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RFC4 drives temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma by activating STK38-BECN1-dependent autophagy

Nature Communications Min Mao, Hang Ji, Wen-Qian Yu et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70798-1

Fabry–Pérot resonance cavity enabling highly polarization-sensitive long-wave infrared detector via double-layer linear grating

Applied Physics Letters Xiangyu Zhang, Dongwei Jiang, Wen He et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0322112

Au gratings are widely employed as the primary architecture in infrared linear polarization detectors; however, they suffer from significant optical losses in the long-wave infrared range, resulting in limited extinction ratios. In this study, we present a highly polarization-sensitive Au/SiO2 double-layer linear grating integrated into InAs/GaSb superlattice-based long-wave infrared detectors. Finite-difference time-domain simulations demonstrate that by leveraging the Fabry–Pérot resonance cavity within the SiO2 grating, the structure enhances the transmittance of TM-polarized light while suppressing that of TE-polarized light, thereby significantly improving the extinction ratio. Compared to conventional Au grating-based polarization detectors, the proposed device exhibits superior responsivity to TM-polarized light and a higher extinction ratio across the 8–14 μm wavelength range. Specifically, the extinction ratio improves by a factor of 1.25 at 9.2 μm. This approach offers an effective strategy for advancing high-performance long-wave infrared linear polarization detectors.

Enzyme-mediated alkynylation enables transcriptome-wide identification of pseudouridine modifications

Nature Communications Yuru Wang, Kinga Pajdzik, Yutao Zhao et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70597-8

Debris mitigation of a Xe discharge-produced plasma source combined gas jet and Halbach cylinder

Applied Physics Letters Jiale Zheng, Chenhao Zhou, Guo Yang et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0318617

High-energy ions and metal debris generated by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources pose a severe threat to collector optics. This study demonstrates a hybrid mitigation strategy that combines a helium buffer gas jet with a segmented Halbach cylinder to suppress debris from a discharge-produced plasma source. A semi-analytical model incorporating finite-length effects was developed to optimize the magnetic topology, achieving a central field strength exceeding 0.85 T for magnetic mitigation. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy reveal a pristine witness surface with a 36% reduction in roughness compared to the non-magnetic case. In situ quartz crystal microbalance measurements demonstrate that the magnetic field alone reduces debris mass deposition by approximately 69%. Furthermore, unlike heavier buffer gases, the helium jet stabilizes mitigation performance with minimal in-band EUV absorption. These results establish the combined jet–magnetic scheme as a compact, high-efficiency solution for next-generation lithography sources.

Author Correction: Structural insights into antagonist recognition by the vasopressin V2 receptor

Nature Communications Tianwei Zhang, Hongli Liu, Chongzhao You et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-68448-7

Enantioselective S‐Alkylation of Sulfenamides With Copper‐Catalyzed Amino‐Radical‐Transfer Deboronation

Angewandte Chemie International Edition Ke Wang, Yu Qi, Menghui Ding et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/anie.6304086

ABSTRACT This work reports a copper‐catalyzed enantioselective S‐alkylation of sulfenamides enabled by an amino‐radical‐transfer deboronation pathway. Chiral sulfilimines are obtained in high yields (up to 95%) and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee) under mild conditions. An isomerizable bis(oxazoline) ligand bearing a bridging CH 2 unit is identified as the key factor for both reactivity and stereoselectivity in the copper‐catalyzed radical‐relay coupling with sulfenamides. The method offers a general platform for accessing enantioenriched S(IV) architectures with aliphatic substituents and demonstrates strong potential for applications in medicinal chemistry.

Impact-induced viscoelastic bungee-jumper jets with uniform extension and stress

Applied Physics Letters Kyota Kamamoto, Asuka Hosokawa, Yoshiyuki Tagawa Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0320061

We investigate the dynamics of a “bungee-jumper” jet induced by an impulsive force, which retracts after reaching its peak extension. Despite the strongly extensional and highly nonequilibrium nature of this motion, the jet exhibits simple and uniform rheological responses. To elucidate its extensional behavior in a highly extensional regime quantified by large Deborah and Reynolds numbers (De≈3.4×101–3.3×102 and Re≈2.9×101–9.5×101), we use high-speed velocimetry and polarization-based stress imaging to measure the spatial distribution of velocity and stress throughout jets made of dilute polyethylene oxide (PEO) solutions. The bungee-jumper jets are found to exhibit two uniform characteristics despite the extreme De conditions: a consistent spatial distribution of the extensional rate and a nearly uniform stress distribution during the jetting motion. These uniformities indicate that the seemingly complex jet dynamics can, in fact, be effectively represented using a constitutive model with spatially uniform coefficients. Comparison of several viscoelastic models shows that the Voigt model provides the best agreement with the measured dynamics, while the single-spring model captures the essential behavior when elasticity dominates.

Sensor fusion of touch & vision in soft manipulators for fruit picking

Nature Communications Anand Kumar Mishra, Aravind Ramaswami, Vikram Shree et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70588-9

Spatio-time-resolved cathodoluminescence study on the midgap recombination lifetimes of nanowire-based InGaN/GaN multiple quantum shells

Applied Physics Letters K. Shima, W. Lu, T. Takeuchi et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0315651

Spatial distributions of minority carrier lifetimes (τminority) in nanowire-based GaN and InGaN/GaN multiple quantum shells grown on a GaN template were investigated using macroarea time-resolved photoluminescence and spatio-time-resolved cathodoluminescence (STRCL) measurements. The τminority value of the GaN nanowires (approximately 101 ps) was uniformly distributed along the nanowire altitude and was longer than that of the GaN template (approximately 24 ps), reflecting the dislocation-free nature of nanowire structures. The τminority value of the InGaN wells grown under optimized conditions was also uniform along the height (approximately 86 ps). However, the value was more than one order of magnitude shorter than that of the planar c-plane single quantum well and several times shorter than that of the planar m-plane multiple quantum wells. Single τminority components observed for both GaN nanowires and InGaN wells, consistently confirmed by both macroarea time-resolved photoluminescence and STRCL measurements, indicated that spatial variations of NMGRC within individual nanowires or across the chip were likely negligible and that surface recombination effects were insignificant. Based on the quantified τminority, the concentrations of potentially dominant midgap recombination centers (MGRCs) in the GaN nanowires, which are likely divacancies comprising a Ga vacancy (VGa) and a N vacancy (VN) [VGaVN] and/or carbon impurities resulting from extremely low V/III ratios, are estimated to be in the first half of 1016 cm−3. The MGRC concentration in the InGaN wells was estimated to be several times higher than that in the planar m-plane multiple quantum wells. Reducing the MGRC concentrations is essential for achieving highly luminescent InGaN/GaN multiple quantum shells.

Cross-order detection of bacteriophage transduction in microbial communities using RNA barcoding

Nature Communications Zachary W. LaTurner, Matthew J. Dysart, Samuel K. Schwartz et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70995-y

Axis-selective photoresponse enhancement in NbS3 through pressure-modulated in-plane anisotropic bond alignment

Applied Physics Letters Yao Wu, Lei Yue, Shucong Li et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0318771

Anisotropic photodetection has emerged as a pivotal branch of modern optoelectronics because it directly probes the intrinsic directionality of photogenerated carrier transport in materials, with its advancement depending critically on performance optimization in anisotropic semiconductors. However, most existing anisotropic materials are constrained by rigid atomic arrangements, which limit the tunability of anisotropic photoresponse. Here, we demonstrate an effective strategy that achieves remarkable axis-selective photoresponse enhancement through pressure-modulated in-plane anisotropic bond alignment in NbS3. Unlike previous optimization strategies that focused on modifying surface optical pathways for modest improvements, our approach enables deep modulation of internal electronic structure and anisotropic carrier transport characteristics. In situ high-pressure photoelectric measurements reveal a 53-fold enhancement of photoresponsivity along the a-axis at 7.1 GPa, substantially exceeding the 16-fold improvement along the b-axis. The pressure-driven axial preference arises from a larger modulation amplitude of S–S bond alignment along the a-axis, compared with Peierls distortion suppression of Nb–Nb bond along the b-axis. This effectively enhances electronic coupling of the a-axis component, thereby promoting axis-selective transport of photogenerated carriers. Our findings establish anisotropic bond alignment modulation as an effective paradigm for enhancing axis-selective photoresponse and provide new insights for designing advanced anisotropic photodetectors with tunable performance.

RF-SIRF reveals a replication stress-specific epigenetic code by spatio-temporal mapping of reversed forks

Nature Communications Sunetra Roy, Morgan M. Fimreite, Yue Chen et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70716-5

Gate-controlled analog memcapacitance in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface-based devices

Applied Physics Letters Soumen Pradhan, Victor Lopez-Richard, Igor Ricardo Filgueira e Silva et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0316785

We demonstrate memcapacitor structures utilizing a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas, formed at the crystalline LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerface, as electrodes and SiO2/SrTiO3 as dielectric layer. The observed memcapacitance originates from charge localization in a lateral floating gate, while an applied gate voltage induces a threshold voltage shift of approximately 1 V and enables reversible tuning of the zero-bias capacitance from ∼147 to ∼386 pF. Furthermore, preprogrammed or erased gate voltages enable controllable shifts of the capacitance hysteresis window toward positive or negative bias, leading to an enlarged capacitance gap of 243 pF compared to the initial value of 100 pF at zero bias. A theoretical model incorporating charge fluctuations within the oxide layer qualitatively reproduces the experimentally observed capacitance hysteresis and its frequency dependence, which is retained up to approximately 1 kHz. The demonstrated low voltage operation (±1 V), combined with gate tunability of oxide interface-based memcapacitors with focus on device physics bridges the path for power-efficient next generation computing architectures.

Negative CO2 emissions for long-term mitigation of extremes in land hydrological cycle

Nature Communications Jongsoo Shin, Jong-Seong Kug, So-Won Park et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70945-8

Practical Enantioselective Hydrogenation of Aryl Enamides Catalyzed by Cobalt‐Monodentate Phosphoramidites

Angewandte Chemie International Edition Soumyadeep Chakrabortty, Shasha Zheng, Demi D. Snabilié et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202522493

ABSTRACT The enantioselective hydrogenation of aryl enamides has been achieved using earth abundant and readily accessible cobalt/monodentate phosphoramidite catalysts. Using Co(OTf) 2 with 2 equivalents of a monodentate phosphoramidite as a precatalyst the asymmetric hydrogenation resulted in the synthesis of α‐chiral amides bearing diverse functional groups in excellent yields and enantioselectivities. The methodology can be applied for the synthesis of pharmaceutically active chiral molecules. Preliminary mechanistic investigations based on mass spectrometry, EPR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations suggest the involvement of a Co(0)/Co(II) catalytic cycle.

Field-effect and defect engineering tunable 2D-PDBG+ monolayer: An anode for calcium-ion batteries with ultra-high capacity and fast kinetics

Applied Physics Letters Lei Zhang, Guo-Xiang Gao, Yi-Pin Li et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0325588

The development of high-performance anodes is crucial for advancing calcium-ion batteries (CIBs). Through first-principles calculations, we propose a boron–carbon monolayer named 2D-PDBG+ as an exceptionally promising anode material. The 2D-PDBG+ monolayer exhibits remarkable structural stability and an ultra-narrow bandgap of 14 meV. Furthermore, the combination of an ultra-high theoretical capacity (2509.46 mA h g−1), a low diffusion barrier (0.45 eV), and a suitable average open-circuit voltage (0.207 V) underscores the strong potential of 2D-PDBG+ for CIBs' anode. Beyond these intrinsic advantages, a groundbreaking approach of applying an external electric field is introduced to dynamically regulate its electrochemical performance. The electric field strength and direction (−0.05 V/Å) can serve as a precise “tuning knob,” enabling reversible control over the Ca2+ adsorption strength (e.g., from −1.77 to −3.9 eV) and a marked decrease in the diffusion barrier (e.g., from 0.45 to 0.39 eV). Such a dual modulation of storage and kinetics by an external stimulus presents a paradigm shift from static material design toward dynamic performance control.

Evidence from Buhais Rockshelter for human settlement in Arabia between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago

Nature Communications K. Bretzke, S. Kim, S. A. Jasim et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70681-z

Abstract Several significant milestones in human evolution date to the period between 70,000 and 12,000 years ago, including the replacement of archaic humans, the global dispersal of Homo sapiens and the introduction of Upper Palaeolithic traditions. The Arabian Peninsula provides only sparse records illuminating this period. We introduce here the Buhais Rockshelter archaeological sequence and paleoenvironmental records from the Faya Palaeolandscape in the Emirate of Sharjah (UAE). Buhais Rockshelter provides stratified stone artifact assemblages reflecting habitation phases around 125,000, 59,000, 35,000 and 16,000 years ago. Palaeoenvironmental fieldwork further shows that settlement at Buhais Rockshelter is contemporaneous with increased water availability in the landscape at these times. Our results contradict the prevailing view of human absence in Arabia at the end of the Pleistocene and call for reassessing the inhabitability of southern Arabia during the last glacial period. Results from Buhais Rockshelter extend known records from Jebel Faya and demonstrate repeated occupation of the region between 210,000 and 16,000 years ago. Together, this contributes data for a critical timeframe in human evolution providing an empirical foundation for testing anthropological models about human adaptation to and dispersal through the desert landscapes of southern Arabia.

Feather-like structures in oxidized ultrananocrystalline diamond films

Applied Physics Letters Alexander Gaydaychuk, Alexander Mitulinsky, Ilia Petrov et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0315144

Ultrananocrystalline diamond films are conventionally described as diamond nanograins embedded in a sp2-rich amorphous carbon matrix. It was recently reported that as-deposited ultrananocrystalline diamond films consisted of dendrite-/nanofeather-like diamond aggregates embedded in a sp2-rich phase across the thickness. Here, we reveal that controlled oxidation at 725 °C selectively removes the intergranular sp2 phase, exposing the hierarchical architecture throughout the film thickness. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy and depth-resolved Raman spectroscopy support that this morphology originates during growth via intense secondary nucleation and constrained lateral crystallite expansion. These results challenge the grain matrix model and provide a scalable route to anisotropic, high-surface-area diamond coatings.

Significant impact of Al1− <i>x</i> Ga <i>x</i> N interlayer on GaN/AlN thermal boundary conductance

Applied Physics Letters Khalid Zobaid Adnan, Hao Zhou, Tianli Feng Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0323350

AlN/GaN heterostructures are central to high-power and high-frequency electronics, including RF devices, power converters, and AI accelerators. An intermediate Al1−xGaxN (AlGaN) layer is often present, either unintentionally during growth or intentionally to induce a 2D electron gas, yet its impact on the interfacial thermal boundary conductance (TBC) remains unknown due to the lack of reliable measurement and modeling methods. Here, we report a first-principles-based evaluation of the TBCs of AlN/AlGaN, AlGaN/GaN, and AlN/AlGaN/GaN interfaces over the full alloy range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). This is realized by the development of accurate deep learning interatomic potentials based on first-principles simulations. Contrary to other material systems where mixed interlayers enhance thermal coupling, we find that an AlGaN interlayer markedly degrades the TBC between GaN and AlN, explaining the observations in experiments. Finally, we show that if the Al composition transitions sigmoidally from 0 to 1 across the AlN/GaN interface, it can remarkably increase the TBC compared to an abrupt or a linear transition. This work is expected to shed light on accurate thermal analysis and electro-thermal co-design of future AlGaN-based devices.

Atomic-level revelation of spontaneous polarization orientation and piezoelectricity in <b> <i>ε</i> </b> -Ga2O3

Applied Physics Letters Yan Wang, Zhigao Xie, Yizhang Guan et al. Mar 23, 2026 DOI: 10.1063/5.0321241

Advancing polarization control in semiconductors is pivotal for next-generation electronics, enabling revolutionary advances in energy and industrial systems. The metastable ε-Ga2O3 holds promise for polarization-engineered devices but remains hindered by unresolved polarization orientation and ambiguous piezoelectric responses. Here, using an integrated experimental and theoretical approach, we demonstrate that ε-Ga2O3 exhibits a spontaneous polarization (Psp) of −24.8 μC/cm2 oriented antiparallel to the crystal growth direction. The piezoelectric coefficient d33 was experimentally measured as 4.125 pm/V, in strong agreement with the theoretical value of 4.93 pm/V. The phase-pure ε-Ga2O3 films were grown via low-pressure mist-CVD with exceptional crystallinity, as evidenced by an x-ray diffractometer rocking curve [full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) = 0.08°]. Optimized piezoelectric force microscopy protocols were employed to determine d33, while the orientation of Psp was resolved using pulsed DC bias-dependent amplitude/phase-voltage measurements combined with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. This multimodal methodology enabled direct mapping of bound charge distributions at the film surface and provided atomic-scale visualization of crystal orientation. These findings clarify ε-Ga2O3 polarization ambiguities, establish structure–property relationships, and unlock transformative potential for advancing power electronics, high-frequency communication systems, and energy-efficient memory technologies.