A joint team has uncovered how soft, deformable particles, like cells, behave in microfluidic channels. Using precisely fabricated hydrogel particles and simulations on the supercomputer "Fugaku," they demonstrated that particle softness dramatically alters their focusing patterns, deviating significantly from rigid particle behavior. These findings reveal distinct "phase transitions" in focusing, shifting from mid-edge to eight-point, diagonal-edge, and finally center focusing as deformability increases. This breakthrough, explained by a new theoretical model incorporating inertia and deformability, offers crucial insights for designing next-generation microfluidic devices for highly efficient cell sorting and other biomedical applications like early cancer detection. The ability to control particle focusing based on deformability opens exciting possibilities for advanced particle manipulation and separation technologies.

The research teams led by Academician Lan Jiang and Researcher Weina Han from Beijing Institute of Technology, together with the team headed by Researcher Xun Cao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have published an innovative achievement in PhotoniX. They proposed a method for realizing adaptive infrared thermal camouflage based on a neural network-driven laser-electric co-modulation of multi-layer phase change material devices. The team integrated non-volatile phase change material Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) voxel units induced by ultrafast lasers with electrically tunable volatile VO₂ layers. Via laser-electric co-modulation, they achieved precise and continuous regulation of infrared emissivity over a wide range from 0.14 to 0.98 within the 8-14 μm atmospheric window, effectively covering the emissivity range of most materials. Meanwhile, by adopting a closed-loop system based on neural networks, the team realized the perception, intelligent decision-making and execution of environmental signals. With a response speed of 3℃/s and a temperature control accuracy of ±1℃, real-time thermal radiation matching between the target and the environment was achieved. This method significantly enhances the adaptability of thermal camouflage in complex environments, opens up new avenues for the practical application of dynamic thermal camouflage technology, and also lays a solid foundation for the future development of intelligent thermal camouflage technology.

The U.S. National Science Foundation and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) are investing in eight joint research projects that could open the door to breakthroughs in quantum computing, ultra-precise navigation and secure communications. The effort is supported by $4.7 million from NSF and £4.2 million from UKRI's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Each project brings together U.S. and U.K. researchers to tackle an underexplored area in science: how quantum information affects chemical reactions and molecular systems, and how that knowledge can be put to use. The UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering’s research project, funded with more than $636,000, is headed by Prof. David Awschalom and Prof. Giulia Galli, with Prof. Danna Freedman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.