The optical response of natural materials is constrained by crystal symmetry, limiting the design of reconfigurable nanophotonic devices. Here we demonstrate the electrically programmable symmetry breaking of phonon polaritons via non-Hermitian dissipation engineering. In a heterostructure composed of α-MoO3 and aligned carbon nanotubes (A-CNTs), we identify the A-CNT layer as an anisotropic dissipative medium. Driven by overdamped carrier dynamics, the nanotubes preclude polariton hybridization, exerting a proximity-induced resistive coupling instead. Thus, the A-CNT layer operates as a tunable momentum-space loss filter that selectively attenuates propagation along specific crystallographic directions. By electrostatically gating the A-CNTs to regulate their Drude loss, we achieve the continuous and reversible tuning of the polariton topology with transitions from symmetric hyperbolas to asymmetric shear wavefronts. Unlike refractive-index engineering that requires strict wavevector matching, this dissipative filtering mechanism allows for topology shaping without coherent hybridization, establishing dissipation as a programmable degree of freedom in topological nanophotonics and non-Hermitian device physics. Reversible tuning of polariton topology in α-MoO3/aligned carbon nanotube heterostructures is achieved through gate-tunable anisotropic dissipation, with the aligned carbon nanotube layer operating as a momentum-space loss filter.
One of the most enduring problems in dense H2O ice has been the experimental realization of the pressure-induced symmetry breaking of cubic ice X to an orthorhombic crystal structure. Here, through diamond anvil cell experiments combined with synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy techniques, we demonstrate that post-symmetrization, the crystal structure of ice X continuously distorts with pressure. Subjecting ice to pressures in excess of 308(5) GPa, we observe a first-order phase transition to ice XXII, consistent with the long-predicted phase possessing an orthorhombic crystal structure with Pbcm symmetry. We find that ice XXII is stable to pressures of at least 340(5) GPa. The crystal structure of ice X is observed to distort under extreme pressure at room temperature before transforming to ice XXII, the most dense H2O polymorph experimentally observed.
Lattice vibrations carrying angular momentum, known as chiral phonons, offer a route to couple lattice, electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom, but their deterministic control has remained elusive. Here we demonstrate reversible electric-field switching of phonon angular momentum in the technologically relevant ferroelectric BaTiO3. Using circularly dichroic resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, we directly resolve phonon chirality via angular momentum transfer between circularly polarized X-rays and the lattice. We observe a momentum-dependent dichroic response that switches with ferroelectric polarization, establishing a robust and non-volatile gyroelectric effect. The measured dichroism is in quantitative agreement with first-principles calculations. These results establish phonon angular momentum as an electrically controllable degree of freedom and provide a pathway towards phonon-based information and energy technologies. Electric-field switching of g-wave phonon chirality in ferroelectric BaTiO3 membranes is demonstrated using circularly dichroic resonant inelastic X-ray scattering.
Regulation of electron- or hole-selective interfacial properties has traditionally relied on extrinsic chemical doping. Here we report a structurally driven strategy for modulating carrier-selective electronic characteristics through the organic-cation-induced reconfiguration of lead iodide octahedral connectivity. Two closely related imidazoline-based cations, which differ by only a single heteroatom, drive the formation of one-dimensional organic lead triiodide phases with distinct octahedral-sharing patterns. Single-crystal analysis combined with theoretical calculations reveals that the variation in connectivity reshapes orbital coupling, leading to pronounced changes in the work function and absolute band-edge positions that give rise to distinct carrier-selective interfacial behaviour without the introduction of extrinsic dopants. Leveraging this structural reconfiguration-induced electronic modulation, we realize complementary charge-selective contacts in perovskite solar cells, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 27.61% (certified steady-state 27.19%), together with excellent operational stability and scalability, including 22.26% efficiency in 655-cm2 modules.
Tin halide perovskites (THPs) offer narrower bandgaps and improved environmental safety compared with the widely studied lead-based perovskites, but their air sensitivity has hindered their progress and demands new material design to enable their practical applications. Here we report stable and efficient 2D/3D tin perovskite solar cells enabled by new ultrastable 2D and quasi-2D THPs based on the 4-chloro-phenethylammonium (4ClPEA) cation. The stronger π-stacking interactions and tighter interlayer packing in (4ClPEA)2SnI4 among (4XPEA)2SnI4 structures (X = H, F, Cl, Br) substantially impede oxygen and water diffusion, enabling superior air and moisture stability and bright photoluminescence lasting several months in ambient air. The addition of 4ClPEA markedly improves 2D/3D THP film crystallinity and orientation, leading to 16.2% efficient 2D/3D THP solar cells that show prolonged storage stability and operational stability at 55 °C surpassing 1,000 h. This study establishes a new strategy for designing stable and efficient THPs towards their practical applications.
Moiré twisting breaks the inherent symmetry of crystal structures, providing a promising method for tuning emergent quantum phenomena and physical properties in layered materials. Here we demonstrate that moiré twisting can also be harnessed to effectively enhance the tensile plasticity of bulk layered van der Waals crystals. We show that interlayer moiré twisting, spanning a broad range of twist angles commensurate with the crystal's translational symmetry, can be controllably introduced through simple off-axis compression in ternary bulk layered van der Waals crystals. It facilitates efficient stress relaxation under mechanical loading with a further increase in the moiré twist angles and enables a substantial increase by up to 360% in room-temperature macroscopic tensile ductility, reaching 30% tensile strain along the a-b plane. Moreover, moiré twisting occurs only between layers and, thus, negligibly affects the in-plane electronic properties. By establishing tunable moiré twisting as an effective mechanism for plastic deformation, this work provides a broadly applicable strategy for enhancing tensile ductility in bulk layered materials.
Beyond enabling new optical behaviours, metamaterials influence our thinking of wave–matter interactions in science and engineering.
Single-crystalline polymers with remarkable long-range order and charge carrier mobilities are fabricated by regulating solution-state aggregates and assembly pathways.
The demand for materials combining high strength with exceptional thermal conductivity is growing across aerospace, automotive, thermal management and energy applications. Graphene offers an ideal building block, but multiscale defects such as disordered stacking and voids prevent macroscopic assemblies from realizing its intrinsic properties. Here we show that ultrahigh-ratio draw spinning, enabled by the polymer-like viscoelasticity of two-dimensional sheets in viscous solvents, produces graphene fibres with a tensile strength of 5.9 GPa, a Young modulus of 963 GPa, a thermal conductivity of up to 1,720 W m-1 K-1 and an electrical conductivity of 1.3 MS m-1. A high-ratio draw spinning up to 11, combined with high-temperature annealing, efficiently removes defects and produces densely packed, highly ordered graphene fibres. These properties surpass most existing strong and thermally conductive fibres. This work provides a versatile route for assembling two-dimensional materials into high-performance macroscopic structures and expands opportunities for multifunctional materials.
The materials sector in Europe is renowned for its research excellence but scale-up and industrialization of materials is less successful. The 2026 Advanced Materials Act is an opportunity to structurally reposition Europe in the global materials economy.
Nano-optics aims to understand and control the propagation of light at the nanoscale through the excitation of surface polaritons: hybrid light-matter quasiparticles. Recently, twisted van der Waals materials have enabled unprecedented phonon polariton propagations, such as canalization. However, nano-optics still presents an important limitation: obtaining polariton propagations on demand. Here we combine deep neural networks with twisted polaritonic multilayers to enable on-demand design of phonon polariton propagation. We demonstrate canalization, bicanalization and tricanalization in twisted α-MoO3 homostructures over previously unexplored frequencies (600-800 cm-1). We illustrate the practical potential of our method by achieving a desired polariton propagation in an existing α-MoO3 bilayer by adding an extra α-MoO3 layer. Finally, we extend our neural networks to a variety of other materials, allowing us to predict canalization from the visible to the terahertz regime. Our deep-learning-based approach offers considerable potential for advancing nanophotonic applications in areas such as sensing or thermal management.
The discovery of high-critical-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity near 80 K in bilayer nickelates under high pressure has sparked extensive studies. Whereas superconductivity exceeding 40 K was subsequently discovered at ambient pressure in compressively strained films, the relationship between ambient- and high-pressure regimes remains an open question. Here we present a systematic investigation of superconductivity in compressively strained La2LnNi2O7 films (where Ln is a lanthanide) at ambient and high pressures. The normal-state resistivity at ambient pressure, revealed by suppressing the superconductivity with magnetic fields of 59 T, tends towards T2 behaviour. Under high pressure in a cubic anvil cell, Tc was enhanced from 41-42 K at ambient pressure to 67-73 K at 16 GPa. On the other hand, lattice compression induced by Ln substitution, which may mimic the effects of pressure, lowers Tc. In both cases, Tc correlates with the evolution of normal-state transport between T2 and T-linear behaviour, offering insight into the interplay between lattice structure and superconductivity in bilayer nickelates.
Three-dimensional DNA origami nanocarriers with surface-patterned antigens exhibit enhanced mucosal retention and trigger potent, localized respiratory immunity against respiratory syncytial virus.
Vision sensors are central to machine vision and intelligence. However, conventional planar devices rely on multielement optics and external processors to correct optical aberrations. This approach constrains miniaturization, reduces power efficiency and generally limits the field of view. Curved sensors can provide compact, aberration-corrected imaging, but their resolution has been below practicable levels. Here we present a bioinspired bionic eye system based on a hemispherical tandem artificial retina. This high curvature image sensor achieves a pixel density of 1,905 ppi with 367,500 total pixels, providing full-colour imaging across 300-800 nm and an aberration-corrected field of view exceeding 160°. Furthermore, the tandem design enables in-sensor, event-driven motion detection. Compared with frame-based imaging, this approach reduces the demand for bandwidth by over 99.95% and achieves a motion recognition accuracy of 98.6%. This work addresses the resolution bottleneck of hemispherical sensors and highlights their promise as compact, multifunctional vision applications.
The chemical doping of organic semiconductors with molecular dopants is crucial for high-performance organic electronic devices. Chemically stable dopants are commonly used, enabling electron transfer until a thermodynamic equilibrium is reached, which then terminates the doping process. Here we demonstrate that using p-dopants that chemically degrade after electron transfer via their radical anion can increase the hole densities in the semiconductor host by up to two orders of magnitude. In this degradation-assisted doping mechanism, the electron affinity of the doping agent only enables a limited amount of charge transfer. Subsequent dopant degradation effectively removes its products from co-defining the thermodynamic equilibrium and, thus, allows the doping reaction to persist. We demonstrate that the prototypical Lewis acid tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (B(C6F5)3) exemplifies degradation-assisted doping, and provide the theoretical framework for this doping strategy offering new avenues for optimizing charge carrier densities in organic semiconductors.
The clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy requires scalable, non-invasive strategies for in vivo T cell engineering. Although mRNA delivery offers a promising alternative, lipid-nanoparticle-based carriers show limited efficiency for in vivo T cell transfection and typically require antibody conjugation. Here we report an inherent T cell-activating polymer-lipid nanoparticle that enables ligand-free, efficient mRNA transfection and activation of T cells in vivo. This mRNA delivery vehicle, composed of p-toluenesulfonyl arginine (RT)-modified oligoethylenimine-based lipid nanoparticles (ERTLNPs), preferentially mediated mRNA transfection in the spleen following systemic administration. Without exogenous stimulation, ERTLNPs intrinsically activated T cells, triggering robust mRNA expression and proliferation. Mechanistically, ERTLNPs engaged the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling axis to reprogram T cell metabolism, promoting expansion and restraining exhaustion. The systemic delivery of mRNA encoding fibroblast activation protein CAR via ERTLNPs contributed to the in situ generation of functional CAR T cells, which efficiently eliminated pathological fibroblasts in models of cancer and fibrosis, with minimal off-target effects. This ligand-free, metabolically reprogramming mRNA delivery system provides a clinically translatable approach for in vivo CAR T cell generation.
The precise control of surface and near-surface atomic kinetics produces environmentally stable p-type two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors at wafer scale, providing a pathway for the manufacture of scalable 2D complementary electronics.
The application of a magnetic field to a Mn(Bi,Sb)2Te4 alloy induces concurrent magnetic and topological phase transitions, giving rise to unexpectedly strong circular dichroism in the infrared range.
Densely packed emulsions compartmentalized by droplet interface bilayers enable high-throughput production and printing of biomimetic synthetic tissues.
Magnetic-field-resilient granular aluminium mediates nonlinear interactions in a microwave cavity–magnon system, enabling tripartite entanglement with implications for quantum transduction and detection.
