Nature Materials contents: February 2009 Volume 8 Number 2 pp81-159

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Recommend to your library Web feed Available online only Subscribe Advertisement Nature Chemistry – now accepting submissions The Nature Chemistry editors are accepting papers in all areas of chemistry, as well as submissions detailing multidisciplinary research performed at the interface of chemistry and other scientific fields such as biology, materials science, nanotechnology and physics. * view the Guide to Authors here * submit your next manuscript here today The first print issue will be published in mid-March 2009 and papers may be published online in advance of print early in 2009.   Editorial Top A pledge for immediate action p81 doi:10.1038/nmat2360 Drastic measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions must be taken now to avoid the devastating effects of global warming on our future. Full Text | PDF Commentary Top An inconvenient truth about thermoelectrics pp83 - 85 Cronin B. Vining doi:10.1038/nmat2361 Despite recent advances, thermoelectric energy conversion will never be as efficient as steam engines. That means thermoelectrics will remain limited to applications served poorly or not at all by existing technology. Bad news for thermoelectricians, but the climate crisis requires that we face bad news head on. Full Text | PDF Research Highlights Top Our choice from the recent literature p86 doi:10.1038/nmat2369 Full Text | PDF News and Views Top Nanocatalysis: More than speed pp87 - 88 Andrew J. Gellman & Nisha Shukla doi:10.1038/nmat2363 The role of catalysts is greater than simply increasing the rate of a reaction. Modifying nanoparticles enhances two significant catalyst attributes: selectivity and thermal stability. Full Text | PDF See also: Article by Joo et al. Mixed conductors: The bridge to redox switches pp88 - 89 Jürgen Janek doi:10.1038/nmat2364 The chain-forming tendency of chalcogens like tellurium can be used as an efficient internal redox system capable of switching electronic conduction from n-type to p-type through small temperature changes. Full Text | PDF See also: Article by Nilges et al. Polymer self-assembly: Micelles make a living pp89 - 91 Stuart J. Rowan doi:10.1038/nmat2365 Controlled assembly of diblock copolymers in which one of the blocks is crystalline enables the growth of a series of complex nano-architectures in a controlled fashion. Full Text | PDF See also: Article by Gädt et al. Spintronics: Organics strike back pp91 - 93 Valy Vardeny doi:10.1038/nmat2366 The spin injection efficiency from a ferromagnetic electrode into an organic layer has been successfully probed by two purpose-made techniques. The observed spin diffusion lengths of tens of nanometres hold promise for potential spintronics applications. Full Text | PDF See also: Article by Drew et al. | Article by Cinchetti et al. Material witness: What's philosophy got to do with it? p93 Philip Ball doi:10.1038/nmat2362 Full Text | PDF Materials JOBS of the week Environmental and Engineering Employment Opportunities – California Sequence Systems 2008 Opportunity Drive #150 Roseville, CA 95678 Postdoc for Ultrasound System Development & Imaging Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen Munich, Bavaria 85764 Germany BBSRC CASE PhD Studentship University of Manchester Manchester M13 9PT United Kingdom Director University of Illinois Champaign, IL 61820 United States Quality Engineer III Global Allied Pharmaceuticals Various Locations More Science jobs from Materials EVENT The Essential Protein Engineering Summit 06.-10.04.09 Boston, MA More science events from Letter Top In situ observation of dislocation nucleation and escape in a submicrometre aluminium single crystal pp95 - 100 Sang Ho Oh, Marc Legros, Daniel Kiener & Gerhard Dehm doi:10.1038/nmat2370 Nanocrystalline materials show significantly different mechanical properties than their bulk counterparts. An in situ microscopy study of Al nanocrystals is now able to directly observe the role of dislocations in tensile deformation and uncover a sensitivity to the strain rate. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Articles Top Reversible switching between p- and n-type conduction in the semiconductor Ag10Te4Br3  pp101 - 108 Tom Nilges, Stefan Lange, Melanie Bawohl, Jens Markus Deckwart, Martin Janssen, Hans-Dieter Wiemhöfer, Rodolphe Decourt, Bernard Chevalier, Julia Vannahme, Hellmut Eckert & Richard Weihrich doi:10.1038/nmat2358 Switching between n- and p-type conduction in a semiconductor can be done through doping. A fundamentally different behaviour has now been observed in Ag10Te4Br3, as a transition from ionic to electronic conduction is achieved simply by heating, which could be used for switches or in novel electronic devices. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Janek Direct measurement of the electronic spin diffusion length in a fully functional organic spin valve by low-energy muon spin rotation pp109 - 114 A. J. Drew, J. Hoppler, L. Schulz, F. L. Pratt, P. Desai, P. Shakya, T. Kreouzis, W. P. Gillin, A. Suter, N. A. Morley, V. K. Malik, A. Dubroka, K. W. Kim, H. Bouyanfif, F. Bourqui, C. Bernhard, R. Scheuermann, G. J. Nieuwenhuys, T. Prokscha & E. Morenzoni doi:10.1038/nmat2333 One of the challenges posed by spin manipulation in organic semiconductors is the difficulty of measuring the spin polarization and the spin diffusion length. This is now elegantly achieved by a low-energy muon spin rotation. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Vardeny Determination of spin injection and transport in a ferromagnet/organic semiconductor heterojunction by two-photon photoemission pp115 - 119 Mirko Cinchetti, Kathrin Heimer, Jan-Peter Wustenberg, Oleksiy Andreyev, Michael Bauer, Stefan Lach, Christiane Ziegler, Yongli Gao & Martin Aeschlimann doi:10.1038/nmat2334 One of the challenges posed by spin manipulation in organic semiconductors is the difficulty of measuring the spin injection from a ferromagnetic contact and the subsequent spin diffusion length. This is now elegantly achieved by a two-photon photoemission experiment. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Vardeny Conjugated dicarboxylate anodes for Li-ion batteries pp120 - 125 M. Armand, S. Grugeon, H. Vezin, S. Laruelle, P. Ribière, P. Poizot & J.-M. Tarascon doi:10.1038/nmat2372 Present Li-ion batteries for portable electronics are based on inorganic electrodes made through non-ecological processes. Sustainable conjugated dicarboxylate organic salt anodes showing advantageous reversible capacities and thermal stability are now reported. Abstract | Full Text | PDF Thermally stable Pt/mesoporous silica core–shell nanocatalysts for high-temperature reactions pp126 - 131 Sang Hoon Joo, Jeong Young Park, Chia-Kuang Tsung, Yusuke Yamada, Peidong Yang & Gabor A. Somorjai doi:10.1038/nmat2329 Colloidal synthesis can help to precisely control the shape and composition of catalytic metal nanoparticles, but it has so far proved difficult to use these particles in high-temperature reactions. Core–shell structures capable of isolating Pt-mesoporous silica nanoparticles have now been shown to be catalytically active for ethylene hydrogenation and CO oxidation at high temperature. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Gellman & Shukla Tuning selectivity in catalysis by controlling particle shape pp132 - 138 Ilkeun Lee, Françoise Delbecq, Ricardo Morales, Manuel A. Albiter & Francisco Zaera doi:10.1038/nmat2371 The selective formation of cis olefins would reduce the production of unhealthy trans fats during the partial hydrogenation of edible oils. Single-crystal surfaces with well-defined supported nanoparticle catalysts now show that platinum (111) surfaces can selectively promote the non-thermodynamic isomerization of trans olefins to their cis counterparts. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Gellman & Shukla Polymer chain dynamics and glass transition in athermal polymer/nanoparticle mixtures pp139 - 143 Hyunjoon Oh & Peter F. Green doi:10.1038/nmat2354 Tailoring the properties of polymer nanocomposites—polymers incorporating nanoparticles—is essential to develop biomedical, or even electronic, applications. It is now shown that accurate control of the nanoparticle concentration in nanocomposites prepared from athermal mixtures considerably varies the physical properties with respect to the host polymer. Abstract | Full Text | PDF Complex and hierarchical micelle architectures from diblock copolymers using living, crystallization-driven polymerizations pp144 - 150 Torben Gädt, Nga Sze Ieong, Graeme Cambridge, Mitchell A. Winnik & Ian Manners doi:10.1038/nmat2356 A synthetic tool that uses living polymerizations driven by epitaxial crystallization is shown to create a range of complex micelle architectures made from diblock copolymers. Platelet micelles act as initiators for the formation of scarf-like structures with micellar tassels of controlled length, grown from specific locations. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Rowan Infection-mimicking materials to program dendritic cells in situ  pp151 - 158 Omar A. Ali, Nathaniel Huebsch, Lan Cao, Glenn Dranoff & David J. Mooney doi:10.1038/nmat2357 Cancer vaccines developed so far typically rely on cell manipulation techniques in the laboratory followed by re-introduction of the cells into the patient. Now, a polymeric material is shown to program and control the trafficking of immune cells in situ, resulting in specific and protective anti-tumour properties. Abstract | Full Text | PDF Corrigendum Top Atomistic simulations of spinodal phase separation preceding polymer crystallization p159 Richard H. Gee, Naida Lacevic & Laurence E. Fried doi:10.1038/nmat2355 Full Text | PDF Top Advertisement Want access to the best research in materials science and technology? Nature Materials provides cutting-edge research across the entire spectrum of materials science and technology. Recommend Nature Materials to your library using our library recommendation form.   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. More Nature Products More Nature Events

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