materials-chemistry

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02159-w Organic triplet excitons are ‘dark states’, rendering direct photoexcitation from the ground state and efficient phosphorescence difficult. Now it has been shown that attaching chromophores to lanthanide-doped nanocrystals enables spin-exchange-mediated direct triplet excitation and nanosecond-timescale, oxygen-insens…

The electrocatalytic valorization of furfural, a key biomass-derived platform molecule, offers a sustainable pathway for the synthesis of value-added chemicals under mild conditions. In this study, we report the development and application of nanostructured carbon-based electrodes, synthesized via a hard templating approach using SBA-15 silica and carbon precursors (furfuryl alcohol, FA, and glyc…

Nature Communications, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73144-7 The scarcity of effective doping strategies has so far limited the development of scalable complementary electronic circuits based on 2D semiconductors. Here, the authors report the fabrication of wafer-scale homogeneous top-gated complementary inverter arrays and logic circuits based on p-type and n-type doped 2…

The future of textiles is intelligent. My review in Discover Materials (Springer) examines fabrication technologies for functional & smart textiles nano-coating, electrospinning, 3D printing and applications in healthcare, defense, sportswear, and fashion.

Nature Physics, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03293-5 Tuning of the Stark effect in black phosphorus is used to build adjustable digital and analogue circuits including a high-performance transistor array for neural networks. It offers a promising opportunity for next-generation electronics.

Nature Communications, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73715-8 Control of excited state transitions is important for a range of applications, but can be challenging. Here, the authors report the tailoring of size, geometry and electronic properties of conjugated systems to control high-energy and lowest-energy triplet-mediated pathways.

Scientific Reports, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-55151-2 Band gap engineering in Al, Cu, N and Al/Cu Co-doped ZnO thin films: experimental study and quantum machine learning prediction

Nature Communications, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73457-7 Using in situ Bragg coherent X-ay imaging and TEM analyses, the authors show Ru-doped perovskite exsolution occurs selectively at mixed dislocations that propagate from particle interiors as mobile vehicles, dynamically transporting Ru to surfaces.

This in vitro study found that negatively charged SiO2 nanoparticles suppressed antigen-induced degranulation and activation-marker changes in IgE-sensitized mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells. By contrast, mTiO2 nanoparticles showed cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects, including enhanced DNP-induced IL-6 release, suggesting nanoparticle composition can shape early allergic immune responses.

Nature Communications, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73625-9 Hybrid copper iodides are promising, low-toxicity light emitters, but they are sensitive to heat and moisture. Here, the authors develop a low-temperature ceramic sintering process in which these materials are embedded in protective, transparent SrF2 matrix to enable stable lighting and X-ray imaging.

International audience

Epoxy composites reinforced with natural fibers can be added with a second filler in the form of powder to enhance their performance. This method affects the thermal resistance properties of the composites. This study investigates the development of epoxy composites reinforced with timoho fibers to which an aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) powder filler has been added. The composites were fabricated using …

Nature Communications, Published online: 23 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73425-1 A polymer-coated nanowire sponge utilizes mechanical energy to produce reactive oxygen species, enabling rapid disinfection and removal of diverse pollutants from water without added chemicals or rare metals.

Nature Communications, Published online: 23 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73513-2 Nanocrystal superlattices typically occur in two- and three-dimensional configurations, constrained to the micrometer scale and with limited size tunability. Here, the authors assemble CsPbBr3 nanoplatelets into chiroptically active 1D helical superlattices with mm lengths and μm widths.