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Over the last 15 years, the content of Nature Physicshas covered an enormous breadth of subjects at the forefront of physics. The journal’s past and present editors recount their favourite papers and what made chaperoning them to publication special.

Start playing with particles that don't exist and you'll see just how strange matter's building blocks are, says Andrea Taroni

CERN experimentalist offers sweeping history of the Universe, in science and culture.

The measurement of pH is more complicated than it seems, recalls Andrea Taroni.

A novel polymeric material of poly(amidoamine) [PAA] structure was used as sensor-coating for the detection of CO2 and SO2 in gaseous mixtures by means of gravimetric sensors. The PAA utilized for this work was an amorphous rubber-like material, purposely selected for the flexibility of its macromolecular structure, which favours the diffusion of analyte molecules through the polymeric layer. It was prepared and characterized in our laboratory by means of IR and NMR spectroscopy, DSC analysis, viscometric measurements and potentiometric titration with standard acids. The polymeric films were prepared by casting from dilute methanol solutions and their average thickness ranged between 0.40 and 0.80 µm. The morphology of the films was studied by means of SEM. Sorption experiments in the presence of CO2 and SO2 alternately were carried out in environments at controlled temperature and relative humidity (RH) levels. The response towards both CO2 and SO2 approached linearity. The limits of sensitivity towards both gaseous analytes were determined, and the dependence of the PAA Sorption on RH was investigated. The long-term stability of the material in normal atmospheric conditions was also considered. The Sorption phenomenon was completely reversible in the case of CO2, while hysteresis was detected in the case of SO2. The response times were on the order of 5 min for CO2 and 7 min for SO2.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Pioneer of condensed-matter physics.

Theoretical physicist who discovered topological phases of matter. Theoretical physicist who discovered topological phases of matter.

October 23 is (unofficially) known by some chemists as Mole Day. Andrea Taroni attempts to get to grips with the concept of the mole itself, and the imminent change to its definition.