Large language models are very effective at solving general tasks, but can also be useful in materials design and extracting and using information from the scientific literature and unstructured corpora. In the domain of alloy design and manufacturing, they can expedite the materials design process and enable the inclusion of holistic criteria.

Thin-film solar cells are promising for providing cost-effective and reliable power in space, especially in multi-junction applications. To enhance efficiency, robustness and integration, advancements at the cell level must be combined with improvements in assembly and panel design. Ensuring that solar cells can provide sustained performance is also essential for minimizing space debris.

An article in Nature Communications presents an adaptable and scalable approach to synthesize high-entropy single-atom nanocage catalysts for efficient ammonia electrosynthesis.

An article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society reports porous photocatalytic nanowires that extract record amounts of uranium from seawater, a step closer to tapping the ocean’s vast uranium reserves for nuclear energy.

An article in Nature reports the observation of giant terahertz magnetoelectric oscillations in a van der Waals multiferroic and presents a theoretical model that elucidates their origin.

An article in Science Robotics presents a high-energy-density, picolitre-sized battery.

In her memoir Human Rights and Peace, a Personal Odyssey, Zafra Lerman, an Israeli-American chemist and science diplomat, recounts her remarkable life.

An article in Nature presents a polymeric thermoelectric material with a figure of merit of 1.28.

An article in Nature Materials describes the bioprinting of hydrogel force sensors directly into the tissues of live embryos to quantify the mechanical forces driving morphogenesis.

An article in Science presents a sustainable biomass-derived material for efficient passive radiative cooling.

An article in Nature Communications presents a synthetic biodegradable void-forming hydrogel that supports in vitro formation of 3D networks from human primary cells for bone-on-a-chip applications.

Thanks to improved control of device fabrication and an expanding characterization toolbox, moiré materials stay in the spotlight as we discover more about the unique phenomena they realize.

An article in Nature Communications reports the identification of two non-volatile spin textures in twisted double-bilayer CrI3, which can be switched by a magnetic field and read out via electrical measurements.

A paper in the Journal of Applied Physics reports a way to apply strain to two-dimensional devices while measuring simultaneously their electrical and optical properties.

An article in Advanced Materials shows that the moiré superlattice in a ferromagnetic heterostructure comprising a twisted WS2/WS2 bilayer enhances the spin–orbit torque efficiency and increases its gate tunability.

More than 40 years after the discovery of the quantum Hall effect, the investigation of new variants of this phenomenon and of the exotic physics they represent is still a lively research topic. In this Viewpoint, five scientists involved in the very recent discovery of a new type of Hall effect — the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect — discuss their results and their implications.

An article in Science presents the design of a hydrogel with n-type semiconducting properties.

Developing circuits for flexible and stretchable devices demands not only high performance but also reliable and predictable components, such as organic thin-film transistors. High-throughput characterization is required to build reliable structure–property relationships, which are critical for the commercialization of new materials.

An article in Nature Energy reports an epitaxial entropy-assisted oxide coating strategy to suppress the propagation of structural fatigue in ultrahigh-Ni cathodes while maintaining desired ion transport capacity.

An article in Nature Communications describes a straightforward strategy to synthesize chemically recyclable polytrithiocarbonates with diverse structures.

An article in Nature Communications presents a method for the nanoscale integration of metal atoms with elastomeric chains, leading to stretchable conductors that are environmentally resilient.

An article in Nature describes regular, modular protein building blocks that can be combined — following a standard blueprint — into a variety of architectures.

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLBs) using inorganic solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) have attracted extensive scientific and commercial interest owing to their potential to provide higher energy density and safety than conventional Li-ion batteries. These batteries are subject to external pressure during both their manufacturing processes (fabrication pressure) and their operation (stack pressure)

An article in Advanced Materials presents a drug delivery platform for cancer chemotherapy that is activated by radiation.

An article in Nature Materials reports the use of a co-doping strategy to produce a Cu2Se-based superionic material that has a figure of merit of 3 at 1,050 K, an efficiency of over 13% when integrated into a thermoelectric module and good operational stability.