Drawing inspiration from the dynamic architecture of living systems, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo and Kyoto University have harnessed two chemically fueled biomolecular nanomachines, DNA polymerase and kinesin, to synthesize and actively assemble complex, hierarchical DNA networks. The work opens a route toward programmable, lifelike synthetic materials built from the nanoscale up.

Windows contribute significantly to energy inefficiency across global infrastructure. Overcoming complex trade-offs in multispectral optical responses, scientists in China have developed a physics-guided neural network to design energy-efficient thermochromic smart windows for directional privacy protection. These inverse-designed windows achieve ultrahigh simultaneous modulation of near-infrared transmittance and longwave infrared emissivity. Applied to electric vehicles and building envelopes, these customized smart windows demonstrate superior, climate-adaptive all-weather thermal management.

Researchers developed asymmetric [3+2+1] coordinated iridium(III) complexes featuring strong electron-withdrawing groups for deep-blue phosphorescent OLEDs. The optimized device achieved a record external quantum efficiency of 29.0% with CIE coordinates of (0.147, 0.089), meeting NTSC standards. A hyper-OLED demonstrated an operational lifetime exceeding 2000 hours, and the emitters were successfully integrated into microdisplay technology.

Polymers used for light-based 3D printing are very stable due to their chemical structure, but they are typically hard to recycle. A research team led by Prof. Dr. Eva Blasco, a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) at Heidelberg University, has now designed a polymer material that can be disassembled into its individual components when needed. A chemical “key” causes already printed material to break down into its molecular building blocks within seconds. They can be recovered and reused in a circular manufacturing process.

From precision fabrication to scalable manufacturing, POSTECH develop technologies for commercializing metalenses published consecutively in Nature Communications.

Hydrogel electrolytes have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional aqueous electrolytes in zinc-ion batteries owing to their high ionic conductivity and mechanical robustness. However, hydrogel electrolytes still suffer from stability challenges under wide-temperature conditions. At low temperatures, the freezing of water and the ordering of hydrogen-bond networks restrict ion transport and strengthen the hydrated structure of Zn²⁺. At high temperatures, water evaporation and intensified parasitic reactions can destroy the electrode–electrolyte interface and induce structural degradation. These coupled thermodynamic and kinetic effects indicate that achieving stable wide-temperature operation requires coordinated regulation of ion transport, solvation thermodynamics and interfacial dynamics. To address this challenge, the coordination–entropy (C-E) regulation framework is proposed as a unified design concept. Within this framework, coordination regulation reconstructs Zn²⁺ solvation environments and lowers desolvation barriers, while entropy regulation increases the diversity of accessible ionic configurations and transport states across multiple structural scales. Their intrinsic coupling enables stable ion transport and interfacial chemistry under temperature variation. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in polymer, salt, cosolvent and filler regulation strategies directed by the C-E framework, aiming to establish a unified physicochemical framework for wide-temperature hydrogel electrolytes and guide the development of durable, high-energy–density zinc-ion batteries.

- Professor Sarah Park’s research team in the Department of Chemistry develops a new electrode material that sequentially stores zinc ions and protons (H⁺)

- By controlling the storage sequence, protons are harnessed for additional energy storage, offering the potential for high capacity and rapid charging and discharging

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the inaugural class of Simons Empire Faculty Fellows in academic fields including neuroscience, mathematics, and physics. The fellowship supports 16 tenure-track faculty positions, four at each of SUNY's University Centers, the State University of New York at Albany, at Binghamton, at Buffalo, and at Stony Brook. The Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International established the program to stimulate faculty hiring in mathematics and the basic sciences across New York State. Simons Foundation International provides funding to participating institutions, with the program administered by the Simons Foundation.

In collaboration with partners, researchers at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have developed new hybrid compounds that, in laboratory studies, were shown to simultaneously reduce the viability of aggressive cancer cells and inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and fungi.