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The authors propose an asynchronous sublattice distortion mechanism to elucidate the complex phase transitions in HfO₂-based materials. The phase transitions among the orthorhombic, tetragonal, and monoclinic phases are governed by the orientation of the orthorhombic phase.

Ordered antihedgehog polar lattices are engineered in antiferroelectric PbZrO₃ thin films via interfacial dislocation networks. The authors reveal that these ordered topological structures originate from mismatch.

The authors prepare single-domain SrAl_11-δTiO₁₉ ferroelectric thin films with a magnetoplumbite structure through a solid-state reaction. This thin film not only exhibits high remnant polarization but also demonstrates excellent polarization retention characteristics.

Zwitterionic additives composed of a ‘soft’ organic cation and a ‘hard’ anion enable homogeneous halide cycling in aqueous halide redox flow batteries, resulting in improved cycling life and stability.

Chemical vapour deposition is used to grow stable, ultrathin crystals of α-Mo₂C and other transition metal carbides with lateral size up to 100 μm. α-Mo₂C shows a superconducting behaviour with 2D character, strongly dependent on the crystal thickness.

Aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) are a promising grid-scale energy storage technology, but the development of high-performance catholytes has been challenging. Here the researchers reveal redox-active species based on dimers of (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl that demonstrate high cycling stability, power and volumetric capacity in AORFBs.

The authors observe robust ferroelectricity, characterized by a wake-up-free effect and endurance up to 10¹² cycles, in monoclinic Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ single-crystalline films. This ferroelectric behavior originates from a polar monoclinic variant (space group Pc) stabilized by antiphase boundaries.

By engineering boundary conditions, the authors obtain the self-assembly two-order ferroelectric radial vortices in high-density BiFeO3 nanostructures. Tuning the size of the BiFeO3 nanostructures enables stabilization of other kinds of multi-order radial vortices.

WS₂ is a promising material for application in next-generation electronics, yet current methods of fabrication can only yield micrometre-sized domains. Here, via ambient-pressure CVD, the authors report the growth of high-quality, uniform monolayer WS₂single crystals of the order of millimetres.

Understanding the effect of grain boundaries on the electrical and thermal transport properties of graphene is of both fundamental and technological importance. Here, the authors fabricate graphene films with controlled grain size, and determine the scaling laws of thermal and electrical conductivities.

The ferroelectric polarization generally reduces at the domain walls. Here, the authors demonstrate that a huge enhancement (43%) of ferroelectric polarization in ε-Fe₂O₃ in the domain wall with a low bound charge density.

This study reports that incorporating non-polar nanodomains into antiferroelectrics greatly enhanced the energy density and efficiency.

Authors predict polar Bloch points with negative capacitance in tensile-strained ultrathin ferroelectric PbTiO₃ film by phase-field simulations, observing their polarization structures by scanning transmission electron microscopic imaging.

Here, the authors find that ferroelectric skyrmions can be sustained in [(PbTiO₃)₂/(SrTiO₃)₂]_m ultrathin superlattices. The period-thickness relationship of skyrmions in the ultrathin PbTiO₃ layers breaks Kittel’s law.

Incoherent interfaces usually have weak interfacial interactions and lack of unique properties. Here, Yan et al. demonstrate unexpected strong interfacial interactions and intense ultraviolet light emission at an incoherent AlN/Al₂O₃ interface.