Article 29 March 2024 | Open Access Constructing regulable supports via non-stoichiometric engineering to stabilize ruthenium nanoparticles for enhanced pH-universal water splitting Establishing optimal metal-support interactions is crucial for creating efficient catalysts for water splitting. Here, stable Ti–O–Ru interface formation and minimal work function difference between Ru nanoparticles and non-stoichiometric Ti4O7 lead to exceptional bifunctional activity of Ru/Ti4O7 for both HER and OER across pH-universal environments, maintaining stable operation for 500 h. Sheng Zhao, Sung-Fu Hung & Shengjie Peng Article 29 March 2024 | Open Access Machine-learning-assisted and real-time-feedback-controlled growth of InAs/GaAs quantum dots Finding the process parameters in molecular beam epitaxy for a specific density of quantum dots is a multidimensional optimization challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate real-time feedback controlled self-assembled InAs/GaAs QDs growth based on machine learning (ML) outputs. Chao Shen, Wenkang Zhan & Zhanguo Wang Article 29 March 2024 | Open Access The initial stages of cement hydration at the molecular level Despite being crucial for elucidating the cement hydration mechanism, the initial hydration stage is poorly understood. Here, authors uncover the unbiased Ca dissolution pathway during the initial hydration of calcium silicates via atomistic simulations and reveal a key Ca ligand structure. Xinhang Xu, Chongchong Qi & Hegoi Manzano Article 29 March 2024 | Open Access Room temperature 3D carbon microprinting Three-dimensional carbon microstructures with ultra-high aspect ratios are grown with a facile process using a metal-free catalyst and low-power visible light at room temperature, unlocking applications in flexible sensors and beyond. Fernand E. Torres-Davila, Katerina L. Chagoya & Laurene Tetard Article 29 March 2024 | Open Access Correlating fluorescence microscopy, optical and magnetic tweezers to study single chiral biopolymers such as DNA It is hard to correlate force, torque and localization information. The authors report Combined Optical and Magnetic BIomolecule TWEEZers, COMBI-Tweez, that integrates optical trapping, time-resolved electromagnetic tweezers, and fluorescence microscopy: they demonstrate visualisation of higher order structural motifs in DNA. Jack W. Shepherd, Sebastien Guilbaud & Mark C. Leake Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Understanding the effect of spatially separated Cu and acid sites in zeolite catalysts on oxidation of methane Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and its removal is critical. Here, the authors demonstrate that spatially separated Cu and acid sites in Cu/zeolites influence product distribution and efficiency for methane oxidation. Peipei Xiao, Yong Wang & Toshiyuki Yokoi Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Charge state-dependent symmetry breaking of atomic defects in transition metal dichalcogenides The microscopic structure of quantum defects in 2D materials is crucial to understand their optical properties and spin-photon interface. Here, the authors report the direct imaging of charge state-dependent symmetry breaking of sulfur vacancies and rhenium dopants in 2D MoS2, showing evidence of a Jahn-Teller effect. Feifei Xiang, Lysander Huberich & Bruno Schuler Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Identifying a key spot for electron mediator-interaction to tailor CO dehydrogenase’s affinity Carbon monoxide dehydrogenases (CODH) employ artificial electron mediators like viologens for biocatalysis, but little is known about the interaction between the mediators and the enzyme. Here, the authors discover the critical site for viologen interactions at the D-cluster of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans CODH2 via alanine mutations and crystallography, and report variants with increased ethyl viologen affinity. Suk Min Kim, Sung Heuck Kang & Yong Hwan Kim Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Ni-catalyzed enantioconvergent deoxygenative reductive cross-coupling of unactivated alkyl alcohols and aryl bromides The direct reductive coupling of alkyl alcohol and aryl halide enables efficient access to valuable compounds, but the asymmetric pattern remains unknown. Here the authors describe the enantioconvergent deoxygenative reductive cross-coupling of unactivated alkyl alcohol and aryl bromide in the presence of an NHC activating agent. Li-Li Zhang, Yu-Zhong Gao & Ze-Peng Yang Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Catalytic polymer self-cleavage for CO2 generation before combustion empowers materials with fire safety Overcoming this challenge of fire hazards by carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen rich materials remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstarte that catalytic polymer auto-pyrolysis before combustion releases CO2, equipping the material with fire retardant properties. Wei Luo, Ming-Jun Chen & Hai-Bo Zhao Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Efficient excitation and control of integrated photonic circuits with virtual critical coupling The authors achieve enhanced cavity loading using complex-frequency excitations that can tailor on-demand the effective coupling rate in a microring resonator by precisely controlling the temporal evolution of the incident pulses. Jakob Hinney, Seunghwi Kim & Michal Lipson Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Synergistically optimized electron and phonon transport in high-performance copper sulfides thermoelectric materials via one-pot modulation It is hard to simultaneously improve electrical and thermal properties of materials due to the strong coupling of carrier and phonon transport. Here, the authors propose a one-pot modulation strategy for simultaneously adjusting carrier and phonon transport in copper sulfids. Yi-Xin Zhang, Qin-Yuan Huang & Zhen-Hua Ge Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Reversible non-volatile electronic switching in a near-room-temperature van der Waals ferromagnet The controlled manipulation of the topological phases of electronic materials is a central goal of modern condensed matter research. Here, the authors demonstrate controllable switching between two distinct topological phases in a layered ferromagnet via thermal cycling. Han Wu, Lei Chen & Ming Yi Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Bioorthogonal photocatalytic proximity labeling in primary living samples Studying subcellular proteomes in primary living cells is crucial for understanding health and disease. Here, the authors introduce CAT-S, a non-genetic method based on photocatalysis, enabling in situ deciphering of mitochondrial proteomes in primary cells from mouse tissues and human blood. Ziqi Liu, Fuhu Guo & Xinyuan Fan Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Single [0001]-oriented zinc metal anode enables sustainable zinc batteries The authors present a single [0001]-oriented Zn metal anode with high reversibility and demonstrate the significance of the Zn(0002) metal anode, characterized by a single crystalline orientation, for promoting ultra-sustainable homoepitaxial growth. Xiaotan Zhang, Jiangxu Li & Jiang Zhou Article 28 March 2024 | Open Access Grave-to-cradle photothermal upcycling of waste polyesters over spent LiCoO2 The increasing production of lithium-ion batteries and plastics presents significant challenges to resource sustainability and ecosystem integrity. This study highlights the utilization of spent lithium cobalt oxide cathodes as photothermal catalysts to transform various waste polyesters into valuable monomers. Xiangxi Lou, Penglei Yan & Jinxing Chen Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access One-photon three-dimensional printed fused silica glass with sub-micron features 3D-printed glass holds great potential. However, it is challenging to control both the dimension and the resolution of the printed material. Here, authors present a one-photon 3D printing approach to produce high-performance fused silica glass with sub-micron resolution and millimetric dimensions. Ziyong Li, Yanwen Jia & Xiewen Wen Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Creation of flexible spin-caloritronic material with giant transverse thermoelectric conversion by nanostructure engineering Nanostructure engineering enables transforming simple magnetic alloys into spincaloritronic materials with large transverse thermoelectric conversion. This has led to a high anomalous Nernst coefficient in flexible Fe-based amorphous alloys. Ravi Gautam, Takamasa Hirai & Hossein Sepehri-Amin Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Raman time-delay in attosecond transient absorption of strong-field created krypton vacancy The advent of isolated attosecond XUV pulse sources marks a new era in attosecond science, pivotal for the investigation of core electron dynamics. Here the authors discover that the coherent Raman coupling between the cation states leads to extra timedelay between different transition channels by applying the attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy on the investigation of complex dynamics of strong field ionization of Krypton. Li Wang, Guangru Bai & Zengxiu Zhao Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Anomalous anti-Kasha excited-state luminescence from symmetry-breaking heterogeneous carbon bisnanohoops It is a long-standing scientific controversy to achieve anti-Kasha emissions by tuning structures at a molecular level. Herein, the authors constructed two symmetry-breaking heterogeneous carbon bisnanohoops with unusual anti-Kasha characteristics. Xinyu Zhang, Cheng Chen & Pingwu Du Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Strongly interacting Rydberg atoms in synthetic dimensions with a magnetic flux Weak and non-interacting systems have been previously explored in synthetic dimensions. Here the authors demonstrate strong atomic interaction in synthetic dimensions using an array of Rydberg atoms. Tao Chen, Chenxi Huang & Bryce Gadway Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access High-performance ferroelectric field-effect transistors with ultra-thin indium tin oxide channels for flexible and transparent electronics Using Zr-doped HfO2 and ultra-thin indium tin oxide, Li et al. develop flexible field-effect transistors with a memory window of 2.78 V and bending reliability to enable high-performance back-end-of-line compatible wearable devices. Qingxuan Li, Siwei Wang & Lin Chen Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access CMOS plus stochastic nanomagnets enabling heterogeneous computers for probabilistic inference and learning Designing energy-efficient and scalable hardware capable of accelerating Monte Carlo algorithms is highly desirable for probabilistic computing. Here, Singh et al. combine stochastic magnetic tunnel junction-based probabilistic bits with versatile field programmable gate arrays to achieve this goa Nihal Sanjay Singh, Keito Kobayashi & Kerem Y. Camsari Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Significant enhancement of proton conductivity in solid acid at the monolayer limit High performance proton conductor is highly desired for energy application. Here authors report an increase in the number of active protons in solid acid at the monolayer limit, enabling membranes with proton conductivity 5 times higher than that of Nafion. Zhangcai Zhang, Lixin Liang & Wencai Ren Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Observation of naturally canalized phonon polaritons in LiV2O5 thin layers Canalized polaritons are light-matter excitations characterized by intrinsic collimation of electromagnetic energy along a specific crystal axis. Here, the authors report the observation of intrinsically canalized phonon polaritons in a single thin layer of a van der Waals crystal, LiV2O5. Ana I. F. Tresguerres-Mata, Christian Lanza & Pablo Alonso-González Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Decreasing exciton dissociation rates for reduced voltage losses in organic solar cells The device’s electroluminescence efficiency is vital to reduce non-radiative voltage losses and boost organic solar cell performance. Here, the authors demonstrate that this efficiency is influenced not only by the decay of charge transfer states but also by the dissociation of singlet states. Hongbo Wu, Hao Lu & Zheng Tang Article 27 March 2024 | Open Access Benchtop mesoSPIM: a next-generation open-source light-sheet microscope for cleared samples The demand to image large biological samples at high resolution requires improvement in current light-sheet microscopy tools. Here, the authors present an improved, benchtop mesoSPIM with a significantly increased field-of-view, improved resolution and improved throughput. Nikita Vladimirov, Fabian F. Voigt & Fritjof Helmchen Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Enantioselective total synthesis of (‒)-lucidumone enabled by tandem prins cyclization/cycloetherification sequence The Ganoderma meroterpenoids are a growing class of natural products with a wide range of biological activities. Here, the authors report the enantioselective total synthesis of the Ganoderma meroterpenoid (‒)-lucidumone, featuring a copper-catalyzed enantioselective silicon-tethered intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition to assemble the bicyclo[2.2.2]octane framework and a domino deprotection/Prins reaction/cycloetherification/oxidation sequence to generate concurrenly the tetrahydrofuran and the fused indanone skeleton. Xian-Zhang Liao, Ran Wang & Guang Li Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Quantifying the interfacial triboelectricity in inorganic-organic composite mechanoluminescent materials Mechanoluminescence enables sensing applications of mechanical stimuli. Here, the authors reveal the importance of interfacial triboelectricity to this phenomenon in inorganic-organic composite materials. Xin Pan, Yixi Zhuang & Rong-Jun Xie Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Synergistic morphology and feedback control for traversal of unknown compliant obstacles with aerial robots Vehicle control systems typically take compliant objects, such as vegetation, as obstacles to be avoided, hindering locomotion through busy mediums. Here, authors present a traversal strategy that considers a drone’s morphology and an obstacle’s compliance to decide between circumventing it or pushing it aside. Emanuele Aucone, Christian Geckeler & Stefano Mintchev Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Engineering the pore environment of antiparallel stacked covalent organic frameworks for capture of iodine pollutants Radioiodine capture from nuclear fuel waste and contaminated water sources is of environmental importance but technically challenging. Here, the authors report covalent organic frameworks with antiparallel eclipsed stacked structures with dynamic adsorption performance for iodine pollutants under various conditions. Yinghui Xie, Qiuyu Rong & Xiangke Wang Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Metal free cross-dehydrogenative N-N coupling of primary amides with Lewis basic amines While the homo N-N coupling of two NH moieties to form the hydrazide N-N bond is well developed, the crossdehydrogenative hetero N-N coupling remains unevolved. Here the authors present an efficient, PhI(OAc)2-mediated intermolecular N-N cross-coupling of primary benzamides with primary and secondary amines. Subban Kathiravan, Prakriti Dhillon & Ian A. Nicholls Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Keto-anthraquinone covalent organic framework for H2O2 photosynthesis with oxygen and alkaline water Hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis is an important reaction that suffers from poor activity due to the high energy barrier of hydrogen extraction in water. Here, we report a keto-form anthraquinone framework that shows promising performance in alkaline conditions. Xiangcheng Zhang, Silian Cheng & Lizhi Zhang Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Electricity generation from carbon dioxide adsorption by spatially nanoconfined ion separation Nanogenerators have promising applications in energy and environment-related fields. Here, the authors developed Nanosheet-Agarose Hydrogel generators to enable near-perfect anion/cation separation, leading to simultaneously CO2 adsorption and energy generation. Zhuyuan Wang, Ting Hu & Xiwang Zhang Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Realization of sextuple polarization states and interstate switching in antiferroelectric CuInP2S6 Materials with higher-order multistates are desired for non-Boolean high-density storage. Here the authors realized sextuple intrinsic polarization states in vdW CuInP2S6, and reversible transformation among sextuple-, quadruple-, and double-polarization orders. Tao Li, Yongyi Wu & Tai Min Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Topological minibands and interaction driven quantum anomalous Hall state in topological insulator based moiré heterostructures Moiré patterns have been experimentally observed in heterostructures comprised of topological insulator films. Here, the authors propose that topological insulator-based moiré heterostructures could be a host of isolated topologically non-trivial moiré minibands for the study of the interplay between topology and correlation. Kaijie Yang, Zian Xu & Chao-Xing Liu Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Direct imaging of magnetohydrodynamic wave mode conversion near a 3D null point on the sun Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave mode conversion can occur when an MHD wave passes through a region where the plasma properties change. Here, the authors show direct observation of mode conversion from a fast-mode to a slow mode MHD wave near a 3D null point in the solar corona, which was as predicted by theory and MHD simulations. Pankaj Kumar, Valery M. Nakariakov & Kyung-Suk Cho Article 26 March 2024 | Open Access Silk fibroin hydrogel adhesive enables sealed-tight reconstruction of meniscus tears Suture repair is the current clinical treatment for meniscus tears, but inaccessible tears in company with re-tears susceptibility remain unresolved. Here the authors address these issues by developing a meniscus adhesive-based strategy for the seamless and dense reconstruction of torn meniscus. Xihao Pan, Rui Li & Hongwei Ouyang Article 25 March 2024 | Open Access Solar-driven sugar production directly from CO2 via a customizable electrocatalytic–biocatalytic flow system Solar-driven artificial food synthesis from CO2 provides an approach to overcome the limitations of natural photosynthesis, but it is very challenging. Here, the authors report a hybrid electrocatalytic-biocatalytic flow system, coupling photovoltaics-powered electrocatalysis (CO2 to formate) with a five enzyme cascade platform (formate to sugar), which achieves conversion of CO2 to C6 sugar (L-sorbose) with a solar-to-food energy conversion efficiency of 3.5%. Guangyu Liu, Yuan Zhong & Yujie Xiong Article 25 March 2024 | Open Access Deep-potential enabled multiscale simulation of gallium nitride devices on boron arsenide cooling substrates Efficient heat dissipation is critical to optimize high-power devices. Here, the authors report high interfacial thermal conductance in GaN-BAs heterostructures and investigate the competition between grain size and boundary resistance by multiscale simulations. Jing Wu, E. Zhou & Guangzhao Qin Article 25 March 2024 | Open Access Phosphonate-based iron complex for a cost-effective and long cycling aqueous iron redox flow battery Here, authors report an iron flow battery, using earth-abundant materials like iron, ammonia, and phosphorous acid. This work offers a solution to reduce materials cost and extend cycle life in energy storage applications for grid decarbonization. Gabriel S. Nambafu, Aaron M. Hollas & Guosheng Li Article 25 March 2024 | Open Access Direct observation of phase transitions in truncated tetrahedral microparticles under quasi-2D confinement Boundary conditions can give rise to new types of phases during self-assembly. Here the authors show that tetrahedral particles can form a hexagonal phase on a surface, that can transform into a quasi-diamond phase under a gravitational field. David Doan, John Kulikowski & X. Wendy Gu Article 25 March 2024 | Open Access Single drop cytometry onboard the International Space Station Real-time lab analysis is key to support clinical research during space missions. Here, the authors show scant test samples can be measured in microgravity using a miniature cytometery-based analyzer, the rHEALTH ONE with specific spaceflight modifications. Daniel J. Rea, Rachael S. Miller & Eugene Y. Chan Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access High-security learning-based optical encryption assisted by disordered metasurface In this work, the employment of disordered metasurface as an ultra-stable and actively polarized speckle generator in a passive manner, coupled with a double-secure treatment to the plaintext, enables a highly secure speckle-based cryptosystem. Zhipeng Yu, Huanhao Li & Puxiang Lai Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access Thermodynamic driving forces in contact electrification between polymeric materials Contact electrification is a widely observed phenomenon in nature and in materials. Here, the authors use molecular dynamics simulations to show the importance of thermodynamic driving forces in contact electrification in insulating materials. Hang Zhang, Sankaran Sundaresan & Michael A. Webb Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access Ultra-fast green hydrogen production from municipal wastewater by an integrated forward osmosis-alkaline water electrolysis system Green hydrogen production faces increased water risks due to scarce supplies of water. Here, authors develop a modular forward osmosis-water splitting system that utilises wastewater effluent to generate high-purity hydrogen, providing a sustainable solution for water and energy security. Gabriela Scheibel Cassol, Chii Shang & Li Ling Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access Programming mechanics in knitted materials, stitch by stitch Knitted fabrics are prized for their stretchability, breathability, and long-wearability in everyday life. This study combines experiments and simulations to present a micromechanical approach to understanding the origin of the anisotropic elasticity of four canonical patterns of knitted fabrics. Krishma Singal, Michael S. Dimitriyev & Elisabetta A. Matsumoto Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access Developing a machine learning model for accurate nucleoside hydrogels prediction based on descriptors Supramolecular nucleoside-based hydrogels have potential in biomedical applications, but there is no model to predict what nucleoside derivatives will form hydrogels. Here, the authors report a machine learning model to predict the ability of nucleoside derivatives to form hydrogels. Weiqi Li, Yinghui Wen & Hang Zhao Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access Selective sorting of hexane isomers by anion-functionalized metal-organic frameworks with optimal energy regulation Balancing the separation selectivity and regeneration energy of alkane isomers is a daunting challenge. Here the authors utilize flexible host-guest interactions to maximize the gas-framework interactions while achieving potential energy storage to set new benchmarks for alkane isomer separation. Qingju Wang, Lifeng Yang & Huabin Xing Article 23 March 2024 | Open Access A detachable interface for stable low-voltage stretchable transistor arrays and high-resolution X-ray imaging Pixel size, power consumption, and stability of stretchable optoelectronic devices limit their application in digital imaging. Bian et al. developed a universal detachable interface technique for damage-free micropattern, reproducible transfer and ideal heterocontact of intrinsically stretchable electrodes. Yangshuang Bian, Mingliang Zhu & Yunlong Guo