The latest research from Nature Materials October 2020

[Nature Materials]( [] Advertisement PECS II System—a fully automated broad argon beam tool Ease of cross-sectioning or delayering of very dissimilar materials, as found in semiconductor advanced packages, with simple recipes and ability to polish at voltages as low as 100 V for rapid and damage-free sample surfaces To download the PECS II datasheet today, please [click here](. TABLE OF CONTENTS --------------------------------------------------------------- October 2020 Volume 19, Issue 10 [Current issue]( [Editorial](#_19_10-1) [Q&A](#_19_10-2) [News & Views](#_19_10-3) [Perspectives](#_19_10-4) [Letters](#_19_10-5) [Articles](#_19_10-6) [Amendments & Corrections](#_19_10-7) Advertisement [Nano Research] Nano Research has an Impact Factor of 8.183 (8.164, 5 years) and publishes all aspects of Nano, featured in rapid review and fast publishing. Nano Research Award is awarded for outstanding contributions to nano science and technology by an individual scientist from around the world. [Read Special Issue for Nano Research Award]( Advertisement The European Research Council (ERC) presents “COVID-19: Spotlight on Frontier Research” - free online session, moderated by Nature’s editor-in-chief Magdalena Skipper, with four top scientists who bring innovative, sometimes unexpected, solutions to coronavirus health crisis. Join the event in virtual hub 10 at the EU R&I Days on Tuesday 22 September. [Register here](. [European Research Council (ERC)] Advertisement [Nature Communications 10th Anniversary]( Nature Communications is celebrating a decade of open access. Visit the anniversary portal throughout the year for editorial Q&As, comments, interviews with past and present Nature Communications Editor in Chiefs plus much more! [Visit the anniversary portal >>]( [Nature Communications]( Advertisement Communications Chemistry: Open for Submissions Communications Chemistry is an open access journal that publishes high-quality primary research articles, reviews and commentary representing significant advances and new insights to the field of chemistry. The journal is actively seeking submissions in all areas of chemical science. [Find out more >>]( [] Editorial [ ] [Zeolite catalysts come into focus p1037]( doi:10.1038/s41563-020-00819-x [] Q&A [ ] [Looking deeper into zeolites pp1038 - 1039]( Stephen Shevlin doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0787-4 Advertisement [WHITEPAPER: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE]( Many materials companies have been slow to embrace the digital technologies already proven to accelerate R&D and improve decision making in other industries. This paper offers a product-agnostic path forward. [Click here to learn more.]( [Perkin Elmer]( [] News & Views [ ] [Look beneath the surface pp1040 - 1041]( German Sastre doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0771-z [ ] [The looks of a million-year-old polymer glass pp1041 - 1042]( Juan J. de Pablo doi:10.1038/s41563-020-00812-4 [ ] [Towards artificial mechanosensing pp1043 - 1044]( Sanjin Marion & Aleksandra Radenovic doi:10.1038/s41563-020-00811-5 [ ] [Flatland, lineland and dotland pp1044 - 1045]( Long Zhang & Hui Deng doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0770-0 [ ] [A new push for dark matter p1046]( Philip Ball doi:10.1038/s41563-020-00809-z [] Perspectives [ ] [Towards a better understanding of Lewis acidic aluminium in zeolites pp1047 - 1056]( Manoj Ravi, Vitaly L. Sushkevich & Jeroen A. van Bokhoven doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0751-3 Lewis acid aluminium sites in zeolites enable some industrially relevant catalytic reactions, such as biomass valorization. This Perspective explores the origin and interpretation of these species, and discusses characterization techniques that can close knowledge gaps. [] Letters [ ] [Mechanically activated ionic transport across single-digit carbon nanotubes pp1057 - 1061]( Alice Marcotte, Timothée Mouterde, Antoine Niguès, Alessandro Siria & Lydéric Bocquet doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0726-4 Carbon nanotubes with 2 nm channel radius are shown to display pressure-driven ionic currents, which share some similarities to the response of biological mechanosensitive ion channels to tension. [] Articles [ ] [Three-state nematicity in the triangular lattice antiferromagnet Fe1/3NbS2 pp1062 - 1067]( Arielle Little, Changmin Lee, Caolan John, Spencer Doyle, Eran Maniv et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0681-0 A spatially resolved optical polarimetry technique is used to identify a three-state Potts-nematic order parameter in a triangular lattice antiferromagnetic material. [ ] [Excitons in strain-induced one-dimensional moiré potentials at transition metal dichalcogenide heterojunctions pp1068 - 1073]( Yusong Bai, Lin Zhou, Jue Wang, Wenjing Wu, Leo J. McGilly et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0730-8 The combination of piezoresponse force microscopy and optical measurements reveals the influence of strain in the formation of one-dimensional moiré patterns and the resulting behaviour of interlayer excitons in van der Waals heterostructures. [ ] [Finned zeolite catalysts pp1074 - 1080]( Heng Dai, Yufeng Shen, Taimin Yang, Choongsze Lee, Donglong Fu et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0753-1 Nanosized zeolites enable better catalytic performance; however, their synthesis is non-trivial. Here, a simple treatment is presented that enables the growth of nanosized fins on zeolites that act as pseudo-nanoparticles, reducing deactivation rates for methanol-to-hydrocarbon catalysis. [ ] [Insight into the effects of confined hydrocarbon species on the lifetime of methanol conversion catalysts pp1081 - 1087]( I. Lezcano-Gonzalez, E. Campbell, A. E. J. Hoffman, M. Bocus, I. V. Sazanovich et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0800-y The methanol-to-hydrocarbons reaction on zeolites produces olefins from many sources, but catalyst stability is a major challenge. Here, by combining operando measurements and simulations, the formation and identification of deactivating carbonaceous species throughout the reaction are achieved. [ ] [The interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics in the solid-state synthesis of layered oxides pp1088 - 1095]( Matteo Bianchini, Jingyang Wang, Raphaële J. Clément, Bin Ouyang, Penghao Xiao et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0688-6 Understanding the competition between thermodynamics and kinetics is crucial for the rational synthesis of inorganic materials. The synthesis of two-layer sodium metal oxides is investigated by in situ synchrotron XRD and a model is developed to rationalize why the observed phase progression proceeds through non-equilibrium three-layered intermediates. [ ] [Engineering high-energy-density sodium battery anodes for improved cycling with superconcentrated ionic-liquid electrolytes pp1096 - 1101]( Dmitrii A. Rakov, Fangfang Chen, Shammi A. Ferdousi, Hua Li, Thushan Pathirana et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0673-0 Non-uniform metal deposition and dendrite formation reduce the efficiency, safety and life of batteries with metal anodes. The influence of these factors in a sodium electrolyte now shows how a molten-salt-like structure at the electrode surface results in dendrite-free metal cycling at higher rates. [ ] [Resilient yet entirely degradable gelatin-based biogels for soft robots and electronics pp1102 - 1109]( Melanie Baumgartner, Florian Hartmann, Michael Drack, David Preninger, Daniela Wirthl et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0699-3 Stretchable and biodegradable elastic biogels based on gelatin, glucose, glycerol and citric acid are realized, whose mechanical properties can be adapted to a broad range of applications in soft robotics and wearable electronics. [ ] [Ultrastable monodisperse polymer glass formed by physical vapour deposition pp1110 - 1113]( Adam N. Raegen, Junjie Yin, Qi Zhou & James A. Forrest doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0723-7 The physical vapour deposition of ultrastable monodispersed polymer glasses is reported. This technique allows for the high tunability of glass transition temperatures of the deposited polymers, which could be useful for technological applications. [ ] [Tracking intracellular forces and mechanical property changes in mouse one-cell embryo development pp1114 - 1123]( Marta Duch, Núria Torras, Maki Asami, Toru Suzuki, María Isabel Arjona et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0685-9 Mechanical properties and forces sculpt the behaviour of cells in living organisms. Silicon-based nanochips implanted into mouse one-cell embryos have been used to reveal mechanical changes during the early onset of embryonic development. [] Amendments & Corrections [ ] [Author Correction: Excitons in strain-induced one-dimensional moiré potentials at transition metal dichalcogenide heterojunctions p1124]( Yusong Bai, Lin Zhou, Jue Wang, Wenjing Wu, Leo J. McGilly et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0773-x [ ] [Publisher Correction: Distinct handedness of spin wave across the compensation temperatures of ferrimagnets p1124]( Changsoo Kim, Soogil Lee, Hyun-Gyu Kim, Ji-Ho Park, Kyung-Woong Moon et al. doi:10.1038/s41563-020-00813-3 Advertisement Communications Physics: Open for Submissions Communications Physics is an open access journal that publishes high-quality primary research articles, reviews and commentary representing significant advances and new insights to the field of physics. The journal is actively seeking submissions in all areas of physics. [Find out more >>]( [nature events]( Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available [here](. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on [natureevents.com](. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com [More Nature Events]( This email has been sent to {EMAIL}. If you no longer wish to receive the email alerts from Nature Materials [click here to unsubscribe](. If you wish to discontinue all email services from Nature Research please [click here to unsubscribe](. For further technical assistance, please contact our [registration department](mailto:registration@nature.com). For print subscription enquiries, please contact our [subscription department](mailto:subscriptions@nature.com). For other enquiries, please contact our customer [feedback department](mailto:feedback@nature.com). Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England & Wales under company number 785998 & whose registered office is located at The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW. Nature Research | One New York Plaza, Suite 4500 | New York | NY 10004-1562 | USA Nature is part of Springer Nature. © 2020 Springer Nature Limited. All rights reserved. [Springer Nature]