China, Tianjin-Researchers at Nankai University have 3D-printed soft hydrogel thermocell “power patches” that can hug skin and devices, turning gentle temperature differences into electricity. By Combining 3D printing and immersion activation strategies, they “sculpt” microstructured hydrogel thermocell surfaces that grip rough, moving heat sources and boost power output several-fold. These patches can also serve as self-powered touch and motion sensors, suggesting that customizable wearable power supplies could quietly harvest waste heat from bodies and irregular heat sources for future sustainable, human-integrated electronics.

In fusion research, the plasma core must be heated to about one hundred million degrees, but heat naturally spreads outward, making it important to slow this spreading as much as possible. Turbulence that appears together with the heat also moves outward. A research team at the National Institute for Fusion Science used the Large Helical Device to study this process and identified turbulence that acts as a mediator, rapidly distributing heat across the plasma. When rapid heating was applied, this mediator became stronger and caused the heat to spread almost instantly. The team also showed for the first time that turbulence plays two roles, both carrying heat and connecting distant regions. These findings reveal how sudden heat spreading occurs and provide a basis for predicting and controlling heat transport in future fusion reactors.

Researchers at Peking University share the results of their 30-year investigation in tackling the long-standing mystery of turbulence initiation. Their study identifies soliton-like coherent structures as the key mechanism in driving the transition from laminar to turbulence in shear flows. This discovery provides promising directions for the development of advanced predictive models and technologies for improved control of turbulence.