How can traditional coal-fired power plants adapt to the fluctuating nature of renewable energy? A new pre-gasification burner technology offers a solution, enhancing flexibility and stability even at ultra-low loads. Learn how this innovative approach could transform power plant operations and support a more sustainable energy future.

As the demand for high-quality, healthy solid-state lighting (SSL) grows, violet-light-excited full-spectrum lighting has emerged as a promising solution—it avoids blue light hazards and mimics natural sunlight. However, the critical yellow luminescent materials for this scheme are extremely scarce, plagued by low violet-light absorption and poor photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY). To address this gap, a research team developed glass network engineering for the B₂O₃-BaO-Sc₂O₃ system, successfully fabricating violet-light-excitable yellow-emitting Ba₂Sc₂B₄O₁₁ (BSB):Ce³⁺ glass ceramics (GCs) with a record PLQY of 95.0% and superior thermal, moisture, and irradiation stability. By optimizing the [BO₃]/[BO₄] ratio, the team promoted heterogeneous nucleation during in-situ crystallization, forming well-crystallized BSB nanocrystals (NCs) in the glass matrix. This advancement enabled the construction of LED/LD-driven full-spectrum light sources with a color rendering index (CRI) exceeding 93, accelerating the development of sun-like lighting technology.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, a research team conducted a comprehensive analysis of the horizontal distribution and transport patterns of anthropogenic ¹²⁹I in the northern South China Sea. These findings reveals that terrigenous input is the primary driver of the pronounced ¹²⁹I enrichment observed off the Pearl River estuary. By quantifying the ¹²⁹I inventory across the region, the study further discriminates the relative contributions of different source terms, demonstrating that oceanic advection serves as the dominant pathway through which ¹²⁹I enters the seawater of the northern South China Sea.

A research team introduces a series of iron-doped nickel catalysts (NiO/MgAl₂₋ₓFeₓO₄) that achieve efficient hydrogen generation from methane decomposition at relatively low temperatures.

A research team sheds light on how sunlight exposure drives the transformation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics into microfibers, revealing that darker-colored textiles—especially purple ones—fragment faster than lighter colors.

Scientists from China have developed a highly scalable on-chip photonic neural network that solves key bottlenecks long limiting the progress of optical computing. The team's new architecture, called a partially coherent deep optical neural network (PDONN), achieves unprecedented network depth by using a cascadable nonlinear activation function with positive net gain. This, combined with the innovative use of more accessible, partially coherent light sources (like LEDs) instead of narrow-linewidth lasers , enable s a chip with the largest input size and deepest structure of its kind to date. The chip successfully performed image classification tasks with high accuracy, marking a critical step toward energy-efficient, scalable, and widely accessible optical computing.

A novel study on the natural coordination of tooth development in time and space, led by Dr. Han-Sung Jung at the Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Korea, has discovered that “lingual” cells on the side of the tongue form the tooth, whereas those toward the cheek, called “buccal cells,” form the bones and gums, guided by signaling molecules like WNT and BMP. These insights could shape future modalities for tooth regeneration, replacement, and repair.

Professor Wang's team and their collaborators have creatively combined the three-dimensional (3D) magic cube configuration with the design structure of metamaterials, opening up a channel connecting information science and mathematical physics. A new paradigm of mechanically reconfigurable metamaterials characterized by high information entropy and visual interactivity has been successfully established. Different magic cube architectures and variable meta-elements allow for complicated and precise customization of electromagnetic waves, holding potential applications in electromagnetic shielding, target camouflage, and holographic encryption. The results of this work were recently published in Science Bulletin.