A substantial share of the world’s materials research output comes from Asian countries, and the Asia-Pacific region is making rapidly increasing contributions to global scientific research. In response to these developments, the material science departments at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan (grouped together into the Global Center of Excellence (G-COE)), together with NPG Nature Asia-Pacific, the Asia-Pacific wing of Nature Publishing Group (NPG), publisher of Nature, the international science weekly, have launched this website NPG Asia Materials in preparation for establishing a new research journal devoted to materials research. http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/ Nature Publishing Group en © 2008 Tokyo Institute of Technology and NPG Nature Asia-Pacific 2008-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/highlight.php?id=292  True-blue phosphorescent OLEDs with much improved efficiency have been synthesized using benzyl-substituted carbene for fabricating full color displays. 2008-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/highlight.php?id=271 The high-mobility electron gas at the interface of two insulting oxides is attributed to discontinuities in the band structure of the materials.   2008-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/highlight.php?id=274 Integration of detector and probe in one monolithic design enables the realization of efficient on-chip terahertz imaging devices. 2008-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/highlight.php?id=284 An architecturally-designed dendrimer shows efficient and unidirectional intramolecular energy transfer.   2008-10-10 00:00:00 http://www.natureasia.com/asia-materials/highlight.php?id=286 A change in molecular arrangement through mechanical grinding leads to a reversible color change.