Nanoscience News (<front>)

Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE01448D, Review ArticleJundong Wang, Pan Zhu, Hongling Qin, Kuichang Zuo, Huazhang Zhao, Zishuai Bill Zhang
We summarize recent advances in electrochemical utilization of liquid-phase carbon species, highlighting distinct performance criteria, mechanistic insights, and design strategies for both concentrated capture solutions and seawater-based systems.
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Quantitative Biology Seminar

Many cancers are driven by hyperactive point mutants, most of which remain undruggable by the conventional approach with small molecule drugs. I will discuss biologics-based strategies to effectively target mutated cancer drivers, including the development of biologics that are exquisitely selective to cancer driver mutants and the use of covalent inhibitors to create actionable neoantigens for immune therapy.

• Speaker: Shohei Koide, NYU Langone Health
• Monday 16 June 2025, 12:30-13:30
• Venue: CRUK CI Lecture Theatre.
• Series: Seminars on Quantitative Biology @ CRUK Cambridge Institute ; organiser: .

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Maxwell and The Geometry of Equilibrium

This talk coincides with the publication by Cambridge University Press of “The Geometry of Equilibrium: James Clerk Maxwell and 21st-Century Structural Mechanics”, edited by Bill Baker and Allan McRobie. Bill is Senior Partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill in Chicago and has been the design lead for many of the world’s iconic structures, including the world’s tallest, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Bill is Honorary Professor here at CUED and visits each year to give a fourth-year module on Advanced Structural Design. The new book collates the recent work of Bill, Allan and many others which revisits the works of James Clerk Maxwell. Alongside his famous unification of electricity and magnetism, Maxwell also provided a highly geometric approach to structural mechanics. In this talk, Allan will: describe the contents of the book, focusing on the mathematics of 3D and 4D projective geometry, with the polarities and Legendre transforms that underpin the geometry of equilibrium; explain the applications in design; describe the more recent progress.

• Speaker: Allan McRobie, Professor of Structural Engineering, CUED
• Friday 20 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: JDB Seminar Room, CUED.
• Series: Engineering - Dynamics and Vibration Tea Time Talks; organiser: div-c.

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Title to be confirmed

Peter C. Collins joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University in July, 2015. Dr. Pete Collins received his undergraduate degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, and his MS and PhD from The Ohio State University in Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to joining ISU , Dr. Collins served as a faculty member and undergraduate coordinator in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of North Texas. Dr. Collins has also spent time standing-up a not-for-profit 501-3© manufacturing laboratory, and regularly engages with both industry and the government. His experiences and interests involve the practical and theoretical treatments of microstructure-property relationship, with an extension into composition-microstructure-property relationships derived for complex multi-phase, multi-component engineering alloys. He has extensive experience in participating in large industrial programs, has conducted studies into novel metal matrix composites, and has significant research experience with additive manufacturing techniques, and combinatorial materials science. Dr. Collins is an active member of TMS , past chairman of the ICME committee, member of the Titanium committee, and a member of the Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division. In recent years, Collins and his group have been actively involved in developing and building new types of instrumentation and experiments. These include developing the first 3D SRAS (spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy) microscope, bicombinatorial techniques, reduced-cost wire-fed metal AM systems, and other techniques aimed at characterizing defects in additive manufactured materials.

• Speaker: Dr Peter C. Collins, Iowa State University
• Friday 13 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Oatley 1 Meeting Room, Department of Engineering.
• Series: Engineering - Mechanics and Materials Seminar Series; organiser: div-c.

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Computational wireless sensing for Health

Abstract: Mobile computing technologies have advanced substantially over the last two decades. Today, the smart devices enabled by economies of scale, incorporate high-quality wireless sensors such as acoustic and RF sensors and the trend shows an increase in both the quantity and quality of these sensors. These sensors can be leveraged to enable a contactless passive monitoring of physiological signals of subjects and early diagnoses of various health conditions. In this talk, I will present a privacy aware wireless sensing technology to enable equitable, passive contactless monitoring of breathing and heart rate signals to detect opioid overdose in a timely manner.

Bio: Rajalakshmi Nandakumar is an Assistant Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech and in the Information Science department at Cornell University. She received her Ph.D. from University of Washington in Computer Science and Engineering in 2019. Her research focuses on developing wireless sensing technologies that enable novel applications in various domains including mobile health, user interfaces and IoT networks. She developed the first contactless smartphone-based sleep apnea diagnosis system that was licensed by ResMed Inc. and now used by millions of users for sleep staging. She was recognized with the UW Medicine Judy Su Clinical Research award, Paul Baran Young Scholar award by the Marconi Society and also named as the rising star in EECS by MIT .

Zoom: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/82442600092?pwd=DfDLE12p2Kmnh532rSMVB8mOn7uLDa.1

• Speaker: Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, Cornell University
• Tuesday 03 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Online.
• Series: Mobile and Wearable Health Seminar Series; organiser: Cecilia Mascolo.

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The atomic-level high-entropy nanozyme system is successfully constructed, which can remarkably endogenous targeted catalysis and enhance tumor photothermal therapy. The synthesized snHEAzyme@DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD@Cy7 system exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity and high absorbance in the near-infrared range. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the snHEAzyme@DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD@Cy7 system can be effectively targeted to penetrate tumor cell membranes and treat tumors.

Abstract

Nanozymes hold great potential in protecting human health. However, constructing new and efficient nanozymes is a significant challenge. Developing atomic-level nanozymes is a promising approach. Despite their potential, atomic-level high-entropy nanozymes have not been reported due to thermodynamic instability. Therefore, developing atomic-level high-entropy nanozymes are of great significance. What's more, further exploring their biomedical applications can open up new horizons for nanozymology. Here, the atomic-level high-entropy nanozyme system capable of remarkable endogenous targeted catalysis and enhancing tumor photothermal therapy is successfully constructed. The system is prepared by reduction-diffusion and grafting methods. The RuRhPtIrMo sub-nanometer high-entropy nanozyme (snHEAzyme) with about 8–10 atoms thickness is first prepared. Then, they are grafted by targeting agent DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD and imaging agent Cy7 to obtain the snHEAzyme@DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD@Cy7 nanozyme system. The synthesized snHEAzyme@DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD@Cy7 system exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity and high absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) range. Under NIR irradiation, the nanozyme shows efficient photothermal conversion and reactive oxygen species generation effects. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the snHEAzyme@DSPE-PEG2000-cRGD@Cy7 system can be effectively targeted to penetrate tumor cell membranes and treat tumors. This work offers a new perspective on snHEAzyme fabrication and its biomedical applications.

In recent years, many researchers have attempted to develop ESAEIs or ISAEIs for stabilizing the Zn anode. ESAEIs can be divided into static ESAEIs and dynamic ESAEIs according to the evolution of ESAEIs during the cycling process, while ISAEIs include polymer-based ISAEIs and liquid metal-based ISAEIs according to the chemical composition.

Abstract

The rational design of Zn anode/electrolyte interphases (AEIs) is an effective strategy for regulating the Zn2+ stripping/plating process, as well as suppressing the interfacial side reactions. However, the formation of defects during the cycling process is still inevitable, and the exacerbation of defects would lead to the failure of the electrode, limiting the long-term stability of the Zn anode. In recent years, self-healing AEIs (SAEIs) have received great attention in Zn anode modification, as they can self-heal and suppress the defects. This review summarizes the latest progress of SAEIs for Zn anode, including extrinsic and intrinsic SAEIs. Specifically, the design strategies and self-healing mechanisms of SAEIs, their roles in stabilizing Zn anode, as well as the research methods for self-healing performance, are discussed in detail. In addition, the challenges for the research of SAEIs are also analyzed, and prospects for the future design and research of SAEIs for Zn anode are provided. This review is expected to guide the future development of high-performance SAEIs for Zn and other metal anodes.

Harnessing the Hofmeister effect for smart elasticity control in flexible devices, this review reveals how ion-material interactions enable simplified and adaptive mechanical regulation. It highlights applications in flexible electronics, optics, and biomedicine, and outlines a forward-looking roadmap for developing next-generation intelligent and responsive materials.

Abstract

The Hofmeister effect has attracted considerable attention for its unique ability to modulate elasticity in flexible devices. Unlike traditional approaches that often involve complex procedures and yield unstable outcomes, the Hofmeister effect enables efficient and controllable elasticity tuning through specific ion-material surface interactions. This mechanism allows precise regulation of surface wettability, thereby facilitating dynamic adjustment of elastic properties. The review systematically summarizes the research progress on the Hofmeister effect, including its concept, underlying mechanisms, and influencing factors, with a particular focus on its applications in flexible electronics, optics, and biomedical devices. By elucidating the underlying mechanisms of ion-induced material modulation, the review highlights the potential of the Hofmeister effect to advance the design of next-generation smart materials. It aims to provide both a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for developing high-performance flexible systems.

A smart DNA nanoframework is constructed by precipitation polymerization and hybridization chain reaction, which enables the controlled co-delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein, hemin, and Ce6 for synergistic PDT. The integrated functions of gene editing and PDT allow the substantial accumulation of 1O2 in cancer cells for enhanced cell apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth in a pancreatic cancer mouse model.

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) holds great promise for treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most lethal cancers, but its clinical application is hindered by limited generation and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to tumor hypoxia and the organism's antioxidant defense mechanisms. To address this challenge, a smart DNA nanoframework capable of controlled co-delivery of Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (RNP), hemin, and chlorin e6 (Ce6) to enable synergistic PDT for PDAC is developed. This nanoframework employs a hybridization chain reaction and phase transition to achieve high payload loading capacity while overcoming steric hindrance. The G-quadruplex/hemin complex mimics horseradish peroxidase activity to convert endogenous H2O2 to O2, alleviating tumor hypoxia. Additionally, Cas9 RNP targets the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway, downregulating Nrf2 expression and diminishing the antioxidant response, thereby enhancing ROS accumulation. The synergistic effect of O₂ generation and Nrf2 suppression significantly enhances ROS-induced apoptosis in PDAC cells. In vitro, the system demonstrates efficient gene editing and robust downregulation of Nrf2, while in vivo studies in a PDAC mouse model reveal remarkable antitumor efficacy. This smart DNA nanoframework represents a promising strategy for enhancing PDT through precise genetic and biochemical modulation.

This work presents a multi-site passivation strategy that uses Bis(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) 2,2′-(propane-2,2-diylbis(sulfanediyl)) diacetate (TK-NHS) as an interfacial modifier to address the substantial performance losses when scaling up perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to large-area perovskite solar modules (PSMs). The resulting PSCs achieved an outstanding power coversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.16%, demonstrating impressive scalability, while the corresponding PSMs achieved a remarkable PCE of 22.25%.

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown remarkable progress in laboratory-scale devices, but their scalability to large-area perovskite solar modules (PSMs) remains challenging due to significant performance loss. Here, a multi-site passivation strategy is reported by employing Bis(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) 2,2′-(propane-2,2-diylbis(sulfanediyl)) diacetate (TK-NHS) as an interfacial modifier to address the critical issues of interface recombination and stability in both PSCs and PSMs. TK-NHS effectively inactivates common defects, by modifying the surface of perovskite films through multi-site synergistical interactions. Additionally, a stable dipole layer formed at the interface optimizes energy level alignment, facilitating efficient electron extraction and transport. The resulting perovskite film exhibited a smoother and more homogeneous surface, thus improving interface contact and reducing nonradiative recombination. Consequently, TK-NHS-treated PSCs achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.16%, with significantly improved open-circuit voltage (Voc ) of 1.188 V and fill factor (FF) of 85.3%. The scalable potential of this multi-site passivation strategy has been verified by corresponding PSMs, delivering an impressive PCE of 22.25%. Notably, the devices exhibited exceptional operational stability, retaining 91.4% and 90% of their initial PCE after 1000 and 800 h of continuous illumination, respectively. Thereby advancing the progress of the scaled-up production of PSCs to modules.

The interfacial modification strategy is introduced to precisely tailor the interface and electronic structure of palladium single atoms and clusters (Pd1+Pdn) synergistic sites. Catalytic experiments and spectroscopic characterization revealed site-specific adsorption–desorption behaviors and interface-enhanced H-spillover capacities on NC-modified Pd1+Pdn synergistic sites, thus achieving remarkable enhancements in activity, selectivity, and stability for selective hydrogenation reactions.

Abstract

Synergistic sites (M1+Mn) integrating single atoms (M1) and clusters (Mn) exhibit tremendous promise for overcoming linear scaling relationships. However, metal entities spatial segregation within synergistic sites impedes the overall optimization and structure-property analysis, and the support interface of the M1 and Mn sites critical for intermediate adsorption-transfer kinetics has yet unexplored. Here, for the first time, interfacial modification strategy is proposed to modulate the interface and electronic structure of M1+Mn sites. This is systematically altered that the interface of Pd1+Pdn sites from hydroxyapatite (HAP) to nitrogen-doped carbon-modified HAP (NC/HAP) and pure NC, with all sites maintaining the comparable size and content. In the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes, volcano-type correlations between Pd1+Pdn sites with varying interfaces and hydrogenation activities are observed, peaking for those supported on NC/HAP. The obtained Pd1+Pdn@NC/HAP exhibits superior activity for alkynol-to-enol conversion, achieving a formation rate up to 3707.7 mol molPd −1 h−1 while maintaining 97.2% selectivity. Comprehensive investigations propose d-band center of Pd1+Pdn sites with different interfaces as a descriptor to elucidate the volcano-type correlation for various selective hydrogenation reactions. Interfacial modification of Pd1+Pdn sites can optimize their electronic structure, adeptly managing substrates adsorption–desorption kinetic and interface H-spillover between segregated metal sites, thereby breaking −the activity-selectivity-stability trade-off.

Low-platinum-group metal (low-PGM) catalysts play a vital role in reducing the cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, an axially Cl-coordinated Pt-Co dual atom on N-doped graphitic carbon catalyst (denoted as Pt1Co1/NC–Cl) is rationally designed. Owing to the axial chlorine ligand and asymmetric coordination environment, the catalyst exhibits significantly enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity under acidic conditions.

Abstract

Low-platinum-group metal (low-PGM) catalysts play a crucial role in reducing the cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Dual-atomic catalysts offer valuable solutions due to their exceptional performance. This work explores the application of axial Cl-coordinated Pt─Co dual atoms on N-doped graphitic carbon (Pt1Co1/NC─Cl) catalysts utilizing PtCo dual-atomic catalysts, demonstrating their ability to significantly enhance the acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic performance of conventional PtCo catalysts. The half-wave potential (E1/2) reaches 0.841 V in a 0.1 M HClO4 solution, and only a reduction of 12 mV in E1/2 is observed after 5000 cycles. Axial Cl proves to be resistant to removal during the electroreduction reaction. Consequently, the use of heteroatom-modulated asymmetric structures can greatly improve the performance of Pt-based catalysts. Incorporating nonmetallic synergistic Pt-group metals presents a promising solution for achieving high-performance Low-PGMs.

Relaxor materials developed from the archetypal antiferroelectric PbZrO3 show a more complex phase transition and unconventional multi-phase competition compared with traditional relaxors developed from typical ferroelectrics, achieving ultrahigh dielectric response and tunability that can be sustained in the radio-frequency range, underscoring a promising approach to develop relaxors with enhanced functional capabilities and new possibilities.

Abstract

Highly responsive, voltage-tunable dielectrics are essential for microwave-telecommunication electronics. Ferroelectric/relaxor materials have been leading candidates for such functionality and have exhibited agile dielectric responses. Here, it is demonstrated that relaxor materials developed from antiferroelectrics can achieve both ultrahigh dielectric response and tunability. The system, based on alloying the archetypal antiferroelectric PbZrO3 with the dielectric BaZrO3, exhibits a more complex phase evolution than that in traditional relaxors and is characterized by an unconventional multi-phase competition between antiferroelectric, ferroelectric, and paraelectric order. This interplay of phases can greatly enhance the local heterogeneities and results in relaxor characteristics while preserving considerable polarizability. Upon studying Pb1- x Ba x ZrO3 for x = 0-0.45, Pb0.65Ba0.35ZrO3 is found to provide for exceptional dielectric tunability under low bias fields (≈81% at 200 kV cm−1 and ≈91% at 500 kV cm−1) at 10 kHz, outcompeting most traditional relaxor ferroelectric films. This high tunability is sustained in the radio-frequency range, resulting in a high commutation quality factor (>2000 at 1 GHz). This work highlights the phase evolution from antiferroelectrics (with lower, “positive” dielectric tunability) to relaxors (with higher, “negative” tunability), underscoring a promising approach to develop relaxors with enhanced functional capabilities and new possibilities.

The adhesion energy of monolayer amorphous carbon on copper substrate is 85 J m−2, 13 times higher than that of graphene due to covalent-like bonding between the sp2 carbon structure to copper. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption (NEXAFS), and (density functional theory) DFT calculations are used to elucidate the structural and electronic interactions at the monolayer amorphous carbon-copper interface.

Abstract

The single-atom thickness of graphene holds great potential for device scaling, but its effectiveness as a thin metal-ion diffusion barrier in microelectronics and a corrosion barrier for plasmonic devices is compromised by weak van der Waals interactions with copper (Cu), leading to delamination issues. In contrast, monolayer amorphous carbon (MAC), a recently reported single-atom-thick carbon film with a disordered sp2 hybridized structure, demonstrates superior adhesion properties. This study reveals that MAC exhibits an adhesion energy of 85 J m−2 on Cu, which is 13 times greater than that of graphene. This exceptional adhesion is attributed to the formation of covalent-like Cu─C bonds while preserving its sp2 structure, as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidate that the corrugated structure of MAC facilitates the hybridization of C 2pz orbitals with Cu 4s and 3dz2 orbitals, promoting strong bonding. These insights indicate that the amorphous structure of MAC significantly enhances adhesion while preserving its elemental composition, providing a pathway to improve the mechanical reliability and performance of two-dimensional (2D) materials on metal substrates in various technological applications.

Highly active metastable transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and carbides (TMCs) face significant challenges in achieving precise control over their structure and phase. Here, ultrafast photothermal annealing is presented as an effective approach forsynthesizing TMDs and TMCs with precise structural and phase control. This process achieves temperatures exceeding 3000 K within milliseconds, enabling ambient-air synthesis of metastable nanomaterials featuring phase transition, core@shell heterostructures, and carbothermic reactions. The resulting materials exhibit high catalytic activity, opening avenues for customized applications in energy and environmental fields.

Abstract

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer remarkable potential for next-generation functional devices, but achieving ultrafast synthesis with precise structural and phase control under ambient conditions remains a significant challenge. Here, ultrafast photothermal annealing assisted by graphene oxide is introduced for precise phase control of TMDs forming a heterostructure. This process reaches adjustable temperatures between 1 768 and 3 162 K within 10 ms, featuring rapid kinetics, enabling the synthesis of various metastable nanomaterials in ambient air. The TMDs form directly from precursors above 1 700 K, while temperatures above 2 300 K induce carbothermic reactions, producing metastable transition metal carbides (TMCs) and core@shell heterostructures (TMC@TMD and TMC@carbon). Introducing seed materials like single metals, metal oxides, and multielement/high-entropy alloys enables the formation of core(seed)@shell (TMD) heterostructures. The resulting composites demonstrated significantly enhanced catalytic performance in gas sensing and hydrogen production. This robust and versatile photothermal annealing method holds broad potential for designing advanced heterostructure-engineered TMD and/or TMC composites tailored for targeted applications.

Perceptual quality metric and loss function for 3D and temporal consistency

To better train and evaluate 3D reconstruction methods (NeRF, Gaussian Splatting) or 3D generative models, both for static (3D) and dynamic (4D) scenes, we will develop a new full-reference quality metric and no-reference loss function. Those will be trained and validated on a new 4D quality dataset, with the subjective quality measured in stereoscopic presentation (e.g., on a VR headset). The developed techniques will improve 3D and temporal consistency of the rendered views, resulting in fewer temporal artefacts. They will also allow automatic hyper-parameter tuning and more reliable evaluation and comparison of 3D rendering techniques.

• Speaker: Fei Yin, University of Cambridge
• Thursday 29 May 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
• Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.

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Streaming of rendered content with adaptive frame rate and resolution

Streaming rendered content is an attractive way to bring high-quality graphics to billions of mobile devices that do not have sufficient rendering power. Existing solutions render content on a server at a fixed frame rate, typically 30 or 60 frames per second, and reduce resolution when bandwidth is restricted. Here, we argue that when streaming graphics content with fast motion, higher quality is achieved when both the frame rate and the resolution are adjusted dynamically based on the content and its motion. We propose a system in which a small neural network predicts the optimal frame rate and resolution for a given transmission bandwidth, content, and motion velocity. This prediction maximizes perceived rendering quality and reduces computational cost under constrained transmission bandwidth. The network is trained on a large dataset of rendered content, which was labeled with a perceptual video quality metric.

• Speaker: Yaru Liu, University of Cambridge
• Thursday 29 May 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
• Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.

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Overhanging solitary water waves

We construct gravity water waves with constant vorticity having the approximate form of a disk joined to a strip by a thin neck. This is the first rigorous existence result for such waves, which have been seen in numerics since the 80s and 90s. Our method is related to the construction of constant mean curvature surfaces through gluing, and involves combining three explicit solutions to related problems: a disk of fluid in rigid rotation, a linear shear flow in a strip, and a rescaled version of an exceptional domain discovered by Hauswirth, Hélein, and Pacard.

This is joint work with Juan Dávila, Manuel del Pino, and Monica Musso.

• Speaker: Miles H. Wheeler (University of Bath)
• Monday 02 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR13.
• Series: Partial Differential Equations seminar; organiser: Giacomo Ageno.

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Nature Materials, Published online: 29 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02240-8

Poly(carboxybetaine) lipids enhance mRNA lipid nanoparticles efficacy and reduce their immunogenicity, being promising alternatives to poly(ethylene) glycol lipids used in traditional mRNA lipid nanoparticle formulations.

Nature Materials, Published online: 29 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02258-y

Robust superconductivity is demonstrated in La2PrNi2O7 thin films on a SrLaAlO4 substrate.