A paper published in Gravitational and Space Research unveils insights gained from International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Laboratory-sponsored research on transport phenomena, fundamental physical processes involving momentum, energy, and mass transfer. Transport phenomena describe the ways in which heat and matter move through their surroundings, for example, how heat radiates from a stove or how a scent fills the room. Exploring these dynamics outside Earth’s gravitational forces could lead to revolutionary advances in pharmaceuticals and other commercial applications.

A coordination polymer called KGF-9 has achieved record-high photocatalytic efficiency for CO₂-to-formate conversion, as reported by researchers at Science Tokyo. Using a microwave-assisted solvothermal method, the team synthesized KGF-9 with enhanced crystallinity and surface area compared to a previous synthesis route, boosting its apparent quantum yield ten-fold to 25%. These findings demonstrate KGF-9's significant potential for advancing sustainable technologies that effectively reduce carbon emissions.

A groundbreaking transverse thermoelectric effect is observed in WSi₂, a mixed-dimensional semimetal. This study reveals that WSi₂ exhibits axis-dependent conduction polarity, efficiently converting heat into electrical energy along perpendicular axes. Unlike traditional thermoelectric materials, WSi₂ achieves high efficiency without an external magnetic field, with performance comparable to the best anomalous Nernst effect materials. These findings highlight WSi₂ as a promising candidate for heat management applications and open new avenues for thermoelectric materials research.

Dark ovals in Jupiter's polar haze, visible only at UV wavelengths, were first noticed 25 years ago, then ignored. A UC Berkeley study shows that these dark UV ovals are common, appearing at the south pole in 75% of Hubble Space Telescope images taken since 2015. They appear less often at the north pole. The scientists theorize that a magnetic vortex generated in the ionosphere stirs up and concentrates the hydrocarbon haze that blankets the poles.

Energy harvesting is an active area of research that aims to recover and reuse energy that otherwise goes waste. Heat, for example, is a one such energy drain. On a level considered significant, heat loss accompanies large scale industrial manufacturing, processes that generate and transport energy, as well as installations such as large data centres. Several technologies attempt to harvest part of this waste heat and put them to reuse. The enterprise of thermoelectrics is one such technology, and thermoelectric devices that make use of organic semiconductors are often spoken of as having much promise. This is down to their composition from earth abundant elements, their ability to be cheaply manufactured, and their ability to be deployed over large areas.

The author summarized the traditional and emerging methods for circRNA detection as well as the advantages and limitations, and look forward to future research directions.

Recently, a research team led by Professor JIANG Changlong at the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a new donor-acceptor (D-A) type fluorescent dye called AFL. This dye changes its fluorescence color and intensity depending on solvent polarity and temperature, making it useful for quick visual monitoring.