Images from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope and computer simulations reveal tiny vortices on the Sun’s surface that have never been seen before. The discovery is a major breakthrough. It may help us understand how energy builds up in the Sun’s magnetic field before being explosively released. Researchers from the NSF National Solar Observatory (U.S.), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (Germany), and the High Altitude Observatory (U.S.) report their discovery in the journal Nature. The researchers interpret the vortices as signs of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. This effect occurs where fluids flow past one another at different speeds.

Future quantum technologies require efficient ways to connect matter-based quantum states with light. One promising approach uses excitons—quasiparticles formed when light creates bound electron-hole pairs inside a semiconductor. Excitons interact strongly with light, making them attractive for quantum communication and photonic technologies. Boston College researchers report in Nature Nanotechnology they created an electrically tunable quantum nano-scale corral that traps charged excitons and enables precise electrical control of tiny light sources, including their brightness, color, and quantum states.

 Carbon nanotube films feature scalable fabrication and facile molding, making them suitable for impact protection applications. A bioinspired nanonetwork strategy combining directional stretching and p‑phenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) infiltration is adopted to construct dense interlocking structures and enhance the mechanical strength and toughness of films. This work offers a new route to optimize the dynamic properties of carbon-based protective films. 

Near-infrared photodetectors are key components for imaging, sensing, and wearable electronics, but toxic lead-based quantum dots and high dark current have limited their practical use. Now, researchers report a lead-free, eco-friendly AgBiS₂ quantum dot photodetector using a ZnO/MXene bilayer electron transport layer, which achieves record-low dark current, high sensitivity, and excellent near-infrared imaging capability, offering a promising strategy for next-generation environmental-friendly image sensors.

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) van der Waals (vdW) materials represent an emerging frontier in nanoscience, yet the synthesis of their metastable phases remains a significant challenge. Now, researchers at Beijing Institute of Technology have developed a kinetically-controlled anion-exchange (KCAE) strategy that, for the first time, produces uniform, wafer-scale (1-inch) films of W₆Te₆ — a metastable quasi-1D material previously inaccessible by conventional methods. By first converting a tungsten film into a stable WS₂ template with vertically aligned grains, then carefully controlling tellurization, the team creates a kinetic barrier that traps the system in the W₆Te₆ phase, preventing it from racing to the thermodynamically stable WTe₂. The method is also compatible with standard photolithography, enabling pre-patterned W₆Te₆ nanostructures.

Singlechain nanoparticle (SCNP) catalysts combine high dispersion and nanoconfinement effects but suffer from poor recyclability. Inspired by worker bees returning to a hive, researchers at Tongji University have developed a dynamic covalent carrier system that releases SCNP catalysts on demand, recovers them after reaction, and retains over 90% catalytic conversion and outstanding selectivity even after 20 cycles. This work opens a new avenue for sustainable, highly efficient nanocatalysis.

ABSTRACT: Strengthening the stability of metal-oxygen bonds in catalysts is imperative for the advancement of efficient and durable electrocatalytic water splitting. Herein, using a mild boron-reduction strategy, a self-supported electrode with robust Co-B bonds was constructed. The Co-B@Co(OH)₂–Ru/NF (Co-B@CRN) electrode demonstrates low overpotentials for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, 20 mV) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, 160 mV) at 10 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, long-term stability was achieved for over 400 h at 10 mA cm⁻² and 270 h at 200 mA cm⁻², respectively. For overall water splitting, the assembled electrolyzer exhibited a low voltage of 1.40 V at 10 mA cm⁻², with stable operation maintained for over 240 h. Detailed X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) characterization verified the mixed valence state of Co and the Co-B coordination environment. Further electronic analysis indicated strong hybridization between Co d-orbitals and B p-orbitals. The B bonding induced a downward shift in the d-band center at the Co site, thereby significantly suppressing metal leaching during catalysis and stabilizing electronic structure regulation. This research shows that the boron reduction strategy offers an effective dynamic regulation mechanism for the electronic structures and coordination environments of transition metals, enabling a highly efficient and stable overall water splitting process.

As demands for high-quality wound management, health monitoring, and intelligent interaction rise, e-skin—designed to replicate human skin’s flexibility, self-healing ability, and multimodal sensing functions—has steadily emerged as a prominent new research focus. Here, we present a natural biomass-derived multimodal conductive e-skin patch (CCMP) that fabricated by integrating aminated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-NH2) and dopamine (DA) into carboxymethyl starch (CMS)/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix through supramolecular interactions assembly. The CCMP demonstrated remarkable electrical conductivity (24.1 S/m), efficient photothermal conversion (with a heating time constant τ_s = 66.66 s), strong antioxidant activity (>96.53%), effective antibacterial performance, hydrophobicity, electromagnetic shielding capability, as well as high sensitivity to temperature (TCR = −8.58 %/°C), strain, and electrical signals. Furthermore, the CCMP also demonstrated ultra-high swelling properties. Notably, the CCMP presented easy re-shaping and ultra-high swelling capacity (water sorption reached 1374%), promoting the rapid absorption of tissue exudate. Meanwhile, the CCMP can significantly promote wound healing and reduce pro-inflammatory factor levels, achieving an exceptional 99% healing rate within 14 days. We additionally integrate a portable wireless wearable sensing system that can transmit real-time wound status micro-motion and multimodal physiological signals (temperature, stress-strain, respiration, motion, and bioelectric signals) via Bluetooth to computers or mobile devices, thus achieving integrated skin-interfacing wearable bioelectronics and smart wound healing. Overall, this study pioneers a novel approach for wireless wound monitoring system, advancing human-friendly e-skin patch development from single-functional devices to a human-machine-environment intelligent symbiosis system.