Abstract:

A research group led by Professor Hiroaki SUZUKI and Takeshi HAYAKAWA from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Chuo University, graduate student Zhitai HUANG, graduate students Kanji KANEKO (at the time) and Ryotaro YONEYAMA (at the time), together with Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Tomoya MARUYAMA from the Research Center for Autonomous Systems Materialogy (ASMat), Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo, and Professor Masahiro TAKINOUE from the Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a novel and highly accessible technology for producing uniform Biomolecular Condensates^*1) using a simple, low-cost vibration platform.

Lithium metal batteries hold great promise for high performance energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density. However, practical implementation is hindered by interfacial side reactions and dendrite growth at the Li metal anode, particularly in carbonate-based electrolytes. Hereby, the authors introduce a novel multifunctional group additive strategy using 2-fluorobenzenesulfonamide (2-FBSA) to address these challenges. The 2-FBSA additive plays a crucial role in modulating the solvation structure of the electrolyte, facilitating Li⁺ transport kinetics by lowering the desolvation energy barrier. Additionally, the preferential decomposition of 2-FBSA at the anode interface leads to the formation of a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) enriched with inorganic Li salts, including LiF, Li₃N, and ROSO₂Li. This SEI layer effectively suppresses Li dendrite growth and mitigates parasitic side reactions, resulting in significantly improved cycling stability and rate performance of Li||Li symmetric cells and Li||LiFePO₄ full cells. The Li||Li symmetric cell achieves a remarkable lifespan exceeding 2400 h at 0.5 mA cm⁻²/1 mAh cm⁻² , while the Li||LiFePO₄ full cell demonstrates a capacity retention of 72% after 400 cycles at 1 C. This study highlights the potential of multifunctional group molecular additive 2-FBSA in interfacial optimization and provides new insights into additive design principles for high performance battery systems.

Pore-scale mechanisms of drag reduction by micro-blowing have rarely been explored. A direct numerical simulation (DNS) study, published in the Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, is performed to uncover the fundamental physics of single-hole micro-blowing in a supersonic turbulent boundary layer. Results reveal a dual-regime drag-reduction mechanism: upstream reduction driven by adverse pressure gradients and downstream reduction dominated by the formation of a low-speed air film. A detailed vortex-interaction analysis further explains how micro-blowing sustains stable drag-reduction performance under turbulent vortex interference.

For the first time, researchers have been able to show how a cell closes the door to free radicals – small oxygen molecules that are sometimes needed, but that can also damage our cells. The study is published in Nature Communications and was led from Lund University.

Brazil nuts are known as “selenium bombs” and are consumed as a natural dietary supplement. However, they do not only contain this essential nutrient, but also traces of potentially problematic metals like barium and radioactive radium. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the VKTA – Radiation Protection, Analytics & Disposal Rossendorf Inc. have now conducted the first systematic study on the amounts of these elements that could actually enter the body during the digestive process. The team has some good news for lovers of the nut-like seed (DOI: 10.3390/ijms26178312).

An engineering team at Jiangxi Normal University, in collaboration with South China University of Technology, reports an entropy-driven strategy to construct low-topology-entropy silicone elastomers (LTE-SEs) in the journal Wearable Electronics. The materials achieve ultra-softness and ultra-high stretchability while maintaining high strength, and are successfully applied in skin-conformal flexible encapsulation, UV-protection patches, and fully encapsulated safety-positioning insoles, providing a new generation of substrate materials for long-term, comfortable, and reliable wearable electronics.