Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic van der Waals Hybrids.

Two-dimensional organic-inorganic (2DOI) van der Waals hybrids (vdWhs) have emerged as a groundbreaking subclass of layer-stacked (opto-)electronic materials. The development of 2DOI-vdWhs via systematically integrating inorganic 2D layers with organic 2D crystals at the molecular/atomic scale extends the capabilities of traditional 2D inorganic vdWhs, thanks to their high synthetic flexibility and structural tunability. Constructing an organic-inorganic hybrid interface with atomic precision will unlock new opportunities for generating unique interfacial (opto-)electronic transport properties by combining the strengths of organic and inorganic layers, thus allowing us to satisfy the growing demand for multifunctional applications.

Achieving asymmetry parameter-insensitive resonant modes through relative shift-induced quasi-bound states in the continuum.

High-Q resonances in metasurfaces, stemming from symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BICs), have proven to be effective for achieving high-performance optical devices. However, the properties associated with symmetry-protected BICs are inherently limited, as even a slight variation in the asymmetry parameter leads to a noticeable shift in the resonance location. Herein, we introduce the concept of relative shift-induced quasi-BICs (QBICs) within dimerized silicon (Si) meta-lattices (DSMs), which can be excited when a nonzero relative shift occurs, a result of in-plane inversion symmetry breaking and Brillouin zone folding within the structure.

Lithium extraction from low-quality brines.

In the quest for environmental sustainability, the rising demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies has substantially increased the need for efficient lithium extraction methods. Traditional lithium production, relying on geographically concentrated hard-rock ores and salar brines, is associated with considerable energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater depletion and land disturbance, thereby posing notable environmental and supply chain challenges. On the other hand, low-quality brines-such as those found in sedimentary waters, geothermal fluids, oilfield-produced waters, seawater and some salar brines and salt lakes-hold large potential owing to their extensive reserves and widespread geographical distribution.

Tunable third harmonic generation based on high-Q polarization-controlled hybrid phase-change metasurface.

Dielectric metasurfaces have made significant advancements in the past decade for enhancing light-matter interaction at the nanoscale. Particularly, bound states in the continuum (BICs) based on dielectric metasurfaces have been employed to enhance nonlinear harmonic generation. However, conventional nonlinear metasurfaces are typically fixed in their operating wavelength after fabrication.

Robust and Versatile Biodegradable Unclonable Anti-Counterfeiting Labels with Multi-Mode Optical Encoding Using Protein-Mediated Luminescent Calcite Signatures.

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are emerging as a cutting-edge technology for enhancing information security by providing robust security authentication and non-reproducible cryptographic keys. Incorporating renewable and biocompatible materials into PUFs ensures safety for handling, compatibility with biological systems, and reduced environmental impact. However, existing PUF platforms struggle to balance high encoding capacity, diversified encryption signatures, and versatile functionalities with sustainability and biocompatibility.

General-purpose machine-learned potential for 16 elemental metals and their alloys.

Machine-learned potentials (MLPs) have exhibited remarkable accuracy, yet the lack of general-purpose MLPs for a broad spectrum of elements and their alloys limits their applicability. Here, we present a promising approach for constructing a unified general-purpose MLP for numerous elements, demonstrated through a model (UNEP-v1) for 16 elemental metals and their alloys. To achieve a complete representation of the chemical space, we show, via principal component analysis and diverse test datasets, that employing one-component and two-component systems suffices.

Reducing crystal symmetry to generate out-of-plane Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya antisymmetric exchange interaction (DMI) stabilises topological spin textures with promising future spintronics applications. According to crystal symmetry, the DMI can be categorized as four different types that favour different chiral textures. Unlike the other three extensively-investigated types, out-of-plane DMI, as the last type that favours in-plane chirality, remained missing so far.

Strain-Induced Antiferroelectric-Ferroelectric-Antiferroelectric Phase Transitions in Epitaxial LaTaO Films.

We employed first-principles to delve into the strain-induced structural phase transitions in epitaxial LaTaO films. The ground state of bulk LaTaO adopts a monoclinic antiferroelectric phase, characterized by the antiphase rotation of two adjacent oxygen octahedra layers. Under epitaxial tensile strain, LaTaO thin films undergo a consecutive phase transition, namely, antiferroelectric-ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transitions.

Prolonged Phase Segregation of Mixed-Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals in the Dark.

A critical issue hindering the potential applications of semiconductor mixed-halide perovskites is the phase segregation effect, wherein localized regions enriched with one type of halide anions would be formed upon continuous photogeneration of the excited-state charge carriers. These unexpected phases are capable of remixing again in the dark under the entropic driving force, the process of which is now being exclusively studied after the mixed-halide perovskites have arrived at the final stage of complete phase segregation. Here, we show that after the removal of laser excitation from a solid film of the mixed-halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) with partial phase segregation, the iodide- and bromide-rich regions can continuously grow in the dark for a prolonged time period of several minutes.

Evolution of Heterogeneous Tunnel Structures in Cryptomelane-Type Manganese Oxides and Their Geoinspired Implications.

Cryptomelane-type manganese oxides, α-MnO (KMnO), play key roles in various fields such as geochemical processes, catalytic reactions, energy storage, and environmental sciences. The function of cryptomelane-type oxides can be affected by cation substitutions and the changes in tunnel structures. Research on natural cryptomelane minerals could provide geoinspiration for the design of new nanomaterials with cation substitutions, as well as a key to understanding the evolution of tunnel structures.

A nonvolatile magnon field effect transistor at room temperature.

Information industry is one of the major drivers of the world economy. Its rapid growth, however, leads to severe heat problem which strongly hinders further development. This calls for a non-charge-based technology.

Ultralow-pressure-driven polarization switching in ferroelectric membranes.

Van der Waals integration of freestanding perovskite-oxide membranes with two-dimensional semiconductors has emerged as a promising strategy for developing high-performance electronics, such as field-effect transistors. In these innovative field-effect transistors, the oxide membranes have primarily functioned as dielectric layers, yet their great potential for structural tunability remains largely untapped. Free of epitaxial constraints by the substrate, these freestanding membranes exhibit remarkable structural tunability, providing a unique material system to achieve huge strain gradients and pronounced flexoelectric effects.

Nickel-Doped Facet-Selective Copper Nanowires for Activating CO-to-Ethanol Electrosynthesis.

Ethanol isa promising energy vector for closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle through reversible electrochemical redox. Currently, ethanol electrosynthesissuffers from low product selectivity due to the competitive advantage of ethylene in CO/CO electroreduction. Here, a facet-selective metal-doping strategy is reported, tuning the reaction kinetics of CO reduction paths and thus enhancing the ethanol selectivity.

Fast selective edge-enhanced imaging with topological chiral lamellar superstructures.

Edge detection is a fundamental operation for feature extraction in image processing. The all-optical method has aroused growing interest owing to its ultra-fast speed, low energy consumption and parallel computation. However, current optical edge detection methods are generally limited to static devices and fixed functionality.

An Efficient Boron Source Activation Strategy for the Low-Temperature Synthesis of Boron Nitride Nanotubes.

Lowering the synthesis temperature of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is crucial for their development. The primary reason for adopting a high temperature is to enable the effective activation of high-melting-point solid boron. In this study, we developed a novel approach for efficiently activating boron by introducing alkali metal compounds into the conventional MgO-B system.

Ultrathin and Conformal Depletion Layer of Core/Shell Heterojunction Enables Efficient and Stable Acidic Water Oxidation.

Ru-based electrocatalysts hold great promise for developing affordable proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. However, the harsh acidic oxidative environment of the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) often causes undesirable overoxidation of Ru active sites and subsequent serious activity loss. Here, we present an ultrathin and conformal depletion layer attached to the Schottky heterojunction of core/shell RuCo/RuCoO that not only maximizes the availability of active sites but also improves its durability and intrinsic activity for acidic OER.

Integrating Multiple Redox-Active Units into Conductive Covalent Organic Frameworks for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The rational design of porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high conductivity and reversible redox activity is the key to improving their performance in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, we report a series of COFs (FPDC-TPA-COF, FPDC-TPB-COF, and FPDC-TPT-COF) based on an organosulfur linker, (trioxocyclohexane-triylidene)tris(dithiole-diylylidene))hexabenzaldehyde (FPDC). These COFs feature two-dimensional crystalline structures, high porosity, good conductivity, and densely packed redox-active sites, making them suitable for energy storage devices.

Regulatory Mechanisms for Transcriptional Bursting Revealed by an Event-Based Model.

Gene transcription often occurs in discrete bursts, and it can be difficult to deduce the underlying regulatory mechanisms for transcriptional bursting with limited experimental data. Here, we categorize numerous states of single eukaryotic genes and identify 6 essential transcriptional events, each comprising a series of state transitions; transcriptional bursting is characterized as a sequence of 4 events, capable of being organized in various configurations, in addition to the beginning and ending events. By associating transcriptional kinetics with mean durations and recurrence probabilities of the events, we unravel how transcriptional bursting is modulated by various regulators including transcription factors.