Journal: Nature Reviews Materials

Abbreviation

Nat Rev Mater

Publisher

Nature

Journal Volumes

ISSN

2058-8437

Description

Filters

2016 - 201952020 - 202515
Reset filters

Search Results

Publications 1 - 10 of 20
  • Atomic force microscopy-based characterization and design of biointerfaces
    Item type: Review Article
    Alsteens, David; Gaub, Hermann E.; Newton, Richard; et al. (2017)
    Nature Reviews Materials
  • Hidden, entangled and resonating order
    Item type: Journal Article
    Aeppli, Gabriel; Balatsky, Alexander V.; Rønnow, Henrik M.; et al. (2020)
    Nature Reviews Materials
  • A sustainable future for plastics considering material safety and preserved value
    Item type: Journal Article
    Mitrano, Denise Marie; Wagner, Martin (2022)
    Nature Reviews Materials
    The positive benefits afforded by the widespread use of plastics need to be reconciled with negative impacts on the environment and health across the entire plastics life cycle. Optimizing the balance in several facets of plastics production, use and waste management is necessary for a more sustainable relationship with these materials in the Anthropocene.
  • X-ray tomography for battery research and development
    Item type: Other Journal Item
    Wood, Vanessa (2018)
    Nature Reviews Materials
  • Synergistic integration of materials in medical microrobots for advanced imaging and actuation
    Item type: Review Article
    Wrede, Paul; Remlova, Eva; Chen, Yi; et al. (2025)
    Nature Reviews Materials
    Medical microrobotics capitalizes on smart materials to target specific body sites effectively, precisely and locally, thus holding promise to revolutionize precision medicine in the future. Advances in material science and microfabrication or nanofabrication techniques have facilitated the implementation of a myriad of functionalities into microrobots. Efficient navigation and monitoring of microrobots within the highly dynamic and often inaccessible environment of living mammalian tissues is paramount for their effective in vivo applications and eventual clinical translation. This need calls for the deployment of biomedical imaging modalities with adequate sensitivity, penetration depth and spatiotemporal resolution, as well as for efficient integration of biocompatible contrast materials into microrobots. In this Review, we discuss emerging approaches for multiplexed imaging and actuation of microrobots within complex biological environments, focusing on the synergistic combination of responsive and contrasting materials to achieve desired morphological and functional properties, in vivo visibility and biosafety. The convergence between microrobotics and biomedical imaging paves the way for a new generation of medical microrobots enabling the use of energy for both mechanical actuation and efficient monitoring of their activity in vivo.
  • Dynamic and reconfigurable materials from reversible network interactions
    Item type: Review Article
    Webber, Matthew J.; Tibbitt, Mark W. (2022)
    Nature Reviews Materials
    Polymer materials provide solutions to some of the most pressing environmental, manufacturing and health-care challenges. Traditional thermoplastic and thermoset networks, however, have a limited capacity to reconfigure and restructure, and fail to match the dynamics required for many applications. Introducing dynamic bonding interactions into polymer networks can produce materials that are more easily processed, applied and recycled than their static counterparts. In this Review, we highlight an array of polymer materials designed with dynamic bonds and reconfigurable networks, and discuss the different classes of molecular-scale motifs used to realize dynamic behaviour. After surveying the fundamental polymer physics governing dynamic networks, we examine the many ways to engineer the time regimes of dynamic materials to suit particular applications. Finally, we conclude by discussing opportunities to further develop and integrate these dynamic concepts into existing processes and applications of polymer materials.
  • Ferroelectric negative capacitance
    Item type: Review Article
    Iniguez, Jorge; Zubko, Pavlo; Luk'yanchuk, Igor; et al. (2019)
    Nature Reviews Materials
  • Structure–property–function relationships of natural and engineered wood
    Item type: Review Article
    Chen, Chaoji; Kuang, Yudi; Zhu, Shuze; et al. (2020)
    Nature Reviews Materials
    The complex structure of wood, one of the most abundant biomaterials on Earth, has been optimized over 270 million years of tree evolution. This optimization has led to the highly efficient water and nutrient transport, mechanical stability and durability of wood. The unique material structure and pronounced anisotropy of wood endows it with an array of remarkable properties, yielding opportunities for the design of functional materials. In this Review, we provide a materials and structural perspective on how wood can be redesigned via structural engineering, chemical and/or thermal modification to alter its mechanical, fluidic, ionic, optical and thermal properties. These modifications enable a diverse range of applications, including the development of high-performance structural materials, energy storage and conversion, environmental remediation, nanoionics, nanofluidics, and light and thermal management. We also highlight advanced characterization and computational-simulation approaches for understanding the structure–property–function relationships of natural and modified wood, as well as informing bio-inspired synthetic designs. In addition, we provide our perspective on the future directions of wood research and the challenges and opportunities for industrialization.
  • Atomically precise control in the design of low-nuclearity supported metal catalysts
    Item type: Review Article
    Mitchell, Sharon; Pérez-Ramírez, Javier (2021)
    Nature Reviews Materials
    Nanostructured catalysts incorporating supported metal atoms or small clusters of defined size and chemical composition attract considerable attention because of their potential to maximize resource efficiency. When optimally assembled, all the metal nuclei can participate in the catalytic cycle with properties tailored to deliver high specific activity and stable performance. Over the past decade, both the number and diversity of reported systems have exploded as researchers attempted to control the nanostructure with increasing atomic precision. Nonetheless, spatially resolving the architecture and properties of supported low-nuclearity catalysts using existing analytical methods remains challenging. After identifying general structural features of this advanced family of catalytic materials, including their composition, nuclearity, coordination environment and location, as well as dynamic effects in reactive environments, this Review critically examines progress in their control and understanding. State-of-the-art experimental and theoretical approaches for their characterization are explored, addressing strengths and limitations through recent case studies. Finally, we outline directions for future work that will cross frontiers in the design of catalytic materials, which will be indispensable for developing high-performing new architectures for sustainable technologies.
  • The evolution of multiferroics
    Item type: Review Article
    Fiebig, Manfred; Lottermoser, Thomas; Meier, Dennis; et al. (2016)
    Nature Reviews Materials
Publications 1 - 10 of 20