Researchers have developed a new imaging technique that transforms a common drawback in microscope systems—limited lighting angles in standard culture plates—into a feature for achieving high-contrast, dark-field-like 3D images of living cells without any extra hardware or dyes.

A comprehensive review highlights how popular non-surgical aesthetic procedures—from injectables to lasers—affect the skin’s core functional triad: equilibrium, resistance, and self-healing. While these treatments enhance appearance, they can disrupt skin balance, weaken defenses, and impair natural repair, leading to adverse reactions. The study provides evidence-based strategies to minimize risks and optimize outcomes in aesthetic medicine.

Under formaldehyde-acetic acid condensationreaction conditions, the V⁴⁺ phase (VO)₂P₂O₇ remains stable, while V⁵⁺ phases transform due to lattice oxygen loss. They ultimately form a reduced V⁴⁺ phase (R1-VOHPO₄), which can reversibly convert back into an intermediate α_II-VOPO₄ phase.Different phases play distinct roles in the reaction, collectively determining catalytic performance.

Controlling light is an important technological challenge – not just at the large scale of optics in microscopes and telescopes, but also at the nanometer scale. Physicists at the University of Amsterdam published a clever quantum trick that allows them to make a nanoscale mirror that can be turned on and off at will.

Conductive elastomers combining micromechanical sensitivity, lightweight adaptability, and environmental sustainability are critically needed for advanced flexible electronics requiring precise responsiveness and long-term wearability; however, the integration of these properties remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a biomass-derived conductive elastomer featuring a rationally engineered dynamic crosslinked network integrated with a tunable microporous architecture. This structural design imparts pronounced micromechanical sensitivity, an ultralow density (~ 0.25 g cm⁻³), and superior mechanical compliance for adaptive deformation. Moreover, the unique micro-spring effect derived from the porous architecture ensures exceptional stretchability (> 500% elongation at break) and superior resilience, delivering immediate and stable electrical response under both subtle (< 1%) and large (> 200%) mechanical stimuli. Intrinsic dynamic interactions endow the elastomer with efficient room temperature self-healing and complete recyclability without compromising performance. First-principles simulations clarify the mechanisms behind micropore formation and the resulting functionality. Beyond its facile and mild fabrication process, this work establishes a scalable route toward high-performance, sustainable conductive elastomers tailored for next-generation soft electronics.

Halide perovskites have emerged as promising materials for X-ray detection with exceptional properties and reasonable costs. Among them, heterostructures between 3D perovskites and low-dimensional perovskites attract intensive studies of their advantages due to low-level ion migration and decent stability. However, there is still a lack of methods to precisely construct heterostructures and a fundamental understanding of their structure-dependent optoelectronic properties. Herein, a gas-phase method was developed to grow 2D perovskites directly on 3D perovskites with nanoscale accuracy. In addition, the larger steric hindrance of organic layers of 2D perovskites was proved to enable slower ion migration, which resulted in reduced trap states and better stability. Based on MAPbBr₃ single crystals with the (PA)₂PbBr₄ capping layer, the X-ray detector achieved a sensitivity of 22,245 μC Gy_air⁻¹ cm⁻², a response speed of 240 μs, and a dark current drift of 1.17 × 10^–4 nA cm⁻¹ s⁻¹ V⁻¹, which were among the highest reported for state-of-the-art perovskite-based X-ray detectors. This study presents a precise synthesis method to construct perovskite-based heterostructures. It also brings an in-depth understanding of the relationship between lattice structures and properties, which are beneficial for advancing high-performance and cost-effective X-ray detectors.

Carbon dioxide, as a greenhouse gas, is expected to be converted into other useful substances by the electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) technology. The electrocatalytic cell, or electrochemical cell, used to provide the experimental environment for CO₂RR plays an irreplaceable role in the study of this process and determines the success or failure of the measurements. In recent years, electrolytic cells that can be applied to in-situ/operational synchrotron radiation (SR) characterization techniques have gradually gained widespread attention. However, the design and understanding of electrolyte systems that can be applied to in-situ/operational SR technologies are still not sufficiently advanced. In this paper, the electrocatalytic cells used to study the CO₂RR processes with in-situ/operando SR techniques are briefly introduced, and the types and characteristics of the electrolytic cells are analyzed. The recent advancements of in situ/operando electrolytic cells are discussed using X-ray scattering, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), light vibration spectroscopy, and X-ray combined techniques. An outlook is provided on the future prospects of this research field. This review facilitates the understanding of the reduction process and electrocatalytic mechanism of CO₂RR at the atomic and molecular scales, providing insights for the design of electrolysis cells applicable to SR technologies and accelerating the development of more efficient and sustainable carbon negative technologies.

 

The 2026 MRS International Risk Conference will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, from July 17 to 19, 2026. Hosted by the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii and jointly organized by China Finance Review International (CFRI) and the Modern Risk Society (MRS), the conference invites submissions from scholars worldwide on a broad range of topics related to risk and capital markets. Under the theme “AI in an Uncertain World,” the conference aims to advance research on global financial risk management with a particular focus on modern and emerging risks. Selected papers presented at the conference will be considered for a special issue of the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal. The conference will feature a keynote address by Professor Torben G. Andersen of Northwestern University and will present multiple research excellence awards. The submission deadline for conference papers is February 10, 2026 (Eastern Time).