Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) and RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) in Japan together with collaborators from the University of Münster, Germany, have developed a new hydrogel that offers significant advantages over others currently on the market in the field of biomaterials. The new hydrogel has a highly organized structure made from nanofibers that contain tiny water channels. The molecules within each nanofiber all point in the same direction, creating an electrical polarization along the fiber. This means that in addition to being strong and flexible, the new gel could be used to transport ions, generate electrical signals when squeezed, or have other advanced interactions with biological tissues. 

Hydrogen is widely viewed as a promising clean energy carrier, but storing and transporting it efficiently remains a major challenge. Methanol offers an attractive alternative because it is liquid under ambient conditions, contains a high proportion of hydrogen, and can be converted into hydrogen when needed. Now, researchers have uncovered how different oxygen species on catalyst surfaces control this conversion process, offering new guidance for designing more efficient catalysts for hydrogen production.

Entrepreneurs around the world are invited to apply for a chance to pitch their optics or photonics technologies or products to a panel of expert judges at the 17th annual SPIE Startup Challenge.  SPIE, the international society of optics and photonics, holds the competition at Photonics West every January, with multiple teams walking away with cash prizes. 

A University of Kansas physicist played a leading role in a CERN study showing that two rival explanations for how gluons behave inside atomic nuclei can now be experimentally distinguished.

Researchers have developed a full-color near-eye display using a novel, prism-free process to stack three independent red, green, and blue holographic gratings. By eliminating complex alignment steps and boosting diffraction efficiency, this multilayer waveguide approach produces brighter virtual images with lower power consumption. The technology offers a scalable path toward lightweight, battery-powered AR glasses and vehicle head-up displays (HUDs).

SAN ANTONIO — August 11, 2026 — A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) project is developing techniques to improve inhalers for young children and other people who can’t inhale deeply. The multidisciplinary team of researchers is creating a more effective inhaler for people who can’t manage the strong, deep breath crucial for maximum benefit from standard inhalers. This work combines computational fluid dynamics (CFD), particle science, and pharmaceutical science to achieve improved designs. The internally funded project is a collaboration between three SwRI divisions: Mechanical Engineering, Powertrain Engineering, and Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.