Physical sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The direct C−H-difluoromethylation of pyridines represents a highly efficient economic way to access azines. However, the direct meta-difluoromethylation of pyridines remains elusive. Here, the authors demonstrate switchable meta- as well as para-C−H difluoromethylation of pyridines through radical processes by using oxazino pyridine intermediates.

    • Pengwei Xu
    • , Zhe Wang
    •  & Armido Studer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stretchable phosphorescent materials have potential in applications such as wearable electronics, but achieving a suitable balance of emission and stretchability is challenging. Here, the authors report the use of microphase separation to show stretchability with emission lifetimes maintained.

    • Nan Gan
    • , Xin Zou
    •  & Wei Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many natural products exist as families of structurally similar molecules, and therefore developing skeletal modifications of common intermediates offers flexible and powerful approaches for target synthesis. Here, the authors report a single-atom insertion into the framework of the benzenoid subfamily, providing access to the troponoid congeners.

    • Stefan Wiesler
    • , Goh Sennari
    •  & Richmond Sarpong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Controlling multiple stereogenic centers in a single molecular scaffold represents a challenge for current switchable asymmetric catalysts. Here, the authors achieve asymmetric stereodivergency by means of a switchable supramolecular helical catalyst allowing all stereoisomers to be obtained with high and similar enantioselectivities.

    • Ran Chen
    • , Ahmad Hammoud
    •  & Matthieu Raynal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    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.

    • Alexia Stollmann
    • , Jose Garcia-Guirado
    •  & Romain Quidant

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detecting tipping points and predicting extreme events from data remains a challenging problem in complex systems related to climate, ecology and finance. The authors propose a data-driven approach to estimate probabilities of rare events in complex systems, and detect tipping points/catastrophic shifts.

    • Gianluca Fabiani
    • , Nikolaos Evangelou
    •  & Ioannis G. Kevrekidis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Probabilistic bits (p-bits) are the base units of probabilistic computing, a computing scheme offering a more efficient approach than conventional binary logic in various applications. Here, the authors report the realization of a p-bit core device by combining stochastic magnetic tunnel junctions and 2D MoS2 transistors on the same chip.

    • John Daniel
    • , Zheng Sun
    •  & Joerg Appenzeller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Efficient organic light-emitting diodes require a multilayer architecture to confine charge recombination to the emissive layer. Here, authors demonstrate efficient single-layer devices for emitters with imbalanced charge transport without the need of additional charge transport or blocking layers.

    • Xiao Tan
    • , Dehai Dou
    •  & Gert-Jan A. H. Wetzelaer

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    Aqueous zinc batteries are currently being explored as potential alternatives to non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries. In this comment, the authors highlight zinc’s global supply chain resilience and lower material costs yet caution about its higher mass requirement for comparable charge storage.

    • Alessandro Innocenti
    • , Dominic Bresser
    •  & Stefano Passerini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The direct alkenylation with simple alkenes stands out as the most ideal yet challenging strategy for obtaining high-valued desaturated alkanes. Herein, the authors present a direct asymmetric dehydrogenative α-C(sp3)-H alkenylation of carbonyls based on synergistic photoredox-cobalt-chiral primary amine catalysis under visible light.

    • Zongbin Jia
    • , Liang Cheng
    •  & Sanzhong Luo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct recycling of critical battery materials bring promise but a challenge for the mixed cathode chemistries. Here, the authors report a sustainable upcycling approach, transforming degraded LiFePO4 and Mn-rich cathodes into a high-voltage polyanionic material with an increased energy density and economic value.

    • Guanjun Ji
    • , Di Tang
    •  & Hui-Ming Cheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The relationship between the structural configurations of M-N-C electrocatalysts and their performances in neutral environments has been insufficiently investigated. Here the authors demonstrate that an ultralow metal-loaded Co-N-C electrocatalyst, featuring the asymmetric Co-C/N/O configuration, exhibit exceptional efficiency in electrochemically producing hydrogen peroxide under neutral conditions.

    • Longxiang Liu
    • , Liqun Kang
    •  & Guanjie He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antiferromagnetic spintronics offer high speed operations, and reduced issues with stray fields compared to ferromagnetic systems, however, antiferromagnets are typically more challenging to manipulate electrically. Here, Yang, Kim, and coauthors demonstrate electrical control of magnon dispersion and frequency in an α-Fe2O3/Pt heterostructure.

    • Dongsheng Yang
    • , Taeheon Kim
    •  & Hyunsoo Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Extending magnetic nanostructures into three dimensions offers a vast increase in potential functionalities, but this typically comes at the expense of ease of fabrication and measurement. Here, Dion et al. demonstrate an approach to creating three dimensional magnetic nanostructures while retaining easy fabrication and readout of established two dimensional approaches.

    • Troy Dion
    • , Kilian D. Stenning
    •  & Jack C. Gartside

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lead toxification in society is a public health crisis. The exposure to lead poisoning gives rise to a multitude of health issues. In this work, a chip-scale photonic platform that enables the highly quantitative detection of lead is demonstrated.

    • Luigi Ranno
    • , Yong Zen Tan
    •  & Jia Xu Brian Sia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Visualising the structure of museum objects is a crucial step in understanding the origin, state, and composition of cultural heritage artifacts. Here the authors present an approach for creating computed tomography reconstructions using only standard 2D radiography equipment already available in most larger museums.

    • Francien G. Bossema
    • , Willem Jan Palenstijn
    •  & K. Joost Batenburg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The laser pulses that drive most laser wakefield accelerators have wavelengths near 1 micrometer and peak power > 100 terawatts. Here, the authors drive plasma wakes with 10 micrometer, 2-terawatt pulses, yielding relativistic electron beams with a collimated, narrow-energy-bandwidth component.

    • R. Zgadzaj
    • , J. Welch
    •  & M. C. Downer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In recent years a growing demand for drug design approaches that incorporate a higher number of sp3-hybridized carbons fuelled the development of innovative cross-coupling strategies to reliably introduce aliphatic fragments. Here, the authors present a powerful approach for the light-mediated B-alkyl Suzuki−Miyaura crosscoupling between alkyl boranes and aryl bromides.

    • Ting Wan
    • , Luca Capaldo
    •  & Timothy Noël

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The preparation of atom-thick lattices with Å-scale pores is desirable for achieving ion selectivity and high ion flux. Here authors present a cm-scale membrane made of atom-thick graphene film hosting zero-dimensional pores spanning only a few Å, repaired using an in situ electrochemical strategy, yielding high Li+/Mg2+ separation performance.

    • Zongyao Zhou
    • , Kangning Zhao
    •  & Kumar Varoon Agrawal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the role of coherent structures in the dynamics of turbulent flows is of high relevance for fluid dynamics, climate systems, and aerodynamics. The authors propose a deep learning approach to evaluate the importance of various types of coherent structure in the flow, to uncover main mechanisms of wall-bounded turbulence and develop techniques for its control.

    • Andrés Cremades
    • , Sergio Hoyas
    •  & Ricardo Vinuesa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Color centers in diamond have been proposed as a link between remote superconducting units in hybrid quantum systems, where their orbital degree of freedom is utilized. Here the authors report coherent electric-field control of the orbital state of a neutral NV center in diamond.

    • Hodaka Kurokawa
    • , Keidai Wakamatsu
    •  & Hideo Kosaka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate a wafer-scale, low-temperature process using atomic layer deposition, for the synthesis of uniform, conformal amorphous boron nitride (aBN) thin films. They further fabricate aBN-encapsulated monolayer MoS2 field-effect transistors.

    • Cindy Y. Chen
    • , Zheng Sun
    •  & Joshua A. Robinson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors have developed a superconducting microwave frequency comb that is fully integrated, easy to manufacture, and operates with ultra-low power consumption, and could significantly advance microwave photonics and quantum processor integration.

    • Chen-Guang Wang
    • , Wuyue Xu
    •  & Peiheng Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    By mimicking the strong adhesive locomotion ability of snails, the authors present a sliding suction method to allow robots to climb with high adhesive force and low energy consumption up walls and on ceilings.

    • Tianqi Yue
    • , Hermes Bloomfield-Gadêlha
    •  & Jonathan Rossiter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tuning the instabilities of 2D materials can control their wrinkling behavior for interesting physical properties, but still challenging. Here, the authors report a push-to-shear experimental approach to control the wrinkling patterns of monolayer 2D materials and measure their bending stiffness.

    • Yuan Hou
    • , Jingzhuo Zhou
    •  & Yang Lu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A field-programmable radio frequency surface (FPRFS) is proposed that can implement arbitrary antennas and impedance matching networks. An asymmetric excitation scheme is demonstrated to ensure radiation efficiency independent of the number of FPRFS switches.

    • Tianzhi Li
    • , Yang Yu
    •  & Efstratios Skafidas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oxidative damage to intracellular membrane proteins is critical to cells. Here, the authors use a water-oxidizing photocatalyst, generating ∙OH even under hypoxia, to show that membrane-specific protein oxidation triggers pyroptosis via non-canonical inflammasomes.

    • Chaiheon Lee
    • , Mingyu Park
    •  & Tae-Hyuk Kwon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bristleworms possess dedicated cells that can synthesize highly stereotypical bristles with sub-micrometric precision. Here, Ikeda and colleagues shed light on the underlying dynamics of cellular protrusions, revealing an extension-disassembly cycle that resembles a 3D printer.

    • Kyojiro N. Ikeda
    • , Ilya Belevich
    •  & Florian Raible

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As demand for organ transplants exceeds availability there has been an unmet need to extend preservation of deceased donor kidneys. Here, the authors show that a cell-free nutrient-supplemented perfusate allows 4-day preservation of human kidneys using spatially resolved lipidomics and metabolomics.

    • Marlon J. A. de Haan
    • , Marleen E. Jacobs
    •  & Ton J. Rabelink

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    Roll-to-Roll (R2R) coating is a technology that potentially enhances throughput, reduces costs, and accommodates flexible substrates for fabricating various types of solar cells and modules. Here, authors discuss the R2R revolution to tackle the industrial leap for perovskite photovoltaic devices.

    • Ershad Parvazian
    •  & Trystan Watson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Carbon nanotube-based single photon emitters allow for room-temperature operation, but suffer from vanishing indistinguishability due to strong dephasing. Following a theoretical proposal, the authors tackle the problem experimentally by using a cavity to enhance the photon coherence time and the emission spectral density in the regime of incoherent good cavity-coupling.

    • Lukas Husel
    • , Julian Trapp
    •  & Alexander Högele

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here Pantazopoulos, Feist, García-Vidal, and Kamra explore the combination spin, phonon and photon coupling in a system of magnetic nanoparticles, and find that it leads to an emergent spin-spin interaction. This interaction is long-range and leads to an unconventional form of magnetism that can exhibit strong magnetization at temperatures very close to the critical temperature.

    • Petros Andreas Pantazopoulos
    • , Johannes Feist
    •  & Akashdeep Kamra

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inspired by fireflies, a bimodal information indication system using a photochemical afterglow material within a photonic crystal matrix is developed to display both static and changing information, such as sample type and degree of degradation.

    • Hanwen Huang
    • , Jiamiao Yin
    •  & Changchun Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Damaging energy bursts in a tokamak are a major obstacle to achieving stable high-fusion performance. Here, the authors demonstrate the use of adaptive and machine-learning control to optimize the 3D magnetic field to prevent edge bursts and maximize fusion performance in two different fusion devices, DIII-D and KSTAR.

    • S. K. Kim
    • , R. Shousha
    •  & E. Kolemen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The coupling between topological electronic properties and magnetic order offers a promising route for magnetoelectric control with great potential for both applications and fundamental physics. Here, Susilo et al demonstrate the rich tunability of magnetic properties in nodal-line magnetic semiconductor Mn3Si2Te6 using pressure as control knob.

    • Resta A. Susilo
    • , Chang Il Kwon
    •  & Jun Sung Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface acoustic wave devices enable modern electronics and are desirable for quantum systems. Here the authors access and control these devices optically, enabling high acoustic quality factors, materials spectroscopy, and hybrid quantum systems.

    • Arjun Iyer
    • , Yadav P. Kandel
    •  & William H. Renninger

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