A focused-ultrasound-mediated mechanogenetics approach enables the genetic modification of cancer cells near solid tumours to activate chimeric antigen receptor T cell response and achieve tumour suppression at distinct sites.

A ligand-restricted strategy is developed to realize the synthesis of dual-atom catalysts with high pairing ratio and tunable atomic distances.

A fast and scalable sensor using a core–shell nanowire network is reported to capture multimodal information through memristive switching.

Stability issues hinder the commercialization of perovskite solar cells. An evaporated, highly oriented wide-bandgap perovskite film is reported, enabled through an intermediate phase evolution, resulting in enhanced stability and efficiency.

Using the shear jamming transition within soft composite solids, non-reciprocal mechanics are achieved for the asymmetric spatiotemporal control of soft materials.

Alkene-terminated silicon carbide surfaces are proposed as a room-temperature divacancy spin qubit quantum sensor suitable for bioimaging and nanoscale nuclear spin sensing.

Human primary monocytes reversibly phase separate into regular, multicellular, multilayered domains on soft matrices with physiological stiffness due to local activation and global inhibition processes that occur during random cell migration.

Supercapacitors are fast-charging energy-storage devices. However, an understanding of how structure impacts high-power energy storage is still lacking. Here pulsed-field-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance measurements show that the pore network tortuosity, rather than traditional porosity analyses, in porous carbon dictates the speed of supercapacitor charging.

Individual spectral strain tuning of waveguide-coupled quantum dot single-photon emitters into a thin-film lithium niobate photonic platform is demonstrated, allowing quantum interference of two spatially separated quantum dot single-photon emitters.

Using crosslinked entanglement induced by weaving-inspired asymmetric nodes, flexible polyurethane and rigid epoxy polymers are efficiently integrated into a single multi-component polymeric network.

Concerns associated with the immunogenicity of mRNA lipid nanoparticles containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) are inspiring the development of PEG alternatives.

The emergence of lipid nanoparticles as nucleic acid delivery vehicles has revolutionized medicine, with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-lipids playing a crucial role in particle formation and in vivo fate. However, PEG has been linked to immune responses that can provoke side effects and may prevent repeat dosing, and so PEG alternatives are now being developed. Here we argue that, rather than concentrating on PEG replacement, the field should prioritize designing around pre-existing immune memory.

Our knowledge of deformation behaviour in functional materials is pushing the frontiers of mechanics, informing design strategies and enabling scalable manufacturing.

Pioneer of high-pressure physics and superconductivity.

In this issue we present three papers on the topological properties or structure of ferroelectrics, which are interlinked.

Seven years on from updates to our data sharing policies, we reflect on data-deposition-related changes to our published papers and continue to strongly encourage authors to make source data openly available.