A research team led by Professors Xiufang Chen, Huaying Ren, and Wancheng Yu at the Institute of Novel Semiconductors, Shandong University, has developed and optimized an innovative stepwise growth strategy that decouples buffer layer formation from subsequent graphene growth, addressing these long-standing challenges at their root. Their breakthrough findings are published in Nano Research.

In multicore optical fibers, a key research question was whether low-power and high-power laser pulses would distribute light differently among seven cores. Researchers from Russia found that low power gave random, unstable distribution, whereas higher power produced equal sharing across all cores and stability against bending and vibrations. The far-field pattern changed from speckled to bell-shaped. Modeling showed a statistical mechanism, where the pulse broke into many sub-pulses whose averaging produced stable equalization.

Researchers achieved record-breaking optical frequency transfer over 2067 km of field-deployed fiber with fractional instability of 2.9 x 10^-21 at one day. Using bias-free noise compensation based on digital RF phase recording and Hertz-level optical filtering, the system operates reliably under extreme noise levels of 5000 rad^2/Hz/km. This advance establishes a practical route toward large-scale optical clock networks and precision metrology using standard telecommunications infrastructure.

A new technology has been developed that can produce ammonia—an essential carrier for storing and transporting clean hydrogen energy—more efficiently.

Halide-based solid electrolytes (HSEs) have garnered substantial interest for all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) due to their wide electrochemical windows, moderate-to-high room-temperature ionic conductivity, and enhanced air stability over traditional sulfide and oxide-based SEs. This review consolidates recent advances in HSEs, focusing on the link between structure, compositions, and materials properties that influence the transport of lithium-ion (Li-ion) and post-lithium-ion (P-Li-ion) and their stability at the interface. Based on the chemistry of their central metal, HSEs are divided into five classes; key factors influencing ionic conductivity are examined. Nevertheless, despite these benefits, many challenges remain, including interfacial instability, the trade-off between ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability, mechanical challenges, and material costs. The main synthesis methods, mechanochemical, co-melting, and wet-chemical, are investigated for phase formation, scalability, and defect control. The link between synthesis, microstructure, and device-level performance metrics, including critical current density, area-specific resistance, and cycle life, is examined. The strategies, involving bilayer and dual-electrolyte design as well as interface engineering, are analyzed to reduce interfacial resistance and dendrite growth. The applications of HSE in Li-ion and P-Li-ion systems are examined. This review offers a detailed framework and delineates potential research paths to advance scalable, high-performance HSEs for next-generation ASSBs.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and Northeast Forestry University have developed an exhalation-responsive optoelectronic clip that turns human breath into a clear optical ON/OFF signal. The wearable device combines optical microfibers with nanocellulose films and can be used for touch-free alerts, coded communication, and respiratory monitoring.