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A universal approach to construct low-resistance oxide layer by multiple tunnelling paths is proposed for efficient and durable Si-based photocathode. This approach can speed up the pace of development of practical photoelectrochemical devices.

The authors report the discovery of charge order with onset temperature of 800 K in the kagome superconductor YRu₃Si₂. In addition, they observe time-reversal symmetry breaking below 25 K, field-induced magnetism below 90 K and bulk multi-gap superconductivity below 3.4 K.

Preparation of a pure Si₄₆ framework in the clathrate-I structure is a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate the stepwise Ba evacuation process and observe a guest-free Si₄₆ framework from Ba_8-xSi₄₆ using atomic-scale STEM imaging during in-situ heating.

The electronic behaviour of complex oxides such as LaNiO₃ depends on many intrinsic and extrinsic factors, making it challenging to identify microscopic mechanisms. Here the authors demonstrate the influence of oxygen vacancies on the thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition of LaNiO₃ films.

The authors perform heating experiments using femtosecond X-ray free electron laser pulses to explore the phase stability of superionic H₂O. The absence of a face-centered cubic phase below 50 GPa, where superionic ice forms from the melt, is attributed to the short heating time and may help understanding the stability of superionic phases in ice-rich planets.

Optical spin orientation of itinerant ferromagnets in twisted MoTe₂ homobilayers is demonstrated, enabling control of topological Chern numbers with circularly polarized light.

Melting ice and associated sea-level change will expose new land in Antarctica. Here the authors quantify this change and combine it with our understanding of known Antarctic mineral occurrences, showing that substantial mineral deposits may become accessible over the next few centuries in Antarctica.

This study introduces P3T-Net, a pseudo-3D deep learning model that enables accurate and efficient cross-domain transfer of large 3D material images, improving image quality and ensuring image consistency across diverse imaging conditions.

The authors report an in-situ x-ray diffraction study of pressure and strain-induced phase transformations in silicon, an essential electronic material. They observe several different plastic strain-induced transformation phenomena which may inspire practical applications.

The integration of oxide nanoelectronics with silicon platforms is a necessary step for the fabrication of ultrahigh-density devices. Here, the authors grow a LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃interface directly on silicon, and show the reversible creation of a two-dimensional electron gas confined within nanowires located on the surface.

Native crystallographic defects are often introduced during synthesis of battery materials, but has been overlooked. Here, using in situ synchrotron X-ray probes and electron microscopy, the authors have revealed their adverse effect during battery operation.

Low effective doping of boron limits the performance of solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Liu et al. show that light induces the diffusion of hydrogen atoms, which activates boron doping, enabling a power conversion efficiency of over 25%.

Crystallographic theory suggests austenite-twinned martensite interfaces at specific orientations, but this is not the case for Si-I → Si-II phase transformation. Here the authors show the classically forbidden microstructure by combined experiments, simulations and crystallographic theory.

Nickel(II) dihalide precatalysts with bidentate nitrogen ligands are widely used in cross-coupling reactions, notably in combination with photosensitizers, forming catalytic systems that currently drive major conceptual and synthetic thrusts within organic chemistry. Here the authors show a general mechanism by which these precatalysts are converted to the reduced, catalytically active species, using a range of characterization and spectroscopic techniques.

Mechanical recycling of incompatible mixed plastics is challenging, as it often downcycles plastics into brittle materials. Here the authors develop a multi-arm topological universal dynamic crosslinker platform to enable mechanical upcycling of incompatible mixed plastics.

Mechanical degradation is an undesired behaviour for battery electrode materials such as lithiated silicon. Here, the authors performin situnanomechanical experiments and atomistic modelling to reveal the damage tolerance of electrochemically lithiated silicon.

Semi-metallic single crystals of antimony can be deposited using molecular beam epitaxy on molybdenum disulfide to create ohmic contacts with resistance of under 100 Ω µm at a contact length of 18 nm.

Zeolites are porous aluminosilicate molecular sieves with uniform pores of molecular dimensions that have a wide range of applications. Here authors use machine learning to guide zeolite synthesis and predict the structure and properties of faujasite zeolites from synthesis conditions.

The realization of high-performance flexible perovskite/crystalline-silicon tandem solar cells requires efficient photocarrier transport and mitigation of residual stress. Here, authors reveal the critical role of perovskite phase homogeneity, achieving flexible devices with efficiency of 29.88%.

The authors measure electric and magnetic noise, an important source of decoherence for quantum devices, on hole spin qubit devices in quantum wells in Ge/SiGe heterostructures, revealing a reduced charge noise on devices fabricated on Ge wafers.

Constructing valid super-resolution intact genome 3D structures from single-cell Hi-C data is essential in investigating chromosome folding. Here the authors develop a method that makes it possible to visualize and investigate chromosome folding in individual cells at the genome scale

An in situ-grown layer of SiO_xN_y contributes to passivating surface defects in inverted organic solar cells, enabling power conversion efficiency of up to 18.49% and an estimated device lifespan of over 16 years.

Optically generated microwaves offer exceptionally low noise, crucial for radar and communications. Here, authors demonstrate a compact photonic chip-based interleaver multiplying pulse rates of mode-locked lasers to 14 GHz, significantly enhancing microwave power and reducing phase noise.

The hydrogenation of CO₂ into valuable chemicals is greatly demanded, but suffers from complex product distribution. Here, the authors reported that, as a support and ligand, silica boosts cobalt catalysts to selectively hydrogenate CO₂ into the desired methanol product.

Protein motion in crowded environments governs cellular transport and reaction rates. Here, the authors use megahertz X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy to reveal anomalous diffusion of ferritin, linking hydrodynamic and direct interactions to cage-trapping at microsecond time scales.

Xue et al. report self-powered photoelectrochemical photodetectors based on CuOx decorated AlGaN nanowires with staggered energy band structure. High-energy photons can be absorbed by CuOx to trigger the multiexciton generation effect, enabling an external quantum efficiency of 131.5% at 255 nm.

A transverse Peierls transition can occur when transverse acoustic phonons couple with conducting p-orbital electrons. Here, the authors observe an incommensurate transverse Peierls transition and signatures of a chiral charge density wave in EuAl₄.

Thermal stability remains a key challenge for organic photovoltaics. Qin et al. now propose a strategy that stabilizes multiple components of the devices, enhancing their resilience under damp heat and thermal cycling conditions.

Experiments under upper-tropospheric conditions map the chemical formation of isoprene oxygenated organic molecules (important molecules for new particle formation) and reveal that relative radical ratios control their composition

Examples of materials with non-trivial band topology in the presence of strong electron correlations are rare. Now it is shown that quantum fluctuations near a quantum phase transition can promote topological phases in a heavy-fermion compound.

Van der Waals materials of the MB₂T₄ family (M = transition metal or rare-earth metal, B = Bi or Sb, T = Te, Se, or S) have attracted interest for their magnetic and topological properties, but their direct synthesis into 2D form remains challenging. Here the authors report a flux-assisted, phase-controlled growth strategy to directly grow six magnetic 2D MB₂T₄ crystals.

Bennu comprises components of intra- and extra-Solar System origins. The parent bodies of Bennu, Ryugu and CI chondrites likely formed from a shared but heterogeneous reservoir in the outer parts of the solar protoplanetary disk.

The STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory demonstrates evidence of spin correlations in \(\Lambda \bar{\Lambda }\) hyperon pairs inherited from virtual spin-correlated strange quark–antiquark pairs during QCD confinement.

A biocompatible and biodegradable mesostructured form of silicon is used to make lipid-bilayer-supported bioelectric interfaces that can optically modulate the electrophysiology of single dorsal root ganglia neurons.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful technique that can identify the presence of certain atoms in a sample by their magnetic properties. Müller et al.now take this concept to its ultimate limit by measuring individual nuclear spins near the surface of diamond.

The interfacing of graphene with a semiconductor creates a Schottky junction, with the formation of ripples on graphene being common. Here, the authors experimentally quantify spatial fluctuations in Schottky barrier height and the effect that ripples have.

Zhang et al. show that YAP binds to TDP-43 to promote TDP-43 multimerization and phase separation. YAP and TDP-43 may co-localize in multiple cell types in oxidative stress and in brain samples from individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Zinc-ion batteries face challenges like dendrite formation, limiting their performance. Here, authors reveal that high-current deposition forms (002) textured Zn, enhancing cycling life, and propose guidelines for optimizing battery cycling protocols based on advanced in situ XRD analysis.

Zero thermal expansion materials play an increasingly important role in modern high-precision applications, but they are relatively scarce. Here, the authors achieve an isotropic zero thermal expansion with a very high toughness by manipulating chemical partitioning in chemically complex alloys.

Engineered polar nanoclusters in tin-doped barium titanate thin films enable microwave tunability of ~74% at 6 GHz under low bias, offering a strategy to achieve high tunability with minimal dielectric loss for microwave communication.

Spin-orbit torques, arising in systems with strong spin-orbit interactions, have been a major avenue of research for the potential electric control of magnetization. Recently, unconventional spin-orbit torques, with spin polarizations aligned in atypical ways have garnered interest due to the numerous advantages offered compared to their conventional counterparts. Here, Xue et al investigate ‘type-x’ spin-orbit torque switching, demonstrating both unique spin polarizations, and field-free magnetization switching in Platinum/Cobalt multilayers.

There has been a recent interest in control of magnetism via ionic transport. The appeal of such magneto-ionic control lies in its extent, non-volatility and potential energy-efficiency, however, the number of systems showing such behaviour is limited. Here, Tan, Ma, and coauthors demonstrate magneto-ionic control through Carbon transport.

Through the sonochemical exfoliation of grown black phosphorus crystals, high-quality, narrow and clean black phosphorus nanoribbons with smooth edges and defined edge chirality are achieved, enabling the realization of high-performance transistors and photodetectors.

Resonant X-ray excitation of the  ⁴⁵Sc nuclear isomeric state was achieved by irradiation of a Sc-metal foil with 12.4-keV photon pulses from a state-of-the-art X-ray free-electron laser, allowing a high-precision determination of the transition energy.

This study demonstrates how CO₂ directs defect control during the synthesis of Mn-rich sodium layered oxides, improving the stability and performance of earth-abundant positive electrode materials in non-aqueous sodium-based rechargeable batteries.

Traditional methods for tuning the dimensions of organic electronic device structures often rely on cumbersome processes with limited resolution. Here, the authors report ultraviolet irradiation in ambient conditions for tuning structural parameters for organic small molecule hole transport layers.

Anderson localization of light in AlGaN–GaN nanowires is exploited to fabricate ultraviolet laser arrays with a lasing threshold of only a few tens of amperes per centimetre squared at cryogenic temperature.