surface-science

Nature Electronics, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01622-3 Metainterfaces that have repetitive surface unit structures, and are inspired by the mortise–tenon and finger-joint structures used in traditional woodworking, can be used to create functional interfaces with enhanced electronic and thermal transport.

Nature Electronics, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01620-5 By tuning the twist angle at its interfaces, a trilayer van der Waals heterostructure of molybdenum disulfide/molybdenum sulfide selenide/tungsten diselenide can offer an asymmetric thermal transport for use in the thermal management of electronic devices.

A research team has introduced i-Tac, an inverse-design workflow for 3D printed tactile elastomers that could streamline how designers prototype soft touch surfaces. The post i-Tac Inverse Design Tunes 3D Printed Elastomers’ Optics And Haptics appeared on Fabbaloo .

In oil-immersed transformers, cellulose insulating paper deteriorates when exposed to electric field, moisture, and high temperature for a long time, leading to decrease in mechanical strength and insulating performance, which affects the service life and operational reliability. In this paper, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is adopted to generate atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma f…

Every time a clinician runs a probe across a pregnant abdomen, a remarkable act of physics plays out in the tip of that device. The material inside converts electricity into vibration so precisely that it can sketch a face before birth. These materials, called relaxor ferroelectrics, have powered ultrasound scanners, sonar systems, and microphones for decades. And yet, right up until last week, n…

The complex mechanics of contacts at the nanoscale elucidated using synchrotron beams with the aid of continuum modelling

Nature Communications, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72774-1 The authors propose and experimentally demonstrate a scheme for weaving optical topological knots and links that are fully localized in space–time, thereby breaking the conventional constraint of longitudinal space-filling via Milnor polynomials.

Nature Communications, Published online: 29 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72415-7 Here, the authors identify ten morphogroups of dermal denticles across extant shark species and quantify their mechanical properties and material composition alongside swimming performance, linking these traits to distinct ecological niches.

Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates with high sensitivity are playing an important role in trace detection and chemical composition analysis. To enhance substrate sensitivity, Chinese scientists have proposed a femtosecond laser fabrication method for flexible SERS substrates based on electron dynamics control.

I am studying the contact angle of a sessile droplet (water and alcohol mixtures) on both horizontal and inclined surfaces. I capture side-view images with a 24 MP Canon camera and analyze them with a CNN-based pipeline in Python. However, I have run into several issues: A 24 MP Canon... Read more

Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72440-6 Li et al. report a molecularly tailored strategy to fabricate durable, transparent anti-triboelectric coating by chemically crosslinking electron-donating and electron-withdrawing components.

A practical Surface and Coatings Technology submission guide for surface-engineering researchers evaluating their work against the journal's coatings-performance bar.

Nature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-71609-3 Author Correction: Electronic energy levels and optical spectra of trivalent lanthanide ions in water – Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III), Tm(III), and Yb(III)

A new virus-fighting plastic film could transform everyday surfaces into invisible defenders against disease. Instead of relying on chemicals, this flexible material is covered in microscopic pillars that physically stretch viruses until they burst, rendering them harmless. In lab tests, it destroyed or disabled about 94% of virus particles within an hour, showing impressive effectiveness.

Tomographic Investigation of Bonding and Microstructure in Supersonic Microparticle Impacts Panova, Veera The Laser Induced Particle Impact Test (LIPIT) enables particle-wise controlled launch of micron-scale metallic powders at velocities relevant to cold spray deposition. Many cold spray studies are empirical and discuss the effects of process parameters on porosity, density, and only aggregate…

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10408-8 A printable meta-assembly comprising polystyrene embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane matrix used in roll-to-roll additive nanoprinting is described for the fabrication of highly tunable optical architectures that can span seven orders of magnitude in length.

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10311-2 By tuning graphene’s electronic density of states, the study shows electrode electronic structure—not just the electrolyte—dominates reorganization energy and thus controls outer-sphere electron-transfer rates at solid–liquid interfaces.