Synthesis and processing articles from across Nature Portfolio

While silicon is a crucial semiconducting material, solution-based synthetic approaches for unsaturated silicon-rich molecules require less efficient multi-step syntheses. Here, the authors report access to soluble, polyhedral Si₉ clusters from the binary phase K₁₂Si₁₇, which contains both [Si₄]⁴⁻ and [Si₉]⁴⁻ clusters.

Remote epitaxy is used to grow semiconductor structures on 2D material covered substrates. Here, a method for fabricating ultrathin 2D amorphous carbon layers on III-V semiconductors is demonstrated using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition as a universal template for remote epitaxy.

This study introduces a²c, a computational method that leverages machine learning and atomistic simulations to predict the most likely crystallization products upon annealing of amorphous precursors. The a²c tool was demonstrated on a variety of materials, including oxides, nitrides and metallic glasses, and can assist researchers in discovering synthesis pathways for materials design.

Chemical vapor deposition is used for forming thin layers of materials of various surfaces when making e.g., electronic devices. Here authors show how addition of a heavy inert gas can increase the thickness uniformity of the films on complex objects.

Physical unclonable functions have been proposed to overcome limitations of current anti-counterfeiting technologies. Here, the authors report the development of nanoscale artificial fingerprints as physical unclonable functions for secure authentication and identification.

Communications Chemistry is pleased to introduce a Collection of research works focused on recent developments within the interdisciplinary field of on-surface synthesis. Here, the Guest Editors highlight key themes and look towards the future of this research field.

Monodisperse perovskite nanocrystals are formed by using a diffusion-mediated growth mechanism that controls converted monomer concentration such that premature termination or secondary growth processes are prevented.

High-resolution additive manufacturing is a rapidly expanding field in microscale engineering. An approach of direct laser writing of inorganic materials now promises the facile 3D deposition of complex geometries in metals and their alloys.

Hydroxyl radicals (·OH) are important reactive oxygen species in environmental chemistry. The most efficient way to generate them is through a single-electron water-oxidation step, but this light-driven process is inefficient over inorganic semiconductor materials. Now, a judiciously designed polymeric carbon nitride has demonstrated high photocatalytic efficiency.

A wide range of zero-dimensional powders can be converted into versatile, high-performance one-dimensional micro-/nanofibres by using two-dimensional cellulose sheets as a mediator, preserving the particles’ nanostructural features and acting as building blocks for complex geometric shapes to satisfy application requirements.