{"title":"The materials we make don’t just go ‘away’","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00845-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00845-8","url":null,"abstract":"Materials researchers are trained to innovate and create. But now that it is clear the world has too much stuff, what is the path forward?","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 10","pages":"713-714"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-025-00845-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145230917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The van der Waals MoSi2N4 materials family","authors":"Tianya Zhou, Chuan Xu, Wencai Ren","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00832-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00832-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and transition metal dichalcogenides, are normally limited by the known 3D bulk materials. The design and synthesis of entirely new 2D materials, particularly van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, would significantly expand the properties and functionalities of 2D materials. In 2020, a novel vdW layered material, MoSi<sub>2</sub>N<sub>4</sub>, was synthesized by passivating the surface of 2D non-layered molybdenum nitride with the addition of elemental silicon, which has since opened up a new vdW materials family with the general formula MA<sub>2</sub>Z<sub>4</sub>. To date, over a hundred MA<sub>2</sub>Z<sub>4</sub> materials and their derivatives have been predicted, in addition to the synthesized MSi<sub>2</sub>N<sub>4</sub> (M = Mo, W), encompassing metals, semiconductors, superconductors, topological insulators, ferroelectrics and ferromagnets, owing to the diversity of elements and structures in MA<sub>2</sub>Z<sub>4</sub>. Such materials exhibit a variety of exceptional electronic, optical, thermal, mechanical, ferroelectric and magnetic properties, and they are promising for applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis and batteries. Over the past 4 years, the MoSi<sub>2</sub>N<sub>4</sub> materials family has rapidly emerged as a key research frontier in materials science. In this Review, we summarize recent advances in the investigation of materials in the MoSi<sub>2</sub>N<sub>4</sub> family, covering their crystal structure, synthesis methods, fundamental properties and potential applications, and provide an outlook on future research directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":83.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145035758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Coordination chemistry in advanced redox-active electrolyte designs","authors":"Fei Ai, Yi-Chun Lu","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00833-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00833-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coordination chemistry is central to the development of redox-active electrolytes for various applications, including electroplating, molecular screening, biomedicine, artificial synthesis and energy storage. This Review focuses on the role of coordination chemistry in the design of redox-active electrolytes for aqueous redox flow batteries. We analyse the key thermodynamic and kinetic properties of electrolytes through the framework of crystal-field theory, emphasizing how ligand properties, ligand-field effects and entropy influence redox potential, solubility and structural stability. We also discuss how coordination chemistry fine-tunes microscopic dynamic properties, thereby influencing electrochemical performance. In addition, we discuss characterization techniques that enable deep insight into the structure–function relationships of coordination-based electrolytes. Finally, we outline future directions for rational electrolyte design guided by coordination chemistry principles, with the aim to produce next-generation aqueous redox flow batteries with enhanced performance and tunability.</p>","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":83.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solar-driven ammonia recovery from wastewater using MXene-based sponges","authors":"Charlotte Allard","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00837-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00837-8","url":null,"abstract":"An article in Nature Sustainability reports a strategy that improves the sustainability of ammonia recovery compared with conventional methods.","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 9","pages":"637-637"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144824964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sustainable slippery surfaces","authors":"Claire Ashworth","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00836-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00836-9","url":null,"abstract":"An article in Nature Communications reports a polymer coating with oil-repellent properties comparable to that of short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but featuring single perfluorocarbon groups rather than longer and more toxic fluorocarbon chains.","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 9","pages":"636-636"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144824963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Synthetic methods for high-entropy nanomaterials","authors":"Nabojit Kar, Sara E. Skrabalak","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00829-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00829-8","url":null,"abstract":"‘High entropy’ has become a key concept in materials science over the past two decades, with this concept more recently extended to nanomaterials. High-entropy materials, characterized by the incorporation of five or more principal elements in nearly equal proportions, leverage entropy to promote the formation of compositionally complex single-phase materials rather than phase-segregated alternatives. The extensive compositional space of high-entropy nanomaterials, as well as their distinct structural and catalytic properties, has garnered considerable interest. The synthesis of high-quality single-phase high-entropy nanoparticles is important to fully realizing their potential to drive innovation, and numerous synthetic routes exist. Top-down methods begin with bulk high-entropy materials and break them down into nanosized structures, whereas bottom-up strategies start from atoms and build nanomaterials through nucleation and growth. In this Review, we categorize and compare the synthetic methods for high-entropy alloy and high-entropy intermetallic nanoparticles. Our discussion reveals that colloidal synthesis offers excellent control over the composition, size and shape of high-entropy nanoparticles while also providing pathways to metastable states that are not always accessible by other methods. High-entropy nanomaterials are characterized by the incorporation of five or more principal elements in nearly equal proportions. This Review highlights how different synthetic methods for these nanomaterials can facilitate control of phase and particle size and shape for applications such as catalysis.","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 9","pages":"638-653"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144813006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Davide Nodari, Zhuoran Qiao, Francesco Furlan, Oskar J. Sandberg, Koen Vandewal, Nicola Gasparini
{"title":"Towards high and reliable specific detectivity in visible and infrared perovskite and organic photodiodes","authors":"Davide Nodari, Zhuoran Qiao, Francesco Furlan, Oskar J. Sandberg, Koen Vandewal, Nicola Gasparini","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00830-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00830-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Perovskite and organic photodiodes have emerged as promising candidates for ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared photodetection owing to their tunable optoelectronic properties, solution processability and potential for low-cost fabrication. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in these technologies. We focus on the characterization methodologies critical for assessing device performance, particularly specific detectivity (<i>D*</i>), the key metric for benchmarking photodetectors. We highlight state-of-the-art devices, identifying their architectures, materials and performance metrics, while analysing their fundamental charge recombination processes and device-level factors limiting further improvement. Finally, we discuss future research directions and technological innovations necessary to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale devices and their practical utilization in real-world applications. Our aim is to provide a roadmap for advancing the field towards next-generation high-performance and commercially viable photodiodes for ultraviolet–visible and infrared detection.</p>","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":83.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144778538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Krzysztof K. Dudek, Muamer Kadic, Corentin Coulais, Katia Bertoldi
{"title":"Shape-morphing metamaterials","authors":"Krzysztof K. Dudek, Muamer Kadic, Corentin Coulais, Katia Bertoldi","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00828-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00828-9","url":null,"abstract":"Mechanical metamaterials use geometric design to achieve unconventional properties, such as high strength at low density, efficient waveguiding and complex shape morphing. The ability to control changes in shape builds on the complex relationship between geometry and nonlinear mechanics, and opens new possibilities for disruptive technologies across diverse fields, including wearable devices, medical technology, robotics and beyond. In this Review, we examine the current state of the field of shape-morphing metamaterials and propose a unified classification system for the mechanisms involved, as well as the design principles underlying them. Specifically, we explore two main categories of unit cells — those that exploit structural anisotropy and those that exploit internal rotations — and two potential approaches to tessellating these cells, based on kinematic compatibility or geometric frustration. We conclude by discussing the available design tools and highlighting emerging challenges in the development of shape-morphing metamaterials. Shape-morphing metamaterials use geometric design to achieve advantageous properties, enabling innovations in fields from robotics to wearable devices. This Review proposes a unified classification of the design principles underlying shape-morphing behaviour, discusses available design tools and highlights emerging challenges in the development of shape-morphing metamaterials.","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 10","pages":"783-798"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144737097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leonid V. Pourovskii, Dario Fiore Mosca, Lorenzo Celiberti, Sergii Khmelevskyi, Arun Paramekanti, Cesare Franchini
{"title":"Hidden orders in spin–orbit-entangled correlated insulators","authors":"Leonid V. Pourovskii, Dario Fiore Mosca, Lorenzo Celiberti, Sergii Khmelevskyi, Arun Paramekanti, Cesare Franchini","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00824-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41578-025-00824-z","url":null,"abstract":"In many materials, ordered phases and their order parameters are easily characterized by standard experimental methods. ‘Hidden order’ refers to a phase transition in which an ordered state emerges without such an easily detectable order parameter, despite clear thermodynamic evidence of the transition. The underlying mechanisms for these unconventional states of matter stem from spin–orbit coupling, which intertwines intersite exchange, classical electron–magnetic interactions and electron–lattice effects. This physics is elusive to experimental probes and beyond traditional theories of insulating magnetism, requiring sophisticated methodologies for its exploration. In this Review, we survey exotic hidden-order phases in correlated insulators, particularly focusing on the latest progress in material-specific theories and numerical approaches. The relevant degrees of freedom in these phases are local high-rank multipole moments of magnetic and charge density that emerge from spin–orbit-entangled correlated shells of heavy d and f electron ions and interact on the lattice via various mechanisms. We discuss approaches to modelling hidden orders in realistic systems via direct ab initio calculations or by constructing low-energy many-body effective Hamiltonian. We also describe how these new theoretical tools have helped to uncover driving mechanisms for recently discovered multipolar phases in double perovskites of heavy transition metals and how they have proved instrumental in disentangling the role of various interactions in ‘traditional’ f-electron multipolar materials such as actinide dioxides. In both cases, material-specific theories have played a key part in interpreting and predicting experimental signatures of hidden orders. Hidden orders involve phase transitions without obvious order parameters, challenging experimental detection and conventional theories. This Review summarizes recent advances in modelling hidden-order phases in correlated insulators, highlighting the role of material-specific theories in the interpretation and prediction of the experimental signatures of hidden orders.","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"10 9","pages":"674-696"},"PeriodicalIF":86.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144701443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luo Yu, Minghui Ning, Yu Wang, Chuqing Yuan, Zhifeng Ren
{"title":"Direct seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production","authors":"Luo Yu, Minghui Ning, Yu Wang, Chuqing Yuan, Zhifeng Ren","doi":"10.1038/s41578-025-00826-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00826-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Direct seawater electrolysis (DSE) is a sustainable technology for green hydrogen production. However, implementing this technology remains highly challenging owing to the poor catalytic activity and limited lifetime that result from corrosion, chlorine-related side reactions and metal precipitates. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview and critical discussion of current challenges and possible solutions for DSE in terms of the seawater electrolyte, catalysts, membranes and electrolysers. We first discuss challenges and opportunities stemming from impurity ions in seawater and explore potential seawater treatment solutions to improve DSE performance. We then summarize and propose effective strategies for designing efficient hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction catalysts for DSE. Next, recent progress in, and challenges for, membranes used in DSE are presented, including analysis of the membrane degradation mechanisms and possible mitigation strategies. We also critically review and discuss the advantages and challenges of both conventional and novel electrolysers for DSE. Importantly, to guide future research, we emphasize how to further optimize strategies and solutions to tackle degradation and corrosion in DSE under real-world operating conditions. Finally, we discuss future challenges and prospects for the large-scale application of DSE technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":19081,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Materials","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":83.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}