Preparing your material

The Methods section should be written as concisely as possible but should contain all elements necessary to allow interpretation and replication of the results. The Methods sections of all original research papers will appear in all online versions.

Authors are encouraged to deposit the step-by-step protocols used in their study to www.protocols.io, an open repository of scientific protocols of Springer Nature. Protocols deposited by the authors will be linked to the online Methods section upon publication.

Cover letter

The cover letter should explain the importance of the work, and why you consider it appropriate for the diverse readership of Nature Materials.

The cover letter should:

1. Disclose details of any related manuscripts that all authors have under consideration or in press elsewhere.
2. Let us know whether you have had any prior discussions with a Nature Materials editor about the work described in the manuscript.
3. If choosing double-blind peer review, include the affiliation and contact information for all authors (instead of putting it in the manuscript file).
4. OPTIONAL. Provide the name and institution of reviewers you would like to recommend and/or people you would like to be excluded from peer review (explaining why).
5. The cover letter is not seen by peer reviewers.

Supplementary Information

Any information (including display items) not directly related to the description of the main findings, but needed to properly understand and replicate the study, should be included in supplementary information files.

Only Supplementary Information that is relevant to the conclusions of the paper should be included.

The Supplementary Information document will be sent to peer reviewers alongside the manuscript file.