2026-09-21
Siqi Wang, Xiao Chen, Han Han, Zuhao Liu, Yulong Ding, Ruqiang Zou, Tingxian Li
Phase-change materials can store a large amount of latent heat within nearly isothermal phase transitions, making them ideal for thermal management. To enable system-level integration, this Review presents a multiscale design framework for optimizing the thermal properties of phase-change materials from the molecular and material levels to the module and device levels.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00959-72026-09-21
Ethan C. Quinn, Maëlle T. Gace, Levi J. Hamernik, Changxia Shi, Katrina M. Knauer, Gregg T. Beckham, Eugene Y.-X. Chen
Mono-material products, which are made up of one polymer type derived from a single monomer or comonomer combination, may help to solve the sustainability problems associated with multimaterial plastic products. This Review discusses advances in engineering processes towards mono-materials and the remaining technical challenges surrounding mono-materialization.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00961-z2026-09-17
Hailong Wang, Qianjin Xiong, Nuo Sun, Qinlang Rong, Zhenguo Wu, Stefano Passerini, Xin He
Smart batteries require materials that can regulate degradation, sense hidden internal states and support decision-oriented management. This Review discusses responsive materials, battery-integrated sensing architectures and data-assisted interpretation strategies for developing cell-compatible, manufacturable and sustainable smart batteries.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00957-92026-09-17
Hannah Hatcher
An article in Communications Materials reports a high-pressure and high-temperature processing strategy that permanently switches the carrier polarity of Bi2Te3 while also enhancing its thermoelectric and mechanical properties.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00967-72026-09-16
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in Nature Communications shows that suppressing antisite defects in single-crystal Bi2Te3 through Se alloying simultaneously enhances mechanical flexibility and thermoelectric performance.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00966-82026-09-16
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in Science Advances shows that confined copper ion dynamics in TiCu5Se3 induce strong anharmonic lattice vibrations and wave-like thermal transport, achieving high thermoelectric efficiency.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00964-w2026-09-15
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in npj Computational Materials presents a thermoelectric inverse design framework that combines generative artificial intelligence with hierarchical first principles screening to identify previously unknown thermoelectric candidates with promising predicted performance.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00965-92026-09-01
Taskeen Iqbal Janjua, Jeong-Won Choi, Benjamin P. Ross, John P. Gleeson, Samir Mitragotri, Amirali Popat
Permeation enhancers are transforming strategies for overcoming biological barriers in therapeutic delivery. This Perspective critically evaluates their mechanisms, clinical evidence, translational challenges and regulatory considerations and outlines emerging opportunities to enable broader therapeutic application across diverse delivery routes.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00954-y2026-08-25
Gianvito Vilé
Single-atom catalysts were initially developed to maximize metal utilization, but they have evolved into a powerful platform for interrogating the fundamental principles of catalysis. Recent studies reveal that their active sites continuously adapt through interactions with supports, defects and reactants. These findings challenge the conventional view of catalyst stability as structural persistence, redefining it as controlled adaptability and opening the way to catalysts that sense, switch and evolve with their reaction environment.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00960-02026-08-24
Caicai Li, Chenglong Zhao, Qidi Wang
Safety presents a central challenge in developing high-energy rechargeable batteries. Thermally responsive polymers provide an effective strategy for active safety regulation: upon heating, they undergo intrinsic structural transformations that suppress ion and electron transport, interrupt electrochemical reactions and mitigate thermal runaway, enabling safer and more reliable battery technology for next-generation energy storage.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00952-02026-07-14
Zhong-Hui Shen
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 14 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00946-y Dielectrics with high energy storage density are essential for device miniaturization and system integration. As advances in materials fabrication technologies push the breakdown strength of dielectric materials ever closer to their theoretical limits, greater emphasis should be placed on polarization enhancement for further improving the energy storage performance.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00946-y2026-07-08
Enbo Zhu
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 08 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00937-z Electrocatalyst durability is a central challenge limiting the large-scale deployment of electrochemical energy technologies, despite major advances in nanocatalyst design and activity. This Review examines the thermodynamic and kinetic principles governing catalyst stability and highlights emerging strategies to understand and engineer stable, high-performance electrocatalysts for practical energy applications.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00937-z2026-07-03
Thomas P. Wytock
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 03 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00936-0 Metamaterials derived from irregular networks promise remarkable properties but require a new type of network science. This Perspective establishes a foundation built on networks endowed with geometry and physics for describing, analysing, predicting and ultimately designing metamaterials with controlled irregularity and tailored functionalities.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00936-02026-06-10
Feng Li
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00935-1 Halide perovskite transistors are advancing rapidly, yet reported mobility values remain highly sensitive to material properties, device physics and measurement protocols. Establishing reliable, reproducible and application-specific mobility metrics is essential for translating laboratory performance into credible device technologies.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00935-12026-06-04
Katrina M. Knauer
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00933-3 Over the past decade, polymer science has shifted from precision synthesis to circular economy design. Breakthroughs in recycling, depolymerization and data-driven methods will be instrumental in designing polymers for sustainability within planetary constraints.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00933-32026-05-12
Lina Johnsen Kamra
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 12 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00929-z An article in Physical Review Letters describes how the momentum dependence of the superconducting pairing potential can be probed using the quantum twisting microscope.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00929-z2026-05-05
Sreetosh Goswami
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 05 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00924-4 Artificial intelligence has outgrown the computers built to run it. Advances of the past decade have made clear that catching up is no longer a problem that any one discipline can solve. Can neuromorphic computing offer a way forward?]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00924-42026-04-27
Yuchen Li
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 27 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00918-2 MXene nanocomposites hold promise for aerospace, energy and biomedical applications, yet their macroscopic properties fall short of intrinsic MXene nanosheet performance. This Review discusses bioinspired confined assembly strategies that suppress void defects, yielding mechanically robust nanocomposites with scalable fabrication.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00918-22026-04-22
Hai Hu
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 22 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00907-5 Hyperbolic polaritons enable nanoscale light manipulation through extreme anisotropy in natural and artificial media. This Review introduces a transdimensional framework, highlighting their topological properties and interfacial transport, and outlines future directions for interdisciplinary research and integrated polaritonic technologies.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00907-52026-04-17
Richa Chaudhary
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 17 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00920-8 The shift towards electrified transportation, aerospace and distributed technologies demands energy-storage systems that are efficient and structurally integrated. Rechargeable batteries, conventionally implemented as monofunctional components, introduce mass, volume and carbon penalties at the system level, revealing the need to rethink batteries as multifunctional materials rather than stand-alone devices.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00920-82026-04-13
Charlotte Allard
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 13 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00921-7 An article in Nature Materials presents a mineral-based bioelectronic approach that uses the battery material LiFePO4 to deliver highly localized, electronically controlled lithium for precise neural inhibition.]]>
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00921-72026-04-01
Lina Johnsen Kamra
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 01 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00916-4 An article in Nature Physics reports how combining distinct transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers enables the formation of an emergent exciton crystal — the bosonic analogue of the fermionic Wigner crystal.
2026-03-27
Giulia Pacchioni
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 27 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00914-6 A paper in Nature Communications reports a one-step molecular assembly strategy that forms a robust superhydrophobic shell directly on individual fibres, yielding fabrics that maintain water repellency even after extensive mechanical and environmental stress.
2026-03-16
Mika H. Sipponen
Nature Reviews Materials, Published online: 16 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41578-026-00910-w Lignin forms the polyphenolic network in wood that enables trees to stand upright, transport water and ions, and resist microbial attack. Although its structural complexity is often seen as a limitation, its inherent multifunctionality offers opportunities. By strategically harnessing these features, new directions for advanced lignin-based materials can emerge.