Strange things happen to materials when you peel them down, layer by layer, from thick chunks all the way to sheets just an atom thick. Reporting in the journal Nature Materials, a team led by physicists at The University of Texas at Austin has experimentally demonstrated a sequence of exotic magnetic phases in an ultrathin material that for the first time fully realize a theoretical model of two-dimensional magnetism first proposed in the 1970s. The researchers say the advan

Air cavities help atom-thin semiconductors shine brighter

Advanced imaging reveals a detailed understanding of the mechanisms driving a previously misunderstood material, researchers say

The study serves as a benchmark for quantum chemical methods in modeling phosphate-containing clusters, opening new pathways for designing more efficient proton-conducting materials and understanding biological proton transfer.

Researchers at The University of Osaka use a nanoreactor to produce pores that mimic biological ion channels

Researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute have achieved the first atomic‑resolution imaging of monolayer transition metal diiodides, made possible by creating graphene‑sealed TEM samples that prevent these highly reactive materials from degrading on contact with air.

Clusters of 10 tantalum atoms, arranged in triangles, create stress in the crystal’s structure. This stress unlocks unique magnetic properties, essential for future technologies such as quantum computing. Credit: Jewook Park/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with international partners, have uncovered surprising behavior in a specially engineered crystal. Composed of tantalum, tungsten and selenium — el

Scanning electron microscope images of helical-shaped device samples made of Co₃Sn₂S₂ in various dimensions @Riken Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and colleagues have developed a new way to fabricate three-dimensional nanoscale devices from single-crystal materials using a focused ion beam instrument. The group used this new method to carve helical-shaped devices from a topological magnet composed of cobalt, tin, and sulfur, with a chemical formul

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the team’s miniaturized, 3D-printed ion trap. Forty calcium ions are trapped in the space between the four poles that create an oscillating electrical potential. @Xiaoxing Xia/LLNL Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the University of California (UC) Berkeley, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara have miniaturized quadrupole ion traps for the first time with 3D printing — a breakthrough in one of the most p

@EPFL EPFL researchers have shown theoretically that, in highly ordered materials, heat can flow toward warmer regions without violating the laws of thermodynamics. Their work could help design electronics that minimize heat loss. To understand how heat normally flows, you could study the second law of thermodynamics – or wrap your hands around a hot mug of coffee. Both tell us that heat tends to flow toward cooler regions. As a material’s thermal energy increases, its atoms

Extended Data Fig. 2 Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 helix device fabrication. @ Nature Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and colleagues have developed a new way to fabricate three-dimensional nanoscale devices from single-crystal materials using a focused ion beam instrument. The group used this new method to carve helical-shaped devices from a topological magnet composed of cobalt, tin, and sulfur, with a chemical formula of Co₃Sn₂S₂, and found that they behave li

Schematic view: In an acidic electrolyte H 2 SO 4 , proton intercalation displaces confined water molecules, protonating the MXene surface, which results in a reduced Titanium oxidation state.  © Energy & Environmental Science / HZB In a neutral electrolyte Li 2 SO 4 the interaction of partially desolvated Li⁺ ions and water with the MXene surface results in an increased Titanium oxidation state. The two different chemical behaviours also change the interlayer spacing of the