Researchers from the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have unveiled new insights into the activity of catalysts used in green hydrogen production. Their study, published in Nature Chemistry, explores how the catalyst kinetics are related to an intricate interplay between interfacial solvent and chemical changes on the catalyst surface, potentially paving the way for more efficient energy conversion technologies.

Remote gas sensing in complex environments represents a critical frontier in environmental science. A team of Chinese scientists has developed a novel dual-comb spectroscopy system featuring single-photon detection, exceptional robustness, and broadband spectral analysis. This technology enables precise identification of gas compositions under harsh conditions with attowatt sensitivity, advancing global climate monitoring and pollution detection. It is poised to address urgent societal demands for sustainable and intelligent sensing solutions.

Soft materials hold onto “memories” of their past for longer than previously thought, according to MIT research. The findings could help manufacturers design gels, lotions, or paving materials that last longer and perform more predictably.

A powerful new particle detector, sPHENIX, just passed a critical test in its goal to decipher the ingredients of the early universe. The detector made a key measurement that proves it has the precision to help piece together the primordial properties of quark-gluon plasma.

Researchers have developed a transparent solar concentrator that can be directly coated onto architectural glass, enabling colorless and unidirectional solar energy collection. This new design, based on cholesteric liquid crystal films with submicron periodic structures, offers high efficiency, wide-angle operation, and aesthetic compatibility with modern buildings—opening a path toward scalable, building-integrated photovoltaics for carbon emission reduction.

Microplastics are tiny, plastic fragments — many too small to see — found in the air, soil and water. Measuring their abundance in nature can direct cleanup resources, but current detection methods are slow, expensive or highly technical. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Sensors have developed a living sensor that attaches to plastic and produces green fluorescence. In an initial test on real-world water samples, the biosensor could easily detect environmentally relevant levels of microplastics.