Nature Materials contents: December 2012 Volume 11 Number 12 pp995-1085

TABLE OF CONTENTS December 2012 Volume 11, Issue 12 Editorial Correspondence Commentary Interview Research Highlights News and Views Letters Articles Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement UK-China workshop on the chemistry and physics of functional materials 28-29 Jan 2013 at The Royal Society at Chicheley Hall This residential meeting brings together UK and Chinese scientists in the field of functional materials for applications such as electronics, optoelectronics, energy conversion and storage. http://royalsociety.org/events/2013/functional-materials/   Advertisement Attending the MRS Fall Meeting in Boston? Visit Nature Materials at the Nature Publishing Group booth #124 to: - Browse and take free sample copies of leading journals from NPG, including Nature and Nature Materials - Subscribe at discounted conference rates, including Nature for 36USD/36GBP/36EUR   Editorial Top Early lights   p995 doi:10.1038/nmat3519 This year marks a quarter of a century since the birth of photonic crystals. Overcoming early difficulties, the field has made a range of technological developments possible as well as the emergence of new science at the interface between condensed-matter physics and photonics. Correspondence Top Brilliant explosions   p996 Igor Aharonovich and Olga Shenderova doi:10.1038/nmat3493 Commentary Top Why trap light?   pp997 - 999 Sajeev John doi:10.1038/nmat3503 The field of photonic crystals has become one of the most influential and wide-ranging realms of contemporary electromagnetics and optics, with numerous more opportunities on the horizon. Interview Top In the limelight   pp1000 - 1001 doi:10.1038/nmat3504 Twenty five years since the birth of the field of photonic crystals, Eli Yablonovitch talks to Nature Materials about his pioneering contributions to the field and his vision for nanophotonics. Research Highlights Top Folding and jamming | Spheroid survival | Quantum rattling | Molecular energy transfer | Perovskite photovoltaics News and Views Top Topological insulators: Crystalline protection   pp1003 - 1004 Gregory A. Fiete doi:10.1038/nmat3473 The surface properties of topological insulators are protected by time-reversal symmetry. Now, the finding of a topological crystalline insulator with metallic boundary states protected by lattice symmetries promises novel functionality. See also: Letter by Dziawa et al. Applied physics and interfaces: Positively 'negative' friction   pp1004 - 1005 Kathryn J. Wahl doi:10.1038/nmat3494 Friction classically decreases with decreasing load. Nanoscale measurements on chemically modified graphite now show an opposite trend related to local deformation, which could serve as a probe for determining the exfoliation energy of layered materials. See also: Letter by Deng et al. Lipid multilayers: Domains stack up   pp1005 - 1006 Burkhard Bechinger doi:10.1038/nmat3507 Stacked bilayers can exhibit columnar alignment of phase-separated domains that propagates across hundreds of layers. The serial coupling of functionality that may result from such a long-range arrangement should lead to new applications in photonics and sensing. See also: Article by Tayebi et al. Cancer therapy: Death by magnetism   pp1006 - 1008 Jon Dobson doi:10.1038/nmat3501 A magnetic on/off switch for cell-death signalling in cancer cells is developed using antibodies conjugated to magnetic nanoparticles. The control of cell death in in vivo systems is demonstrated by a tell-tale morphological change within the zebrafish. See also: Letter by Cho et al. Artificial motors: Peptide-powered boats   pp1008 - 1009 Laurent Courbin and Franck Artzner doi:10.1038/nmat3491 The release and self-assembly of peptides from metal–organic frameworks creates surface tension differences that can fuel the cruising motion of the framework, and a microscale 'boat' wrapped around a framework particle, at the air/liquid interface. See also: Article by Ikezoe et al. Colloidal self-assembly: Superparticles get complex   pp1009 - 1011 Uri Banin and Amit Sitt doi:10.1038/nmat3509 The assembly of hundreds of thousands of semiconductor nanorods into nearly spherical or needle-like colloidal superparticles made of highly ordered supercrystalline domains can be explained by simple thermodynamic and kinetic principles. Material witness: Peeling without pain   p1011 Philip Ball doi:10.1038/nmat3508 Nature Materials JOBS of the week Computational Materials Scientist CNR Postdoctoral Position in Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Novel Materials Okinawa Institute of Science & Technolopgy Postdoctoral Appointee - Center for Nanoscale Materials Argonne National Laboratory Chemist Postdoctoral Fellow (Organic / Inorganic Hybrid Materials) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) PhD student in synthesis of nanoscale hybrid materials project Juan José Vilatela More Science jobs from Nature Materials EVENT First International Conference and Summer School in Molecular and Materials Informatics 04.-06.02.13 Melbourne, Australia More science events from Letters Top Quantum critical state in a magnetic quasicrystal   pp1013 - 1016 Kazuhiko Deguchi, Shuya Matsukawa, Noriaki K. Sato, Taisuke Hattori, Kenji Ishida, Hiroyuki Takakura and Tsutomu Ishimasa doi:10.1038/nmat3432 Quasicrystals are known for their lack of long-range periodic order. The observation in quasicrystals of quantum critical phenomena that are not seen in their crystalline approximants now demonstrates that the quasicrystals also have unique electronic states. Photon management in two-dimensional disordered media   pp1017 - 1022 Kevin Vynck, Matteo Burresi, Francesco Riboli and Diederik S. Wiersma doi:10.1038/nmat3442 There are a number of approaches to coupling light with thin-film devices such as solar cells. The demonstration now that multiple scattering processes in two-dimensional random media enable efficient light trapping suggests new possibilities for photon management with the benefit of broad spectral and angular operation. Topological crystalline insulator states in Pb1−xSnxSe   pp1023 - 1027 P. Dziawa, B. J. Kowalski, K. Dybko, R. Buczko, A. Szczerbakow, M. Szot, E. Lusakowska, T. Balasubramanian, B. M. Wojek, M. H. Berntsen, O. Tjernberg and T. Story doi:10.1038/nmat3449 Topological crystalline insulators are a novel state of matter in which the topological features of the electronic structure have been predicted to originate from crystal symmetries. Now an experimental realization of a topological crystalline insulator is reported, in the form of Pb1−xSnxSe. See also: News and Views by Fiete Magnetic nano-oscillator driven by pure spin current   pp1028 - 1031 Vladislav E. Demidov, Sergei Urazhdin, Henning Ulrichs, Vasyl Tiberkevich, Andrei Slavin, Dietmar Baither, Guido Schmitz and Sergej O. Demokritov doi:10.1038/nmat3459 The dynamical processes associated with the magnetization of a material can be drastically altered by the application of a spin current. This study now demonstrates the feasibility of selectively exciting coherent auto-oscillation modes in magnetic nanostructures. Adhesion-dependent negative friction coefficient on chemically modified graphite at the nanoscale   pp1032 - 1037 Zhao Deng, Alex Smolyanitsky, Qunyang Li, Xi-Qiao Feng and Rachel J. Cannara doi:10.1038/nmat3452 Classically, friction is known to increase with increasing normal load. Scanning probe experiments now show that reversible local delamination of chemically modified graphite can lead to an enhancement in friction as the applied load decreases, resulting in an effectively negative friction coefficient. See also: News and Views by Wahl A magnetic switch for the control of cell death signalling in in vitro and in vivo systems   pp1038 - 1043 Mi Hyeon Cho, Eun Jung Lee, Mina Son, Jae-Hyun Lee, Dongwon Yoo, Ji-wook Kim, Seung Woo Park, Jeon-Soo Shin and Jinwoo Cheon doi:10.1038/nmat3430 On application of a focused magnetic field, zinc-doped iron oxide nanoparticles with targeting antibodies attached are shown to activate cell death signalling in a spatially controlled manner. This triggering of apoptosis signalling, via the magnetically activated aggregation of receptors, is observed in both in vitro and in vivo systems. See also: News and Views by Dobson Articles Top Singular characteristics and unique chemical bond activation mechanisms of photocatalytic reactions on plasmonic nanostructures   pp1044 - 1050 Phillip Christopher, Hongliang Xin, Andiappan Marimuthu and Suljo Linic doi:10.1038/nmat3454 It is now shown that, unlike most semiconductors, plasmonic metal nanostructures constructively couple the energy of photons and thermal energy, with the reaction rate positively responding to both stimuli. These unique characteristics suggest that these photocatalysts could prove useful for heterogeneous catalytic processes that cannot be activated using conventional thermal processes on metals or photocatalytic processes on semiconductors. Mesostructured thin films as electrocatalysts with tunable composition and surface morphology   pp1051 - 1058 Dennis F. van der Vliet, Chao Wang, Dusan Tripkovic, Dusan Strmcnik, Xiao Feng Zhang, Mark K. Debe, Radoslav T. Atanasoski, Nenad M. Markovic and Vojislav R. Stamenkovic doi:10.1038/nmat3457 Some of the most challenging issues in energy conversion are the insufficient activity of the catalysts for the oxygen-reduction reaction, catalyst degradation and carbon-support corrosion. A class of mesostructured carbon-free metallic catalysts based on thin films and with tunable near-surface composition, morphology and structure that lead to an improved affinity for the electrochemical reduction of oxygen are now reported. Design of zeolite by inverse sigma transformation   pp1059 - 1064 Elke Verheyen, Lennart Joos, Kristof Van Havenbergh, Eric Breynaert, Nataliia Kasian, Elena Gobechiya, Kristof Houthoofd, Charlotte Martineau, Manuel Hinterstein, Francis Taulelle, Veronique Van Speybroeck, Michel Waroquier, Sara Bals, Gustaaf Van Tendeloo, Christine E. A. Kirschhock and Johan A. Martens doi:10.1038/nmat3455 Although the search for new zeolites has traditionally been based on trial-and-error approaches, more rational methods are now available. Using the principle of inverse sigma transformation, the reactivity of framework germanium atoms in strong mineral acid has now been exploited to selectively remove germanium from a germanosilicate zeolite. Ultrasmall implantable composite microelectrodes with bioactive surfaces for chronic neural interfaces   pp1065 - 1073 Takashi D. Yoshida Kozai, Nicholas B. Langhals, Paras R. Patel, Xiaopei Deng, Huanan Zhang, Karen L. Smith, Joerg Lahann, Nicholas A. Kotov and Daryl R. Kipke doi:10.1038/nmat3468 Implantable neural microelectrodes are critical to neuroscience research and emerging clinical applications including brain-controlled prostheses. A composite electrode consisting of a carbon fibre core, an insulating polymer coating and a polythiophene-based recording pad has now been developed that shows reduced chronic reactive tissue response in rats compared with existing architectures, owing to its smaller size and improved mechanical compliance with brain tissue. Long-range interlayer alignment of intralayer domains in stacked lipid bilayers   pp1074 - 1080 Lobat Tayebi, Yicong Ma, Daryoosh Vashaee, Gang Chen, Sunil K. Sinha and Atul N. Parikh doi:10.1038/nmat3451 Stacked lipid bilayers usually display smectic order. It is now found that multicomponent stacked bilayers can also exhibit columnar order, which arises from the coupling of interlayer smectic order and intralayer phase-separated domains, and propagates across hundreds of layers. See also: News and Views by Bechinger Autonomous motors of a metal–organic framework powered by reorganization of self-assembled peptides at interfaces   pp1081 - 1085 Yasuhiro Ikezoe, Gosuke Washino, Takashi Uemura, Susumu Kitagawa and Hiroshi Matsui doi:10.1038/nmat3461 Various artificial cells that can store molecules in cages are designed to generate mechanical motion by dissipating energy through chemical reactions or through the reorganization of molecules. A hybrid biomimetic motor system consisting of a metal–organic framework and diphenylanaline peptides is now designed to release guest molecules in the isotropic direction via a bond-breaking framework. See also: News and Views by Courbin and Artzner 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. 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

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