Using a reconfigurable integrated photonic platform, the authors reveal the appearance of non-Hermitian topology and the existence of edge modes emerging exclusively from optical loss modulation.

Atomic-resolution scanned Josephson tunnelling microscopy on multigap superconductor FeSe single crystals is studied, demonstrating condensate-resolved imaging and tuning capabilities.

Cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries typically possess octahedral coordination, which may exclude other possible solutions to degradation during deep cycling. A series of tetrahedral-framework-based amorphous Li–V–O–F materials are investigated, and shown to demonstrate O–O formal redox at 4.1 V.

Materials design and informatics have become increasingly prominent over the past several decades. Using the Materials Project as an example, this Perspective discusses how properties are calculated and curated, how this knowledge can be used for materials discovery, and the challenges in modelling complex material systems or managing software architecture.

The electrostatic interactions in aqueous ionic media are screened by mobile charge carriers, limiting device design and operation speed. Here the built-in electric field is leveraged to dope ions into vanadium dioxide, triggering a surface insulator-to-metal transition, further enabling high-speed in-memory sensing in aqueous solutions.

The understanding of defects in bromide-based perovskites remains elusive. Electric biasing and introducing bromide in the precursor solution during crystal growth is shown to significantly reduce defects in formamidinium lead bromide.

Ionizable lipids containing albumin-binding motifs are used in lipid-nanoparticle-based mRNA vaccines, facilitating lymph node enrichment and dendritic cell internalization to potentiate their efficacy and avoiding liver accumulation.

The authors combine the strong confinement of hyperbolic polaritons with leaky nano-waveguides to demonstrate directional in-plane emission of fast phonon polaritons and their acceleration and deceleration by tailoring waveguide dispersion.

Deep learning-based generative tools are used to design protein building blocks with well-defined directional bonding interactions, allowing the generation of a variety of scalable protein assemblies from a small set of reusable subunits.

Predictive protein design and experiments are combined to develop anisotropic bifaceted protein nanomaterials using pseudosymmetric hetero-oligomeric building blocks.

Seven years on from updates to our data sharing policies, we reflect on data-deposition-related changes to our published papers and continue to strongly encourage authors to make source data openly available.

The Hall effect has been a powerful probe of the physics of materials for more than a century.

Identification of amorphous phases in nanoparticles by atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) requires analyses such as tilt-angle-dependent TEM imaging and single-nanoparticle electron diffraction, rather than relying on a single TEM image.

Budget cuts and shifting funding priorities will reduce opportunities for early-career researchers in the USA.

One-dimensional magnetism gets the attention it deserves.

Metamaterials are advancing with intricate structure designs and material combinations, with the support of computational methods and scalable fabrication techniques. These advancements enable the creation of multifunctional and smart devices, with growing presence in commercial devices.