The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃RR) is a promising route for green ammonia synthesis, but its complex reaction pathway makes adsorption selectivity critical. In this study, researchers introduced boron doping into nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) supported Cu₂O-Fe₃O₄ catalysts to enhance nitrate adsorption and increase local concentration near the electrode surface. The team confirmed that the B-doped carbon nanotube substrate effectively boosts NO₃RR performance with higher ammonia yield and a positive-shifted onset potential. This general doping strategy offers a new way to tune complex electrocatalytic reactions, especially those requiring high selectivity and concentration sensitivity.

A joint research team from China has developed a novel microwave-assisted rapid synthesis strategy for fluorescent polymer nanoparticles (FPNs) with physically entrapped fluorophores. Published in Nano Research, this method allows robust and rapid synthesis of FPNs with tunable size and fluorescence emission wavelengths by modulating key reaction parameters, as well as stimuli-responsiveness functionality.

Adsorption in nanoporous materials is crucial to addressing global challenges such as carbon capture, gas separation, and water harvesting. While machine learning potentials (MLPs) offer a revolutionary way to predict material behavior with high accuracy, integrating them into traditional simulation tools has been a major technical bottleneck. Researchers have now developed HULU, a universal Python-based framework that acts as a "bridge," allowing scientists to seamlessly apply diverse atomistic foundation models to Monte Carlo simulations. This breakthrough paves the way for faster, more accurate discovery of the next generation of sustainable materials.

Self-emissive quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) are promising next-generation displays, but their industrialization is hindered by uncontrollable acid-induced positive aging, leading to non-uniform luminescence and short operating lifetimes. Researchers from BOE Technology Group developed a solution-processed thermal treatment strategy for ZnMgO electron transport layers, reducing the density of oxygen vacancies and increases the nanoparticle size, enabling QLED devices to achieve uniform electroluminescence with high efficiency, bright luminance and longer operating lifetime. This work provides a reliable route for scalable manufacturing of high-performance QLED displays.

A flexible sensing-storage integrated system have been developed for wearable health monitoring. This system is fabricated using a low-cost solution spin-coating process, combining a flexible floating-gate organic thin-film transistor memory with an organic thin-film transistor pressure sensor to achieve in-situ acquisition and storage of physiological signals, which provides an innovative platform for constructing low-cost, fully flexible electronic skins capable of simultaneous physiological sensing, data storage, and wireless transmission.

Air filters are essential for protecting human health by removing harmful particulate matter from the air. However, conventional filters often struggle to securely retain captured particles, allowing some to detach over time and reducing filtration performance. To address this longstanding challenge, researchers from Chung-Ang University and Pusan National University developed an innovative self-renewing adhesive coating designed to improve particle retention, paving the way for more efficient and durable air filtration technologies.

Oligonucleotide synthesis is fundamental to genetic analysis, biological research, and nucleic acid therapeutics. However, current methods rely on moisture-sensitive building blocks and require a dedicated oxidation step with each chain elongation, making it operationally complex. To address this, researchers from Japan have developed a new approach using phosphorofluoridate building blocks, enabling efficient oxidation-free oligonucleotide synthesis. This advance simplifies the synthetic workflow, offering a faster and more reliable platform for nucleotide chemistry.

To improve carbon recycling and reduce emissions, researchers at Science Tokyo developed iron-substituted calcium titanate (Fe-doped CaTiO₃) as an environmentally friendly support material for chemical looping, a process that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into carbon monoxide for fuel and chemical production. By substituting iron into CaTiO₃, the material gained oxygen vacancies and improved ion and electron transport, accelerating CO₂ conversion.  Built from widely available, low-cost elements, the material could help enable scalable carbon recycling. 

Hot fluids rising from Earth's interior have been driving mineral formation on the ocean floor for millions of years. In a new study, an international team of scientists led by first author Dr. Joely Maak (MARUM) now shows that microorganisms can also play a central role. At a hydrothermal system discovered off the Greek island of Milos at intermediate water depths in 2023, the team demonstrated how different intensities of hydrothermal fluid flow favor distinct microbial metabolisms and, in turn, control the formation of different minerals.