Nature Materials contents: March 2012 Volume 11 Number 3 pp173-257

TABLE OF CONTENTS March 2012 Volume 11, Issue 3 Editorial Commentary Interview Research Highlights News and Views Letters Articles Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement Frontiers in Materials: Spintronics May 13, 2012 • Strasbourg, France This workshop will provide an overview of the most interesting developments in the field of spintronics, a technology that aims at controlling the electron spin beside the electron charge and that could provide efficient electronic devices with potentially new functionalities. www.nature.com/natureconferences/spin12   Editorial Top Solar energy's path towards competitiveness p173 doi:10.1038/nmat3270 Progress in photovoltaic technology could soon mean grid parity for solar electricity. In this issue we highlight scientific as well as science-policy strategies aimed towards achieving this goal. Full Text | PDF Commentary Top Photonic design principles for ultrahigh-efficiency photovoltaics pp174 - 177 Albert Polman and Harry A. Atwater doi:10.1038/nmat3263 For decades, solar-cell efficiencies have remained below the thermodynamic limits. However, new approaches to light management that systematically minimize thermodynamic losses will enable ultrahigh efficiencies previously considered impossible. Full Text | PDF Interview Top Solar's best shot pp178 - 179 doi:10.1038/nmat3261 The funding approach taken by the US Department of Energy's SunShot programme, which aims to develop competitive solar technology, has proved very successful. Its director, R. Ramesh, explains why. Full Text | PDF Research Highlights Top Ready to eat | Protein stopwatches | Tension at cell-cell junctions | Stripy graphene | One by one News and Views Top Vaccine adjuvants: Tailor-made mast-cell granules pp181 - 182 Matthias Gunzer doi:10.1038/nmat3257 Mast cells induce protective immune responses through secretion of stimulatory granules. Microparticles modelled after mast-cell granules are now shown to replicate and enhance the functions of their natural counterparts and to direct the character of the resulting immunity. Full Text | PDF See also: Article by St. John et al. Wetting: Unobtrusive graphene coatings pp182 - 183 Frieder Mugele doi:10.1038/nmat3259 The contact angle of water drops on substrates for which the wettability is dominated by van der Waals forces remains unchanged when the substrates are coated with a monolayer of graphene. Such 'wetting transparency' could lead to superior conducting and hydrophobic graphene-coated surfaces with tunable electronic properties. Full Text | PDF See also: Letter by Rafiee et al. Dissolution processes: Stuffed structures pp183 - 184 Paul Fenter doi:10.1038/nmat3252 Understanding oxide dissolution processes on the molecular scale remains a challenge. A study on nanoscale oxides suggests a mechanism for dissolution that proceeds through the formation of oxygen-stuffed metastable structures. Full Text | PDF See also: Letter by Rustad & Casey Material witness: Cluster control p185 Philip Ball doi:10.1038/nmat3264 Full Text | PDF Heavy fermions: Dimensions are critical pp185 - 187 Piers Coleman doi:10.1038/nmat3258 Results from a cubic heavy-fermion compound provide a new perspective on quantum criticality in these types of material. Full Text | PDF See also: Letter by Custers et al. Materials research in Africa: Rising from the Falls pp187 - 188 Mohamed Chaker and Federico Rosei doi:10.1038/nmat3262 Materials science and technology could offer the opportunity to address vital needs of African people. But improving the infrastructure for science education and dissemination of knowledge is the first step to take. Full Text | PDF Materials JOBS of the week Researcher for Solid-State Lighting Technologies Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Tenure-Track or Tenured Professor - Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology University of Massachusetts Medical School Director, Manufacturing SAIC-Frederick, Inc. PhD student chemistry / nano-materials science Freie Universitaet Berlin / germany Instructor / Postdoctoral Fellow The Methodist Hospital More Science jobs from Materials EVENT META’12, the 3rd International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics 19.-22.04.12 Paris, France More science events from Letters Top Destruction of the Kondo effect in the cubic heavy-fermion compound Ce3Pd20Si6  pp189 - 194 J. Custers, K-A. Lorenzer, M. Müller, A. Prokofiev, A. Sidorenko, H. Winkler, A. M. Strydom, Y. Shimura, T. Sakakibara, R. Yu, Q. Si and S. Paschen doi:10.1038/nmat3214 A quantum critical point occurs when different stable phases of matter are in equilibrium at absolute zero temperature. Describing quantum criticality with a theoretical framework that unifies different types of transitions is highly desirable to understand how phenomena such as superconductivity and magnetism interact in correlated electron systems. A study now provides an indication of an underlying universality of quantum criticality, and highlights the role of dimensionality in such a unified theory. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Coleman Exchange bias in LaNiO3–LaMnO3 superlattices pp195 - 198 Marta Gibert, Pavlo Zubko, Raoul Scherwitzl, Jorge Íñiguez and Jean-Marc Triscone doi:10.1038/nmat3224 Interfaces between insulating oxides have revealed exotic electronic and magnetic properties. It is now shown that a complex magnetic structure can emerge in an oxide superlattice, and that specific interfaces can unexpectedly exhibit exchange bias. The observations reveal the induction of antiferromagnetism in a material that is usually paramagnetic. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Magnon-drag thermopile pp199 - 202 Marius V. Costache, German Bridoux, Ingmar Neumann and Sergio O. Valenzuela doi:10.1038/nmat3201 Magnons are quanta of spin-wave excitations and are likely to play a major role in the physical mechanisms of combining spin and heat transport. Now, a new device that enables the properties of magnons to be measured independently of the thermoelectric contribution of electrons and phonons is shown, providing crucial information for understanding the physics of electron–magnon interactions, magnon dynamics and thermal spin transport. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Thermal conductivity of isotopically modified graphene pp203 - 207 Shanshan Chen, Qingzhi Wu, Columbia Mishra, Junyong Kang, Hengji Zhang, Kyeongjae Cho, Weiwei Cai, Alexander A. Balandin and Rodney S. Ruoff doi:10.1038/nmat3207 Among other exotic properties graphene exhibits the highest thermal conductivity observed so far. This is true at least for graphene composed of only 12C atoms. However, it is now shown experimentally that regions of 13C atoms can substantially reduce the thermal conductivity. Aside from their fundamental importance, these results suggest that thermal conductivity can be tailored by varying the relative amounts of carbon isotopes used. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Experimental realization of optical lumped nanocircuits at infrared wavelengths pp208 - 212 Yong Sun, Brian Edwards, Andrea Alù and Nader Engheta doi:10.1038/nmat3230 Lumped elements such as resistors, capacitors and inductors play a crucial role in electronic circuits. Now, inspired by metamaterials technology, the experimental realization of lumped circuit elements for optical frequencies provides a standardized platform for applications such as mixing and multiplexing of optical signals. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF In situ evidence for chirality-dependent growth rates of individual carbon nanotubes pp213 - 216 Rahul Rao, David Liptak, Tonya Cherukuri, Boris I. Yakobson and Benji Maruyama doi:10.1038/nmat3231 The large-scale synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with controlled chirality—which could find applications in fields such as electronics—remains a great challenge. It is now shown that the growth rates of SWCNTs are directly proportional to their chiral angles, suggesting a route towards selective synthesis based on kinetic control. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Wetting transparency of graphene pp217 - 222 Javad Rafiee, Xi Mi, Hemtej Gullapalli, Abhay V. Thomas, Fazel Yavari, Yunfeng Shi, Pulickel M. Ajayan and Nikhil A. Koratkar doi:10.1038/nmat3228 It is demonstrated that graphene coatings do not alter the wetting behaviour of copper, gold or silicon surfaces. Such wetting transparency—shown to occur only for surfaces where surface–water interactions are dominated by van der Waals forces—and graphene’s ability to suppress copper oxidation result in a 30–40% increase in condensation heat transfer on copper. The findings have implications for graphene-based coatings with independently tunable electronic and wetting properties. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Mugele Metastable structures and isotope exchange reactions in polyoxometalate ions provide a molecular view of oxide dissolution pp223 - 226 James R. Rustad and William H. Casey doi:10.1038/nmat3203 Dissolution processes affect the performance of oxides in applications ranging from power generation to catalysis. A study on polyoxometalate ions, which are thought to model oxide surfaces, now suggests that dissolution is controlled by the stability of transient oxygen-stuffed structures. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Fenter Charged nanoparticles as supramolecular surfactants for controlling the growth and stability of microcrystals pp227 - 232 Bartlomiej Kowalczyk, Kyle J. M. Bishop, Istvan Lagzi, Dawei Wang, Yanhu Wei, Shuangbing Han and Bartosz A. Grzybowski doi:10.1038/nmat3202 The growth of microcrystals can be controlled by various agents such as ions, small charged molecules and polyelectrolytes. However, their use is specific to the crystallizing material. It is now shown that oppositely charged nanoparticles can act as ‘universal’ surfactants for controlling the growth and stability of microcrystals of inorganic salts and of charged organic molecules. First paragraph | Full Text | PDF Articles Top A new class of doped nanobulk high-figure-of-merit thermoelectrics by scalable bottom-up assembly pp233 - 240 Rutvik J. Mehta, Yanliang Zhang, Chinnathambi Karthik, Binay Singh, Richard W. Siegel, Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc and Ganpati Ramanath doi:10.1038/nmat3213 In the quest for more efficient thermoelectrics, a common strategy has been to introduce nanostructures in bulk crystals, thus reducing the thermal conductivity without affecting the electrical transport properties. A route is now presented in which the aggregation of nanoplatelets creates nanostructured materials that have higher thermoelectric efficiencies than their bulk counterparts. Abstract | Full Text | PDF Self-limited plasmonic welding of silver nanowire junctions pp241 - 249 Erik C. Garnett, Wenshan Cai, Judy J. Cha, Fakhruddin Mahmood, Stephen T. Connor, M. Greyson Christoforo, Yi Cui, Michael D. McGehee and Mark L. Brongersma doi:10.1038/nmat3238 Flexible electronics and other nanoscale devices require simple yet reliable assembly procedures. An optical welding technique for metal nanowires, based on surface plasmon resonances, is now used to fabricate interconnected nanowire networks with enhanced electrical properties for use as transparent electrodes in solar cells and other electrical devices. Abstract | Full Text | PDF Synthetic mast-cell granules as adjuvants to promote and polarize immunity in lymph nodes pp250 - 257 Ashley L. St. John, Cheryl Y. Chan, Herman F. Staats, Kam W. Leong and Soman N. Abraham doi:10.1038/nmat3222 Mast cells act to enhance immune responses through the release of insoluble granules that contain inflammatory mediators. Now, submicrometre polymer particles are shown to replicate and enhance the functions of mast-cell granules in vivo, such as the targeting of draining lymph nodes and the timed release of encapsulated mediators. The particles can also polarize the resulting immune response. Abstract | Full Text | PDF See also: News and Views by Gunzer Top Advertisement NPG Asia Materials has re-launched! Now publishing on nature.com, NPG Asia Materials has entered a new phase and is now publishing original research articles in addition to review papers. Read the Editorial and recent content, covering a wide range of topics in materials science. Discover more about NPG Asia Materials: www.nature.com/am   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

You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For print subscription enquiries, please contact our subscription department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2012 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.