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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.

Characterization of plasma membrane proteins is important in understanding fundamental biological processes and developing new drugs, but their separation remains a challenge. Now, a synthetic receptor–ligand pair based on ferrocene derivatives and cucurbit[7]uril is shown to have exceptionally high binding affinity, and enables membrane proteins to be isolated efficiently without any contamination from naturally biotinylated molecules.

Monolithic 3D integration of electronics based on fully 2D materials is demonstrated in the performance of artificial intelligence tasks.

A challenge in making a flexible mold stamp using roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography is to increase area while minimizing perceptible seams. Here, based on Fourier spectral analysis of moiré patterns resulting from superposed identical patterns, a method that enables the fabrication of scalable, quasi-seamless functional surfaces without the use of alignment marks is proposed.

Ion migration has a detrimental effect on the performance and stability of halide perovskite optoelectronics. Here, the authors incorporated a small dosage of high-valence neodymium cation to suppress this, with a minimal impact on the lattice microstrain.

We report full-colour, vertically stacked µLEDs that achieve exceptionally high array density (5,100 pixels per inch) and small size (4 µm) via a 2D material-based layer transfer technique, allowing the creation of full-colour µLED displays for augmented and virtual reality.

Virtual memory T cells have antimicrobial functions but whether they can contribute to inflammatory pathology is unclear. Here the authors show that a subset of CD8⁺ T cells that originates from virtual memory T cells upon cytokine stimulation can drive the chronic inflammatory disease alopecia areata via innate-like cytotoxic effector functions.

Geometric confinement on arbitrary substrates promotes, without epitaxial seeding, the layer-by-layer growth of two-dimensional single-crystal monolayers and bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides.

The stability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is limited by the degradation of the cathode catalyst during repetitive start-up/shut-down events — a parasitic oxygen reduction reaction on the anode causes an instantaneous potential jump at the cathode. The issue is now addressed by selectively suppressing the oxygen reduction reaction on the anode by exploiting the metal–insulator transition behaviour of Pt/H_xWO₃ catalysts.

The spontaneous relaxation of misfit strain achieved on graphene-coated substrates enables the growth of heteroepitaxial single-crystalline films with reduced dislocation density.

Two distinct valleys in the electronic band structure of graphene provide an additional degree of freedom that could be exploited for devices. Conservation of this valley symmetry can now be seen in the quantized conductance of graphene nanoribbons.

Mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) into the circulation is essential for maintaining homeostasis. Here, the authors show that Phc2 in bone marrow stromal cells represses the cell adhesion molecule Vcam1 and facilitates mobilization of HSPCs through regulation of epigenetic marks.

A universal mechanical exfoliation method of creating freestanding membranes of complex-oxide materials with different crystal structures and orientations and stacking them to produce a range of artificial heterostructures with hybridized physical properties is described.

By using optoelectronic device arrays for chip-to-chip communication and neuromorphic cores based on memristor crossbar arrays for highly parallel data processing, reconfigurable and stackable hetero-integrated chips can be created for use in edge computing applications.

Multiple alternating layers of two-dimensional materials and epilayers are grown on III–N and III–V substrates in a single growth run. Then, each epilayer is harvested by mechanical exfoliation, producing multiple freestanding membranes from a single wafer.

Multilayer h-BN films are highly desired for various applications in 2D nanoelectronics. Here, the authors demonstrate the synthesis of large-area and high-quality multi-layer h-BN films on Fe foil with high 2D material performance.

Defective grain boundaries of polycrystalline perovskite films are one of the major causes of the instability of the solar cell devices. Here Han et al. choose a polymer with proper molecular structure to crosslink the perovskite grains to greatly improve the device stability.

Hyun Kum and colleagues report on the heterogeneous integration of high-k single-crystalline strontium titanium oxide within gallium nitride high-electron-mobility transistors. As the dielectric material is epitaxially grown and transferred, they achieve low defect density between the gate oxide and transistor heterostructures.

By replacing conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) anodes with high-work-function, low-sheet-resistance graphene anodes, researchers demonstrate flexible fluorescent organic LEDs with extremely high luminous efficiencies of 37.2 lm W^–1 for fluorescent devices and 102.7 lm W^–1 for phosphorescent devices. These values are significantly higher than those of optimized organic LEDs based on ITO anodes.

The fabrication of composite microfibres with tunable topography and chemical composition is now possible with a microfluidic method that mimics the fibre-spinning process of spiders. The method allows for the synthesis of a variety of structurally and spatially coded fibres for multiple applications, such as directional water harvesting and the co-culture of encapsulated cells.

Tissue engineering applications call for controllable micro-structural units as a platform, but their fabrication remains challenging. Here, Jeong et al. show a method that enables soft materials to self-organize into highly packed micro-honeycomb structures with aspect ratios up to 500, and tunable shapes.

Skin-nerve crosstalk is a major element of skin physiological pathology. Here the authors report a 3D innervated epidermal keratinocyte layer as a sensory neuron-epidermal keratinocyte coculture model on a microfluidic chip using the slope-based air-liquid interfacing culture and spatial compartmentalization.

A microchannel made from InSb, which has current–voltage characteristics that are strongly dependent on the sign and magnitude of an applied magnetic field, is used to demonstrate that circuits made from such structures can be programmed — and reprogrammed — to perform elementary logic functions, such as AND, OR, NAND and NOR.

Despite recent progress in the production of bendable thin-film transistors, their development is limited by leakage currents and fragile inorganic oxides. Combining graphene and single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes with a geometrically wrinkled inorganic layer, highly stretchable and transparent field-effect transistors have now been demonstrated.

ABL Bio’s first-in-class bispecific antibodies for Parkinson’s disease combine unprecedented blood–brain barrier penetration with a robust mechanism of action for improved therapeutic efficacy. The company is looking for partners to codevelop or out-license bispecific antibodies able to penetrate the blood–brain barrier.

Remote atomic interaction of crystalline materials through 2D materials is presented to depend on the polarity of both the 2D interlayers and underlying substrates, providing insights for the epitaxial growth of various materials on 2D crystals.

The main cell types involved in autism spectrum disorders through elevated protein synthesis are not well identified. Here, the authors show that overexpression of translation initiation factor eIF4E in microglia results in autism-like behaviour in male, but not female, mice.

The integration of flexible electronics with conventional devices has been hampered by the lack of suitable soldering techniques able to withstand stretching. Jeonget al. use a porous substrate to fabricate biocompatible, stretchable electronics that can be interfaced with commercial components.

Grain boundaries can degrade the performance of electronic devices made from single atomic layers of transition metal dichalcogenides. Here, the authors combine transport measurements and transmission electron microscopy to find a correlation between field-effect mobility and grain misorientation angle.

Black phosphorus p-type field-effect switching was previously demonstrated, but type control has proven difficult. Here, the authors create n-type black phosphorus Schottky field-effect transistors in which the polarity is controlled via contact-metal engineering and changing the flake thickness.

Pine Island Glacier terminates in a rapidly melting ice shelf and ocean conditions are believed to influence its contribution to sea level rise. Here, the authors show that variability in these ocean conditions is driven by a combination of changes in ocean circulation and local surface heat fluxes.

Aligned arrays of single-crystalline monolayer TMD nanoribbons with high aspect ratios, as well as their lateral heterostructures, are realized, with the growth directed by the ledges on the β-Ga₂O₃ substrate. This approach provides an epitaxy platform for advanced electronics applications of TMD nanoribbons.

Materials exhibiting a Berry curvature (BC) show potential for optoelectronics, but, finite BC dipoles have so far only been shown in small-gap materials. Here in semiconducting tin telluride monolayers a ferroelectrically driven BC dipole is shown to be used to control charge and spin photocurrents.

Chemical doping is a viable strategy to tune the electrical properties of pristine graphene, but suffers from stability issues. Here, the authors develop a macromolecular chemical doping approach that makes use of polymeric acid and provides high stability.

Epitaxy on nanopatterned graphene enables the realization of a broad spectrum of freestanding single-crystalline membranes with substantially reduced defects.