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The electronic ground state of a correlated oxide interface is reversibly switched by light. Stemming from interfacial reconstructions, electrostatic confinement and photodoping, this effect opens a path towards engineering the optical response of oxides.

The authors find that Ag-rich nanoprecipitates with sizes up to tens of nanometers can be formed in metallic Ag/Ag₂Se composite flexible films after spark plasma sintering. Moreover, Ag-rich nanoprecipitates play a positive role in increasing the carrier concentration, enhancing the density-of-states effective mass, and mitigating carrier scattering.

This study demonstrates 3D printing of hierarchically ordered, porous transition metal oxides and nitrides directed by block copolymer self-assembly, with record surface areas and nanoconfinement-induced critical fields in the nitride superconductors

Here, the authors report that introducing βcyclodextrins (CD) as anion-receptors into Zn(OTf)2 aqueous electrolyte could significantly optimize the Zn anode SEI structure for achieving stable ZIB.

Water dissociation has proven power in tuning the behaviors of electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Here, the authors report the spontaneous water dissociation capability of the intermetallic electride LaCu_0.67Si_1.33 material that enables high rate electrosynthesis of methane from CO₂.

Supported single atoms are promising catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation, although tuning their reactivity via active site modulation remains a challenge. Here the authors introduce an Ir₁–Cu₁ dual-atom catalyst for n-butane dehydrogenation that outperforms the corresponding Ir₁ single-atom system.

Non-thermal plasma enables direct methane conversion to valuable C₂ hydrocarbons, but selectivity is hindered by C₂H₆ formation and over-dehydrogenation. Here, the authors present a shielded bifunctional nanoreactor with a hollow, mesoporous design that curbs CH₄ overactivation and enhances selective C₂H₂ and C₂H₄ production under plasma activation.

Nanoscale processes may directly impact macroscopic mechanical behaviour. Here authors describe a ‘phase-transformation strengthening’ mechanism in nickel-based high temperature alloys, allowing suppression of deleterious deformation processes at elevated temperatures by specific alloying elements.

The authors demonstrate a facile pressure-induced methodology to generate a cost-effective heterogeneous electrocatalytic metal hydride surface for sustainable hydrogen transfer.

Electrochemical hydrogen-participating processes are commonly relevant in multiple clean energy technologies. Here, authors achieve in situ quantification of H sorption kinetics during Pd-catalyzed CO₂ reduction, unravelling its key role within the interfacial network of local pH, proton donors and CO₂ molecules.

Electrocatalytic denitrification is a sustainable route for nitric oxide removal. However, transition metals consistently show low N₂ selectivity while high N₂O selectivity. Here the authors study the reaction phase diagram and kinetics over varying catalysts to understand the selectivity for NO electroreduction.

In 2001 superconductivity with a high critical temperature of 39 K was discovered in MgB₂, but efforts since then to identify other diboride-family superconductors have been mostly unsuccessful. Here, the authors report the discovery of superconductivity in pressurized WB₂, originating from the formation of metastable stacking faults and twin boundaries that exhibit a local structure resembling MgB₂.

T cell responses can be generated to either pathogen infection or from priming with a vaccine. Here the authors compare T cell generation, phenotype and single cell transcriptome of participants vaccinated with a mpox vaccine or infected with the virus showing that the virus induced T cells showed more effective function and phenotype.

One major technological obstacle for membrane-based alkaline water electrolyzer is the inefficient hydrogen evolution reaction. Here, the authors report a platinum/fullerene heterostructure catalyst, which shows enhanced activity for hydrogen production due to the diverse interface between platinum and fullerene.

Production of hydrogen by water splitting demands efficient Earth-abundant catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction. An efficient ternary pyrite-type cobalt phosphosulphide catalyst for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production is now identified.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Cheap and efficient hydrogen oxidation catalysts are needed for low cost hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, the authors report that nickel nanoparticles supported on nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes have hydrogen oxidation activity similar to platinum-group-metals in alkaline electrolyte.

Avery Paxton et al. test the effects of artificial reefs on abundance and biomass of fish on the southeastern coast of the USA. They report that deep artificial reefs are associated with high numbers and biomasses of tropical and subtropical fishes, likely caused by an increase in prey availability on artificial reefs.

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to value-added fuels and feedstocks has recently received a great deal of attention. Here, Cu nanowires that display rich surface steps are reported to sustain C₂H₄ production from CO₂ with a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency for 200 hours.

Cu-based catalysts for the conversion of C₂H₂ to C₂H₄ are plagued by side reactions. Here, Cu nanodots for C₂H₂ semihydrogenation are reported to reach current densities >400 mA cm⁻² and selectively produce polymer-grade ethylene over 130 h.

Acetylene semihydrogenation is important for polyethylene production, but the current thermocatalytic process is not free of shortcomings, such as the use of excessive hydrogen. Now, an electrocatalytic strategy is reported for selectively reducing acetylene to ethylene under ambient conditions

Heusser, Fitzpatrick and Manning use geometric models to show the idiosyncratic ways in which people preserve or distort the shapes of their experiences when they encode them into memories.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

The high-temperature tetragonal phase of HfO₂ is technologically useful but difficult to stabilize at room temperature. Here, the authors observe in real-time the transformation of a HfO₂nanorod from its room temperature to tetragonal phase, at 1000° less than its bulk temperature, suggesting that size confinement may kinetically trap this phase.

Direct dehydrogenation has been a thematic research area resulting from the energy shortage and petroleum gas upgrading scenario. Here, the authors fabricate fully exposed Pt₃ clusters and correlate dehydrogenation activity with average coordination number of Pt-Pt bond.

Sodium-based dual-ion batteries are promising electrochemical energy storage devices. Here, the authors report a source-template synthetic strategy to prepare carbon-coated MoS_1.5Te_0.5 nanocables and their use as anode active materials in Na-based dual ion cells.

The substrate-catalyst interaction plays a critical role in steering the pathway of electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Here the authors show the crystalline states of copper in reconstructed metal-organic frameworks were induced and stabilized by Ketjen Black conducting support, promoting C₂H₄ production.

In many survivors of Ebola virus infection, antibody responses show long-term patterns of decline followed by restimulation, possibly owing to recrudescence of persisting virus.

Hydrogen-rich superhydrides are promising high-temperature superconductors which have been observed only at pressures above 170 GPa. Here the authors show that CeH₉ can be synthesized at 80-100 GPa with laser heating, and is characterized by a clathrate structure with a dense 3-dimensional atomic hydrogen sublattice.