Smart cushioning materials with sensing features can enable real-time detection of damage to transport goods. However, current sensing technologies require wired connections for power and data transmission, limiting applicability. In a new study, researchers have developed a novel origami-inspired wireless, battery-free smart cushioning material that can accurately detect and provide measurement of damage to transported goods. This material holds strong potential for improving logistics and transport traceability.

Antarctica plays a crucial role in the Earth’s climate system by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The large white ice surfaces and clouds play a decisive role in this process. However, how clouds actually form in Antarctica, how they interact with the atmosphere and what role aerosols play in this process has not been sufficiently researched to date. Engaging in the SANAT flight campaign, the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry aim to help close this knowledge gap. The flight-based aerosol measurements conducted in Antarctica are the first of their kind in 20 years and also the first to extend deep into the interior. 

The University of Osaka’s Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB) is a premier research institute in Japan, distinguished by its extensive global network of leading institutions worldwide.

A collaborative research team comprised of Xin Li from Nankai University, Wei Zhang from Sichuan University, and Hanliang Zheng from Zhejiang Normal University developed a green and efficient photo-redox/hydrogen atom transfer (HAT)/chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) synergistic catalytic strategy to achieve the deracemization of α-aryl cyclic ketones, successfully synthesizing a series of chiral α-aryl cyclic ketones (Figure 1). The reaction generates a sulfur radical via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process between an excited-state photosensitizer and a thiophenol, followed by hydrogen atom transfer and single-electron reduction to form a key enol intermediate. Finally, an asymmetric keto-enol tautomerism occurs under chiral phosphoric acid catalysis, achieving deracemization. A series of mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the above reaction pathway and further reveal that conformational distortion of the chiral catalyst in the unfavorable transition state is a key factor in regulating the enantioselectivity of the reaction. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Acoustic frequency combs can precisely organize sound vibrations for sensing and imaging applications, but existing approaches operate at high, inaudible frequencies and offer limited bandwidth. Researchers have developed a phonon-laser-based acoustic frequency comb that generates up to 6000 evenly spaced frequencies over a tunable range from 10 Hz to 100 kHz, representing the highest tooth count and the broadest tunable bandwidth achieved in an acoustic frequency comb to date.

A groundbreaking study published in Carbon Research reveals that analyzing soil color indices is not only a scientifically sound way to predict Soil Organic Matter (SOM) but also a massive financial win for farmers and laboratories.

Harvard researchers have demonstrated a special type of optical frequency comb, called a normal-dispersion Kerr microcomb, on a thin-film lithium niobate chip, allowing for frequency comb generation and electro‑optic modulation to be combined on a single, compact platform.

Harvard researchers have developed OpenMetabolics, an open-source, smartphone-based activity monitor that uses machine learning and leg motion to estimate calories burned.

Harvard researchers report a new way to make ultra-smooth, microscopic mirrors that form high-performance optical resonators, or cavities.