Volume 19 Issue 7, July 2020

The complexity of DNA-programmed nanoparticle assemblies has reached an unprecedented level owing to recent advances that enable delicate and comprehensive control over the formation of DNA bonds.

Creation of bioinspired ion channels that separate ions without compromising selectivity, conductivity or rectification ability has long been a challenge. Integration of metal–organic frameworks into asymmetric nanopore membranes overcomes this limitation.

Two initially neutral conjugated semiconducting polymers are found to transfer electrons when put in contact in the solid state, leading to mutual electrical doping.

Programmable DNA hybridization is used to mediate the self-assembly of substrate-bound DNA-grafted gold nanoparticles into single-crystalline Winterbottom and non-Winterbottom constructions with particular size, shape and orientation.

Programmable DNA building blocks hosting diverse nano-objects assemble into three-dimensional nanoparticle lattices whose geometry is determined by the shape and valence of the DNA block.

Reprogramming normal cells into tumour precursors involves complex reconditioning of the tissue microenvironment. Cumulative integration of genetic drivers with extrinsic mechanical inputs is now shown to engage YAP/TAZ to rewire cell mechanics and initiate tumorigenic reprogramming.

NiCoFeGa single crystals exhibit large non-hysteretic superelasticity over broad temperature and composition ranges. It is attributed to the continuous phase transition with applied stress, which is related to the fluctuation of entangled ordered and disordered crystal structures.

Programmable DNA hybridization for the assembly of single crystals of Winterbottom constructions of nanoparticles with defined sizes and geometries.

Vectorial electromagnetic modes in coupled metallic nanolasers are used to emulate the behaviour of complex magnetic materials, providing an integrated nanophotonic platform to study spin exchange interactions and map large-scale optimization problems.

The coexistence of chiral edge states and chiral spin textures in magnetic topological insulator sandwiches provides a platform for proof-of-concept dissipationless spin-textured spintronic applications.

Doping through spontaneous electron transfer between donor and acceptor polymers is obtained by selecting organic semiconductors with suitable electron affinity and ionization energy, achieving high conductivity in blends and bilayer configuration.

A modelling approach based on complex networks is used to simulate carrier transport in assemblies of nanostructures with a broad range of shapes and electrical properties, relevant to the realization of efficient transparent conductors.

Fast oxide ion and proton conductors at intermediate temperature are required to improve the performance of ceramic fuel cells. An undoped hexagonal perovskite Ba₇Nb₄MoO₂₀ electrolyte with high proton and oxide ion conductivity (4.0 mS cm⁻¹) at 510 °C is now reported.

Dendrite formation during electrodeposition while charging lithium metal batteries compromises their safety. Solid-ion conductors are now designed with a universal chemomechanical approach, resulting in either pressure- or density-driven dendrite-suppressing properties.

Here, using an interfacial growth strategy, UiO-66 MOF nanocrystals are asymmetrically embedded into conical pores in a polymer membrane. These pores have a mono/divalent cation selectivity of 10³, which can be tuned by pH, and act as ionic rectifiers.

The progressive stiffening of the solid–solid contacts that freeze dense colloidal suspensions are shown to cause the macroscopic ageing of such materials.

Single-stranded DNA encoders containing polyadenine domains endow colloidal gold nanoparticles with programmable bond valence, orthogonality and reconfigurability, thus achieving post-synthetic control over colloidal structures.

Three-dimensional DNA frames can be created with controlled valence and coordination for the assembly of ordered arrays of biological and inorganic nanomaterials.

Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)–Ras oncogenes have now been shown to reprogram normal primary human and mouse cells into tumour precursors by empowering cellular mechanotransduction, in a process requiring permissive extracellular-matrix rigidity and intracellular YAP/TAZ/Rac mechanical signalling sustained by activated oncogenes.