Article 17 December 2024 | Open Access A binary system in the S cluster close to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* S-cluster is a group of high-velocity stars near the supermassive black hole in the center of our Galaxy, and binary stars have been predicted in the S-cluster, but not detected. Here, the authors show detection of a spectroscopic binary in the S-cluster. Florian Peißker, Michal Zajaček & Vladimír Karas Article 16 December 2024 | Open Access Designing a sector-coupled European energy system robust to 60 years of historical weather data Highly renewable energy systems, built on wind, solar PV, and sectoral integration, can handle year-to-year weather variability while ensuring resource adequacy and CO2 neutrality, at 10% higher cost than systems designed for average weather patterns. Ebbe Kyhl Gøtske, Gorm Bruun Andresen & Marta Victoria Article 16 December 2024 | Open Access GrandQC: A comprehensive solution to quality control problem in digital pathology Histological slides often contain artifacts that affect the performance of downstream image analysis. Here, the authors present GrandQC, a tool that enables high-precision tissue and artifact segmentation in histological slides. This tool can be used to monitor sample preparation and scanning quality across pathology departments. Zhilong Weng, Alexander Seper & Yuri Tolkach Matters Arising 13 December 2024 | Open Access Reply to: Evolutionary rescue effect can disappear under non-neutral mutations—a reply to Zhang et al. (2022) Xiyun Zhang, Zhongyuan Ruan & Baruch Barzel Article 12 December 2024 | Open Access An actin bracket-induced elastoplastic transition determines epithelial folding irreversibility During morphogenesis, epithelial folding is irreversible, ensuring that the process proceeds in one direction. Here, the authors report that, given sufficient curvature or duration of a fold, these cells can form an actin “bracket” that holds the fold in place. Aki Teranishi, Misato Mori & Satoru Okuda Article 11 December 2024 | Open Access Heavy-boundary mode patterning and dynamics of topological phonons in polymer chains and supramolecular lattices on surfaces Topological phonon boundary modes (TBM) hold promises for advanced phononic applications. Here, the authors introduce the bulk-heavy boundary correspondence to pattern TBM in polymers and supramolecular assemblies under thermal fluctuations. José D. Cojal González, Jakub Rondomanski & Carlos-Andres Palma Article 11 December 2024 | Open Access Competitive co-diffusion as a route to enhanced step coverage in chemical vapor deposition Chemical vapor deposition is used for forming thin layers of materials of various surfaces when making e.g., electronic devices. Here authors show how addition of a heavy inert gas can increase the thickness uniformity of the films on complex objects. Arun Haridas Choolakkal, Pentti Niiranen & Henrik Pedersen Article 11 December 2024 | Open Access Artificial fingerprints engraved through block-copolymers as nanoscale physical unclonable functions for authentication and identification Physical unclonable functions have been proposed to overcome limitations of current anti-counterfeiting technologies. Here, the authors report the development of nanoscale artificial fingerprints as physical unclonable functions for secure authentication and identification. Irdi Murataj, Chiara Magosso & Gianluca Milano Article 11 December 2024 | Open Access Mechanics of Drosophila wing deployment Upon emerging from their pupal case, insects swiftly deploy their wings from a compact origami-like structure to a fully extended blade. Here, authors use a combination of imaging and mechanical tests to model the kinematics and dynamics of wing deployment in Drosophila. Simon Hadjaje, Ignacio Andrade-Silva & Joel Marthelot Article 10 December 2024 | Open Access Boron-induced transformation of ultrathin Au films into two-dimensional metallic nanostructures 2D metals are desired for their potential photonic and catalytic properties, but their synthesis is challenging due to the isotropic nature of metallic bonding. Here, the authors report a bottom-up method to fabricate nearly-freestanding 2D Au monolayers on Ir(111) substrates via boron intercalation. Alexei Preobrajenski, Nikolay Vinogradov & Andrey Lyalin Article 10 December 2024 | Open Access Ultrafast signatures of merocyanine overcoming steric impedance in crystalline spiropyran Steric hindrance in crystals can prevent activity of photochromic compounds. Here, the authors show reversible isomerization in spiropyran crystals even in the presence of photoinduced mechanical strain using ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. Khalid M. Siddiqui, Simon F. Bittmann & R. J. Dwayne Miller Article 10 December 2024 | Open Access Rationally designed laterally-condensed-catalysts deliver robust activity and selectivity for ethylene production in acetylene hydrogenation The selective hydrogenation of trace acetylene to ethylene is a well-established process for purifying fossil-derived ethylene streams. Here, the authors present a self-repairing Pd-C laterally condensed catalyst that improves selectivity, prevents sub-surface hydride formation, and achieves high ethylene productivity, effectively bridging the gap between powder catalysts and single-crystal model catalysts. Zehua Li, Eylül Öztuna & Robert Schlögl Article 10 December 2024 | Open Access Upcycled high-strength aluminum alloys from scrap through solid-phase alloying The authors propose a scalable solid phase process to upcycle aluminum scrap into a high-strength alloy with 200% strength improvement. The process reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions while making customizable materials from waste by tailoring the chemical composition. Tianhao Wang, Xiao Li & Jorge F. dos Santos Article 10 December 2024 | Open Access Automated discovery of experimental designs in super-resolution microscopy with XLuminA Researchers have developed XLuminA, an AI framework for the automated discovery of super-resolution microscopy techniques. With 10,000x faster optimization than traditional methods, it discovers unexplored designs breaking the diffraction limit. Carla Rodríguez, Sören Arlt & Mario Krenn Article 09 December 2024 | Open Access Training all-mechanical neural networks for task learning through in situ backpropagation Here, authors introduce an in situ backpropagation analogue to train mechanical neural networks locally and physically, enabling efficient and exact gradient-based training. The network achieves high accuracy in behavior learning and various machine learning tasks. Shuaifeng Li & Xiaoming Mao Article 06 December 2024 | Open Access Crystal structure generation with autoregressive large language modeling The first step in predicting material properties is the generation of a plausible crystal structure. Here, the authors introduce a large language model that can achieve this task given only the chemical composition of the material. Luis M. Antunes, Keith T. Butler & Ricardo Grau-Crespo Article 06 December 2024 | Open Access Compass-model physics on the hyperhoneycomb lattice in the extreme spin-orbit regime Two-dimensional honeycomb lattices of magnetic ions with strong spin-orbit coupling can host a rich variety of magnetic phases, including Kitaev quantum spin liquids. Here, Okuma et al succeeded in synthesising powders and single crystals of β-Na2PrO3, with Praseodymium ions with very strong spin-orbit coupling arranged in a three-dimensional hyperhoneycomb lattice. Ryutaro Okuma, Kylie MacFarquharson & Radu Coldea Article 06 December 2024 | Open Access Photonic diffractive generators through sampling noises from scattering media Large-scale generative photonic computing suffers from poor data accessibility, accuracy and hardware feasibility. Here, authors harness random light scattering in disordered media as a native noise source and leverage large-scale diffractive optical computing to generate images from above noise. Ziyu Zhan, Hao Wang & Xing Fu Article 06 December 2024 | Open Access Ratiometric fluorescence probes for visible detection and accurate identification of MPEA vapor This work introduces two novel fluorescent probes for methamphetamine detection. When exposed, they show a rare visible color shift and unique response pattern, enabling visual detection and accurate identification in complex environments Xin Miao, Chunxiao Wu & Ming Zhang Article 06 December 2024 | Open Access Triboelectric sensor with ultra-wide linear range based on water-containing elastomer and ion-rich interface The incompatibility between high sensitivity and a wide linear range has hindered the development of sensors. Here, the authors propose a pressure sensor that combines a water-containing triboelectric elastomer with gradient-based microchannels, achieving an ultra-wide linear range and high sensitivity simultaneously. Siyao Qin, Peng Yang & Xiangyu Chen Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Palladium-catalyzed remote internal C(sp3)−H bond chlorination of alkenes C(sp3)–Cl bonds are present in numerous biologically active molecules and can also be used as a site for diversification by substitution or cross-coupling reactions. Here, the authors report a remote internal site-selective C(sp3)–H bond chlorination of alkenes through sequential alkene isomerization and hydrochlorination, enabling the synthesis of both benzylic and tertiary chlorides with excellent site-selectivity. Yao-Xin Wang, Zhen Wang & Xiao-Hui Yang Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Surface frustrated Lewis pairs in titanium nitride enable gas phase heterogeneous CO2 photocatalysis Heterogeneous surface frustrated Lewis pairs catalysis have been predominantly focused on metal oxide hydroxides. This study instead explores a different chemical composition space by shifting from metal oxides to metal nitrides for CO2 photoreduction. Yunjie Zou, Chengliang Mao & Lan Ling Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Galvanic hydrogenation reaction in metal oxide Controllable hydrogenation of metal oxides provides a route to tune their electronic and redox properties for desired applications. Here, authors study proton movement into molybdenum trioxide and propose a solution treatment method for controllable metal oxide hydrogenation using metallic cations. JunHwa Kwon, Soonsung So & Thomas F. Fuller Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Species mass transfer governs the selectivity of gas diffusion electrodes toward H2O2 electrosynthesis Electrocatalysts and assembled gas diffusion electrodes frequently exhibit discrepancies in selectivity during H2O2 electrosynthesis. Here, the authors report the pivotal role of key species transport beyond the intrinsic properties of electrocatalysts in dictating electrode-scale H2O2 selectivity. Lele Cui, Bin Chen & Zhenghua Zhang Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Supercritical density fluctuations and structural heterogeneity in supercooled water-glycerol microdroplets The authors investigate the impact of glycerol on the structure, density fluctuations, and hypothesized liquid-liquid phase transition of water using ultrafast X-ray scattering combined with rapid evaporative cooling, contributing to understanding the role of glycerol as a cryoprotectant. Sharon Berkowicz, Iason Andronis & Fivos Perakis Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Fluorescence imaging of individual ions and molecules in pressurized noble gases for barium tagging in 136Xe Barium tagging is a key ingredient for future detectors of neutrinoless double beta decay in low-background environments. Here, the authors demonstrate fluorescence imaging of single Ba2+ ions in high pressure Xenon gas, by comparing activity between Ba2+ chelated and unchelated samples of crown-ether chemosensors. N. K. Byrnes, E. Dey & A. Yubero-Navarro Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access High-dimensional anticounterfeiting nanodiamonds authenticated with deep metric learning The authors use polarized fluorescent nanodiamonds to achieve high-dimensional encoding for physical unclonable functions, and propose a deep metric learning based approach for robust authentication of unseen labels. Lingzhi Wang, Xin Yu & Zhiqin Chu Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access A bioinspired sulfur–Fe–heme nanozyme with selective peroxidase-like activity for enhanced tumor chemotherapy Iron-based nanozymes are promising for tumor catalytic therapy owing to their biocompatibility and peroxidase-like activity, but the concurrent catalase-like activity undermines the therapeutic efficacy. Here, the authors address this issue by developing a hemin–cysteine–Fe nanozyme, which exhibits catalytic selectivity and exclusive peroxidase-like activity. Shuaibing Zhang, Xuejiao J. Gao & Bing Jiang Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Ohm’s law lost and regained: observation and impact of transmission and velocity zeros Here the researchers demonstrate and capture all eigenvalue spectra by measuring microwave transmission in random waveguides, uncovering insights into conductance dips as the number of channels increased and thereby advance our understanding of mesoscopic transport. Krishna Joshi, Israel Kurtz & Azriel Z. Genack Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Deciphering the atomistic mechanism underlying highly tunable piezoelectric properties in perovskite ferroelectrics via transition metal doping Defect engineering holds great potential for adjusting piezoelectric performance. Here, the authors decipher the diverse impacts of transition metal impurities on modifying piezoelectric properties from the perspective of intrinsic polarization behaviors in KTa1−xNbxO3 crystals. Peng Tan, Xiaolin Huang & Hao Tian Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Nondestructive halide exchange via SN2-like mechanism for efficient blue perovskite light-emitting diodes Zhang et al. report non-destructive halide exchange by employing butylammonium halide incorporated post-treatment to achieve perovskite with low trap density and tuneable bandgap for blue LEDs, with external quantum efficiencies of 23.6%, 20.9%, and 15.5% for emission peaks at 488, 478, and 468 nm, respectively. Kai Zhang, Yang Shen & Jian-Xin Tang Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access A blockchain consensus mechanism for real-time regulation of renewable energy power systems For control systems, blockchain usually exhibits a trade-off between security and real-time performance. Here, authors propose a new mechanism that utilizes multi-party computation and verification with prediction, specifically tailored for real-time security control of renewable energy power systems. Yi Yu, Guo-Ping Liu & Yu-Zhong Li Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Energetic neutral atom imaging reveals nearly 11-year cycle of the ring current of Saturn Studying long-term dynamics of the global ring currents of Saturn is challenging due to limited measurements. Here, the authors show suprathermal ring currents in Saturn’s magnetosphere varies with a nearly 11-year cycle, which indicates solar cycle related modulation. Yimeng Li, Chao Yue & Xuzhi Zhou Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Monitoring long-term cardiac activity with contactless radio frequency signals Cardiovascular diseases, underscore an urgent need for long-term cardiac monitoring and early detection of abnormalities. Here, the authors present a RF-based sensing system that monitors long-term heart rate variability with clinical-grade accuracy. Bin-Bin Zhang, Dongheng Zhang & Yan Chen Article 05 December 2024 | Open Access Parallel measurement of transcriptomes and proteomes from same single cells using nanodroplet splitting Single-cell multiomics can provide broad insights into gene/protein regulatory networks and cellular diversity. Here, authors develop nanoSPLITS, a nanodroplet splitting approach for global profiling of the transcriptome and proteome from same single cells via RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. James M. Fulcher, Lye Meng Markillie & Ying Zhu