25 January 2025 | Open Access Suppressing Jahn-Teller distortion of MnO2 via B-Ni dual single-atoms integration for methane catalytic combustion Manganese oxides typically undergo irreversible phase transformations during redox reactions due to the Jahn-Teller effect. This study introduces adjacent B-Ni single-atomic sites as an electron reservoir to precisely control electron transfer pathways, enabling both high catalytic activity and stability. Huayu Gu, Fanyu Wang & Jinlong Gong Article 25 January 2025 | Open Access Gate- and flux-tunable sin(2蠁) Josephson element with planar-Ge junctions Hybrid superconductor-semiconductor circuits have recently garnered attention for various applications. Here, the authors use a semiconductor heterostructure with a high-mobility Ge channel to create a Josephson device, where the supercurrent is mainly carried by Cooper pairs, crucial for parity-protected qubits. Axel Leblanc, Chotivut Tangchingchai & Fran莽ois Lefloch Article 25 January 2025 | Open Access Biomimetic and biodegradable separator with high modulus and large ionic conductivity enables dendrite-free zinc-ion batteries The separator plays a crucial role in mitigating dendrites and side reactions in aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Here, authors design an anisotropic separator with high modulus and large ionic conductivity to break the trade-off between low separator thickness and good dendrite-inhibition ability. Hong Ma, Hongli Chen & Jizhang Chen Article 25 January 2025 | Open Access Size-controlled assembly of phase separated protein condensates with interfacial protein cages This study introduces a one-pot method to create and control protein condensates using surface-stabilizing protein cages, allowing size tuning from the micro- to nanoscale and having implications for applying condensates in functional materials. Hyeok Jin Oh, Yongsuk Lee & Yongwon Jung Article 25 January 2025 | Open Access Silicon-based all-solid-state batteries operating free from external pressure Si-based all-solid-state batteries face application challenges due to the requirement of high external pressure. Here, authors prepare a double-layered Si-based electrode by cold-pressing and electrochemical sintering that enables all-solid-state batteries operating free from external pressure. Zhiyong Zhang, Xiuli Zhang & Songyan Chen Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access A scalable solar-driven photocatalytic system for separated H2 and O2 production from water Photocatalytic water splitting offers a sustainable method for producing green hydrogen but faces challenges due to inefficient materials and systems. Here, the authors report a design for a photocatalytic water-splitting system that efficiently produces hydrogen and oxygen in separate cells. Hui Fu, Yaqiang Wu & Peng Wang Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Carbon-carbon triple bond cleavage and reconstitution to achieve aryl amidation using nitrous acid esters C鈥揅 bond cleavage and recombination provide an efficient strategy for the modification and reconstruction of molecular structures. Herein, the authors report a method to achieve amidation of aryl C(sp2)鈥揌 bonds by cleavage and recombination of C鈥揅 triple bonds with the participation of nitrous acid esters. Zi-Ying Wang, Shoujun Wang & Wen-Ting Wei Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Bamboo-inspired ultra-strong nanofiber-reinforced composite hydrogels There is interest in mimicking the properties of biological composites in artificial materials, but the hierarchical structures can be challenging to replicate. Here, the authors report the development of a bamboo-inspired hydrogel with favourable mechanical performance. Hao Zhuo, Xinyu Dong & Wei Zhai Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Surface-hydrogenated CrMnOx coupled with GaN nanowires for light-driven bioethanol dehydration to ethylene Light-driven bioethanol dehydration presents a promising route for sustainable ethylene production. This study unveils a surface hydrogen-replenishment mechanism facilitating ethanol dehydration on GaN nanowires with surface-hydrogenated CrMnOx, achieving an ethylene production rate of 1.78鈥塵ol路gcat鈭�1路h鈭�1. Zhouzhou Wang, Haotian Ye & Baowen Zhou Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access COFcap2, a recyclable tandem catalysis reactor for nitrogen fixation and conversion to chiral amines Concurrent tandem catalysis, with two or more catalysts conducting multistep reactions in the same reactor, would be beneficial for (bio)pharmaceutical and fine chemical manufacturing. Here, the authors report the co-immobilization of metal nanoparticles and a biocatalytic multienzyme system within a synthetic covalent organic framework capsule, COFcap-2, and employ it to prepare eleven homochiral amines using dinitrogen as a feedstock. Qianqian Zhu, Peijie Dong & Yao Chen Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Triplet-ground-state nonalternant nanographene with high stability and long spin lifetimes While high-spin carbon-based polyradicals exhibit significant potential for applications in quantum information storage and sensing, their application is hampered by limited structural diversity and chemical instability. Here, the authors report the synthesis and isolation of a stable nonalternant nanographene with a triplet ground state. Weixiang Zhou, Yiyang Fei & Junzhi Liu Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Mechanical force-induced interlayer sliding in interfacial ferroelectrics Manipulation of controllable polarization evolutions is a big challenge. The authors fabricate the irregular moir茅s, identifying three distinct types of moir茅 domains with different patterns, modulating them by external mechanical force disturbing. Zhao Guan, Lu-qi Wei & Ni Zhong Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Stable laser-acceleration of high-flux proton beams with plasma collimation Applications of laser-plasma accelerated protons in fundamental, applied and medical sciences crucially depend on the creation of stable collimated beams with high repetition rates. Here the authors demonstrate the generation of multi-MeV protons at 5 Hz, with low (degree-level) proton beam divergence from a laser pulse focused onto a water sheet target, potentially mitigating the need for beam capturing techniques. M. J. V. Streeter, G. D. Glenn & C. A. J. Palmer Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Electrosynthesis of ethylene glycol from biomass glycerol Ethylene glycol, widely utilized with over 40 million tons produced annually, is typically made with high CO2 emissions. Here, the authors report an electrochemical method to produce ethylene glycol from biomass glycerol, offering a more sustainable, low-emission alternative. Haoyuan Chi, Zhanpeng Liang & Xinbin Ma Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Microenvironment engineering by targeted delivery of Ag nanoparticles for boosting electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction Creating and maintaining a superior microenvironment is challenging for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. Here the authors report an in situ activation method to deliver silver nanoparticles within the gas diffusion layer, constructing a feasible and stable interfacial microenvironment. Ting Xu, Hao Yang & Shun Wang Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Chemical catalyst manipulating cancer epigenome and transcription Here, the authors develop a cell-permeable chemical catalyst that acetylates histone H2BK120 in leukemia cells, attenuates NELFE chromatin binding, reprograms transcription, and reduces the tumorigenic potential of leukemia cells in mice. Yuki Yamanashi, Shinpei Takamaru & Motomu Kanai Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access In-situ profiling of glycosylation on single cells with surface plasmon resonance imaging Glycosylation is crucial for cell recognition, signal transduction, and tumor development. Here, authors present an optical, single-cell method to quantify glycan expression based on lectin-glycan kinetic quantification via plasmonic imaging. Xiaoyin Liu, Jinbiao Ma & Fenni Zhang Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Silver single atoms and nanoparticles on floatable monolithic photocatalysts for synergistic solar water disinfection Photocatalytic water disinfection holds great promise for off-grid areas due to abundant year-round solar irradiance. Here, authors present a floatable monolithic photocatalyst with ZIF-8-NH2 loaded Ag single atoms and nanoparticles for efficient and synergistic solar-driven water disinfection. Jian Wang, Jiahe Zhang & Wen Zhang Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains Battery recycling LCA shows that recycling can reduce 58% of environmental impacts of making mixed salt solutions compared to conventional mining. Electricity and hydrometallurgical processes dominate impacts and show improvement opportunities. Michael L. Machala, Xi Chen & William A. Tarpeh Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access In-situ probing of the Fischer-Tropsch reaction on Co single crystal surfaces up to 1鈥塨ar Two Co single crystal surfaces remain metallic up to 1鈥塨ar during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The observed intermediates support the carbide mechanism as the reaction pathway. By adding and removing CO we can follow the dynamics of the (dis)appearance of intermediates. Patrick L枚mker, David Degerman & Anders Nilsson Article 24 January 2025 | Open Access Artificial cells with all-aqueous droplet-in-droplet structures for spatially separated transcription and translation To mimic natural cellular functions, artificial cells require compartmentalization. Here, authors create droplet-in-droplet artificial cells and demonstrate the separation of transcription and translation, akin to the nucleus and cytosol of eukaryotic cells. Kanji Tomohara, Yoshihiro Minagawa & Hiroyuki Noji Article 23 January 2025 | Open Access Direct observation of chiral edge current at zero magnetic field in a magnetic topological insulator Quantized edge current is the hallmark of topological phenomena in condensed matter physics. Here, the authors use advanced scanning techniques to image the chiral edge current distribution in the antiferromagnetic topological material MnBi2Te4. Jinjiang Zhu, Yang Feng & Yihua Wang Article 23 January 2025 | Open Access Ion bridging enables high-voltage polyether electrolytes for quasi-solid-state batteries The application of polyether electrolytes for Li-ion batteries is limited by their poor oxidative stability. Here, authors report an ion-bridging approach to extend their oxidation potential by stabilizing lone pairs of ethereal oxygen through Zn2+鈭扥 coordination. Tianyi Hou, Donghai Wang & Henghui Xu Article 23 January 2025 | Open Access Random resistive memory-based deep extreme point learning machine for unified visual processing Processing heterogeneous visual data in edge-side intelligent machines is complex and inefficient. Here, the authors propose a hardware-software co-designed system using random resistive memory, achieving significant energy efficiency and training cost reductions. Shaocong Wang, Yizhao Gao & Ming Liu Article 23 January 2025 | Open Access Step-necking growth of silicon nanowire channels for high performance field effect transistors Ultrathin and short silicon nanowires are ideal for high-performance field effect transistors but require high-precision lithography. The authors use step-necking catalytic growth to create thick/thin/thick SiNW channels, ensuring efficient gate control and favorable electric contact. Lei Wu, Zhiyan Hu & Linwei Yu Article 23 January 2025 | Open Access Controllable synthesis of nonlayered high-魏 Mn3O4 single-crystal thin films for 2D electronics High dielectric constant (魏) materials compatible with van der Waals materials are desired to promote the development of 2D electronics. Here, the authors report a method to grow Mn3O4 nanosheets exhibiting 魏 up to 135 and equivalent oxide thickness down to 0.8鈥塶m, enabling the fabrication of high-performance 2D MoS2 transistors. Jiashuai Yuan, Chuanyong Jian & Wei Liu Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Enantioselective Heck/Tsuji鈭扵rost reaction of flexible vinylic halides with 1,3-dienes The implementation of asymmetric Heck/cross coupling cascades of highly flexible haloalkene substrates remains a challenging and long-standing goal. Here the authors report an asymmetric domino Heck/Tsuji鈭扵rost reaction of flexible vinylic halides with 1,3-dienes enabled by palladium catalysis. Li-Zhi Zhang, Pei-Chao Zhang & Junliang Zhang Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Active learning framework to optimize process parameters for additive-manufactured Ti-6Al-4V with high strength and ductility Process and heat treatment parameters are critical in laser powder bed fusion but difficult to optimize. Here, the authors achieve high tensile strengths and elongation in Ti-6Al-4V alloys using Pareto active learning with few experimental trials. Jeong Ah Lee, Jaejung Park & Hyoung Seop Kim Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Densely populated macrocyclic dicobalt sites in ladder polymers for low-overpotential oxygen reduction catalysis Designing dual-atom catalysts with high activity and selectivity for oxygen reduction reactions is a challenging task. Here, the authors report a bisalphen ladder polymer with densely populated binuclear cobalt sites on Ketjenblack substrates, which improves oxygen reduction performance and stability. Zhen Zhang, Zhenyu Xing & Xikui Liu Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Inflammatory disease progression shapes nanoparticle biomolecular corona-mediated immune activation profiles Nanoparticle biomolecular corona fingerprints vary with disease state. Here, the authors use integrated multi-omics to show that inflammatory disease dynamics alter corona formation, immune cell interactions, and activation profiles via TLR4 signalling, which could impact nanoparticle uses. Jacob R. Shaw, Nicholas Caprio & Ryan M. Pearson Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Atomically resolved imaging of radiation-sensitive metal-organic frameworks via electron ptychography This study investigates optimal 4D-STEM data acquisition parameters for low-dose electron ptychography, achieving near-atomic-resolution (鈥墌鈥�2鈥壝�) reconstruction at electron doses of ~100鈥塭鈭�/脜2 on highly sensitive metal-organic framework materials. Guanxing Li, Ming Xu & Yu Han Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Deoxygenative photochemical alkylation of secondary amides enables a streamlined synthesis of substituted amines Traditional approaches for the synthesis of secondary amines suffer from limitations such as poor chemoselectivity and lack of versatility. Herein, the authors present a streamlined deoxygenative photochemical alkylation of secondary amides, enabling the synthesis of 伪-branched secondary amines. Antonio Pulcinella, Stefano Bonciolini & Timothy No毛l Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Separating nanobubble nucleation for transfer-resistance-free electrocatalysis Gas-evolving catalysts suffer from severe mass transport limitations under industrial conditions. Here, the authors report an interfacial metal-layer engineering strategy to separate bubble nucleation from active sites, enabling transfer-resistance-free electrocatalytic interfaces. Shasha Guo, Maolin Yu & Zheng Liu Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Dynamically induced spatial segregation in multispecies bacterial bioconvection Heterogeneous active matter, including bacterial communities, often forms complex patterns under environmental gradients, yet their dynamics and self-organization remain poorly understood. This study reveals that multispecies bacterial suspensions exhibit spatial segregation driven by hydrodynamic flows, enhancing resource access despite coexistence in shared habitats. Oscar Gallardo-Navarro, Rinat Arbel-Goren & Joel Stavans Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Metal-oxide phase transition of platinum nanocatalyst below fuel cell open-circuit voltage The stability of Pt-based catalysts is critical to the reliability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, the authors use stroboscopic operando high energy X-ray scattering to reveal Pt nanocatalysts experience a metal-oxide phase transition during conventional fuel cell operation. Carlos A. Campos-Rold谩n, Amir Gasmi & Rapha毛l Chattot Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Fine-tuning d-p hybridization in Ni-Bx cocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic H2 production A d-p orbital hybridization strategy is proposed to optimize the d-band center of cocatalyst active sites, achieving a precise H-adsorption/desorption balance for improving photocatalytic H2 evolution kinetics and efficiency. Haoyu Long, Xidong Zhang & Huogen Yu Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Microenvironment-confined kinetic elucidation and implementation of a DNA nano-phage with a shielded internal computing layer Adding nanobodies into DNA computing has proven difficult due to there always on state. Here, the authors propose a spatial segregation-based molecular computing strategy to program nanobodies into DNA molecular computation and elucidate the kinetic mechanism of microenvironment-confined DNA molecular computation. Decui Tang, Shuoyao He & Weihong Tan Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Local polar order controls mechanical stress and triggers layer formation in Myxococcus xanthus colonies The decision to form a fruiting body have been studied extensively, however, the mechanical events that trigger the creation of multiple cell layers is poorly understood. Here the authors find M. xanthus cells adjust their reversal frequency to control mechanical stresses that triggers layer formation in the colonies. Endao Han, Chenyi Fei & Joshua W. Shaevitz Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Promoting in-situ stability of hydroxide exchange membranes by thermally conductive network for durable water electrolysis Hydroxide exchange membranes are desirable for water electrolysis but are limited by their instability under operational conditions. Here, authors find that the in-situ stability of the membranes is affected by the locally accumulated heat and can be enhanced by thermally conductive membranes. Wei Wang, Ruixiang Guo & Zhongyi Jiang Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access A lightweight prosthetic hand with 19-DOF dexterity and human-level functions Traditional prosthetic hands have limited degrees of freedom (DOFs) and restricted grasping modes. Here, the authors develop a lightweight (370鈥塯) biomimetic prosthetic hand with 19-DOF driven by shape memory alloy actuators. Hao Yang, Zhe Tao & Shiwu Zhang Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Highly bright perovskite light-emitting diodes enabled by retarded Auger recombination By incorporating electron-withdrawing trifluoroacetate anions into 3D perovskites, Li et al. report retarded Auger recombination due to a decoupled electron-hole wavefunction at the interface and balanced carrier injection from dense film coverage, enabling NIR LEDs with peak efficiency of 21.45% and radiance of 2409鈥塛鈥塻r鈭�1鈥塵鈭�2. Zhiqi Li, Qi Wei & Feng Gao Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Multichrome encoding-based multiplexed, spatially resolved imaging reveals single-cell RNA epigenetic modifications heterogeneity Understanding the heterogeneity of epigenetic modifications is pivotal for unraveling cellular functions. Here, the authors developed a strategy based on multichrome encoding and 鈥淎ND鈥� Boolean logic recognition, termed as PREEM, for multiplexed imaging of m6A modifications of single-cell RNA. Dongsheng Mao, Xiaochen Tang & Xiaoli Zhu Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Dual-channel near-field holographic MIMO communications based on programmable digital coding metasurface and electromagnetic theory A dual-channel near-field holographic MIMO communication scheme is proposed and experimentally verified by using programmable digital coding metasurface and electromagnetic theory, which provides a low complexity, low cost and low power consumption solution to fully utilize the spatial diversity and serves as a valuable technique in beyond fifth generation and 6G wireless communications. Rui Wen Shao, Jun Wei Wu & Tie Jun Cui Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Challenging the ideal strength limit in single-crystalline gold nanoflakes through phase engineering Gold with FCC phase is very ductile, while the yield strength is well below the theoretical limit. Here, the authors report on the mechanical properties of single-crystalline gold nanoflakes with HCP phase that illustrate the benefits of phase engineering. Tong Zhang, Yuanbiao Tong & Wei Yang Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Modular access to saturated bioisosteres of anilines via photoelectrochemical decarboxylative C(sp3)鈥揘 coupling Accessing analogs capable of mimicking ortho- and meta-substituted anilines remains challenging due to the lack of a versatile and modular synthetic method. Here, the authors present a modular approach to access a diverse array of saturated bioisosteres of anilines via photoelectrochemical-induced decarboxylative C(sp3)鈥揘 Coupling. Kang-Ning Yuan, Hongjun Zhuang & Ming Shang Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Probing and manipulating the Mexican hat-shaped valence band of In2Se3 Inverted Mexican hat valence band is a desirable feature of van der Waal materials as it can yield new phases and functionalities, but it has been observed in only a few materials. Here the authors use experiments and calculations to reveal this feature in the van der Waals ferroelectric semiconductor In2Se3. James Felton, Jordan Harknett & Amalia Patan猫 Article 22 January 2025 | Open Access Dendrites endow artificial neural networks with accurate, robust and parameter-efficient learning Artificial neural networks, central to deep learning, are powerful but energy-consuming and prone to overfitting. The authors propose a network design inspired by biological dendrites, which offers better robustness and efficiency, using fewer trainable parameters, thus enhancing precision and resilience in artificial neural networks. Spyridon Chavlis & Panayiota Poirazi Article 21 January 2025 | Open Access Electron鈥損honon coupling and coherent energy superposition induce spin-sensitive orbital degeneracy for enhanced acidic water oxidation The development of acid-stable water oxidation electrocatalysts is crucial for high-performance energy conversion devices. Here, the authors report a microwave-mediated electron鈥損honon coupling technique for the specific assembly of Ru atoms that enhances spin-sensitive acidic water oxidation. Yanfeng Shi, Lupeng Wang & Yuanhong Xu Article 21 January 2025 | Open Access Programmable wave-based analog computing machine: a metastructure that designs metastructures This study introduces and validates a reconfigurable metastructure that uses electromagnetic waves to perform analog complex-valued mathematical computations. This device executes both stationary and non-stationary algorithms, such as matrix inversion and optimization. Dimitrios C. Tzarouchis, Brian Edwards & Nader Engheta Article 21 January 2025 | Open Access Enhanced solar hydrogen production via reconfigured semi-polar facet/cocatalyst heterointerfaces in GaN/Si photocathodes Efficient and durable photoelectrodes are essential for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Here, the authors report a gallium nitride nanowire-on-silicon wafer photoelectrode with gold nanoparticles as a cocatalyst, achieving a 10% photon-to-current efficiency and stability over 800鈥塰. Wei Chen, Danhao Wang & Haiding Sun