Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a promising protection layer for dielectric integration in the next-generation large-scale integrated electronics. Although numerous efforts have been devoted to growing single-crystal hBN film, wafer-scale ultraflat hBN has still not been achieved. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of 4 in. ultraflat single-crystal hBN on Cu0.8Ni0.2(111)/sapphire wafers. The strong coupling between hBN and Cu0.8Ni0.2(111) suppresses the formation of wrinkles and ensures the seamless stitching of parallelly aligned hBN domains, resulting in an ultraflat single-crystal hBN film on a wafer scale. Using the ultraflat hBN as a protective layer, we integrate the wafer-scale ultrathin high-κ dielectrics onto two-dimensional (2D) materials with a damage-free interface. The obtained hBN/HfO2 composite dielectric exhibits an ultralow current leakage (2.36 × 10−6 A cm−2) and an ultrathin equivalent oxide thickness of 0.52 nm, which meets the targets of the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems. Our findings pave the way to the synthesis of ultraflat 2D materials and integration of future 2D electronics.
{"title":"Ultraflat single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride for wafer-scale integration of a 2D-compatible high-κ metal gate","authors":"Yani Wang, Chao Zhao, Xin Gao, Liming Zheng, Jun Qian, Xiaoyin Gao, Jiade Li, Junchuan Tang, Congwei Tan, Jiahao Wang, Xuetao Zhu, Jiandong Guo, Zhongfan Liu, Feng Ding, Hailin Peng","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01968-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01968-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a promising protection layer for dielectric integration in the next-generation large-scale integrated electronics. Although numerous efforts have been devoted to growing single-crystal hBN film, wafer-scale ultraflat hBN has still not been achieved. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of 4 in. ultraflat single-crystal hBN on Cu<sub>0.8</sub>Ni<sub>0.2</sub>(111)/sapphire wafers. The strong coupling between hBN and Cu<sub>0.8</sub>Ni<sub>0.2</sub>(111) suppresses the formation of wrinkles and ensures the seamless stitching of parallelly aligned hBN domains, resulting in an ultraflat single-crystal hBN film on a wafer scale. Using the ultraflat hBN as a protective layer, we integrate the wafer-scale ultrathin high-<i>κ</i> dielectrics onto two-dimensional (2D) materials with a damage-free interface. The obtained hBN/HfO<sub>2</sub> composite dielectric exhibits an ultralow current leakage (2.36 × 10<sup>−6</sup> A cm<sup>−2</sup>) and an ultrathin equivalent oxide thickness of 0.52 nm, which meets the targets of the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems. Our findings pave the way to the synthesis of ultraflat 2D materials and integration of future 2D electronics.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141918865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-12DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01971-4
Xun Xu, Weiwei Wang, Yue Liu, Johan Bäckemo, Matthias Heuchel, Wei Wang, Yan Nie, Imran Iqbal, Karl Kratz, Andreas Lendlein, Nan Ma
Naive pluripotent stem cells have the highest developmental potential but their in vivo existence in the blastocyst is transient. Here we report a blastocyst motif substrate for the in vitro reversion of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells to a naive state. The substrate features randomly varied microstructures, which we call motifs, mimicking the geometry of the blastocyst. Motifs representing mouse-blastocyst-scaled curvature ranging between 15 and 62 mm−1 were the most efficient in promoting reversion to naivety, as determined by time-resolved correlative analysis. In these substrates, apical constriction enhances E-cadherin/RAC1 signalling and activates the mechanosensitive nuclear transducer YAP, promoting the histone modification of pluripotency genes. This results in enhanced levels of pluripotency transcription factor NANOG, which persist even after cells are removed from the substrate. Pluripotent stem cells cultured in blastocyst motif substrates display a higher development potential in generating embryoid bodies and teratomas. These findings shed light on naivety-promoting substrate design and their large-scale implementation.
{"title":"Substrates mimicking the blastocyst geometry revert pluripotent stem cell to naivety","authors":"Xun Xu, Weiwei Wang, Yue Liu, Johan Bäckemo, Matthias Heuchel, Wei Wang, Yan Nie, Imran Iqbal, Karl Kratz, Andreas Lendlein, Nan Ma","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01971-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01971-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Naive pluripotent stem cells have the highest developmental potential but their in vivo existence in the blastocyst is transient. Here we report a blastocyst motif substrate for the in vitro reversion of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells to a naive state. The substrate features randomly varied microstructures, which we call motifs, mimicking the geometry of the blastocyst. Motifs representing mouse-blastocyst-scaled curvature ranging between 15 and 62 mm<sup>−1</sup> were the most efficient in promoting reversion to naivety, as determined by time-resolved correlative analysis. In these substrates, apical constriction enhances E-cadherin/RAC1 signalling and activates the mechanosensitive nuclear transducer YAP, promoting the histone modification of pluripotency genes. This results in enhanced levels of pluripotency transcription factor NANOG, which persist even after cells are removed from the substrate. Pluripotent stem cells cultured in blastocyst motif substrates display a higher development potential in generating embryoid bodies and teratomas. These findings shed light on naivety-promoting substrate design and their large-scale implementation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141918789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-09DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01965-2
C. Daniel Frisbie
A tandem transistor allowing for both electrochemical gating and field-effect gating is designed to achieve unprecedented doping and correlated physics in polymer semiconductors.
{"title":"Crossing the Coulomb gap in semiconducting polymers","authors":"C. Daniel Frisbie","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01965-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01965-2","url":null,"abstract":"A tandem transistor allowing for both electrochemical gating and field-effect gating is designed to achieve unprecedented doping and correlated physics in polymer semiconductors.","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141909253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-09DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01962-5
Gal Sandik, Johannes Feist, Francisco J. García-Vidal, Tal Schwartz
Molecules are the building blocks of all of nature’s functional components, serving as the machinery that captures, stores and releases energy or converts it into useful work. However, molecules interact with each other over extremely short distances, which hinders the spread of energy across molecular systems. Conversely, photons are inert, but they are fast and can traverse large distances very efficiently. Using optical resonators, these distinct entities can be mixed with each other, opening a path to new architectures that benefit from both the active nature of molecules and the long-range transport obtained by the coupling with light. In this Review, we present the physics underlying the enhancement of energy transfer and energy transport in molecular systems, and highlight the experimental and theoretical advances in this field over the past decade. Finally, we identify several key questions and theoretical challenges that remain to be resolved via future research.
{"title":"Cavity-enhanced energy transport in molecular systems","authors":"Gal Sandik, Johannes Feist, Francisco J. García-Vidal, Tal Schwartz","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01962-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01962-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Molecules are the building blocks of all of nature’s functional components, serving as the machinery that captures, stores and releases energy or converts it into useful work. However, molecules interact with each other over extremely short distances, which hinders the spread of energy across molecular systems. Conversely, photons are inert, but they are fast and can traverse large distances very efficiently. Using optical resonators, these distinct entities can be mixed with each other, opening a path to new architectures that benefit from both the active nature of molecules and the long-range transport obtained by the coupling with light. In this Review, we present the physics underlying the enhancement of energy transfer and energy transport in molecular systems, and highlight the experimental and theoretical advances in this field over the past decade. Finally, we identify several key questions and theoretical challenges that remain to be resolved via future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141909252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-08DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01947-4
Ashley M. Wright, Matthew T. Kapelewski, Stefan Marx, Omar K. Farha, William Morris
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have captivated researchers for over 25 years, yet few have successfully transitioned to commercial markets. This Perspective elucidates the progress, challenges and opportunities in moving MOFs to market, focusing on applied research. The five applied research steps that enable technology development and demonstration are reviewed: synthesis, forming, processing (washing and activation), prototyping and compliance. Furthermore, the importance of a comprehensive techno-economic analysis incorporating a complete picture of costs and revenues is discussed. Readers can use the understanding of applied research presented herein to tackle their MOF commercialization challenges.
{"title":"Transitioning metal–organic frameworks from the laboratory to market through applied research","authors":"Ashley M. Wright, Matthew T. Kapelewski, Stefan Marx, Omar K. Farha, William Morris","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01947-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01947-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have captivated researchers for over 25 years, yet few have successfully transitioned to commercial markets. This Perspective elucidates the progress, challenges and opportunities in moving MOFs to market, focusing on applied research. The five applied research steps that enable technology development and demonstration are reviewed: synthesis, forming, processing (washing and activation), prototyping and compliance. Furthermore, the importance of a comprehensive techno-economic analysis incorporating a complete picture of costs and revenues is discussed. Readers can use the understanding of applied research presented herein to tackle their MOF commercialization challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141904466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-08DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01958-1
Pedro Lavrador, Beatriz S. Moura, José Almeida-Pinto, Vítor M. Gaspar, João F. Mano
Leveraging human cells as materials precursors is a promising approach for fabricating living materials with tissue-like functionalities and cellular programmability. Here we describe a set of cellular units with metabolically engineered glycoproteins that allow cells to tether together to function as macrotissue building blocks and bioeffectors. The generated human living materials, termed as Cellgels, can be rapidly assembled in a wide variety of programmable three-dimensional configurations with physiologically relevant cell densities (up to 108 cells per cm3), tunable mechanical properties and handleability. Cellgels inherit the ability of living cells to sense and respond to their environment, showing autonomous tissue-integrative behaviour, mechanical maturation, biological self-healing, biospecific adhesion and capacity to promote wound healing. These living features also enable the modular bottom-up assembly of multiscale constructs, which are reminiscent of human tissue interfaces with heterogeneous composition. This technology can potentially be extended to any human cell type, unlocking the possibility for fabricating living materials that harness the intrinsic biofunctionalities of biological systems.
{"title":"Engineered nascent living human tissues with unit programmability","authors":"Pedro Lavrador, Beatriz S. Moura, José Almeida-Pinto, Vítor M. Gaspar, João F. Mano","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01958-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01958-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Leveraging human cells as materials precursors is a promising approach for fabricating living materials with tissue-like functionalities and cellular programmability. Here we describe a set of cellular units with metabolically engineered glycoproteins that allow cells to tether together to function as macrotissue building blocks and bioeffectors. The generated human living materials, termed as Cellgels, can be rapidly assembled in a wide variety of programmable three-dimensional configurations with physiologically relevant cell densities (up to 10<sup>8</sup> cells per cm<sup>3</sup>), tunable mechanical properties and handleability. Cellgels inherit the ability of living cells to sense and respond to their environment, showing autonomous tissue-integrative behaviour, mechanical maturation, biological self-healing, biospecific adhesion and capacity to promote wound healing. These living features also enable the modular bottom-up assembly of multiscale constructs, which are reminiscent of human tissue interfaces with heterogeneous composition. This technology can potentially be extended to any human cell type, unlocking the possibility for fabricating living materials that harness the intrinsic biofunctionalities of biological systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141904241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-07DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01970-5
Ziling Jiang, Dekai Ye, Lanyi Xiang, Zihan He, Xiaojuan Dai, Junfang Yang, Qi Xiong, Yingqiao Ma, Danfeng Zhi, Ye Zou, Qian Peng, Shu Wang, Jia Li, Fengjiao Zhang, Chong-an Di
Reusable point-of-care biosensors offer a cost-effective solution for serial biomarker monitoring, addressing the critical demand for tumour treatments and recurrence diagnosis. However, their realization has been limited by the contradictory requirements of robust reusability and high sensing capability to multiple interactions among transducer surface, sensing probes and target analytes. Here we propose a drug-mediated organic electrochemical transistor as a robust, reusable epidermal growth factor receptor sensor with striking sensitivity and selectivity. By electrostatically adsorbing protonated gefitinib onto poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate and leveraging its strong binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor target, the device operates with a unique refresh-in-sensing mechanism. It not only yields an ultralow limit-of-detection concentration down to 5.74 fg ml−1 for epidermal growth factor receptor but, more importantly, also produces an unprecedented regeneration cycle exceeding 200. We further validate the potential of our devices for easy-to-use biomedical applications by creating an 8 × 12 diagnostic drug-mediated organic electrochemical transistor array with excellent uniformity to clinical blood samples.
{"title":"A drug-mediated organic electrochemical transistor for robustly reusable biosensors","authors":"Ziling Jiang, Dekai Ye, Lanyi Xiang, Zihan He, Xiaojuan Dai, Junfang Yang, Qi Xiong, Yingqiao Ma, Danfeng Zhi, Ye Zou, Qian Peng, Shu Wang, Jia Li, Fengjiao Zhang, Chong-an Di","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01970-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01970-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Reusable point-of-care biosensors offer a cost-effective solution for serial biomarker monitoring, addressing the critical demand for tumour treatments and recurrence diagnosis. However, their realization has been limited by the contradictory requirements of robust reusability and high sensing capability to multiple interactions among transducer surface, sensing probes and target analytes. Here we propose a drug-mediated organic electrochemical transistor as a robust, reusable epidermal growth factor receptor sensor with striking sensitivity and selectivity. By electrostatically adsorbing protonated gefitinib onto poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate and leveraging its strong binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor target, the device operates with a unique refresh-in-sensing mechanism. It not only yields an ultralow limit-of-detection concentration down to 5.74 fg ml<sup>−1</sup> for epidermal growth factor receptor but, more importantly, also produces an unprecedented regeneration cycle exceeding 200. We further validate the potential of our devices for easy-to-use biomedical applications by creating an 8 × 12 diagnostic drug-mediated organic electrochemical transistor array with excellent uniformity to clinical blood samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141899550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-06DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01966-1
Yingying Chen, Tianrui Xue, Chen Chen, Seongon Jang, Paul V. Braun, Jianjun Cheng, Christopher M. Evans
Ion transport is essential to energy storage, cellular signalling and desalination. Polymers have been explored for decades as solid-state electrolytes by either adding salt to polar polymers or tethering ions to the backbone to create less flammable and more robust systems. New design paradigms are needed to advance the performance of solid polymer electrolytes beyond conventional systems. Here the role of a helical secondary structure is shown to greatly enhance the conductivity of solvent-free polymer electrolytes using cationic polypeptides with a mobile anion. Longer helices lead to higher conductivity, and random coil peptides show substantially lower conductivity. The macrodipole of the helix increases with peptide length, leading to larger dielectric constants. The hydrogen bonding of the helix also imparts thermal and electrochemical stability, while allowing for facile dissolution back to monomer in acid. Peptide polymer electrolytes present a promising platform for the design of next-generation ion-transporting materials.
{"title":"Helical peptide structure improves conductivity and stability of solid electrolytes","authors":"Yingying Chen, Tianrui Xue, Chen Chen, Seongon Jang, Paul V. Braun, Jianjun Cheng, Christopher M. Evans","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01966-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01966-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ion transport is essential to energy storage, cellular signalling and desalination. Polymers have been explored for decades as solid-state electrolytes by either adding salt to polar polymers or tethering ions to the backbone to create less flammable and more robust systems. New design paradigms are needed to advance the performance of solid polymer electrolytes beyond conventional systems. Here the role of a helical secondary structure is shown to greatly enhance the conductivity of solvent-free polymer electrolytes using cationic polypeptides with a mobile anion. Longer helices lead to higher conductivity, and random coil peptides show substantially lower conductivity. The macrodipole of the helix increases with peptide length, leading to larger dielectric constants. The hydrogen bonding of the helix also imparts thermal and electrochemical stability, while allowing for facile dissolution back to monomer in acid. Peptide polymer electrolytes present a promising platform for the design of next-generation ion-transporting materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":41.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141895267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-01DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01976-z
The recent landslide election of Labour promises a reset in how UK research is perceived and funded by government.
最近,工党以压倒性优势当选,这意味着政府将重新审视英国的科研工作并为其提供资金。
{"title":"A time of changes","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41563-024-01976-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41563-024-01976-z","url":null,"abstract":"The recent landslide election of Labour promises a reset in how UK research is perceived and funded by government.","PeriodicalId":19058,"journal":{"name":"Nature Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":37.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-024-01976-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141875415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}