EurekAlert! News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics - News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Aug-2025 15:11 ET (27-Aug-2025 19:11 GMT/UTC)

Finding the shadows in a fusion system faster with AI

Princeton University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A public-private partnership between PPPL and Commonwealth Fusion Systems has led to a new artificial intelligence approach that is significantly faster at finding the magnetic shadows in a fusion vessel: safe havens protected from the intense heat of the plasma. Speeding up these calculations, which predict where the heat will hit and what parts of the tokamak will lie safe in the shadows of other parts, brings fusion power one step closer to reality.

Journal: Fusion Engineering and Design
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, DOE/US Department of Energy

Mortality associated with fine particles from wildfires may be underestimated by 93%

Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Wildfire smoke contains pollutants that are hazardous to health, including fine particles (PM_2.5), which have been linked to increased mortality and morbidity. A new study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the ”la Caixa” Foundation, provides strong evidence that PM_2.5 from wildfires poses a greater mortality risk than non-fire-related particles. The results, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, also indicate that mortality associated with wildfire smoke may be underestimated by 93%.

Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health

Molecular hybridization through vacuum

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Interactions between atoms and molecules are facilitated by electromagnetic fields. The bigger the distance between the partners involved, the weaker these mutual interactions are. In order for the particles to be able to form natural chemical bonds, the distance between them must usually be approximately equal to their diameter. Using an optical resonator which strongly alters the quantum vacuum, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have succeeded for the first time in optically “bonding” several molecules at greater distances. The physicists are thus experimentally creating synthetic states of coupled molecules, thereby establishing the foundation for the development of new hybrid light-matter states.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Don’t throw away those Cannabis leaves – they're packed with rare compounds

Stellenbosch University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The researchers identified 79 phenolic compounds in three strains of Cannabis grown commercially in South Africa, of which 25 were reported for the first time in Cannabis. Sixteen of these compounds were tentatively identified as flavoalkaloids.

Journal: Journal of Chromatography A

3D-SLISE: a quasi-solid electrolyte for safer and greener lithium-ion batteries

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

3D-SLISE is a quasi-solid electrolyte developed at Institute of Science Tokyo, which enables safe, fast-charging/discharging of 2.35 V lithium-ion batteries to be fabricated under ambient conditions. With energy-efficient manufacturing using raw materials free from flammable organic solvents, the technique eliminates the need for dry rooms or high-temperature processing. Moreover, it also allows direct recovery of active materials through water dispersal—ensuring a sustainable, recyclable approach to battery production.

Journal: Advanced Materials
Funder: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Murata Science Foundation, Green Transformation Initiative (GXI), Institute of Science Tokyo, Design & Engineering by Joint Inverse Innovation for Materials Architecture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, High Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI) System Research Project

Chungnam National University researchers develop next-gen zinc batteries: artificial polymer nanolayers improve zinc battery stability

Chungnam National University Evaluation Team
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, being more affordable and safer. However, zinc-anodes in ZIBs suffer from undesirable side reactions and sharp dendritic growth, affecting cycling performance and stability. In a new study, researchers developed a new zinc-bonded polyacrylic acid (ZHP) layer that prevents dendritic growth and stabilizes the anode. The resulting ZHP-coated zinc anode demonstrates excellent cycling performance and stability, supporting the development of next-generation ZIBs with enhanced stability.

Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal

Twisted bilayer MOFs enable customized moiré length scales, paving the way for advances in twistronics and quantum materials

Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to precisely control over moiré periods by stacking MOFs layers—crystalline materials composed of metal clusters linked by organic molecules.

Journal: Nature Communications

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