaching a fully-polarized state of nuclear spins in a solid Highly polarized nuclear spins can supress decoherence of electron spin qubits, but this requires near-unity polarization. Here the authors implement a protocol combining optical excitation and fast carrier tunnelling to achieve nuclear spin polarizations above 95% in GaAs quantum dots on a timescale of 1 minute. Peter Millington-Hotze, Harry E. Dyte & Evgeny A. Chekhovich Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Optimizing potassium polysulfides for high performance potassium-sulfur batteries Potassium-sulfur battery are promising materials for next-generation high energy, low cost batteries. Here the authors explore a tungsten based catalytic composite for optimizing potassium polysulfides and improve K-S electrochemistry in batteries Wanqing Song, Xinyi Yang & Wenbin Hu Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Dual Higgs modes entangled into a soliton lattice in CuTe The Higgs mode in condensed matter physics refers to the oscillations of the amplitude of the order parameter, and single Higgs modes have been studies in various systems. Here the authors report real-space observation of two coupled Higgs modes in a 1D charge density wave phase of CuTe. SeongJin Kwon, Hyunjin Jung & Han Woong Yeom Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Distribution of Pt single atom coordination environments on anatase TiO2 supports controls reactivity Elucidating structure-function relationships is crucial for developing efficient catalysts. Here, the authors elucidate Pt single atom coordination environments on anatase TiO2 and correlate active site structure with CO oxidation activity. Wenjie Zang, Jaeha Lee & Xiaoqing Pan Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Understanding the AIE phenomenon of nonconjugated rhodamine derivatives via aggregation-induced molecular conformation change “Understanding the structure-property relationship of organic molecules which exhibit different properties upon aggregation is important for the field of material science. Here, the authors prepare nonconjugated rhodamine-based molecules without aggregation-induced emission building blocks yet displaying typical aggregation-induced emission behavior.” Lin-Lin Yang, Haoran Wang & Ben Zhong Tang Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Imaging the state-to-state charge-transfer dynamics between the spin-orbit excited Ar+(2P1/2) ion and N2 The charge-transfer reaction Ar++N2 → Ar+N2+ has been largely studied as a model gas-phase reaction but many aspects remain to be understood. Here, differential cross sections of the reaction are measured and calculated with Ar+ prepared in 2P1/2 state, showing that the charge-transfer dynamics differs significantly for Ar+(2P1/2) compared to Ar+(2P3/2) when colliding with N2. Guodong Zhang, Dandan Lu & Hong Gao Article 02 February 2024 | Open Access Early onset diagnosis in Alzheimer’s disease patients via amyloid-β oligomers-sensing probe in cerebrospinal fluid In this work, the authors characterize a small molecule fluorescent probe pioneering early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease through identification of amyloid-β oligomers in patients’ cerebrospinal fluid, demonstrating potential for clinical application. Jusung An, Kyeonghwan Kim & Jong Seung Kim Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access 3D atomic structure from a single X-ray free electron laser pulse X-ray Free Electron Lasers allow fast structure determination. Here, the authors push the temporal limit of atomic level structure determination to 25 fs, the length of a single pulse, paving the way to the study of fast, non-repeatable processes. Gábor Bortel, Miklós Tegze & Gyula Faigel Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Non-hermiticity in spintronics: oscillation death in coupled spintronic nano-oscillators through emerging exceptional points Exceptional points emerge in systems with loss and gain when loss and gain in the system are balanced. Due to the careful balancing involved, they are highly sensitive to perturbations, making them exceptionally useful for sensors and other devices. Here, Wittrock et al observe a variety of complex dynamics associated with exceptional points in coupled spintronic nano-oscillators. Steffen Wittrock, Salvatore Perna & Vincent Cros Comment 01 February 2024 | Open Access The rise of high-entropy battery materials The emergence of high-entropy materials has inspired the exploration of novel materials in diverse technologies. In electrochemical energy storage, high-entropy design has shown advantageous impacts on battery materials such as suppressing undesired short-range order, frustrating energy landscape, decreasing volumetric change and reducing the reliance on critical metals. This comment addresses the definition and potential improper use of the term “high entropy” in the context of battery materials design, highlights the unique properties of high-entropy materials in battery applications, and outlines the remaining challenges in the synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of high-entropy battery materials. Bin Ouyang & Yan Zeng Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Carbene organic catalytic planar enantioselective macrolactonization Macrolactones exhibit distinct conformational and configurational properties and are widely found in natural products but catalysts to govern both macrolactone formation and stereochemical control remain largely unexplored. Here, the authors disclose an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of chiral macrolactones varying in ring size from sixteen to twenty members that feature distinct configurationally stable planar stereogenicity. Xiaokang Lv, Fen Su & Yonggui Robin Chi Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Waterproof and ultraflexible organic photovoltaics with improved interface adhesion Waterproof flexible organic solar cells without compromising mechanical flexibility and conformability remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate in-situ growth of hole-transporting layer to strengthen interfacial and thermodynamic adhesion for better waterproofness in 3 μm-thick devices. Sixing Xiong, Kenjiro Fukuda & Takao Someya Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Clocked dynamics in artificial spin ice Artificial spin ices are nanomagnetic metamaterials, whose collective magnetization self-organizes into extended domains. However, controlling when, where and how domains change has proven difficult, yet is crucial for technological applications. Here, Jensen and Strømberg et al. introduce astroid clocking, which enables controlled, stepwise growth and reversal of magnetic domains, using only global fields. Johannes H. Jensen, Anders Strømberg & Erik Folven Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Hydrogel dressings with intrinsic antibiofilm and antioxidative dual functionalities accelerate infected diabetic wound healing Dressings for aiding in chronic wound healing can be beneficial, but often involve additional processes or leave residue. Here, the authors report a hydrogel dressing with antibiofilm and antioxidative properties for the treatment of infected diabetic wounds. Dicky Pranantyo, Chun Kiat Yeo & Mary B. Chan-Park Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Integrated energy storage and CO2 conversion using an aqueous battery with tamed asymmetric reactions A system integrating CO2 conversion and energy storage holds great promise, but faces a major challenge due to degraded catalysts on charge. Here, the authors present a highly efficient energy storage and CO2 reduction method in an aqueous battery, achieved through oxidation of reducing molecules. Yumei Liu, Yun An & Quanquan Pang Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Ag3PO4 enables the generation of long-lived radical cations for visible light-driven [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] pericyclic reactions Photoredox catalysis is an important approach for synthesizing fine chemicals from olefins, but the limited lifetime of radical cation intermediates severely restricts the efficiency. Here, the authors report that Ag3PO4 can efficiently catalyze intramolecular and intermolecular [2 + 2] and Diels–Alder cycloadditions under visible-light irradiation. Lirong Guo, Rongchen Chu & Yifeng Wang Article 01 February 2024 | Open Access Mesoporous carbon spheres with programmable interiors as efficient nanoreactors for H2O2 electrosynthesis Nanoreactors, with biomimetic features and distinct catalytic functions, show promise in catalytic energy conversion. Here the authors propose the utilization of precisely engineered mesoporous carbon spheres with tunable hollow sizes as nanoreactors, leveraging their catalytic functionalities for enhanced diffusion and microenvironment modulation effects to achieve efficient hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis. Qiang Tian, Lingyan Jing & Jinlong Yang