Harnessing solar energy to produce usable power is not new, but the technology is constantly evolving and improving. A major development in recent times is the use of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are low-weight, highly efficient, flexible solar cells using perovskite (typically a metal-halide material with a specialized structure) crystal structures to absorb light. Though a promising concept, improvements are necessary for PSCs to be able to reach their full potential. Researchers approach these improvements by introducing an additive, 1H-indole-3-carbohydrazide (1H-CBH) to effectively alleviate the main obstacle of PSCs, which are defects leading to loss of energy and efficiency in the cell.

Harvesting distributed wind energy in complex environments remains a major challenge. Researchers from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Tsinghua University, and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems proposed a vortex-induced vibration-based triboelectric nanogenerator (VIV-TENG). The device can collect wind energy from all directions and operate efficiently under low wind speeds and high humidity. At 3.5 m/s, it delivers an average output power of 49.5 μW, demonstrating its potential for powering small electronic devices and enabling self-powered systems in urban environments.

Iron-nickel catalysts are widely used for alkaline water electrolysis, but their long-term stability is limited by iron dissolution under oxidative conditions. Researchers have now developed a ligand-engineered FeNi metal-organic framework that transforms into a 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid (BPDC)-functionalized oxyhydroxide (FeNiOOH-BPDC) catalyst during operation. The organic ligand strengthens Fe-O bonding, suppresses metal leaching, and enables continuous oxygen evolution at industrial current densities for more than 3000 hours. The work provides a new strategy for designing durable, low-cost catalysts for large-scale green hydrogen production.

Medications are designed to treat diseased tissues while sparing healthy ones, often by attaching the drug to something that helps guide it directly to its target. But drugs also need time to work, which means they need to stay near the diseased tissues long enough. Now, scientists reporting in ACS Central Science have developed a drug carrier that physically anchors itself to cancer cell membranes, improving drug retention and thereby effectiveness in animal trials. 

Quantum geometry is a mathematical tool that describes how quantum states change with the parameters of a system. This abstract geometric description helps researchers, for example, to better understand the properties of quantum materials or to improve the fundamental limits on measurement precision in quantum metrology. A German-Japanese research team involving the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) in Erlangen and the Advanced Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University in Sendai has applied quantum geometry to photonic systems and, with their new method, expanded the toolkit for topological photonics. Their results were published in Physical Review Research.

The behavior of battery electrode slurries under coating-like shear conditions influences the electrical connectivity, resistance, and cycle stability of the final electrode. A new study from Tokyo University of Science uses a method called rheo-impedance spectroscopy to analyze slurry behavior under different shear conditions that simulate real manufacturing. It identifies an intermediate shear rate that disperses particles evenly while preserving conductive networks, leading to lower electrode resistance and better cycle stability.

anti-Markovnikov hydration of alkenes has remained a long-standing challenge in chemistry due to limitations of conventional catalysts. Researchers have now demonstrated that photoexcited copper(II) complexes can achieve this transformation via single-electron oxidation under mild conditions. This approach enables the synthesis of valuable alcohols from a wide range of alkenes, including less reactive aliphatic substrates. The study introduces a new strategy for photoredox catalysis using earth-abundant metals, offering a sustainable alternative to precious metal-based systems.