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Silicon-based anodes are a promising alternative to the graphite anodes that are widely used in today’s commercial batteries. Here the authors report a synthesis route for silicon anodes consisting of subnanometre-sized particles and demonstrate their use in an unusual large-scale battery pack system.

Multiscale design principles and empirical processing techniques are considered for the design of high-energy-density Li-based batteries using polymer electrolytes. Here, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by assembling and testing ampere-hour-level solid-state lithium-based pouch cells.

There is growing interest in designing electrolytes to enable Li-metal batteries. Here the authors show that asymmetric solvents improve lithium redox kinetics and achieve long cycle life in anode-free cells under electric vertical take-off and landing conditions, demonstrating potential for future high-power applications.

Biosensing tools to detect multiple analytes in a high-throughput manner are still hindered by many limitations. Here, the authors present a label-free optofluidic platform integrating digital holography and microfluidics for analyte detection, allowing for the fingerprinting of heterogenous biological samples.

Zinc–air batteries are viewed as a sustainable storage technology, but their commercialization requires a genuine performance leap forwards from the laboratory scale. Here the authors report a cell-level design and demonstrate an ampere-hour pouch cell with exceptionally high energy density and cycle lifespan.

Binders employed in battery electrodes are conventionally neutral linear polymers. Here, authors present a cationic semi-interpenetrating polymer network binder to regulate electrostatic phenomena, improving the properties and performance of high-capacity positive electrodes for Li metal batteries.

Lithium-metal batteries offer high energy density but are prone to thermal runaway due to reactive lithium and flammable electrolytes. Research now reports a thermoresponsive electrolyte that rapidly solidifies near the separator’s melting point, forming a protective scaffold that prevents short circuits while allowing normal operation.

The development of high energy lithium metal batteries is affected by the mass loading of the cathode. Here, the authors report a lithium metal pouch cell with a cathode capacity of 12 mAh cm-2. The positive electrode is prepared by applying UV-curable gel electrolyte as a processing solvent.

Current lithium-ion battery cathode production relies on toxic solvents, raising another environmental concern. Here, authors present a kosmotropic aqueous processing solution, enabling sustainable, cost-effective cathode production while preserving commercial electrochemical performance.

Inorganic–organic hybrid dye-sensitized solar cells featuring a perovskite compound as a light harvester and a polymer as a hole transporter provide an open-circuit voltage of almost 1 V and a power conversion efficiency of 12% under standard illumination conditions.

Doil Choi and colleagues report the genome sequence of the hot pepper, Capsicum annuum, as well as the resequencing of two cultivated peppers and a wild species, Capsicum chinense. Comparative genomic analysis across Solanaceae provides insights into genome expansion, pungency, ripening and disease resistance in hot peppers.

A gold-embedded oxide interlayer can be used to create metal–interlayer–semiconductor contacts for two-dimensional materials that exhibit low series resistance and Fermi level depinning.

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.

Here, authors identify mechanical shutdown of separators as an overlooked contributor to Si full cell degradation. A high modulus separator prevents pore collapse from Si expansion, improving capacity retention and providing insights to enhance Si full cell performance.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell death mechanism that is emerging as a target for cancer therapy. Here, the authors find that lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 modulates ferroptosis resistance by controlling phospholipid metabolism.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) characterizes a spectrum of liver disorders initiated by hepatic lipid accumulation associated with metabolic syndrome. Here, the authors generate a mouse model that recapitulates the main histopathologic, transcriptomics, and metabolic alterations observed in MASLD patients.

Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) regulates several cellular processes, including apoptosis, and is overexpressed in several cancer types. Here, the authors report that high levels of TCTP are associated with poor response to anti-PD-L1 and that TCTP targeting increases the efficacy of T cell-mediated anti-tumor therapy.

Constructing atomically flat surface in a single crystal ultrathin film is difficult owing to the coherent merging of trillions of clusters. Here the authors establish the initial growth mechanism of a single crystal Cu thin film with atomically flat surface using atomic sputtering epitaxy.

Colloidal semiconductor core-shell nanocrystals are sought after for photonic applications. Here, the authors report coherent heteroepitaxial growth of Ag(In,Ga)S₂ core-shell nanocrystals with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield across almost the full visible range.

Calcium flux must be carefully controlled during the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells (efferocytosis), although how this occurs is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that the Cereblon E3 ligase regulates Orai1 degradation and subsequently SOCE-mediated calcium influx.

Most of the cell penetrating peptides can transport therapeutic agents across plasma membranes but barely across the blood-brain barrier. Here the authors develop a peptide that can enter the brain, and show that its fusion to immunomodulatory protein ctCTLA-4 is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Structural deformation can modify the optical properties of quantum dots. Here, the author report strain-graded CdSe-ZnSe quantum dots, allowing for spectrally stable and pure emission of photons at accelerated rates with near unity luminescence efficiency.

Photoconvertible proteins occupy two color channels thereby limiting multicolour localisation microscopy applications. Here the authors present UnaG, a new green-to-dark photoswitching fluorescent protein for super-resolution imaging, whose activation is based on a noncovalent binding with bilirubin.

Using magnetic tweezers, Choi et al. revealed the asymmetric folding pathway of GLUT3, a human glucose transporter, suggesting the active effect of cells in helping glucose transporters overcome folding challenges when forming channels for sugar molecules.