Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Trapping and detecting nanoplastics by MXene-derived oxide microrobots
Nanoplastic pollution in water represents an issue of increasing concern. Here, we developed MXene-derived oxide microrobots able to self-propel in the 3D space under light irradiation to remove nanoplastics from water, allowing further electrochemical detection.
Modelling systemic COVID-19 impacts in cities
Cities are complex systems with interacting technical, social, and natural parts which are vulnerable to hazards.
Long-chain hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide using polarized nickel electrocatalysts
Until now, only copper catalysts possessed a distinctive feature: the ability to form multicarbon products at appreciable rates. Copper is not alone anymore. We discovered that polarized nickel enables C1 to C6 hydrocarbons via a Fischer-Tropsch-like mechanism with selectivities up to 6.5% for C3+.
Isotope tells how the layers mechanically couple in graphene
The interfacial shear coupling (ISC) is significant for both the fundamental theory of solid mechanics and stability design of 2D devices. This work studies the ISC of bilayer graphene as a representative of 2D vdW stacks, by substituting one of its layers with the isotope and Raman spectroscopy.
