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Attosecond interferometry measurements of photoionization delays in planar carbon-based molecules can provide information on the dimension and shape of the two-dimensional hole generated in the process.

It is important but challenging to oxidize methane by O₂ into methanol under ambient conditions. Here, the authors achieved mild oxidation of methane into methanol over Au single atoms on black phosphorus nanosheets with the help of water under light irradiation.

Non-equilibrium ultrafast processes in graphene entail relaxation pathways involving electron–electron and electron–phonon scattering events. Here, the authors probe graphene optical phonons at high electronic temperatures by means of Raman spectroscopy under pulsed excitation

Nonlinear optical properties of metal-organic framework can be tuned for potential optical applications. Here the authors demonstrate an enhancement the nonlinear absorption coefficient of MOF film by applying external electric field.

Two monolayers of bismuth-containing cuprate will form a high-temperature topological superconductor when stacked with an approximately 45° rotation between the layers.

Angular-resolved photoemission data is commonly used to determine the 3D electronic structure assuming free-electron final states. Strocov et al. show that even at high excitation energies the complexity of final states in various materials can go far beyond the free-electron picture.

Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) is a ubiquitous co factor for diverse enzymes, among them aspartate aminotransferase. Here the authors use neutron crystallography, which allows the visualization of the positions of hydrogen atoms, and computation to characterize the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme.

Designing high performing low-cost nanomaterials for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains challenging. Here, the authors report a volcano-shape correlation between HER activity and cobalt atomic configuration in single-atom doped CoSe2-DETA (DETA = diethylenetriamine) nanobelts toward achieving high performance.

Heusler alloy thin films with a distorted tetragonal structure have potential spintronics applications given their bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Here, the authors demonstrate large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Mn₃Ge thin films accompanied by negative tunnelling magnetoresistance.

Group IV–VI materials often exist in a state near an electronic or structural phase transition. Here, the authors use ultrafast X-ray scattering to show that coupling of band-edge electrons and phonons causes the ferroelectric instability observed in lead telluride.

In the superconductor Sr2RuO4, in-plane strain is known to enhance both the superconducting transition temperature Tc and upper critical field Hc2, but the effect of out-of-plane strain has not been studied. Here, the authors find that Hc2 is enhanced under out-of-plane strain, but Tc unexpectedly decreases.

The A-cation influence on the mechanism of slow hot carrier cooling in perovskites is controversial. Here, Man et al. resolve a debated issue regarding A-cation influence on the electronic structure of lead halide perovskites.

Molybdenum disulphide has been predicted to undergo an electronic phase transition, but experimental evidence for this is limited. Here, the authors observe a high-pressure semiconducting-to-metallic transition in molybdenum disulphide at 19 GPa, and quantify changes in electronic, vibrational, optical and structural properties.

Faceted nanoparticles with high-index planes exposed usually bear promising material functionalities. Here, the authors directly observe the coarsening and facet regulation process of tetrahexahedra Pt nanoparticles by using in-situ gas-phase TEM.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ) deficient haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) demonstrate increased engraftment following transplantation. Here the authors identify a small molecule inhibitor of PTPσ that promotes murine and human haematopoietic stem cell regeneration via induction of the RAC pathway and BCL-X_L.

Matter at extremely high density and pressure behaves differently than at ambient conditions. Here the authors use first-principles calculations to show the existence of interspecies radiative and dipole-forbidden transitions in warm and superdense plasma mixture of iron and zinc.

Removal of SO₂ from flue gas is of prime importance to avoid its poisoning of CO₂-seperating agents. Here, the authors demonstrate that two fluorinated metal–organic frameworks selectively remove SO₂ from synthetic flue gas and can sense SO₂ with p.p.m.-level detection using quartz crystal microbalance transducers.

Ultrahigh-resolution resonant inelastic X-ray scattering shows how dispersive charge density wave excitations influence the charge and lattice degrees of freedom in a high-T_c cuprate, pointing to a connection to the mysterious pseudogap state.

Nanonization of battery electrode particles is a usual way to enhance their conductivity, but the decreased tap density is detrimental to battery performance. Here, the authors coat micron-sized lithium iron phosphate with a conducting polymer layer and demonstrate some excellent electrochemical properties.

Many-body interactions in solids offer opportunities to realize striking physical properties. Here the authors demonstrate the formation of plasmonic polarons in Eu_1-xGd _x O and their tunability with charge carrier doping, providing a route to tailoring quantum many-body interactions in solid.

Reversing the thermal induced sintering phenomenon and forming high temperature stable fine dispersed metallic centers is one of the ever-lasting targets in heterogeneous catalysis. Here the authors report the dispersion of metallic Ni particles into under-coordinated two-dimensional Ni clusters over γ-Mo₂N.

It is known that chloride anions cause severe anode corrosion during seawater electrolysis. Here we found that bromide in seawater is even more harmful to Ni-based anodes, causing the spalling of the catalyst layer and the formation of shallow-wide pits on the substrate, leading to performance degradation.

Recent work has demonstrated controlled fabrication of single carbon defect spins in the two-dimensional material WS₂. Here, the authors use ab initio methods to determine the electronic and optical properties of this defect, establishing it as a viable qubit candidate operating close to the telecom band.

It has been suggested that it might be possible to induce superconductivity in graphene by increasing the electron–phonon coupling through doping. A systematic ARPES study conducted by Fedorov et al.finds that all donor atoms induce an unexpected vibrational mode, with the strongest generated by calcium.

As the International Year of the Periodic Table came to an end in 2019, the authors reflect on the chemistry and physics that drive the periodic table of the elements. This includes aspects of periodic trends, relativistic electronic-structure theory, nuclear-structure theory and the astrophysical origin of the elements.

Migdal-Eliashberg theory is a method for describing conventional superconductors. Here, the authors present an implementation that goes beyond the widely used constant density of states approximation by accommodating scattering processes beyond the Fermi surface, and they show its importance in two classes of near room temperature superhydrides.

Zhong et al report sodium-promoted metallic Ru nanoparticles for the direct production of olefins from syngas with ultrahigh carbon efficiency where the total selectivity of undesired CH₄ and CO₂ is suppressed to only 5% for over 500 hours on stream.

The design and assembly of nanostructures exhibiting ferromagnetic hysteresis at room temperature are recognized goals for high-density data storage. Here, the authors engineer nanostructures with atomically sharp bimetallic interfaces and interlines, which exhibit large magnetic anisotropy and high temperature hysteresis.

Noble metal nanoparticles are used for applications in optics, catalysis, sensing and others. Here the authors study the crystal structures of silver and gold-silver intermetallic nanoparticles stabilized by thiol ligand layers, helping to understand the relationship between their structure and properties.

The design of receptors for the selective capture of F⁻ is important because of the potential toxicity of this anion. Now, a telluronium borane has been shown to form a very stable fluoride chelate complex. The stability of the complex can be correlated to the Lewis acidity of the telluronium centre.

A large 'magnetoresistance' signal is observed in a system that combines a carbon nanotube as the channel for spin-polarized current with electrodes made from manganite, and shows that spin-polarized electrons are efficiently injected from manganite to nanotube and also efficiently transported through the nanotube channel.

The technological application of ultrafast terahertz magnons in itinerant ferromagnetic nanostructures is currently limited by magnon relaxation due to Landau damping. Here, Qin et al. demonstrate suppressed Landau damping and enhanced magnon lifetimes in ultrathin films of Fe–Pd alloy.