Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Organocatalytic desymmetrization provides access to planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanes Planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanes have a wide range of applications in asymmetric synthesis and materials science. However, they are accessed via time-consuming chiral separations or kinetic resolution approaches. Here, the authors report a simple, metal-free protocol for organocatalytic desymmetrization of prochiral diformyl[2.2]paracyclophanes. Vojtěch Dočekal, Filip Koucký & Jan Veselý Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Low-nuclearity CuZn ensembles on ZnZrOx catalyze methanol synthesis from CO2 The ideal metal selection and atomic-level arrangement for catalysts in CO2 hydrogenation are still uncertain. Here, copper is identified as the most effective promoter for enhancing ZnZrOx catalysts when precisely structured into CuZn ensembles, offering new insights for designing superior catalysts for CO2-based methanol synthesis. Thaylan Pinheiro Araújo, Georgios Giannakakis & Javier Pérez-Ramírez Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Thermally stable Ni foam-supported inverse CeAlOx/Ni ensemble as an active structured catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methane An inverse CeAlOx/Ni/Ni-foam structured catalyst with high thermal stability and water resistance is shown to be effective at CO2 methanation across a wide temperature range because of efficient heat/mass transport. Xin Tang, Chuqiao Song & Lili Lin Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Reverse water gas-shift reaction product driven dynamic activation of molybdenum nitride catalyst surface Catalyst activation commonly occurs during reactions. This study demonstrates that the surface’s active structure in nitride catalysts during the reverse water gas-shift reaction varies with the partial pressure of reaction products, resulting in enhanced catalytic activity through positive feedback between catalytic activity and the evolution of MoNx’s active structure. Hui Xin, Rongtan Li & Xinhe Bao Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access The fluidic memristor as a collective phenomenon in elastohydrodynamic networks Collective behavior of nonlinear soft valves forming fluid flow networks is not well understood. The authors reveal the mechanisms underlying the collective behavior of soft flow networks with negative differential resistance elements. Alejandro Martínez-Calvo, Matthew D. Biviano & Miguel Ruiz-García Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Enhancements of electric field and afterglow of non-equilibrium plasma by Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 ferroelectric electrode The physics of how ferroelectric materials enhance plasma properties and discharge is unclear. Here, the authors enhance surface charge, electric field and afterglow of nonequilibrium plasma by ferroelectric barrier discharge with evidence from laser diagnostics. Yijie Xu, Ning Liu & Yiguang Ju Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Nonlocality activation in a photonic quantum network Entangled local states can be made capable of violating Bell inequalities via nonlocality activation. Typical theoretical approaches require processing many copies of the original state and performing joint measurements on the ensemble. Here, instead, the authors experimentally demonstrate how to do so using a single copy of the state, broadcasting it to two spatially separated parties within a three-node network. Luis Villegas-Aguilar, Emanuele Polino & Geoff J. Pryde Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Manipulating the diffusion energy barrier at the lithium metal electrolyte interface for dendrite-free long-life batteries Constructing an artificial solid electrolyte interphase to protect the lithium metal electrode is promising but challenging. Here, authors report a facile approach to form a layer to simultaneously overcome diffusion and advection-limited ion transport to achieve dendrite-free Li plating/stripping. Jyotshna Pokharel, Arthur Cresce & Yue Zhou Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access The nature of non-phononic excitations in disordered systems The frequency scaling exponent of low-frequency vibrational excitations in glasses remains controversial in the literature. Here, Schirmacher et al. show that the exponent depends on the statistics of the small values of the local stresses, which is governed by the detail of interaction potential. Walter Schirmacher, Matteo Paoluzzi & Giancarlo Ruocco Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Zero modes activation to reconcile floppiness, rigidity, and multistability into an all-in-one class of reprogrammable metamaterials Floppiness, rigidity, and multi-stability often represent inherently contradictory macroscopic properties in solids. Here, authors introduce an all-in-one metamaterial that capitalizes on local state transitions to harmonize these divergent properties within a single transformable architecture. Lei Wu & Damiano Pasini Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Impact of molecular symmetry on crystallization pathways in highly supersaturated KH2PO4 solutions The molecular symmetry of solute structure in aqueous solutions is a key clue to understand Ostwald’s step rule. Here, the authors show that molecular symmetry and its structural evolution can govern the crystallization pathways in aqueous solutions. Yong Chan Cho, Sooheyong Lee & Geun Woo Lee Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Flexible calorimetric flow sensor with unprecedented sensitivity and directional resolution for multiple flight parameter detection Accurate perception of flight parameters is critical for flight control of micro air vehicles. Here, authors present a flexible calorimetric flow sensor with vanadium oxide thermistor arrays for flight parameters estimation, such as angle of attack and sideslip, flight velocity, and wing vibration. Zheng Gong, Weicheng Di & Huawei Chen Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Giant Faraday rotation in atomically thin semiconductors Here, the authors perform Faraday rotation spectroscopy around the excitonic transitions in hBN-encapsulated WSe2 and MoSe2 monolayers, and interlayer excitons in MoS2 bilayers. They measure a large Verdet constant - 1.9 × 107 deg T−¹cm−¹ for monolayers, and attribute it to the giant oscillator strength and high g-factor of the excitons. Benjamin Carey, Nils Kolja Wessling & Ashish Arora Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Strain-insensitive viscoelastic perovskite film for intrinsically stretchable neuromorphic vision-adaptive transistors Wearable neuromorphic optoelectronics require stretchable photosensitive materials and multifunctional integration. Here, authors develop intrinsically stretchable neuromorphic vision-adaptive transistors for skin-like neuromorphic vision systems. Chengyu Wang, Yangshuang Bian & Yunlong Guo Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Radionuclide tracing based in situ corrosion and mass transport monitoring of 316L stainless steel in a molten salt closed loop In situ corrosion monitoring is essential to unveil corrosion mechanisms and safeguard materials’ health. Here, the authors develop a radionuclide tracing based in situ corrosion monitoring technique that can monitor corrosion attack depth and corrosion product transport in flowing molten salts. Yafei Wang, Aeli P. Olson & Adrien Couet Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access A bionic self-driven retinomorphic eye with ionogel photosynaptic retina Luo et al. report a self-driven hemispherical retinomorphic eye that employs ionogel heterojunctions as photoreceptors. This photoreceptor exhibits broadband photosynapse, high conformability, retinal transplantation, and visual restoration for re-time optical imaging and motion tracking. Xu Luo, Chen Chen & Wei Huang Article 10 April 2024 | Open Access Electrochemically coupled CH4 and CO2 consumption driven by microbial processes The microbial valorisation of greenhouse gases could offer promising approaches climate change mitigation. Here, authors demonstrate the coupling of methane oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction by microbial consortia, facilitated by the redox cycling of iron minerals. Yue Zheng, Huan Wang & Feng Zhao Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Transparent ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene/MXene films with efficient UV-absorption for thermal management While MXene-based composites have been reported as promising materials for photothermal conversion, their opaque appearance limits applications. Here, authors demonstrate visible-light transparent and UV-absorbing composite films by vacuum pressing solution blends of MXene with polyethylene. Xianhu Liu, Wenrui Zhang & Changyu Shen Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Multilevel design and construction in nanomembrane rolling for three-dimensional angle-sensitive photodetection Zhang et al. report a quasistatic multilevel finite element model to predict the 3D structures assembled by 2D nanomembranes, validated by large-scale, high-yield, and configurable fabrication. 3D Si/Cr photodetectors assisted by neural network are employed to resolve the incident light angle. Ziyu Zhang, Binmin Wu & Yongfeng Mei Matters Arising 09 April 2024 | Open Access Reply to: Quantum mechanical rules for observed observers and the consistency of quantum theory Lídia del Rio & Renato Renner Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Highly robust supramolecular polymer networks crosslinked by a tiny amount of metallacycles Supramolecular polymeric materials have exhibited attractive features such as self-healing, reversibility and stimuli-responsiveness but because of the weak bonding nature of most noncovalent interactions, constructing supramolecular polymer materials with high robustness remains challenging. Here, the authors describe the construction of highly robust stimuli-responsive supramolecular polymer networks by using only a tiny amount of metallacycles as the supramolecular crosslinkers. Lang He, Yu Jiang & Shijun Li Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Tetris-inspired detector with neural network for radiation mapping Detection of radiation is important for environmental health and safety. Here the authors demonstrate a method for radiation detection and mapping in 2D using minimum number of detectors and inter-pixel padding to increase the contrast between pixels. Ryotaro Okabe, Shangjie Xue & Mingda Li Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Surface oxidation/spin state determines oxygen evolution reaction activity of cobalt-based catalysts in acidic environment Co-based catalysts are promising candidates for oxygen evolution reaction catalysis in an acidic environment, but the structure-activity relationship is unclear. Here, the authors discover that their acidic water oxidation activity is determined by the surface oxidation/spin state. Jinzhen Huang, Camelia Nicoleta Borca & Emiliana Fabbri Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access A 2D chiral microcavity based on apparent circular dichroism Here the authors induce asymmetric transmission in planar Fabry–Pérot microcavities by embedding organic thin films exhibiting apparent circular dichroism (ACD), an optical phenomenon based on 2D chirality. Tzu-Ling Chen, Andrew Salij & Randall H. Goldsmith Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Kinetically controlled metal-elastomer nanophases for environmentally resilient stretchable electronics Metal-elastomer nanophases are critical for stretchable electronics but face mixing challenges. This study introduces a kinetic method for precise mixing, yielding gyrified nanophases with improved durability and strain-invariant conductivity, which holds promise for resilient stretchable devices. Soosang Chae, Won Jin Choi & Tae Il Lee Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Carbon dioxide capture and functionalization by bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)-borylene complexes Bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)-borylene complexes are capable of capturing and functionalizing CO2, but stable single-site-boron-carbon dioxide adducts are rarely reported. Here, the authors report the synthesis of a stable borylene-CO2 complex as well as the functionalization of the captured CO2. Jun Fan, An-Ping Koh & Cheuk-Wai So Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Quantum simulation of the bosonic Kitaev chain Interesting non-Hermitian quantum dynamics can be accessed in analogue quantum simulators consisting of Hermitian bosonic systems with squeezing and antisqueezing terms. Here, the authors use a coplanar waveguide resonator connected to a SQUID to simulate the bosonic version of the Kitaev chain. Jamal H. Busnaina, Zheng Shi & Christopher M. Wilson Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Enabling robust blue circularly polarized organic afterglow through self-confining isolated chiral chromophore The preparation of systems that give blue circularly polarised organic afterglow is desirable but challenging. Here, the authors confine a chiral chromophore within a polymer matrix to limit non-radiative transitions and give blue circularly polarised organic afterglow. Mingjian Zeng, Weiguang Wang & Wei Huang Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Vapor-induced phase-separation-enabled versatile direct ink writing The extrusion-based three-dimensional printing of polymers, metals, and composites requires elevated temperatures and may lead to diverse undesirable defects on printed parts. Here, the authors develop a vapor-induced phase separation printing technique to construct polymeric, metallic, and composite parts by using a polymer as a binder. Marc Sole-Gras, Bing Ren & Yong Huang Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Viability leads to the emergence of gait transitions in learning agile quadrupedal locomotion on challenging terrains A bio-inspired control architecture for learning agile quadruped locomotion on challenging terrain suggests Viability (i.e., avoiding falls) as the main criterion for quadrupedal gait transitions and energy efficiency is the secondary objective. Milad Shafiee, Guillaume Bellegarda & Auke Ijspeert Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Anderson critical metal phase in trivial states protected by average magnetic crystalline symmetry The authors identify a novel delocalization mechanism for topologically trivial obstructed insulators. In transitioning from two topologically trivial states, where one would expect Anderson’s localization to take place, a delocalized ‘critical metal phase’ appears. Fa-Jie Wang, Zhen-Yu Xiao & Zhi-Da Song Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Layer-by-layer phase transformation in Ti3O5 revealed by machine-learning molecular dynamics simulations Reconstructive phase transitions in materials are usually slow due to large activation energy barriers. Here, the authors show a kinetically favorable layer-by-layer mechanism in Ti3O5 transformations using machine-learning molecular dynamics simulations. Mingfeng Liu, Jiantao Wang & Xing-Qiu Chen Matters Arising 09 April 2024 | Open Access Quantum mechanical rules for observed observers and the consistency of quantum theory Alexios P. Polychronakos Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Observation of spatiotemporal optical vortices enabled by symmetry-breaking slanted nanograting A microscale platform composed of a slanted nanograting is experimentally demonstrated to efficiently generate spatiotemporal optical vortex. This approach paves the way towards an integrated system for ultrafast pulse shaping. Pengcheng Huo, Wei Chen & Ting Xu Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Three-dimensional spin-wave dynamics, localization and interference in a synthetic antiferromagnet The techniques we typically employ to study spin-waves in magnetic materials, such as Brillouin Light Scattering, are two-dimensional. Spin waves, however, are manifestly three-dimensional. Here, Girardi et al. succeed in such three-dimensional imaging of spin waves in a synthetic antiferromagnet using Time-Resolved Soft X-ray Laminography. Davide Girardi, Simone Finizio & Edoardo Albisetti Article 09 April 2024 | Open Access Expedient production of site specifically nucleobase-labelled or hypermodified RNA with engineered thermophilic DNA polymerases A general method for enzymatic synthesis of base-modified RNA was developed using engineered thermostable DNA polymerases enabling introduction of site-specific modifications or synthesis of hypermodified RNA not accessible by in vitro transcription. Mária Brunderová, Vojtěch Havlíček & Michal Hocek Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Wide field-of-hearing metalens for aberration-free sound capture Achieving a wide angular response in single layer acoustic metalenses is challenging. By leveraging perfect acoustic symmetry conversion, the authors realize an aberration free metalens with a wide field-of-hearing, up to 140 degrees. Dongwoo Lee, Beomseok Oh & Junsuk Rho Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Fine-tuning the pore environment of ultramicroporous three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks for efficient one-step ethylene purification The construction of three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks for gas separation is challenging due to the similar physicochemical properties of the gas mixture. Here, the authors report functional three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks by fine-tunning the pore environment with pyridine units to achieve effective separation of ethane from ethylene. Yang Xie, Wenjing Wang & Cheng Wang Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Nonlinear optical diode effect in a magnetic Weyl semimetal Here the authors demonstrate a broadband nonlinear optical diode effect and its electric control in the magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi. Their findings advance ongoing research to identify novel optical phenomena in topological materials. Christian Tzschaschel, Jian-Xiang Qiu & Su-Yang Xu Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Closed-loop recycling of sulfur-rich polymers with tunable properties spanning thermoplastics, elastomers, and vitrimers Sulfur-rich polymers are promising candidates for chemical recycling but lack efficient synthetic strategies for achieving diverse structures. Here, the authors report a synthesis strategy for polytrithiocarbonates which is compatible with a wide range of monomers enabling diverse structures via polycondensation of dithiols and dimethyl trithiocarbonate. Jin-Zhuo Zhao, Tian-Jun Yue & Wei-Min Ren Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Mechanism of DNA origami folding elucidated by mesoscopic simulations The self-assembly process of DNA nanostructures is still not well understood, especially for DNA origami. Here, the authors present a mesoscopic model that uses a switchable force field to capture the mechanical behavior of single- and double-stranded DNA motifs and transition between them, allowing access to the long assembly timescales of DNA origami up to several kilobases in size. Marcello DeLuca, Daniel Duke & Gaurav Arya Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Water-assisted oxidative redispersion of Cu particles through formation of Cu hydroxide at room temperature Redispersion of sintered metal species requires high temperatures in reactive atmospheres. Here, the authors report room temperature redispersion of supported Cu particles via formation of mobile hydroxylated Cu species induced by gaseous H2O and anchoring of the Cu species by surface OH groups. Yamei Fan, Rongtan Li & Qiang Fu Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Fast joint parity measurement via collective interactions induced by stimulated emission Parity detection is essential in quantum error correction. Here, authors propose a reliable joint parity measurement (JPM) scheme inspired by stimulated emission and experimentally implement the weight-2(4) JPM scheme in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, which shows comparable performance to the standard CNOT-gate based scheme. Sainan Huai, Kunliang Bu & Yicong Zheng Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Upgrading CO2 to sustainable aromatics via perovskite-mediated tandem catalysis The transformation of CO2 with renewable hydrogen into high-value products presents a sustainable route for net-zero chemical manufacture. Here the authors introduce a LaFeO3 perovskite-mediated tandem conversion of CO2, achieving remarkable performance by separating the CO2 hydrogenation and C-C coupling domains in the catalyst system. Guo Tian, Zhengwen Li & Fei Wei Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Thermodiffusive desalination Current desalination technologies are energy intensive and suffer from membrane degradation and fouling. Here, authors propose and explore the potential of thermodiffusion as a means of membrane-free, single-phase thermal desalination. A pathway towards a feasible thermodiffusive desalination is provided. Shuqi Xu, Alice J. Hutchinson & Juan F. Torres Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Optically induced charge-transfer in donor-acceptor-substituted p- and m- C2B10H12 carboranes Icosahedral carboranes have long been considered to be aromatic but the extent of conjugation between these clusters and their substituents is still being debated. Here the authors demonstrate carboranes as conjugated bridges in optical functional chromophores. Lin Wu, Marco Holzapfel & Lei Ji Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Ultrafast piezocapacitive soft pressure sensors with over 10 kHz bandwidth via bonded microstructured interfaces Piezocapacitive pressure sensors are typically limited by the slow response-relaxation speed for detecting dynamic stimuli. Here, Zhang et al. utilize the electrode-dielectric interface and bonded micro-structured interface for energy dissipation and reduce the response and relaxation time to 0.04 ms. Yuan Zhang, Xiaomeng Zhou & Chuan Fei Guo Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Ferrielectricity controlled widely-tunable magnetoelectric coupling in van der Waals multiferroics Two-dimensional multiferroics with effective magnetoelectric coupling has not been realized. Here, the authors find a magnetoelectric coupling mechanism in two-dimensional CuCrP2S6 interlocked with heterogeneous ferrielectric state. Qifeng Hu, Yuqiang Huang & Yi Zheng Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Exciton engineering of 2D Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites by synergistically tuning the intra and interlayer structures Guo et al. report enhanced emission and photoconductivity in 2D Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites by synergistically tuning the intra and interlayer structure via pressure. A structure descriptor considering both intra- and interlayer is then introduced for screening perovskite with desired properties. Songhao Guo, Willa Mihalyi-Koch & Xujie Lü Article 08 April 2024 | Open Access Large-volume focus control at 10 MHz refresh rate via fast line-scanning amplitude-encoded scattering-assisted holography This study presents a wavefront shaping scheme to control optical focus in a large 3D space at the unprecedented rate of 30 MHz with micron-scale precision and random accessibility via reallocation of degrees of freedom in spatiotemporal domain. Atsushi Shibukawa, Ryota Higuchi & Mooseok Jang