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Controlled dislocation self-assembly is demonstrated in discontinuous-columnar Bi(Fe,Mn)O₃ thin film. Guiding dislocations along grain boundaries tailors polarization homogeneity, revealing a microstructure-driven design principle for ferroelectrics.

Exemplified by Bi_0.4Sb_1.6Te₃, the authors reveal the reason for low thermal conductivity induced by compositional inhomogeneity lies in randomly aligned edge dislocations induced by random composition distribution.

Vaginal infections influence about 75% of adult women worldwide each year. Here, the authors report a strategy to treat vaginal infection by restoring the homeostasis of the vaginal mucosal barrier through in situ formation of a living-synthetic therapeutic coating.

An approach that integrates electrochemical CO₂ reduction and biological denitrification provides a new solution for nitrogen removal, where the formate obtained from CO₂ is used directly as the carbon source in the denitrification process in wastewater treatment.

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.

Electrochromic smart windows and rechargeable batteries need external power sources to operate. Here, Sun et al.present a bi-functional device consisting of Prussian blue and aluminium electrodes, which shows potential applications in both self-powered smart windows and self-rechargeable batteries.

Neural mechanisms underlying circadian photoentrainment are not fully understood. Using in vivo two-photon imaging with a GRIN lens, this study reveals a dynamic bi-stable circuit in the suprachiasmatic nucleus that regulates light-driven circadian clock shifts, providing insight into mechanisms of circadian photoentrainment.

Excessive antimicrobial use can increase the threat of antimicrobial resistance; however, how such use is embedded in global trade is still unclear. Authors here estimate global livestock antimicrobial footprints through global supply chains to better understand and manage antimicrobial use.

Urban heat islands and rising cooling demands highlight the need for sustainable nature-based solutions. A meta-analysis of 373 studies shows nature-based solutions cut daytime temperatures by 2.04 °C and cooling loads by 1.32%, with green infrastructure being the most effective across most climates.

A 10-year follow-up study of the HPV-16/18 bivalent vaccine shows that vaccination alters the natural history of high-risk HPV types, resulting in reduced HPV-16/18 infections while HPV-52 infections persist with decreased clearance and increased progression. The study shows that vaccinated populations have distinct HPV epidemiological profiles, indicating that current cervical cancer screening algorithms may be suboptimal.

A large range of inert and non-defective sites in catalysts is a primary factor impeding catalyst activity in acidic CO₂ electroreduction. Here, the authors achieve high HCOOH selectivity and activity in acidic electrolyte by introducing tensile strain to activate inert sites.

A nanobody was identified that targets the N-terminal fragment of the adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor ADGRG2, allosterically enhances activation by the natural agonist dehydroepiandrosterone and restores signaling in mutant receptors.

Simultaneous control of the direction and polarization of quantum emission using photonic nanostructures is a long-standing challenge in photonics. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate unidirectional chiral emission from a twisted bilayer metasurface with multi-dimensional control.

The role of RNA-binding protein (RBP) phase separation in transcriptional regulation and its contribution to tumorigenesis remains to be characterised. Here, the authors show that RBP AKAP95 physically co-condenses with the mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) translocated fragment commonly found in MLL rearranged (MLLr) leukemia to promote leukemogenesis.

MaizeCODE maps active regulatory regions tied to maize domestication traits in a diverse panel of tissues and inbreds. It reveals bi-directional enhancer RNAs and the molecular conflicts between activity and silencing of non-coding regions.

Magnetically doped topological insulators may exhibit exotic transport phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect, however the underlying mechanisms of ferromagnetic order are currently debated. Here, the authors reveal stabilized ferromagnetism in Cr-doped (Sb,Bi)₂Te₃ mediated by Te and Sb p-hole carriers.

Fermi arcs show unpredictable diffraction features resulting from their long-range scattering order in aperiodic systems. Here, authors continuously twist a bi-block Weyl meta-crystal and experimentally observe the twisted Fermi arc reconstruction.

While the conversion of CO₂ to high-value products provides a promising means to remove and utilize atmospheric carbon, few materials can do so without wasteful, sacrificial reagents. Here, authors prepare single-atom Co on Bi₃O₄Br nanosheets as CO₂ reduction catalysts using water and light.

A soft robotic probe enables continuous in utero monitoring of fetal physiological parameters, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, temperature and electrocardiogram data, during open or fetoscopic surgery to provide real-time information on fetal condition and distress.

In most ferroelectric materials, the domain walls are of neutral type due to the high electrostatic energy cost for charged domain walls. Here, the authors observe abundant charged 180° domain walls in elemental ferroelectric Bi monolayer.

This work mines extreme mechanical properties in 2D truss metamaterials via an architecture design method and a large database. Main findings include extreme Young’s modulus, a wide range of Poisson’s ratio, extreme bi-mode, and mechanical isomerism.

The utilization of Mg₃(Sb,Bi)₂ in thermoelectric devices is hindered by its low performance near room temperature. Here, authors report thermoelectric performance enhancement of Mg₃(Sb,Bi)₂ within a wide temperature range by incorporating metallic inclusions at grain boundaries. (279 in total)

Melting and squeezing pure metals between two sapphires covered in molybdenum disulfide produces diverse two-dimensional metals at the ångström thickness limit.

The efficiency of perovskite/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ tandem solar cells is limited by halide segregation in the perovskite layer. Zhang et al. use 2-pyrrolidinone to slow the crystallization of halide intermediates, ensuring a homogeneous distribution and achieving a power conversion efficiency of 27.3%.

Enhancing utilization of single atoms is crucial but challenging in electrocatalysis. Here, the authors present a surfactant-assisted freezecasting method to optimize nanocarbon micro- and macrostructures, achieving near-100% site utilization and enhancing single-atom catalyst performance.

Negative thermal expansion—contraction upon heating—is an unusual process that may be exploited to produce materials with zero or other controlled thermal expansion values. Azumaet al. observe negative thermal expansion in BiNiO₃which is a result of Bi/Ni charge-transfer transitions.

The authors present a decoherent parallel direct laser writing (Dc-PDLW) strategy that combines a patterned single pulse with a de-coherent hologram algorithm to achieve 300 nm (~λ/4) resolution in crystal, enabling centimeter-scale 3D phase plates and dense 3D phase coding.

In this study, an unassisted photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction system is implemented, which demonstrated 100 h of operational durability and achieved a 12% solar-to-liquid fuel conversion efficiency under 1-sun illumination.

Thermoelectric materials could reduce energy losses by converting waste heat from various processes into electricity. To cater to the needs of wearable devices, the authors design Bi₂Te₃-based thin films that show both excellent thermoelectric performance and long-sought flexibility.

A cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of brainstem structures identify 713 associations. It reveals shared/distinct genetic architectures across ancestries/substructures and overlaps with neuropsychiatric disorders and physiological functions.

The efficiency of selenium photovoltaics is hindered by the poor crystallization of the Se film. Wen, Li, Lu and colleagues use light to initiate Se crystallization, suppressing dewetting and enabling the formation of a continuous film, which achieves a certified efficiency of 10.3%.

Fast reendothelialisation of vascular grafts is important for maintain patency. Here, the authors report on a vascular graft that regenerates the neo-adventitia with lymphatic endothelial cells, which increases the recruitment of circulatory progenitor cells, achieving 90% patency in small-diameter arterial grafts.

The authors demonstrate that a cell’s external environment can physically control its genes. Osmotic pressure alters intranuclear crowding, shifting the equilibrium of proteins binding to dCas9-SunTag complex and thereby regulating gene expression.

Early vertebrates, particularly myllokunmingids, possessed four camera-type eyes (a pair of lateral eyes and pineal and parapineal organs), which indicates that these structures functioned in image formation, in support of the hypothesis that the four camera-type eyes represent an ancestral vertebrate trait.

The growth of stanene on bismuth telluride has been achieved using molecular beam epitaxy. Photoemission spectroscopy and theoretical calculations are used to investigate the effects of the substrate on the electronic properties of the Sn layers.

DEAD-box helicase 6 (DDX6), the regulator of P-body assembly, is essential for the survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Here the authors report that DDX6 undergoes phase separation to preserve mRNA subsets in P-bodies, promoting branched-chain amino acid metabolism and chemoresistance in AML.

Long term stability is a major barrier for the commercialization of halide perovskite solar cells. Here Wu et al. demonstrate that a chemically inert and structural impermeability bismuth electrode interlayer greatly increases the stability of unencapsulated perovskite solar cells under harsh conditions.

A short peptide derived from a commensal-fungal-secreted protein promotes repair in models of colon epithelial damage when delivered directly or via probiotic microbes.

Pressure induced charge amorphisation realised in the structurally crystalline material BiNiO₃ at low temperature, provides fundamental approaches to the study of amorphisation with charge states rather than atoms or molecules.

Triboelectric nanogenerators have shown promising potential towards self-powered wearable electronics and devices. Here, authors introduce topological insulators to enrich the current triboelectric family of materials and sensing technologies.

Developing photocatalysts from earth-abundant materials is crucial for sustainable solar hydrogen production, yet challenges in efficiency and stability persist. Here, the authors report that the topological semimetal cobalt triarsenide functions as an active and durable platform for this reaction.

The synthesis of Ag⁺/Mo⁴⁺/Ln³⁺ co-doped double perovskite has yielded exceptional optical properties, including broadband excitation and highly efficient NIR luminescence. These advances demonstrate promise for versatile photoelectric applications and provide critical insights into optimizing lanthanide absorption by two-step enhancement strategy.

Authors use a high-entropy engineering approach to produce fully amorphous BiTO films by exfoliation and annealing, creating crystalline regions, leading to flexible ceramics with dielectric properties.

Tunability of ferroelectric domain structure is significant in ferroelectric materials. Here, the authors present in-plane ferroelectricity in 2D Bi₂TeO₅ in which the ferroelectric domain size and shape can be continuously tuned by the Bi/Te ratio.

The authors find multiple topological transitions and a composite topological phase by two mutually exclusive topological orders, strong topological order and high-order topological order, in a quasi-1D system.

HOM formation from a same VOC can vary by over a factor of three depending on chemical conditions. A RO₂ oxidation fraction concept explains this variability and cautions against directly applying lab yields to the atmosphere.

The long-term stability of perovskite solar cells remains a critical challenge for the commercialization of the technology. Here, the authors adopt a non-noble metal/metal oxide/polymer multiple-barrier to suppress device degradation, achieving long-term stability in encapsulated p-i-n devices.

The technological development requires the future advanced combustion engines be designed to operate at low temperature. Here, the authors show that partially oxide Pt-[O]_x-Bi interface catalyzes CO oxidation at ~ 50 °C via providing moderate CO adsorption and activating CO molecules with electron transformation.

Stable electrochemical reduction to formate is still challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate a redox-modulation and active-site stabilization strategy for CO₂ to formate conversion over 100 days of continuous operation at 100 mA/cm² with a cathodic energy efficiency of 70%.