Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have, for the first time, demonstrated a technique that synchronises ultrashort X-ray pulses at the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL. This achievement opens new possibilities for observing ultrafast atomic and molecular processes with attosecond precision.

Researchers have created a spray-on polyurea nanocomposite coating reinforced with functionalized graphene. The coating delivers high strength and stretchability, strong adhesion across substrates, and durable performance after heat, salt-spray, and UV aging. It also resists corrosion and provides fast, reliable strain sensing for real-time damage detection—offering a scalable protective coating for infrastructure and automotive structures.

A research team led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have presented a new way to produce hydrogen gas without the scarce and expensive metal platinum. Using sunlight, water and tiny particles of electrically conductive plastic, the researchers show how the hydrogen can be produced efficiently, sustainably and at low cost.

Professor Li Jing-Feng's team from Tsinghua University has reported an innovative study on optimizing the thermoelectric performance of SnSe via liquid phase sintering. 

In a study recently published in Nature Communications, the researchers detail a modular system that integrates hydrochloric acid recovery with chlorine and hydrogen generation—eliminating the need for external electrical input during the electrochemical stage.

Molecularly imprinted biochar offers a highly selective and sustainable way to trap and destroy pollutants in water, soil, and even complex industrial waste streams, turning agricultural waste into powerful environmental cleanup tools. This new review explains how scientists design these smart carbon materials and where they could realistically change current pollution control practices in the near future.

In The Physics Teacher, a physics professor-turned-AI-researcher explores the uses of generative AI to teach physical science. Gerd Kortemeyer compares the constantly increasing physics capabilities of generative AI to the boiling frog fable, which predicts that a frog will fail to recognize the danger of a gradually heating pot until it’s too late to hop out. Kortemeyer lays out situations where generative AI usage may be warranted and places where it may not help education — and therefore, a “jump out of the pot” is warranted.