Article 04 August 2024 | Open Access Thermal disorder prevents the suppression of ultra-fast photochemistry in the strong light-matter coupling regime The aim of polaritonic chemistry is to control photochemical reactions by placing molecules inside optical cavities. Here, the authors show that this is not directly possible due to thermal disorder, which is unavoidable in real experiments, and polaritons mostly channel molecular excitations. Arpan Dutta, Ville Tiainen & J. Jussi Toppari Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Ag2Se as a tougher alternative to n-type Bi2Te3 thermoelectrics The authors report better toughness in n-type Ag2Se than commercial Bi2Te3. The fabricated n-Ag2Se/p-Bi2Te3 modules show good performance and long-term stability for both refrigeration and power generation near room temperature. Min Liu, Xinyue Zhang & Yanzhong Pei Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Efficient photoredox catalysis in C–C cross-coupling reactions by two-coordinated Au(I) complex Developing photoredox catalysts with long-lived excited states that feature highly cathodic oxidation potentials is imperative. Here, the authors demonstrate the C–C cross-coupling catalytic utility of two-coordinate LLCT-active Au(I) complex photocatalysts with visible-light absorption and a 210 ns-long excited-state lifetime. Byung Hak Jhun, Jihoon Jang & Youngmin You Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Thermal management towards ultra-bright and stable perovskite nanocrystal-based pure red light-emitting diodes For achieving ultra-bright and stable pure red perovskite nanocrystal-based LEDs, the authors report a synergistic strategy by reducing Joule heating generation via surface ligand anchoring effect and improving thermal dissipation via using sapphire substrates and implementing pulse-driving mode. Hongjin Li, Xiaofang Zhu & Xingliang Dai Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Stabilizing hexagonally close-packed phase in single-component block copolymers through rational symmetry breaking Although hexagonally close packed structures are predicted, obtaining direct experimental evidence has been a challenge. Here, the authors report direct evidence for this phaseby regulation of phase behaviour by deliberate breaking of molecular symmetry. Zhanhui Gan, Zhuoqi Xu & Xue-Hui Dong Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access A robust polyaniline hydrogel electrode enables superior rate capability at ultrahigh mass loadings Here, the authors establish a design approach for porous materials with a high mass loading polyaniline electrode by using a radial porous nanostructure. The design approach allows for electrodes with high mass loading and rate capability. Lu Li, Zhiting Ai & Hua Bai Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Signature of anyonic statistics in the integer quantum Hall regime Recently, anyonic statistics were observed in collision experiments on fractional quantum Hall states. Here the authors report signatures of anyonic statistics in the integer quantum Hall state with two copropagating channels, where electrons are split into fractional charges by inter-channel interaction. P. Glidic, I. Petkovic & F. Pierre Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Learning noise-induced transitions by multi-scaling reservoir computing In many natural and engineered systems, noise adds challenges for extracting effective dynamics from time series, at the same time it may have a constructive role of driving transitions between stable states. The authors propose a framework based on reservoir computing for learning noise-induced transitions from data. Zequn Lin, Zhaofan Lu & Ying Tang Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access A robust near-field body area network based on coaxially-shielded textile metamaterial Near-field body area wearable sensing networks are limited in application due to the low spectral stability against external interference. Here, the authors demonstrate a robust metamaterial-enabled near-field body area network that maintains spectral stability even under lossy and conductive loadings. Xia Zhu, Ke Wu & Xin Zhang Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Metadielectrics for high-temperature energy storage capacitors Dielectric capacitors known for high-power density and fast charging/discharging suffer from thermal stability and failure at high temperatures. Here, a metadielectric strategy is used to fabricate thermally stable high temperature film capacitors. Rui Lu, Jian Wang & Ming Liu Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Shearo-caloric effect enhances elastocaloric responses in polymer composites for solid-state cooling In this work, inorganic nanofillers are added to SEBS polymers to induce shearo-caloric effects, enhancing the elastocaloric response. Authors design and demonstrate a double-unit cooling device with a work recovery efficiency of 56.3% and a system coefficient of performance of 8.3. Shixian Zhang, Yuheng Fu & Qing Wang Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Approaching crystal’s limit of thermoelectrics by nano-sintering-aid at grain boundaries The authors develop a liquid-phase sintering strategy to effectively enlarge material’s grain sizes, thereby achieving single crystal-like electronic transport properties in polycrystalline Mg3(Bi, Sb)2. Jingdan Lei, Kunpeng Zhao & Xun Shi Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Curriculum learning for ab initio deep learned refractive optics The authors present a design method based on curriculum learning, able to learn optical designs of compound lenses from randomly initialized surfaces without human intervention, demonstrating fully automated design of both classical imaging lenses and extended depth-of-field computational lenses. Xinge Yang, Qiang Fu & Wolfgang Heidrich Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Multiple temperatures and melting of a colloidal active crystal Colloidal solids have provided insights into complex condensed matter phenomena like 2D melting transitions and glass dynamics. Here, the authors explore active solids, revealing that a magnetic colloidal crystal activated by light-driven bacteria exhibits multiple effective temperatures and a new active melting route. Helena Massana-Cid, Claudio Maggi & Roberto Di Leonardo Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Intermittent cluster dynamics and temporal fractional diffusion in a bulk metallic glass In metallic glasses, atomic-scale transport strongly affects the materials properties and thus performance in applications. Here the authors present the intermittent character of structural relaxation connected to microstructural heterogeneity, and power-law behavior at long time scales resulting from collective and correlated atomic motion. Birte Riechers, Amlan Das & Robert Maaß Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Preserving a qubit during state-destroying operations on an adjacent qubit at a few micrometers distance Protecting qubits from accidental measurements is essential for crucial quantum operations. Here, authors show high-fidelity preservation of an ion-qubit during state destroying operations on a neighbouring qubit, demonstrating the feasibility of in-situ state reset and measurement in trapped ions. Sainath Motlakunta, Nikhil Kotibhaskar & Rajibul Islam Article 03 August 2024 | Open Access Personalized insulin dosing using reinforcement learning for high-fat meals and aerobic exercises in type 1 diabetes: a proof-of-concept trial Individuals with type 1 diabetes face challenges in determining the insulin doses they need before high-fat meals and meals followed by aerobic exercises. Here, the authors show that it is clinically feasible to automatically determine these insulin doses for each individual using a reinforcement learning algorithm. Adnan Jafar, Alessandra Kobayati & Ahmad Haidar Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Integrated triboelectric nanogenerator and radiative cooler for all-weather transparent glass surfaces Weather-dependent energies are sensitive to weather and geographical conditions. Here, authors propose an all-weather sustainable device integrating a triboelectric nanogenerator and radiative cooler, enabling energy harvesting from rain and saving energy on a sunny day. Geon Lee, Hyunjung Kang & Junsuk Rho Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Confining platinum clusters in indium-modified ZSM-5 zeolite to promote propane dehydrogenation Designing highly active and stable catalytic sites is often challenging due to complex synthesis procedures and the agglomeration of active sites during high-temperature reactions. Here the authors present a two-step method to synthesize Pt clusters in In-modified ZSM-5, resulting in superior propane dehydrogenation performance. Yong Yuan, Erwei Huang & Jingguang G. Chen Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Biaxial strain induced OH engineer for accelerating alkaline hydrogen evolution Hydroxide is the most abundant anion in alkaline solutions, but its impact on alkaline water electrolysis remains unclear. Herein, the authors report a biaxial strain induced OH engineer on MoSe2 to accelerate alkaline hydrogen evolution by modifying the water dissociation. Tao Zhang, Qitong Ye & Hong Jin Fan Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Probing charge redistribution at the interface of self-assembled cyclo-P5 pentamers on Ag(111) Although unstable in nature, phosphorus pentamers (cyclo-P5) can be synthesized on a silver surface. Here, the authors use scanning probe microscopy to probe charge redistribution at the P5/Ag interface offering potential applications in transistors or solar cells. Outhmane Chahib, Yuling Yin & Rémy Pawlak Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Bridge-rich and loop-less hydrogel networks through suppressed micellization of multiblock polyelectrolytes In the formation of physical hydrogels from triblock copolymers, formation of polymer loops can result in topological defects. Here, the authors report the development of hydrogels from oppositely charged copolymers which assembled to form branched and bridge-rich networks. Jihoon Han, Saeed Najafi & Youn Soo Kim Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Ocean wave energy harvesting with high energy density and self-powered monitoring system Point-defect metamaterials have the property of concentrating vibration energy at the defect location. We design an environmental monitoring node based on this property, which can efficiently convert wave kinetic energy into electrical energy for real-time monitoring of the ocean environment. Ze-Qi Lu, Long Zhao & Li-Qun Chen Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Accelerated discovery of perovskite solid solutions through automated materials synthesis and characterization Accelerated discovery of perovskite solid solutions is achieved through automated synthesis and dielectric characterisation, exploring sintering and phase relationships for ML-predicted compositions with two successful syntheses and optimizing material properties. Mojan Omidvar, Hangfeng Zhang & Yang Hao Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Photoinduced π-Bond breakage causing dynamic closing-opening shell transition of Z-type Diphenylmaleonitriles molecules Dynamic covalent bonding can be useful in preparation of stimuli responsive materials, but this is challenging in the aggregated state. Here, the authors report the development of compounds with photoinduced π-bond cleavage to prepare dynamic covalent bond materials. Yuanshan Huang, Xin Zheng & Zhenghuan Lin Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access An ultraflexible energy harvesting-storage system for wearable applications The integration of ultraflexible energy harvesters and energy storage devices to form flexible power systems remains a significant challenge. Here, the authors report a system consisting of organic solar cells and zinc-ion batteries, exhibiting high power output for wearable sensors and gadgets. Sakeena Saifi, Xiao Xiao & Hui-Ming Cheng Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Quantum advantage and stability to errors in analogue quantum simulators Analogue quantum simulators have looser requirements than digital ones, but rigorous results on their usefulness in the noisy case are few. Here, the authors conclude that analogue quantum simulators are robust to errors and can provide superpolynomial to exponential quantum advantage when used to compute relevant many-body observables. Rahul Trivedi, Adrian Franco Rubio & J. Ignacio Cirac Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Controlled interconversion of macrocyclic atropisomers via defined intermediates The three-dimensional conformation of macrocycles determine their chemical and recognition properties and the factors that influence the interconversion between macrocyclic forms are poorly understood. Here the authors describe a macrocycle existing as two stable atropisomers and the mechanism behind the thermally-induced transition between them. Xin Sun, Jin-Ku Bai & Han-Yuan Gong Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Regio‐ and enantioselective nickel-alkyl catalyzed hydroalkylation of alkynes Although the stereochemistry of nickel hydride addition to alkenes is well-explored, the analogous addition to another feedstock, alkynes, is less studied. Here the authors develop a regio- and enantioselective hydroalkylation of alkynes to produce chiral allylic amines, proceeding via migratory insertion of a nickel–alkyl species into an alkyne pi bond. Qian Gao, Wei-Cheng Xu & Xi-Sheng Wang Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Strongly coupled edge states in a graphene quantum Hall interferometer Previous measurements of interferometers based on quantum Hall (QH) edge channels have suggested potential electron pairing effects. Here, the authors investigate the coupling between QH edge channels in graphene Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometers, proposing a possible single-particle explanation for the apparent interference phase jumps and AB frequency doubling. Thomas Werkmeister, James R. Ehrets & Philip Kim Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Going beyond gadgets: the importance of scalability for analogue quantum simulators Analogue quantum simulation has looser experimental requirements than its digital counterpart, but rigorous theoretical results on the capabilities of realisable experiments are scarce. Here, the authors fill this gap by proposing an alternative mathematical framework, and showing how to overcome barriers to scalable implementations using additional resources such as engineered dissipation. Dylan Harley, Ishaun Datta & Matthias Christandl Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Ultrasensitive optical detection of strontium ions by specific nanosensor with ultrahigh binding affinity The release and escape of radioactive 90Sr has attracted growing attention due to its long half-life and its tendency to accumulate in bone tissue. Herein, the authors report an optical nanosensor (Sr2+-nanosensor) that exhibits an ultra-low detection limit of 0.5 nM, a rapid response of less than 10 s, and high selectivity against 31 common ions. Xinfeng Du, Hua Xie & Ning Wang Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Efficient energy conversion mechanism and energy storage strategy for triboelectric nanogenerators Effective energy management is essential to enable triboelectric nanogenerators for realistic applications. Here, the authors optimize TENG and switch configurations to improve energy conversion efficiency and design a TENG-based power supply with energy storage and output regulation functionalities. Huiyuan Wu, Chuncai Shan & Chenguo Hu Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access A novel interface for cortical columnar neuromodulation with multipoint infrared neural stimulation Visual perception is achieved by a chain of specific neural activations in the brain. Here, the authors show that infrared neural stimulation of selected early nodes in the chain leads to predictable shape response in higher areas, providing groundwork for targeted approach to vision restoration. Feiyan Tian, Ying Zhang & Anna Wang Roe Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Observation of dynamic non-Hermitian skin effects Characterizing and classifying dynamic non-Hermitian skin effect is a key challenge in nonHermitian physics. Here, authors illustrated rich non-Hermitian skin dynamics and dynamic phases in one-dimensional systems with glide-time reversal symmetry. Zhen Li, Li-Wei Wang & Jian-Hua Jiang Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Wireless ear EEG to monitor drowsiness Neural wearables can enable life-saving drowsiness monitoring. This work showcases an in-ear, dry-electrode earpiece used to monitor drowsiness for 35 hours across 9 subjects. This data was used to train offline machine learning classifiers and achieve an average accuracy of >90% across all models. Ryan Kaveh, Carolyn Schwendeman & Rikky Muller Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access PatCID: an open-access dataset of chemical structures in patent documents The automatic analysis of patent documents has potential to accelerate research in chemistry. Here, the authors leverage advances in document understanding to introduce a dataset (PatCID) which allows searching for molecules displayed in documents. Lucas Morin, Valéry Weber & Peter W. J. Staar Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Intrinsic negative magnetoresistance from the chiral anomaly of multifold fermions Multifold fermions promise a solid-state platform for accessing and studying the effects of the chiral anomaly beyond Weyl fermions. Here, the authors identify multifold fermions in magnetotransport in the chiral semimetal CoSi. Federico Balduini, Alan Molinari & Bernd Gotsmann Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Nonlocal meta-lens with Huygens’ bound states in the continuum Here, the authors demonstrate a nonlocal meta-lens featuring Huygen’s bound states in the continuum and experimentally realise this system for nearinfrared imaging. They show wavelength-selective two-dimensional focusing and imaging, paving the way for efficient nonlocal wavefront shaping. Jin Yao, Fangxing Lai & Din Ping Tsai Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Holimap: an accurate and efficient method for solving stochastic gene network dynamics Understanding gene-gene interactions is key to decoding cellular processes. Here, authors introduce Holimap, a method that accurately and rapidly predicts gene expression dynamics by approximating complex regulatory networks with simpler models. Chen Jia & Ramon Grima Article 02 August 2024 | Open Access Evolutionary sequence and structural basis for the distinct conformational landscapes of Tyr and Ser/Thr kinases In this study, the authors identify a mechanism for the distinct conformational preferences of tyrosine kinases vs serine/threonine kinases and suggest that the evolution of tyrosine kinase function can explain these conformational differences. Joan Gizzio, Abhishek Thakur & Ronald M. Levy Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Nanoscale covalent organic frameworks for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production Nanosizing covalent organic frameworks using surfactants provides greatly improved water dispersibility and light-harvesting properties, leading to dramatically enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. Here the authors observe a reverse concentration-dependent photocatalytic phenomeno, whereby a higher photocatalytic activity is found at a lower catalyst concentration. Wei Zhao, Liang Luo & Andrew I. Cooper Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Ubiquitous short-range order in multi-principal element alloys Chemical short-range order (CSRO) has been explored as a new design parameter for tuning the performance of multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs), yet its formation kinetics remains unclear. Here the authors demonstrate that significant CSRO forms during solidification, making it ubiquitous in many MPEAs. Ying Han, Hangman Chen & Yang Yang Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Quantifying the conductivity of a single polyene chain by lifting with an STM tip Polyene is a segment of polyacetylene, a conductive polymer. Here, the authors measured the conductance of single molecular chain of trans-polyene and found a high conductivity and low decay constant, attributed to the alignment of the energy levels. Sifan You, Cuiju Yu & Lifeng Chi Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access The coupling of rotational and translational dynamics for rapid diffusion of nanorods in macromolecular networks Rod-like viruses show anomalously rapid diffusion in bio-tissue networks originated from the rotation-facilitated transportation but experimental investigation of the correlation of the rotational and translational dynamics is still lacking. Here, the authors use rod-like and spherical gold nanoparticles in Tetra-PEG gels and probe the hierarchical relaxation dynamics of the complex chemical system. Binghui Xue, Yuan Liu & Panchao Yin Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Anchoring PdOx clusters on defective alumina for improved catalytic methane oxidation The evolution of Pd active centers in size and spatial distribution often leads to irreversible deactivation in many high-temperature catalytic processes. Here the authors demonstrate the use of defective alumina (Al2O3-x) as a catalyst support to anchor Pd atoms and suppress the growth of Pd clusters in catalytic methane oxidation. Xiang Yu, Nina S. Genz & Bert M. Weckhuysen Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands in a self-assembled kagome lattice of magnetic molecules Molecular self-assembly is a promising method for growing 2D kagome lattices. Here the authors report a kagome lattice of magnetic molecules on a superconducting surface and show the resulting magnetic bound states and their hybridization in the superconductor. Laëtitia Farinacci, Gaël Reecht & Katharina J. Franke Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Preferred crystal plane electrodeposition of aluminum anode with high lattice-matching for long-life aluminum batteries An aluminum anode is proposed to achieve high lattice matching between the aluminum anode and the aluminum deposit, allowing the aluminum deposits to maintain preferred crystal face growth on the aluminum anode surface. Shixin Wang, Yuan Guo & Mingxia Liu Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Impact-resistant supercapacitor by hydrogel-infused lattice Here, authors report a strategy for developing supercapacitors that are impact-resistant, load-bearing, and self-healing. Enabled by self-healable polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel electrolyte infused 3D-printed PANI/C/SiOC lattice electrodes. Shixiang Zhou, Yijing Zhao & Jun Ding Article 01 August 2024 | Open Access Reconfiguration of organic electrochemical transistors for high-accuracy potentiometric sensing The translation of transistor-based sensor technologies is limited by unreliable potentiometric sensing. Here, the authors propose a transistor configuration that eliminates the measurement inaccuracies associated with electrochemical transistor-based potentiometric sensors. Luca Salvigni, Prem Depan Nayak & Sahika Inal