News from Science China Press

Researchers from the group of Prof. Jia Shuang at Peking University and the group of Prof. Xu Gang at Huazhong University of Science and Technology have recently collaborated to investigate the heavy-fermion ferromagnet CeCrGe₃. They observed giant anomalous Hall and anomalous Nernst effects and revealed that these remarkable responses originate from Kondo-driven topological flat bands. The results were published under the title “Giant Anomalous Hall and Nernst Effects in a Heavy Fermion Ferromagnet” in Science Bulletin.

The discovery of pathogenic genes based on large CHD cohort forms the foundation for improving early diagnosis, prevention, control, and treatment of CHD. To this end, Academician Lin He launched the Chinese Children's CHD Genome Research Project. The research team conducted whole-genome sequencing on 354 core CHD families from China, integrated single-cell transcriptomic data and phenotypic analysis in model animals, and identified high-confidence CHD risk genes. This study has constructed the largest genetic etiology map of congenital heart disease in Asian populations.

A team of Xiyuan Hospital researchers reveal circadian disruption (CD) as a key driver of cardiovascular disease (CVD) multi-organ comorbidities. Caused by sleep/eating irregularities and shift work, CD disturbs SCN-controlled peripheral rhythms, triggering damage via autonomic/metabolic imbalance and gut dysbiosis, with bidirectional harm between CD and end-organ damage. CD has distinct pathological effects on cardio-cerebral, cardio-hepatic and cardio-renal comorbidities. Chronotherapies and clock-targeted drugs show promise. The study advocates personalized chronomedicine and temporal-dimension integration for network-based CVD management.

To address the long-standing challenges of difficult mass-production and low phase purity in high-entropy sodium vanadium fluorophosphates (HE-NVPF), this study developed a microfluidic system integrated with in-situ Raman spectroscopy. This setup allows for the high-throughput optimization of reaction conditions, achieving an iteration efficiency 400 times higher than traditional methods. Based on these insights, the author developed a microfluidic-assisted spray drying technique, enabling the kilogram-scale production of various HE-NVPF cathode materials . The resulting cathodes demonstrate record-breaking rate performance in sodium-ion batteries, proving the universal potential of this microfluidic synthesis platform.

Photocatalytic production of H₂O₂ from air and water represents a promising green strategy, yet its efficiency is limited by sluggish water oxidation kinetics. Here, three donor–acceptor conjugated polymers were designed to tune water oxidation sites, achieving efficient H₂O₂ generation in pure water. Notably, the bipyridine-based polymer exhibits a high rate of 6687 μmol g^-1 h^-1, benefiting from enhanced charge separation and accelerated reaction kinetics. This work provides a molecular-level design strategy for efficient photocatalysts.

Researchers at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics have developed an interface-anchoring strategy for solar thermal storage. By continuously circulating photothermal core-shell phase-change particles, the approach keeps the phase-change front anchored at the irradiated surface and suppresses the thermally resistive liquid layer that limits conventional diffusion-limited systems. Under concentrated solar irradiation, this strategy achieves a solar thermal storage efficiency of 49.7%, a 26-fold improvement over the conventional 1.9%. Published in Science Bulletin, the work opens a viable pathway toward continuous, high-temperature solar thermal energy storage.

Recently, Prof. Haiwen Liu’s group systematically studied novel superconducting phases in Ising superconductors. Based on the Lawrence–Doniach model, They showed that bulk layered Ising superconductors can develop a finite-momentum pairing configuration under in-plane magnetic fields, and developed a quantitative method to compute the Josephson vortex lattice melting line. The work clarifies the impact of orbital effects shape the high-field phase diagram and provides a theoretical basis for understanding vortex phase transition.