A team of researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has published a comprehensive review in Science China Chemistry, highlighting the latest breakthroughs in "top-down" synthesis strategies for single-atom catalysts (SACs). Led by Prof. Huang Zhou and Prof. Yuen Wu from USTC’s Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry and Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, the review systematically summarizes a decade of progress in the field, offering valuable insights for advancing SACs’ practical application.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Chemistry, a research team led by Prof. Hao Sun at Shanghai Jiao Tong University discussed the material designs and process optimization of dry-coating electrode fabrication toward sustainable battery production. The review identifies the key challenge of uneven component dispersion in solvent-free systems and introduces emerging strategies designed to effectively address this issue, including the use of composite binders, functional additives, and thermal-assisted processing. These advances enable the fabrication of electrodes that combine structural integrity with enhanced electrochemical performance, while simultaneously reducing manufacturing costs and energy consumption. By elucidating fundamental design principles and presenting practical pathways, this review contributes to the development of more efficient and environmentally sustainable battery technologies.

A new review synthesizes research on Tibetan Plateau lakes, revealing that climate warming is turning these high-altitude ecosystems into major greenhouse gas sources. Melting permafrost and retreating glaciers feed thermokarst lakes, which are hotspots for methane emissions. The study calls for new models that include microbial mechanisms to predict and manage these emissions.

A study published in Science Bulletin identifies tRF-Glu-TTC-013, a tRNA-derived fragment, as a key driver of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. The researchers found that the molecule promotes tumour progression by enhancing glutamate metabolic reprogramming through a newly defined CREB3L1–AMDHD1 pathway.

Hydrogen in solids may not always need to climb over energy barriers in the classical manner. A new study published in Science Bulletin reveals that in LaH₃, hydrogen can traverse barriers via quantum tunneling, with crossover temperatures reaching liquid-nitrogen conditions for concerted migration and near room temperature for single-ion migration. The findings suggest that nuclear quantum effects are not merely a minor correction, but rather a central component of hydrogen transport in materials.

Researchers created a bismuth-coordinated melanin material that provides in vivo physical radiation shielding and ROS scavenging. It markedly mitigates acute radiation syndrome and boosts mouse survival from 20% to 60% after lethal total body irradiation.

A recent study probes fractional quantum Hall states in GaAs quantum wells using a cryogen-free nuclear adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The researchers devised an innovative polar representation to organize all odd-denominator states into a pattern. Experimental data is analyzed using the composite fermion and hierarchy theories with a more natural description achieved by the former. This work provides essential insights into strongly correlated electrons and could serve as a powerful empirical framework in the endeavor of searching for new fractionalized states.