A new study shows that coal mine waste, often seen as an environmental problem, can actually help create stronger, longer-lasting biochar that locks carbon in soil and supports cleaner environments. The research, published in Carbon Research, reveals that adding low-carbon coal gangue to crop residues during biochar production can significantly increase the carbon stability of the resulting material while reducing the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM), which influences greenhouse gas emissions and pollutant movement in soil.

Researchers in China have developed an advanced biochar-based material that dramatically improves the removal of harmful nitrate nitrogen from agricultural soils and water, offering promising new avenues for sustainable farming and environmental protection. The study, led by Dr. Lan Luo with colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, explores how biochar loaded with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) can mitigate nitrogen leaching, a major contributor to groundwater contamination and soil degradation.

A research team led by Prof. LIU Juxiu at the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted a decade-long study that uncovered a previously unrecognized buffering mechanism in subtropical forest soils mitigating the effects of climate warming.

The resurgence of pertussis among children and adults has reignited global concern despite widespread vaccination efforts. 

Artificial photosynthesis is highly desired to enhance natural photosynthesis through enhanced photoelectron transfer from photocatalysts to natural photosystems. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄ or CN), a biocompatible organic polymer semiconductor, has emerged as a promising candidate for boosting natural photosynthesis, paving the way for sustainable agricultural technologies to increase crop yields.

Double transition metal nitrides and carbides (MXene) have garnered significant attention in the field of electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption due to their distinctive structural properties. The design of efficient MXene-based EMW absorbers remains a formidable challenge in light of the high conductivity and strong van der Waals forces. In this work, we report for the first time the approach of the double-doping non-metal N and rare earth metal Ce-4f into Mo-MXene to construct Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce system. This process enables partial in-situ oxidation of Mo-MXene, thereby forming a heterostructure and enhancing the interface polarization. The introduction of Ce facilitates the hybridization between the 4f orbitals of rare earth Ce and the 4d orbitals of Mo, altering the electronic structure of Ce and Mo-MXene and promoting electron migration, which contributes to polarization loss. Furthermore, incorporating melamine into the precursor can induce N doping in Mo-MXene, thereby promoting dipolar polarization. Consequently, the double-doping of N and Ce enables the synergistic effects of interface polarization, dipole polarization, and conduction loss, leading to efficient EMW absorption. Therefore, at a frequency of 13.43 GHz and a matching thickness of 4.685 mm, the optimal reflection loss (R_L) value of Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce reaches -57.46 dB, which exceeds a large number of reported MXene-based absorbers. This research confirms that Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce is a promising EMW absorption material and provides valuable insights into modulating MXene-based EMW absorbers using rare earth elements.

A team of researchers has developed a new class of ultrafast nanomotors powered by near-infrared (NIR) light, opening new possibilities for precise nanoscale transport in water — without the need for chemical fuels.

Advances in molecular diagnostics have driven multiplex biomarker detection as a critical approach for enhanced diagnostic accuracy. The simultaneous quantification of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and microRNA-21 (miR-21) holds particular clinical value in tumor diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and therapeutic monitoring. Peptide self-assembly technology has emerged as a promising biosensing platform, leveraging its unique molecular recognition capabilities and intrinsic signal amplification properties. Compared to conventional nanomaterials, peptide-engineered structures demonstrate superior biocompatibility, precise controllability, and spontaneous self-assembly into functional nanostructures under mild conditions. By designing dual-functional peptides that merge target recognition with signal amplification, researchers developed an electrochemical biosensor based on peptide self-assembly engineering signal amplification (PSA-e-SA). This innovation achieves ultrasensitive simultaneous detection of CEA and miR-21, addressing the critical need for early cancer diagnosis when biomarker concentrations are extremely low.