Featured
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Obituary |
Allen J. Bard obituary: electrochemist whose techniques underpin clinical diagnostics, materials discovery and more
Innovator who pioneered scanning electrochemical microscopy, bioassays and solar fuels.
- Michael Rose
- & Henry S. White
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Article |
Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling
We report on the oxidative cross-coupling of organoboron reagents and amino acids via pyridoxal biocatalysis to produce non-canonical amino acids, uncovering stereoselective, intermolecular free-radical transformations.
- Tian-Ci Wang
- , Binh Khanh Mai
- & Yang Yang
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Editorial |
Retractions are part of science, but misconduct isn’t — lessons from a superconductivity lab
Journals, funders and institutions that employ researchers all want to produce or disseminate rigorous scientific knowledge — and all can learn lessons from misconduct cases.
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Article |
Regioselective hydroformylation of propene catalysed by rhodium-zeolite
Rhodium catalysts confined in zeolite pores exhibit high regioselectivity in the hydroformylation process of propene to high-value n-butanal, surpassing the performance of all heterogeneous and most homogeneous catalysts developed so far.
- Xiangjie Zhang
- , Tao Yan
- & Zhi Cao
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Article |
High-performance fibre battery with polymer gel electrolyte
A fibre lithium-ion battery that can potentially be woven into textiles shows enhanced battery performance and safety compared with liquid electrolytes.
- Chenhao Lu
- , Haibo Jiang
- & Huisheng Peng
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Article |
Growth of diamond in liquid metal at 1 atm pressure
Diamond crystals and polycrystalline diamond films can be grown using liquid metal at standard pressure and high temperature instead of conventional high pressure and high temperature.
- Yan Gong
- , Da Luo
- & Rodney S. Ruoff
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News |
Meet ‘goldene’: this gilded cousin of graphene is also one atom thick
Sheets of gold might find use as catalysts, or in light-sensing devices.
- Mark Peplow
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News & Views |
Nanoparticle fix opens up tricky technique to forensic applications
A technique called surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can detect tiny quantities of compounds in solution, but has been difficult to use for quantitative analysis. A digital approach involving nanoparticles suggests a way forward.
- Peter J. Vikesland
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Editorial |
UN plastics treaty: don’t let lobbyists drown out researchers
Tackling plastic pollution needs scientists to be in the negotiating room at upcoming talks.
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World View |
We must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference
A United Nations-backed agreement to end plastic pollution is within reach — but only if scientists, civil society and businesses unite against powerful vested interests.
- Martin Wagner
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Article |
Digital colloid-enhanced Raman spectroscopy by single-molecule counting
Research published in Nature shows that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy carried out with colloids can quantify a range of molecules down to concentrations at the femtomolar level.
- Xinyuan Bi
- , Daniel M. Czajkowsky
- & Jian Ye
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Correspondence |
It’s time to talk about the hidden human cost of the green transition
- Manuel Prieto
- & Nicolás C. Zanetta-Colombo
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Research Briefing |
Scalable, high-quality 2D telluride nanosheets for energy and catalysis applications
An innovative solid-state lithiation strategy allows the exfoliation of layered transition-metal tellurides into nanosheets in an unprecedentedly short time, without sacrificing their quality. The observation of physical phenomena typically seen in highly crystalline TMT nanosheets opens the way to their use in applications such as batteries and micro-supercapacitors.
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Article
| Open Access
Force-controlled release of small molecules with a rotaxane actuator
A rotaxane-based mechanochemical system enables force-controlled release of multiple cargo molecules that are appended to its molecular axle.
- Lei Chen
- , Robert Nixon
- & Guillaume De Bo
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News & Views |
Nanoscale scythe cuts molecular tethers using mechanical forces
Nanoscale systems that release small molecules have potential therapeutic and industrial uses, but can result in low numbers of molecules reaching their target. A release system triggered by mechanical force offers a fresh approach.
- Iwona Nierengarten
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News & Views |
Trio of radicals choreographed for versatile chemical reaction
The idea that three different free radicals could be used together to carry out specific steps in a chemical reaction has long been implausible. A ‘radical sorting’ strategy now achieves this feat to make organic molecules.
- Kenneth F. Clark
- & John A. Murphy
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Article
| Open Access
Heat flows enrich prebiotic building blocks and enhance their reactivity
Heat flows through thin, crack-like geo-compartments are shown to purify previously mixed compounds and enhance their reactivity, providing a selective mechanism for separating molecules relevant to the chemical origins of life.
- Thomas Matreux
- , Paula Aikkila
- & Christof B. Mast
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Technology Feature |
How synthetic biologists are building better biofactories
Artificial electron donors and acceptors expand researchers’ metabolic engineering options — if only cells would cooperate.
- Sara Reardon
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Article |
Copper-catalysed dehydrogenation or lactonization of C(sp3)–H bonds
Use of N-methoxyamides as oxidants enables controllable, redox-neutral, green catalysis of bimodal dehydrogenation/lactonization reactions with methanol as the only by-product.
- Shupeng Zhou
- , Zi-Jun Zhang
- & Jin-Quan Yu
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Article |
Interchain-expanded extra-large-pore zeolites
We report a strategy that yields thermally and hydrothermally stable silicates by expansion of a one-dimensional silicate chain with an intercalated silylating agent that separates and connects the chains.
- Zihao Rei Gao
- , Huajian Yu
- & Miguel A. Camblor
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Nature Podcast |
How climate change is affecting global timekeeping
Melting polar ice could delay major time adjustment, and the strange connection between brain inflammation and memory.
- Elizabeth Gibney
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Research Highlight |
A view of wind turbines drives down home values — but only briefly
House prices drop by 1% if wind turbines are close and visible, but they rebound quickly.
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News & Views |
From the archive: constantly quivering eyes, and chemistry troubles
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Article |
Long-term continuous ammonia electrosynthesis
Use of a chain-ether-based solvent instead of tetrahydrofuran for lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction enables long-term continuous ammonia electrosynthesis with high efficiency and improved gas-phase ammonia distribution.
- Shaofeng Li
- , Yuanyuan Zhou
- & Ib Chorkendorff
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Research Briefing |
‘Bandit’ algorithms help chemists to discover generally applicable conditions for reactions
In organic chemistry, finding conditions that enable a broad range of compounds to undergo a particular type of reaction is highly desirable. However, conventional methods for doing so consume a lot of time and reagents. A machine-learning method has been developed that overcomes these problems.
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News |
More than 4,000 plastic chemicals are hazardous, report finds
Year-long effort compiles comprehensive database of chemicals in plastics.
- Nicola Jones
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Article |
Couple-close construction of polycyclic rings from diradicals
A couple-close approach used to build semisaturated ring systems from dual radical precursors allows sampling of regions of underexplored chemical space, leading to an annulation that can be used for late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutical scaffolds.
- Alice Long
- , Christian J. Oswood
- & David W. C. MacMillan
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Nature Podcast |
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
Data suggest menopause evolved to enable older female whales to help younger generations survive, and how researchers made a cellular map of the developing human heart.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Article
| Open Access
Roll-to-roll, high-resolution 3D printing of shape-specific particles
We introduce a scalable, high-resolution, 3D printing technique for the fabrication of shape-specific particles based on roll-to-roll continuous liquid interface production, enabling direct integration within biomedical, analytical and advanced materials applications.
- Jason M. Kronenfeld
- , Lukas Rother
- & Joseph M. DeSimone
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Research Highlight |
A better way to charge a quantum battery
Batteries that store photons in atoms or molecules could retain their efficiency with wireless charging.
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News Feature |
Superconductivity scandal: the inside story of deception in a rising star’s physics lab
Ranga Dias claimed to have discovered the first room-temperature superconductors, but the work was later retracted. An investigation by Nature’s news team reveals new details about what happened — and how institutions missed red flags.
- Dan Garisto
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Comment |
The world must rethink plans for ageing oil and gas platforms
Earth’s oceans are awash with ageing energy infrastructure. A change in the law is needed to ensure that these structures are decommissioned in ways that maximize environmental and societal benefits.
- Antony Knights
- , Anaëlle Lemasson
- & Paul Somerfield
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Comment |
Big science in Latin America: accelerate particles and progress
An advanced light source for research would boost growth in the Greater Caribbean region — scientific, economic and societal.
- Victor M. Castaño
- , Pedro Fernández de Córdoba
- & Galileo Violini
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Article |
Symmetry breaking and chiral amplification in prebiotic ligation reactions
A study of a new route to proteinogenic peptides reveals how heterochiral preference can lead to homochiral peptides in a prebiotic world.
- Min Deng
- , Jinhan Yu
- & Donna G. Blackmond
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Article |
Site-specific reactivity of stepped Pt surfaces driven by stress release
Stress release at stepped platinum surfaces is shown to influence the strain experienced by atoms near the steps, resulting in effects on the catalytic activity of the whole surface.
- Guangdong Liu
- , Arthur J. Shih
- & Zhenhua Zeng
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News & Views |
Self-assembling synthetic polymer forms liquid-like droplets
The molecules of liquid crystals and proteins can form liquid-like condensates, but such a phenomenon had not been observed for supramolecular polymers, which are held together by non-covalent bonds — until now.
- Jennifer L. Ross
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News & Views |
Tiny sheaths of solvent boost battery performance
Small solvent molecules have been found to enable a previously unknown ion-transport mechanism in battery electrolytes, speeding up charging and increasing performance at low temperatures.
- Chong Yan
- & Jia-Qi Huang
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Article |
Identifying general reaction conditions by bandit optimization
Bandit optimization models are used to identify generally applicable conditions by efficient condition sampling and evaluation of experimental feedback.
- Jason Y. Wang
- , Jason M. Stevens
- & Abigail G. Doyle
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Article |
Ligand-channel-enabled ultrafast Li-ion conduction
An electrolyte design using small-sized fluoroacetonitrile solvents to form a ligand channel produces lithium-ion batteries simultaneously achieving high energy density, fast charging and wide operating temperature range, desirable features for batteries working in extreme conditions.
- Di Lu
- , Ruhong Li
- & Xiulin Fan
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Article
| Open Access
Supramolecular polymers form tactoids through liquid–liquid phase separation
Spontaneous liquid–liquid phase-separation behaviour of high-aspect-ratio fibrils, obtained from supramolecular polymerizations of synthetic components, forms tactoids by means of an entropy-driven pathway.
- Hailin Fu
- , Jingyi Huang
- & E. W. Meijer
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Where I Work |
Catching the rays: my part in Morocco’s renewable-energy revolution
Soukaina El Idrissi Faouzi works to optimize the performance of the world’s biggest working solar farm.
- Nikki Forrester
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Comment |
To unravel the origin of life, treat findings as pieces of a bigger puzzle
Explaining isolated steps on the road from simple chemicals to complex living organisms is not enough. Looking at the big picture could help to bridge rifts in this fractured research field.
- Nick Lane
- & Joana C. Xavier
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Research Briefing |
Reducing carbon dioxide efficiently to reuse and recycle it
Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide holds promise for converting CO2 into valuable products but is hampered by stability issues and wasted carbon. A proton-exchange membrane that uses lead as a catalyst demonstrates the feasibility of durable and efficient CO2 reduction.
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Article |
Monolithic silicon for high spatiotemporal translational photostimulation
A silicon-based electrode system is described that allows tunable spatiotemporal photostimulation of cardiac systems, with the optoelectronic capabilities of these devices being demonstrated in mouse, rat and pig heart models.
- Pengju Li
- , Jing Zhang
- & Bozhi Tian
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Correspondence |
Triple win: solar farms in deserts can boost power, incomes and ecosystems
- Haimeng Liu
- & Jianguo Liu
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Spotlight |
How science is helping farmers to find a balance between agriculture and solar farms
In the French countryside, energy companies are rushing to set up solar farms, with the risk of marginalizing agriculture. Researchers are finding solutions.
- Magali Reinert
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Career Column |
Structural biology for researchers with low vision
Scientists seek to analyse biomolecules at the highest level of resolution. We developed and adapted assistive technologies to help those who are blind to do the same.
- Olivia Shaw
- , Cynthia Yurkovich
- & Jodi Hadden-Perilla
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Correspondence |
Deep-sea mining opponents: there’s no free lunch when it comes to clean energy
- Saleem H. Ali
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