Professor Apala Majumdar, Professor of Applied Mathematics at The University of Manchester, has been elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (LSW).

Researchers at the University of Oxford have created ultrathin liquid crystal Fresnel lenses whose focusing power can be switched ON and OFF electrically. Using 3D femtosecond-laser printing inside a liquid crystal layer, the team are able to create  a smooth continuous phase profile that significantly boosts optical efficiency compared with that of a binary lens. A secondary design feature enables switching between two focal lengths, enabling compact varifocal optics for AR/VR, imaging, and adaptive optics.

Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a simple and efficient method for synthesizing polyfunctionalized biaryls without transition-metal catalysts or complex multistep prefunctionalization. Through an innovative substrate design strategy, the researchers achieved a benzidine-type sigmatropic rearrangement of nitroarenes that efficiently produces the desired biaryls in high yields. This approach offers precise control over the reaction pathway, enabling the synthesis of diverse organic compounds, thereby benefiting many industries.

A research team led by Professor XU Guosheng from the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have for the first time demonstrated, in a metal-wall environment, a plasma regime that simultaneously achieves partial divertor detachment, an edge-localized-mode (ELM)-free high-confinement mode (H-mode), and high pedestal performance.

A research team led by Prof. YIN Huajie from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a high-performance chlor-alkali electrode catalyst that combines outstanding activity with long-term stability.

Researchers at Tampere University have demonstrated that light can be used to precisely reshape soft materials without mechanical contact. They have developed light‑responsive hydrogel thin films that enable programmable surfaces with high sensitivity, rapid response, precise spatial control and reversibility. The technology opens new possibilities for tunable devices in photonics, sensing and biomedicine. 

A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Jian at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Prof. XIAO Chong from the University of Science and Technology of China and Prof. ZHANG Yongsheng from Qufu Normal University, achieved a peak ZT value of 2.03 at 873 K in chalcopyrite-based thermoelectric materials using a novel dual antisite defect strategy.

High-efficiency light modulation within transparent substrates is crucial for advancing in-chip integrated optical technologies, yet microscale 3D optical design in dielectric environments remains challenging. Scientists in China proposed a single-pulse ultrafast laser-driven anisotropic lithography technique based on anisotropic thermal deposition, enabling efficient patterning of regular and high-purity amorphization with multidimensional controllability in 3D free space. This establishes a versatile platform for on-demand production of all-dielectric micro/nanophotonic architectures in transparent dielectrics, unlocking new avenues for 3D integrated photonics applications.

Observing the depths of a living brain with clarity has traditionally required expensive, high-end equipment. However, a KAIST research team has advanced neuroscience research by developing a physics-based AI computational algorithm that restores blurred images into sharp ones without the need for additional optical measurement hardware.