Volume 10 Issue 9, September 2025

An article in Nature Communications reports a polymer coating with oil-repellent properties comparable to that of short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but featuring single perfluorocarbon groups rather than longer and more toxic fluorocarbon chains.

An article in Nature Sustainability reports a strategy that improves the sustainability of ammonia recovery compared with conventional methods.

High-entropy nanomaterials are characterized by the incorporation of five or more principal elements in nearly equal proportions. This Review highlights how different synthetic methods for these nanomaterials can facilitate control of phase and particle size and shape for applications such as catalysis.

Rigid wearable and implantable bioelectronic devices present mechanical mismatches with soft biological tissues that limit their applicability. This Review systematically outlines materials and integration strategies for soft bioelectronic devices that overcome this mismatch and have the potential to enable continuous health monitoring, therapeutic interventions and closed-loop healthcare.

Hidden orders involve phase transitions without obvious order parameters, challenging experimental detection and conventional theories. This Review summarizes recent advances in modelling hidden-order phases in correlated insulators, highlighting the role of material-specific theories in the interpretation and prediction of the experimental signatures of hidden orders.

Advancing high-performance rechargeable batteries requires a deep understanding of the complex relationships among material composition, structure and property. This Perspective highlights the emerging role of ionic potential, defined as the charge-to-radius ratio of an ion, in guiding the design and optimization of battery materials.