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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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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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Article
| Open AccessCapturing the generation and structural transformations of molecular ions
The use of mega-electronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction combined with resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization yields data that can reveal the formation and subsequent structural relaxation of a molecular ion on an ultrafast timescale.
- Jun Heo
- , Doyeong Kim
- & Hyotcherl Ihee
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On-surface synthesis of aromatic cyclo[10]carbon and cyclo[14]carbon
We provide a modified strategy for the on-surface synthesis of cyclocarbons with 10 or 14 carbon atoms that provides a route for characterizing annular carbon allotropes.
- Luye Sun
- , Wei Zheng
- & Wei Xu
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Nature Video |
The robot chemist helping to pave the way to settlements on Mars
An AI-assisted robot, could use Martian rock to autonomously generate oxygen on the red planet
- Noah Baker
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Article |
Observing the primary steps of ion solvation in helium droplets
The initial steps of the ion solvation process are observed for the solvation of a single sodium ion in liquid helium, opening possibilities for benchmarking theoretical descriptions of ion solvation.
- Simon H. Albrechtsen
- , Constant A. Schouder
- & Henrik Stapelfeldt
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Article
| Open AccessA catalytically active oscillator made from small organic molecules
We report a small-organic-molecule oscillator that catalyses an independent chemical reaction in situ without impairing its oscillating properties, allowing the construction of complex systems enhancing applications in automated synthesis and systems and polymerization chemistry.
- Matthijs ter Harmsel
- , Oliver R. Maguire
- & Syuzanna R. Harutyunyan
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Adsorbate motors for unidirectional translation and transport
An adsorbate motor that moves unidirectionally on a copper surface is achieved by inducing intramolecular hydrogen transfer in a single molecule.
- Grant J. Simpson
- , Mats Persson
- & Leonhard Grill
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News |
Rare oxygen isotope detected at last — and it defies expectations
Oxygen-28 might prompt physicists to revamp theories of how atomic nuclei are structured.
- Katherine Bourzac
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Article |
Structure evolution at the gate-tunable suspended graphene–water interface
Using centimetre-sized substrate-free monolayer graphene suspended on aqueous electrolyte surface, the structural evolution versus gate voltage at the graphene–water interface is shown, demonstrating minimal influence of extrinsic factors.
- Ying Xu
- , You-Bo Ma
- & Chuan-Shan Tian
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Microstructure and crystal order during freezing of supercooled water drops
Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction are used to study the freezing of water droplets in vacuum, leading to the development of a seven-stage model of freezing and the mapping of ice structures and crystal order.
- Armin Kalita
- , Maximillian Mrozek-McCourt
- & Claudiu A. Stan
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| Open AccessReversible spin-optical interface in luminescent organic radicals
We report organic molecules showing both efficient luminescence and near-unity generation yield of excited states with high spin multiplicity, simultaneously supporting a high efficiency of initialization, spin manipulations and light-based readout at room temperature.
- Sebastian Gorgon
- , Kuo Lv
- & Emrys W. Evans
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Spin–vibronic coherence drives singlet–triplet conversion
Many aspects of materials chemistry rely on singlet–triplet spin conversion, but spin–vibronic effects are shown to accelerate the process when vibronic coupling causes the quantum-mechanical mixing of spin states.
- Shahnawaz R. Rather
- , Nicholas P. Weingartz
- & Lin X. Chen
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Article
| Open AccessDiverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars
Raman and fluorescence spectra, consistent with several species of aromatic organic molecules, are reported in the Crater Floor sequences of Jezero crater, Mars, suggesting multiple mechanisms of organic synthesis, transport, or preservation.
- Sunanda Sharma
- , Ryan D. Roppel
- & Anastasia Yanchilina
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Article
| Open AccessSingle molecule infrared spectroscopy in the gas phase
Using tagging spectroscopy, the infrared spectrum of a single organic molecule in the gas phase has been successfully measured.
- Aaron Calvin
- , Scott Eierman
- & David Patterson
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Article
| Open AccessFemtosecond proton transfer in urea solutions probed by X-ray spectroscopy
The potential of water-window X-ray absorption spectroscopy for disentangling individual aspects of the respective electronic and structural dynamics in ultrafast non-adiabatic dynamics of molecular systems in a liquid environment is established.
- Zhong Yin
- , Yi-Ping Chang
- & Hans Jakob Wörner
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Article
| Open AccessSingle-photon absorption and emission from a natural photosynthetic complex
Using a heralded single-photon source along with coincidence counting, we establish time correlation functions for B800 excitation and B850 fluorescence emission and demonstrate that both events involve single photons.
- Quanwei Li
- , Kaydren Orcutt
- & K. Birgitta Whaley
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Characterization of just one atom using synchrotron X-rays
Using a specialized tip as a detector, the fingerprints of a single atom of iron and terbium are observed in synchrotron X-ray absorption spectra, allowing elemental and chemical characterization one atom at a time.
- Tolulope M. Ajayi
- , Nozomi Shirato
- & Saw-Wai Hla
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Article |
Indefinite and bidirectional near-infrared nanocrystal photoswitching
This study reports unlimited near-infrared photoswitching in inorganic avalanching nanoparticles via a discrete shift of threshold intensity mediated by internal defect-based colour centres.
- Changhwan Lee
- , Emma Z. Xu
- & P. James Schuck
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Tracking cubic ice at molecular resolution
Tracking the formation of cubic ice (ice Ic) using transmission electron microscopy and low-dose imaging shows preferential nucleation of ice Ic at low-temperature interfaces and two types of stacking disorder.
- Xudan Huang
- , Lifen Wang
- & Xuedong Bai
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Separating single- from multi-particle dynamics in nonlinear spectroscopy
Transient absorption with N prescribed excitation intensities allows isolation of N increasingly nonlinear responses, enabling separation of single- and multiple-exciton dynamics.
- Pavel Malý
- , Julian Lüttig
- & Tobias Brixner
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Photosynthesis re-wired on the pico-second timescale
By using in vivo ultrafast TA spectroscopy, extraction of electrons directly from photoexcited PSI and PSII in cyanobacterial cells using exogenous electron mediators is demonstrated.
- Tomi K. Baikie
- , Laura T. Wey
- & Jenny Z. Zhang
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Tunnelling measured in a very slow ion–molecule reaction
The proton-transfer tunnelling reaction rate between H2 and D– has been measured as about 1 out of 1011 collisions, making it the slowest rate constant ever measured for an ion–molecule reaction in the gas phase.
- Robert Wild
- , Markus Nötzold
- & Roland Wester
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Nature Podcast |
This mysterious space rock shouldn’t have a ring — but it does
How a ring around a distant solar system object is puzzling researchers, and understanding the hidden dangers of indoor air pollution.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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News |
Scientists made a new kind of ice that might exist on distant moons
The 'amorphous' solid is denser and could be water ‘frozen in time’.
- Jonathan O'Callaghan
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News & Views |
Machine learning classifies catalytic-reaction mechanisms
The study of how chemical reactions work is key to the design of new reactions, but relies on hard work and expert knowledge. A machine-learning tool has been developed that could change the way this challenge is approached.
- Danilo M. Lustosa
- & Anat Milo
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Article
| Open AccessCondensed-phase isomerization through tunnelling gateways
Measurements of isomerization rates of CO isotopologues on an NaCl surface show a nonmonotonic mass dependence that arises from resonantly enhanced cross-barrier coupling, or ‘tunnelling gateways’, which are intrinsic to condensed-phase tunnelling.
- Arnab Choudhury
- , Jessalyn A. DeVine
- & Alec M. Wodtke
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News & Views |
Charge transfer observed in light-activated catalyst particles
The movement of electric charges in light-activated catalyst particles is key to the water-splitting reaction, which could be used to generate hydrogen as a renewable fuel. Such movement has now been observed in exquisite detail.
- Ulrich Aschauer
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Spatiotemporal imaging of charge transfer in photocatalyst particles
Photovoltage measurements on cuprous oxide photocatalyst particles are used to spatiotemporally track the charge transfer processes on the femtosecond to second timescale at the single-particle level.
- Ruotian Chen
- , Zefeng Ren
- & Can Li
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News & Views |
Fluorescence limitations overcome by engineering light–matter interactions
The process by which pixels fluoresce in electronic displays uses energy highly inefficiently. The identification of fluorescent molecules with an unusual order of excited states opens up a fresh approach to tackling this issue.
- Juan-Carlos Sancho-García
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Article
| Open AccessDelayed fluorescence from inverted singlet and triplet excited states
A fluorescent molecule is described that does not follow Hund’s rule and instead shows singlet and triplet excited states with inverted energy levels, leading to high-efficiency OLEDs with potential implications for optoelectronic devices.
- Naoya Aizawa
- , Yong-Jin Pu
- & Daigo Miyajima
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Article
| Open AccessMaterials synthesis at terapascal static pressures
Pressures of up to 900 gigapascals (9 million atmospheres) are achieved in a laser-heated double-stage diamond cell, enabling the synthesis of Re7N3, and materials characterization is performed in situ using single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
- Leonid Dubrovinsky
- , Saiana Khandarkhaeva
- & Natalia Dubrovinskaia
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Orbital-resolved visualization of single-molecule photocurrent channels
Atomic-level imaging of photocurrents in a single molecule is achieved by combining a tunable laser with scanning tunnelling microscopy, revealing how photons turn into electric current via a photoexcited molecule.
- Miyabi Imai-Imada
- , Hiroshi Imada
- & Yousoo Kim
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News & Views |
Isotopes tracked on a sub-nanometre scale using electron spectroscopy
Measurements of atomic vibrations can now identify chemical isotopes on a sub-nanometre scale in an electron microscope. An innovative approach makes use of this resolution to build and track isotopic domains.
- Jordan A. Hachtel
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Evidence for the association of triatomic molecules in ultracold 23Na40K + 40K mixtures
Evidence is presented for the association of triatomic molecules near the Feshbach resonance in an ultracold gas comprising a mixture of 23Na40K molecules and 40K atoms, along with an estimation of the binding energy of the triatomic molecules.
- Huan Yang
- , Xin-Yao Wang
- & Jian-Wei Pan
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Few-fs resolution of a photoactive protein traversing a conical intersection
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) has provided significant understanding of time-resolved processes of various systems in biology, for example, rhodopsin, which underlies our vision. The approach involves femtosecond-length X-ray pulses directed at protein crystals and has been used to study various photoactive proteins. However, the function of proteins such as rhodopsin requires trans–cis isomerization of a chromophore, which involves crossing of a conical intersection—a funnel separating potential energy surfaces—at timescales faster than what can be achieved experimentally. Here, Ourmazd and colleagues report a machine learning analysis of SFX data of photoactive yellow protein, which resolves the protein passing through a conical intersection, providing information about the potential energy surfaces involved and achieving time resolution of less than 10 fs. This approach offers an opportunity to understand some of the fastest processes in biology by extracting even more information from SFX datasets.
- A. Hosseinizadeh
- , N. Breckwoldt
- & A. Ourmazd
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News & Views |
A microscopy technique that images single reaction events in total darkness
Single photons emitted from individual electrochemically excited molecules in solution can now be detected. The technique can be used to image cells at nanometre resolution, without using an external light source.
- Frédéric Kanoufi
- & Neso Sojic
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Direct imaging of single-molecule electrochemical reactions in solution
Optical imaging of single-molecule electrochemical reactions in aqueous solution enables super-resolution electrochemiluminescence microscopy, which can be used to monitor the adhesion dynamics of live cells with high spatiotemporal resolution.
- Jinrun Dong
- , Yuxian Lu
- & Jiandong Feng
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Article |
Spectroscopic evidence for a gold-coloured metallic water solution
Spectroscopic measurements confirm that when water is adsorbed on drops of an alkali alloy at low pressure a gold-coloured metallic layer forms as electrons rapidly move from the drop into the water.
- Philip E. Mason
- , H. Christian Schewe
- & Pavel Jungwirth
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Article |
Double-helical assembly of heterodimeric nanoclusters into supercrystals
Ligand-protected gold nanoclusters are engineered to form complex arrangements of double and quadruple helices, which are based on the pairing of motifs on neighbouring enantiomers, akin to the base pairing seen in DNA double helices.
- Yingwei Li
- , Meng Zhou
- & Rongchao Jin
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Asymmetric response of interfacial water to applied electric fields
Experimental measurements of vibrational sum-frequency generation spectra indicate that the dielectric response of water near an electrode may be strongly asymmetric, with different responses to positive and negative electrode charge.
- Angelo Montenegro
- , Chayan Dutta
- & Alexander V. Benderskii
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News & Views |
Ultracold chemical reactions reveal the quantum mechanism of product formation
Quantum chemistry is challenging to model computationally. An ultracold chemical reaction has now been used to test models with great precision, providing a benchmark for future quantum-chemistry calculations.
- Nandini Mukherjee
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Precision test of statistical dynamics with state-to-state ultracold chemistry
The chemical reaction 2KRb → K2 + Rb2 is studied under ultralow temperatures at the quantum state-to-state level, allowing unprecedented details of the reaction dynamics to be observed.
- Yu Liu
- , Ming-Guang Hu
- & Kang-Kuen Ni
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Structural and spectroscopic characterization of an einsteinium complex
An einsteinium coordination complex is synthesized and spectroscopically characterized using less than 200 nanograms of einsteinium, enabling examination of its structure and measurement of an einsteinium bond distance.
- Korey P. Carter
- , Katherine M. Shield
- & Rebecca J. Abergel
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Transporting and concentrating vibrational energy to promote isomerization
Infrared absorption by a thick CO crystal produces many vibrational quanta that can be transported and concentrated at a salt interface to drive orientational isomerization of CO molecules with enhanced efficiency.
- Jascha A. Lau
- , Li Chen
- & Alec M. Wodtke
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Lanthanide-doped inorganic nanoparticles turn molecular triplet excitons bright
Optically dark (non-emitting) triplet excitons on organic molecules may be rendered bright by coupling the molecules to lanthanide-doped nanoparticles, providing a way to control such excitons in optoelectronic systems.
- Sanyang Han
- , Renren Deng
- & Akshay Rao
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News & Views |
Fresh evidence challenges the consensus view of active sites in an industrial catalyst
A study of the industrial catalyst titanium silicalite-1 suggests that the conventional view of the structure of its active sites is wrong. The findings might enable further optimization of related industrial catalysts.
- Bert M. Weckhuysen
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Sub-cycle atomic-scale forces coherently control a single-molecule switch
The near field of a terahertz wave confined to a scanning probe tip provides femtosecond atomic-scale forces that coherently modulate the switching probability of a molecule between two stable adsorption geometries.
- Dominik Peller
- , Lukas Z. Kastner
- & Jascha Repp
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Coherent control of a surface structural phase transition
A structural phase transition from metal to insulator on a solid surface is controlled by an ultrafast sequence of optical pulses.
- Jan Gerrit Horstmann
- , Hannes Böckmann
- & Claus Ropers