Dispersion-tunable low-loss implanted spin-wave waveguides for large magnonic networks.

Magnonic networks based on magnetic insulators are poised to revolutionize information processing due to their energy efficiency. However, current experimental realizations of spin-wave waveguides, which constitute the building blocks of such a network, suffer from limited spin-wave propagation lengths and inefficient dispersion tuning capabilities. Here we realize low-loss spin-wave waveguides in yttrium iron garnet thin films using silicon ion implantation, which creates an amorphous waveguide cladding.

Encoding hierarchical 3D architecture through inverse design of programmable bonds.

The ability to fabricate materials and devices at small scales by design has resulted in tremendous technological progress. However, the need for engineered three-dimensional (3D) nanoscale materials requires new strategies for organizing nanocomponents. Here we demonstrate an inverse design approach for the assembly of nanoparticles into hierarchically ordered 3D organizations using DNA voxels with directional, addressable bonds.

Hybrid epoxy-acrylate resins for wavelength-selective multimaterial 3D printing.

Structures in nature combine hard and soft materials in precise three-dimensional (3D) arrangements, imbuing bulk properties and functionalities that remain elusive to mimic synthetically. However, the potential for biomimetic analogues to seamlessly interface hard materials with soft interfaces has driven the demand for innovative chemistries and manufacturing approaches. Here, we report a liquid resin for rapid, high-resolution digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing of multimaterial objects with an unprecedented combination of strength, elasticity and resistance to ageing.

Sub-2-nm-droplet-driven growth of amorphous metal chalcogenides approaching the single-layer limit.

Atom-thin amorphous materials (for example, amorphous monolayer carbon) offer a designable material platform for fundamental studies of the disorder system, as well as the development of various applications. However, their growth at a single layer remains challenging since their thermodynamically favourable grains are neither two dimensional nor layered. Here we demonstrate the growth of 1-nm-thick, amorphous metal chalcogenides at a wafer scale using a nanodroplet-driven nanoribbon-to-film strategy.

Frustrated spin-1/2 chains in a correlated metal.

Electronic correlations lead to heavy quasiparticles in three-dimensional (3D) metals, and their collapse can destabilize magnetic moments. It is an open question whether there is an analogous instability in one-dimensional (1D) systems, unanswered due to the lack of metallic spin chain materials. We report neutron scattering measurements and density matrix renormalization group calculations establishing spinons in the correlated metal TiMnBi, confirming that its magnetism is 1D.

Microstructure engineering in diamond-based materials.

Diamond possesses a suite of extraordinary properties, including unparalleled hardness, excellent thermal conductivity, a wide bandgap and optical transparency. These features render it essential for a broad spectrum of scientific and industrial applications. However, the inherent brittleness and limited toughness of diamond have posed substantial barriers to broader technological integration.

Impact of spin-orbit coupling on superconductivity in rhombohedral graphene.

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) has played an important role in many topological and correlated electron materials. In graphene-based systems, SOC induced by a transition metal dichalcogenide at close proximity has been shown to drive topological states and strengthen superconductivity. However, in rhombohedral multilayer graphene, a robust platform for electron correlation and topology, superconductivity and the role of SOC remain largely unexplored.

Stiff and self-healing hydrogels by polymer entanglements in co-planar nanoconfinement.

Many biological tissues are mechanically strong and stiff but can still heal from damage. By contrast, synthetic hydrogels have not shown comparable combinations of properties, as current stiffening approaches inevitably suppress the required chain/bond dynamics for self-healing. Here we show a stiff and self-healing hydrogel with a modulus of 50 MPa and tensile strength up to 4.

Low-power 2D gate-all-around logics via epitaxial monolithic 3D integration.

Innovations in device architectures and materials promote transistor miniaturization for improved performance, energy efficiency and integration density. At foreseeable ångström nodes, a gate-all-around (GAA) field-effect transistor based on two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors would provide excellent electrostatic gate controllability to achieve ultimate power scaling and performance delivering. However, a major roadblock lies in the scalable integration of 2D GAA heterostructures with atomically smooth and conformal interfaces.

Electronically configurable microscopic metasheet robots.

Shape morphing is vital to locomotion in microscopic organisms but has been challenging to achieve in sub-millimetre robots. By overcoming obstacles associated with miniaturization, we demonstrate microscopic electronically configurable morphing metasheet robots. These metabots expand locally using a kirigami structure spanning five decades in length, from 10 nm electrochemically actuated hinges to 100 μm splaying panels making up the ~1 mm robot.

Inulin-gel-based oral immunotherapy remodels the small intestinal microbiome and suppresses food allergy.

Despite the potential of oral immunotherapy against food allergy, adverse reactions and loss of desensitization hinder its clinical uptake. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is implicated in the increasing prevalence of food allergy, which will need to be regulated to enable for an effective oral immunotherapy against food allergy. Here we report an inulin gel formulated with an allergen that normalizes the dysregulated ileal microbiota and metabolites in allergic mice, establishes allergen-specific oral tolerance and achieves robust oral immunotherapy efficacy with sustained unresponsiveness in food allergy models.

Engineered matrices reveal stiffness-mediated chemoresistance in patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by its fibrotic and stiff extracellular matrix. However, how the altered cell/extracellular-matrix signalling contributes to the PDAC tumour phenotype has been difficult to dissect. Here we design and engineer matrices that recapitulate the key hallmarks of the PDAC tumour extracellular matrix to address this knowledge gap.

Giant electron-mediated phononic nonlinearity in semiconductor-piezoelectric heterostructures.

Efficient and deterministic nonlinear phononic interactions could revolutionize classical and quantum information processing at radio frequencies in much the same way that nonlinear photonic interactions have at optical frequencies. Here we show that in the important class of phononic materials that are piezoelectric, deterministic nonlinear phononic interactions can be enhanced by orders of magnitude via the heterogeneous integration of high-mobility semiconductor materials. To this end, a lithium niobate and indium gallium arsenide heterostructure is utilized to produce the most efficient three- and four-wave phononic mixing to date, to the best of our knowledge.

Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.

Electrode arrays that interface with peripheral nerves are used in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders; however, they require complex placement surgeries that carry a high risk of nerve injury. Here we leverage recent advances in soft robotic actuators and flexible electronics to develop highly conformable nerve cuffs that combine electrochemically driven conducting-polymer-based soft actuators with low-impedance microelectrodes. Driven with applied voltages as small as a few hundreds of millivolts, these cuffs allow active grasping or wrapping around delicate nerves.

Photochemical tuning of dynamic defects for high-performance atomically dispersed catalysts.

Developing active and stable atomically dispersed catalysts is challenging because of weak non-specific interactions between catalytically active metal atoms and supports. Here we demonstrate a general method for synthesizing atomically dispersed catalysts via photochemical defect tuning for controlling oxygen-vacancy dynamics, which can induce specific metal-support interactions. The developed synthesis method offers metal-dynamically stabilized atomic catalysts, and it can be applied to reducible metal oxides, including TiO, ZnO and CeO, containing various catalytically active transition metals, including Pt, Ir and Cu.

eSoil: A low-power bioelectronic growth scaffold that enhances crop seedling growth.

Active hydroponic substrates that stimulate on demand the plant growth have not been demonstrated so far. Here, we developed the eSoil, a low-power bioelectronic growth scaffold that can provide electrical stimulation to the plants' root system and growth environment in hydroponics settings. eSoil's active material is an organic mixed ionic electronic conductor while its main structural component is cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer.

Percolation-induced gel-gel phase separation in a dilute polymer network.

Cosmic large-scale structures, animal flocks and living tissues can be considered non-equilibrium organized systems created by dissipative processes. Replicating such properties in artificial systems is still difficult. Herein we report a dissipative network formation process in a dilute polymer-water mixture that leads to percolation-induced gel-gel phase separation.

Improving lithium-ion cells by replacing polyethylene terephthalate jellyroll tape.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tape is widely used by well-known lithium-ion battery manufacturers to prevent electrode stacks from unwinding during assembly. PET tape is selected since it has suitable mechanical and electrical properties, but its chemical stability has been largely overlooked. In the absence of effective electrolyte additives, PET can depolymerize into its monomer dimethyl terephthalate, which is an unwanted redox shuttle that induces substantial self-discharge in a lithium-ion cell.

Self-healing of fractured diamond.

Materials that possess the ability to self-heal cracks at room temperature, akin to living organisms, are highly sought after. However, achieving crack self-healing in inorganic materials, particularly with covalent bonds, presents a great challenge and often necessitates high temperatures and considerable atomic diffusion. Here we conducted a quantitative evaluation of the room-temperature self-healing behaviour of a fractured nanotwinned diamond composite, revealing that the self-healing properties of the composite stem from both the formation of nanoscale diamond osteoblasts comprising sp- and sp-hybridized carbon atoms at the fractured surfaces, and the atomic interaction transition from repulsion to attraction when the two fractured surfaces come into close proximity.

Liquid-activated quantum emission from pristine hexagonal boron nitride for nanofluidic sensing.

Liquids confined down to the atomic scale can show radically new properties. However, only indirect and ensemble measurements operate in such extreme confinement, calling for novel optical approaches that enable direct imaging at the molecular level. Here we harness fluorescence originating from single-photon emitters at the surface of hexagonal boron nitride for molecular imaging and sensing in nanometrically confined liquids.

Harnessing dislocation motion using an electric field.

Dislocation motion, an important mechanism underlying crystal plasticity, is critical for the hardening, processing and application of a wide range of structural and functional materials. For decades, the movement of dislocations has been widely observed in crystalline solids under mechanical loading. However, the goal of manipulating dislocation motion via a non-mechanical field alone remains elusive.