Science Highlights

In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society researchers experimentally synthesized for the first time Mg₂RhH₆ that exhibits superconductivity at a significantly reduced pressure of 30 GPa. Mg₂RhH₆ was synthesized via a two-step process and showed superconductivity with a maximum T_c of 29 K. The findings open a highly promising pathway for the rational design and discovery of high temperature superconductors at accessible pressures for industrial pressure facilities.

Researchers have observed something never before seen in a solid crystal: a three-dimensional woven network of ferroelectric domains that forms spontaneously as the material cools through a phase transition. Importantly, the intricate fabric can be selectively manipulated using light, opening a new route toward robust photonic memory and neuromorphic information processing.

Researchers report highly efficient dual-channel doublet emission from open-shell cerium(III) complexes. Increasing the coordination number from seven and eight to nine creates a crowded yet adaptable environment that undergoes photoinduced structural relaxation, giving access to two emissive 5d states. The nine-coordinate complexes emit through both channels with photoluminescence quantum yields of up to nearly 100%, offering a design strategy for advanced multichannel luminescent materials.

Antarctic ozone recovery alters austral summer Southern Hemisphere circulation patterns

A vicarious calibration model enables quantitative applications of Fengyun-3 satellite ocean color data

Methane dry reforming converts CO₂ and CH₄ into syngas for green fuel synthesis to advance carbon neutrality. Low-cost Ni catalysts suffer severe deactivation from sintering and coking.We fabricate a robust Ni_BN catalyst with uniformly dispersed 6 nm Ni nanoparticles withelectron-deficient Ni speciestailored by interfacial boron, delivering coke-free operation over 350 hours. This unique structure suppresses deep CH₄ cleavage while boosts CO₂ reactivity. It offers new guidance for C–H activation related catalyst design.

Refractive index (RI) reflects key sample properties such as morphology, density, stress, and composition. Optical tomography (OT) and optical diffraction tomography (ODT) reconstruct 3D RI distributions from transmittance wavefronts recorded at multiple illumination angles using Fourier slicing or diffraction principles. This review summarizes the principles, implementations, and reconstruction algorithms of 3D RI imaging techniques. Further, different 3D RI imaging approaches are compared, and the current trends and future perspectives are discussed.

Decoupling the size and electronic interplay in Pd and PdAg nanocatalysts reveals critical thresholds in ensemble size and Pd valence state for steering 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation selectivity towards 1-butene (66%).

The generation of high-intensity, ultrashort, coherent terahertz pulses in the 5-15 THz frequency range presents a formidable challenge in ultrafast science. Recently, researchers have introduced a novel scheme for generating intense, broadband THz pulses over a gapless wide spectral range based on collinear phase matched Raman-resonance-enhanced four-wave mixing (R-FWM) in strained diamond, providing a scalable route toward high-field THz sources for driving and interrogating complex dynamics in matter.

Inspired by insect compound eyes, Prof. Ji Chen’s team from Southeast University proposes a bioinspired motion detector based on planar metalens arrays. It realizes an ultra-wide 135° field of view and achieves high-precision perception of moving targets’ velocity and direction. The design effectively detects tiny and slow-moving objects in complex backgrounds and enables intelligent motion trajectory prediction. Featuring high integration and lightweight structure, it provides solid technical support for autonomous perception, industrial early warning and unmanned intelligent systems.