28 June 2024 | Open Access Nickel-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation for the preparation of α-substituted propionic acids Research on employing cleaner and more environmentally friendly earth-abundant metal catalysts for asymmetric hydrogenation is still insufficient in both academic and industrial contexts. Herein, the authors report the synthesis of chiral α-substituted propionic acids via nickel-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of α-substituted acrylic acids using H2. Bowen Li, Zhiling Wang & Wanbin Zhang Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Magnon-phonon Fermi resonance in antiferromagnetic CoF2 Magnons offer a variety of attractive features for information processing: low dissipation, controllable non-linearity, short wavelengths at typical frequencies used in information technologies. Here, Metzger et al demonstrate control of a strongly coupled two-magnon-one-phonon state in antiferromagnetic CoF2. Thomas W. J. Metzger, Kirill A. Grishunin & Evgeny A. Mashkovich Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access 200 GHz single chip microsystems for dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced NMR spectroscopy Cutting the cost and complexity of the microwave devices is crucial for expanding the applications of DNP enhanced NMR. Researchers introduce microsystems where the generation/detection of 200 GHz microwaves occur locally on a 1 mm2 silicon chip. Nergiz Sahin Solmaz, Reza Farsi & Giovanni Boero Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Solar-driven highly selective conversion of glycerol to dihydroxyacetone using surface atom engineered BiVO4 photoanodes Photoelectrochemical oxidation of glycerol to produce dihydroxyacetone is limited by its low selectivity. Here, a bismuth vanadate photoanode enriched with a bismuth-rich surface and containing oxygen vacancies was utilized to overcome this dilemma. Yuan Lu, Byoung Guan Lee & Jong Hyeok Park Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Chemo-, regio- and stereoselective access to polysubstituted 1,3-dienes via Nickel-catalyzed four-component reactions Multi-component cascade transformations including difunctionalization of two alkynes with both syn- and anti-selectivity in one catalyst system is challenging. Herein, the authors report a Nickel-catalyzed four-component reaction to access densely substituted 1,3-dienes using two terminal alkynes, aryl boroxines, and perfluoroalkyl iodides. Shanglin Chen, Ya-Nan Wang & Qiuling Song Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Pulsed laser induced plasma and thermal effects on molybdenum carbide for dry reforming of methane Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a highly endothermic process, often limited by the severe thermocatalytic conditions it demands. Here the authors introduce a novel DRM method that employs a 16 W pulsed laser along with a cost-effective Mo2C catalyst, allowing DRM to proceed under milder conditions. Yue Li, Xingwu Liu & Weijia Zhou Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Facet-selective growth of halide perovskite/2D semiconductor van der Waals heterostructures for improved optical gain and lasing Halide perovskite/2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) heterostructures hold promise for photonic/optoelectronic applications, but their bottom-up growth remains challenging. Here, the authors report a van der Waals heteroepitaxy strategy to synthesize various halide perovskite/TMD heterostructures with enhanced lasing performance. Liqiang Zhang, Yiliu Wang & Xidong Duan Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access A popcorn-inspired strategy for compounding graphene@NiFe2O4 flexible films for strong electromagnetic interference shielding and absorption Cheng Yang and co-workers develop a “popcorn-making-mimic” strategy to fabricate a uniformly compounded graphene@NiFe2O4 composite film with strong electromagnetic interference shielding and absorption capability. Mingjie Liu, Zhiyuan Wang & Cheng Yang Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Heterodimensional Kondo superlattices with strong anisotropy The Kondo effect has been observed in transition metal dichalcogenides, where it typically stems from magnetic impurities. Here the authors report the Kondo effect in a heterodimensional superlattice VS2-VS, where dimensionality effects on intrinsic magnetic properties play a major role. Qi Feng, Junxi Duan & Yugui Yao Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Limiting factors for charge generation in low-offset fullerene-based organic solar cells Fullerene acceptors are relevant for upscaling industrial production of organic solar cells. Here, authors reveal that for donor-acceptor blends with low energetic offset, charge transfer state dissociation rather than charge transfer state formation presents a bottleneck for free charge generation. Anna Jungbluth, Eunkyung Cho & Moritz Riede Article 28 June 2024 | Open Access Energy and environmental impacts of air-to-air heat pumps in a mid-latitude city Switching to air-to-air heat pumps in Toulouse cuts energy use and eliminates CO2 emissions. While efficiency is high, cities transitioning from fossil fuel heating may see increased electricity use, stressing the need for sustainable power sources. David Meyer, Robert Schoetter & Maarten van Reeuwijk Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Facile fabrication of recyclable robust noncovalent porous crystals from low-symmetry helicene derivative Porous frameworks constructed via noncovalent interactions show potential in molecular separation and gas adsorption but it is challenging to prepare these materials from low symmetry molecular building blocks. Herein, the authors report a strategy to fabricate noncovalent porous crystals through modular self-assembly. Guoli Zhang, Jian Zhang & Huibin Qiu Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access In-situ and wavelength-dependent photocatalytic strain evolution of a single Au nanoparticle on a TiO2 film The wavelength-dependent structural deformations of nanoparticles during photocatalysis are poorly understood. Here, the authors present the photocatalytic strain evolution of a single Au nanoparticle using 3D Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging. Sung Hyun Park, Sukyoung Kim & Joonseok Lee Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Phase transfer catalysts shift the pathway to transmetalation in biphasic Suzuki-Miyaura cross-couplings The Suzuki-Miyaura coupling (SMC) is widely used in C-C bond forming reactions but the dominant mode of transmetalation remains controversial. Here the authors report a mechanistic study of a Pd catalyzed SMC under biphasic conditions where using phase transfer catalysts shifts the dominant mode of transmetalation resulting in rate enhancement. Yao Shi, Joshua S. Derasp & Jason E. Hein Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Superporous sponge prepared by secondary network compaction with enhanced permeability and mechanical properties for non-compressible hemostasis in pigs Developing porous hemostatic sponges remains challenging. Here, authors proposed a temperature-assisted secondary network compaction strategy following the phase separation induced primary compaction to fabricate the superporous chitosan sponges. Tianshen Jiang, Sirong Chen & Fuxin Wei Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access C-H-activated Csp2-Csp3 diastereoselective gridization enables ultraviolet-emitting stereo-molecular nanohydrocarbons with mulitple H···H interactions Gridization is useful for creating multifunctional organic semiconductors. Here, the authors report a C-H activatived gridization to synthesize UV-emitting molecular nanohydrocarbon, setting high external quantum efficiency for hydrocarbon-based UV-OLEDs. Ying Wei, Chunxiao Zhong & Wei Huang Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Fe3O4-doped mesoporous carbon cathode with a plumber’s nightmare structure for high-performance Li-S batteries Shuttling of lithium polysulfides and slow redox kinetics seriously limit the rate and cycling performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. Here, the authors report a Fe3O4 nanoparticle doped mesoporous carbon cathode with a plumber’s nightmare structure that can achieve high-rate and long performance. Han Zhang, Mengtian Zhang & Yiyong Mai Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Hydrogen bond symmetrisation in D2O ice observed by neutron diffraction Atomic distribution in high-pressure water ice are directly observed, via neutron powder structure analysis, found hydrogen bonds become symmetric at pressures about 80 GPa, marking the transition from ice VII to ice X. Kazuki Komatsu, Takanori Hattori & Hiroyuki Kagi Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Perfect linear optics using silicon photonics The Authors demonstrate a fidelity-restorable universal integrated linear optical circuit that relies on a novel 4 × 4 silicon photonic crossbar architecture. Its experimental characterization yields a fidelity of 99.93 ± 0.06%, calculated over 10,000 matrices. Miltiadis Moralis-Pegios, George Giamougiannis & Nikos Pleros Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Observation of discrete-light temporal refraction by moving potentials with broken Galilean invariance Here, authors construct a moving potential barrier in a synthetic temporal lattice. They unveil the selection rules for choosing potential moving speed as well as the conditions to achieve transparent moving potentials and refraction. Chengzhi Qin, Han Ye & Peixiang Lu Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Interactions and pattern formation in a macroscopic magnetocapillary SALR system of mermaid cereal Particles at fluid interfaces aggregate due to capillary attraction, but introducing magnets creates a competing repulsion effect, influencing pattern formation. Authors report how short-range attraction and long-range repulsion interactions govern the transition from repulsive lattices to clustered and striped patterns as particle density increases. Alireza Hooshanginejad, Jack-William Barotta & Daniel M. Harris Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Distributable, metabolic PET reporting of tuberculosis Current methods for detection of tuberculosis rely mostly on bacterial culture from sputum. Here, the authors provide preclinical evidence that a positron-emitting mimic of the disaccharide trehalose ([18F]FDT) can be used as a radiotracer for the imaging of tuberculosis-associated lesions and monitoring the effects of treatment. R. M. Naseer Khan, Yong-Mo Ahn & Benjamin G. Davis Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Amplification of electromagnetic fields by a rotating body The Authors measure the amplification of electromagnetic waves scattered by a rotating metallic cylinder, gaining mechanical rotational energy from the body, as predicted by Zel’dovich in 1971. M. C. Braidotti, A. Vinante & H. Ulbricht Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Spatiotemporal optical vortices with controllable radial and azimuthal quantum numbers The authors demonstrate the experimental generation and mode conversion of spatiotemporal Laguerre/Hermite-Gaussian wavepackets with controllable dual quantum numbers by imprinting two-dimensional complex modulation onto the spectrum of ultrashort laser pulses, opening new possibilities for spatiotemporally sculpturing of light. Xin Liu, Qian Cao & Qiwen Zhan Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Observation of heat pumping effect by radiative shuttling Authors demonstrate a net heat flux between two objects at averagely zero temperature gradient, exploring the nonlinear thermal emissivity based on phase change materials. Yuxuan Li, Yongdi Dang & Yungui Ma Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Emergent quantum phase transition of a Josephson junction coupled to a high-impedance multimode resonator Recent debate challenges the previous understanding of dissipative quantum phase transitions in Josephson junctions linked to resistive environments. This study reexamines the issue with a junction connected to a multimode transmission line, using exact diagonalization to show the transition's emergence with increased system size and clarifying the universal spectrum at the critical point. Luca Giacomelli & Cristiano Ciuti Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Stöber method to amorphous metal-organic frameworks and coordination polymers What happens when the classical and famous Stöber method collides with popular Metal-Organic Frameworks and Coordination Polymers? The answer is Big Bang of the Amorphous Functional Colloids. Wei Zhang, Yanchen Liu & Nicola Pinna Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Hydropower capacity factors trending down in the United States The US hydropower fleet has faced environmental and regulatory changes that could have eroded generation over decades. Turner et al. (2024) analyze 43 years of plant output, revealing long-term decline in capacity factor at 80% of plants. Sean W. D. Turner, Ganesh R. Ghimire & Shih-Chieh Kao Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Storing and managing water for the environment is more efficient than mimicking natural flows Allocating a proportion of water and storage for the environment allows water to efficiently meet environmental needs. This reduces inefficiencies caused by instream flows exceeding environmental demands. Sarah E. Null, Harrison Zeff & Barton Thompson Article 27 June 2024 | Open Access Efficient removal of nanoplastics from industrial wastewater through synergetic electrophoretic deposition and particle-stabilized foam formation Nanoplastics represent a significant environmental challenge due to their minute size, which complicates removal efforts. Here, the authors present a method to effectively extract colloidally stable nanoplastic particles from industrial wastewater. Amna Abdeljaoued, Beatriz López Ruiz & Nicolas Vogel Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Ligand control of regioselectivity in palladium-catalyzed heteroannulation reactions of 1,3-Dienes Olefins are common starting points for syntheses as they are widely available and can often be functionalized twice in one step, but controlling the regioselectivity of these difunctionalizations remains a challenge, even in relatively well-understood transformations. Here, the authors effect regioselective heteroannulation of o-bromoanilines with branched 1,3- dienes via ligand control, using palladium catalysis. Dasha Rodina, Jakub Vaith & Shauna M. Paradine Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Catalytic [4+2]- and [4+4]-cycloaddition using furan-fused cyclobutanone as a privileged C4 synthon Cycloaddition reactions play a pivotal role in synthetic chemistry for the direct assembly of cyclic architectures. However, hurdles remain for extending the C4 synthon to construct diverse heterocycles via programmable [4+n]-cycloaddition. Herein, the authors report an intermolecular cycloaddition using furan-fused cyclobutanones as a C4 synthon. Kemiao Hong, Mengting Liu & Xinfang Xu Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Stabilizing atomic Ru species in conjugated sp2 carbon-linked covalent organic framework for acidic water oxidation Developing efficient and stable Ru-based catalysts for acidic water oxidation is highly desirable for proton exchange membrane electrolyzers. Here the authors report atomically anchoring Ru species on an acidic-stable π-conjugated covalent organic framework with robust sp2-carbon-linkage for stable and efficient water oxidation. Hongnan Jia, Na Yao & Wei Luo Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Subsurface A-site vacancy activates lattice oxygen in perovskite ferrites for methane anaerobic oxidation to syngas Tuning the oxygen activity in perovskite oxides (ABO3) holds great potential for overcoming the trade-off between activity and selectivity in redox reactions. This paper highlights how A-site cations influence the electronic state of oxygen and how subsurface A-site vacancies enhance oxygen activity for improved methane conversion. Jiahui He, Tengjiao Wang & Xiaodong Wang Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access An ultrawide-range photochromic molecular fluorescence emitter Photocontrollable luminescent molecular switches which combine good luminescence properties with a tunable range of wavelength transformation are rare. Here, the authors report a π-expanded photochromic molecular photoswitch which displays wide emission wavelength variation, high photoisomerization extent, and pure emission color. Xiao Chen, Xiao-Fang Hou & Quan Li Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Chameleon-inspired tunable multi-layered infrared-modulating system via stretchable liquid metal microdroplets in elastomer film Liquid metal-based infrared-modulating materials and systems have been developed to regulate the infrared reflection with multiple modes, which can be used for infrared camouflage, programmable infrared encryption, and infrared painting/writing. Yingyue Zhang, Hanrui Zhu & Tao Deng Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access 3D oxygen vacancy distribution and defect-property relations in an oxide heterostructure Authors apply atom probe tomography to image and quantify the 3D distribution of oxygen vacancies in (LuFeO3)9/(LuFe2O4)1 superlattices, linking local variations in chemical composition to the emergent multiferroic properties. Kasper A. Hunnestad, Hena Das & Dennis Meier Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Achieving a solar-to-chemical efficiency of 3.6% in ambient conditions by inhibiting interlayer charges transport Migration of internal excitons, polarons, and free charges often results in recombination. Here, the authors develop a photocatalyst in which excitons, polarons, and charges can be efficiently utilized without interlayer transport, achieving a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 3.6% at ambient conditions. Yuyan Huang, Minhui Shen & Gangfeng Ouyang Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Solvent concentration at 50% protein unfolding may reform enzyme stability ranking and process window identification Melting temperature is the parameter generally used as a measure for stability of enzymes. Here, the authors show that that the melting temperature does not necessarily correlate to the activity observed in the presence of the solvent, and introduce an alternative parameter, the concentration of the co-solvent at the point of 50% protein unfolding at a specific temperature T. Frieda A. Sorgenfrei, Jeremy J. Sloan & Wolfgang Kroutil Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Difluoroester solvent toward fast-rate anion-intercalation lithium metal batteries under extreme conditions The authors report a difluoroester electrolyte to enhance anion intercalation lithium metal batteries (AILMBs), improving safety and cyclability. This enables cost-effective graphitic carbon cathodes, with high durability, stability, and performance. Yao Wang, Shuyu Dong & Feiyu Kang Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access On-chip photodetection of angular momentums of vortex structured light Structured vortex light with orbital angular momentum (OAM) holds promise for various optical applications, but its on-chip electrical detection remains challenging. Here, the authors report the realization of photothermoelectric OAM detectors based on 2D PdSe2 and spin-Hall surface plasmonic polariton couplers. Mingjin Dai, Chongwu Wang & Qi Jie Wang Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Molecular motor tug-of-war regulates elongasome cell wall synthesis dynamics in Bacillus subtilis Most rod-shaped bacteria elongate using a protein complex, the elongasome, that inserts new cell wall material into the cell sidewall. Here, Middlemiss et al. track the movement of individual elongasomes around the circumference of Bacillus subtilis cells, providing evidence for a molecular motor tug-of-war competition between oppositely oriented cell-wall synthesis complexes. Stuart Middlemiss, Matthieu Blandenet & Séamus Holden Article 26 June 2024 | Open Access Comparative optimization of polysaccharide-based nanoformulations for cardiac RNAi therapy In this work, the authors use a high-throughput automatic microfluidics workstation to present a generalizable formulation design strategy for developing polysaccharide-based nanosystem for siRNA delivery. Han Gao, Sen Li & Hélder A. Santos Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Regio- and stereoselective access to highly substituted vinylphosphine oxides via metal-free electrophilic phosphonoiodination of alkynes P-centered ring-opening of quaternary phosphirenium salts (QPrS) predominantly leads to hydrophosphorylated products, while the C-centered ring-opening results mainly in the formation of phosphorus-containing cyclization products. Here the authors synthesize β-functionalized vinylphosphine oxides by the P addition of QPrS intermediates generated in situ. Bingbing Dong, Fengqian Zhao & Yonggui Robin Chi Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Room temperature, cascadable, all-optical polariton universal gates A cascadable all-optical NOT gate is a requirement for full-logic in optical computing. By introducing the concept of non-ground-state polariton amplification in organic semiconductor microcavities, the authors realized the operation of an all-optical cascadable universal gate. Denis A. Sannikov, Anton V. Baranikov & Pavlos G. Lagoudakis Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Battery electronification: intracell actuation and thermal management Batteries have ever-present reaction interfaces that requires compromise among power, energy, lifetime, and safety. Here, the authors report a chip-in-cell battery by integrating an ultrathin foil heater and a microswitch into the layer-by-layer architecture of a battery cell to actuate its internal states. Ryan S. Longchamps, Shanhai Ge & Chao-Yang Wang Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Ag–thiolate interactions to enable an ultrasensitive and stretchable MXene strain sensor with high temporospatial resolution This work proposes a cracking control strategy using MXene and silver nanowire composite films to achieve a stretchable strain sensor system with high resolution, range, sensitivity, speed, and stability Yang Liu, Zijun Xu & Jiajie Liang Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Tandem dehydrogenation-olefination-decarboxylation of cycloalkyl carboxylic acids via multifold C–H activation Dehydrogenation chemistry can be used to generate units of unsaturation that can later be functionalized, as well as create aromaticity, which fundamentally alters the properties of molecules. Here the authors show methodologies to create multiple types of units of unsaturation from aliphatic cyclic carboxylic acids via palladium catalyzed decarboxylative multifold C–H activation. Tanay Pal, Premananda Ghosh & Debabrata Maiti Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Ferroelectric freestanding hafnia membranes with metastable rhombohedral structure down to 1-nm-thick The authors fabricate ferroelectric freestanding hafnia membranes with metastable rhombohedral structure down to 1-nm-thick, highlighting the key role of the rhombohedral phase in the scale-free ferroelectricity in hafnia. Yufan Shen, Kousuke Ooe & Yuichi Shimakawa Article 25 June 2024 | Open Access Production of constrained L-cyclo-tetrapeptides by epimerization-resistant direct aminolysis The synthesis of constrained 12-membered peptide rings is challenging due to constraints during the linear peptide cyclization. Here the authors present a β-thiolactone framework that enables the synthesis of cyclo-tetrapeptides via direct aminolysis while preventing commonly observed C-terminus epimerization. Huan Chen, Yuchen Zhang & Qiang Zhang