Yuwu Zhong's team at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focused on the deposition of metal co-catalysts on the surface of organic semiconductor heterojunctions, and they recently proposed a scheme to construct heterojunctions using a small organic molecule containing multi-terminal pyridine (TAPyr) and graphitic carbon nitride (CN). They effectively regulated the dispersion state and deposition amount of the Pt co-catalyst on the heterojunction surface, and combined comparative experiments and theoretical calculations to clarify the important role of the pyridine group. This method of constructing heterojunctions also effectively promotes charge separation. For photocatalytic hydrogen production, a maximum hydrogen production rate of 6.6 mmol·h^-1· g_cat^-1 can be achieved, which is more than 30 times higher than that of the single-component CN system and maintains excellent stability, providing new research ideas for the conversion and storage of solar energy. These results were published as an open access article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Engineering students developed an AI-powered irrigation solution rooted in intelligence, earning them first place in the “Building a Better Future Through Business and AI” competition.

A team of researchers at the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at USC has created a new breakthrough in photonics: the design of the first optical device that follows the emerging framework of optical thermodynamics. The work, reported in Nature Photonics, introduces a fundamentally new way of routing light in nonlinear systems—meaning systems that do not require switches, external control, or digital addressing. Instead, light naturally finds its way through the device, guided by simple thermodynamic principles. The implications of the new approach extend far beyond the laboratory. As computing and data processing continue to push the limits of traditional electronics, various companies—including chip designers —are exploring optical interconnects as a way to move information faster and more efficiently. By providing a natural, self-organizing way to direct light signals, however, optical thermodynamics could accelerate the development of such technologies. Beyond chip-scale data routing, the framework may also influence telecommunications, high-performance computing, and even secure information processing, offering a path toward devices that are both simpler and more powerful.

Researchers in China have developed a modified biochar made from biogas residue that can efficiently remove ammonium nitrogen from water, offering a low-cost and sustainable solution to agricultural pollution.

The rapid production and distribution of chemicals in the environment means that regulatory risk assessment can no longer keep pace with their ever-increasing number. This is the conclusion reached by two authors from ETH Zurich and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau. In their study of global chemical pollution, they provide an overview of particularly problematic chemical groups, such as PFAS and pesticides, and advocate comprehensive changes to address the associated risks to humans and the environment more effectively. The study was published in the 50th issue of the Annual Review of Environment and Resources journal.

Some proteins can survive drying out, returning to function when water is re-introduced. Revealing the chemical rules behind this ability could lead to longer-lasting medicines and drought resistant crops.

A pioneering two-year field study has revealed that biodegradable microplastics, often hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics, are quietly reshaping the chemistry of farmland soils in unexpected and complex ways. Published on August 22, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was co-led by Dr. Jie Zhou from the College of Agriculture at Nanjing Agricultural University, China, and Dr. Davey L. Jones from the School of Environmental and Natural Sciences at Bangor University, UK—a powerful Sino-British collaboration bridging soil science, microbiology, and climate resilience. The team investigated how polypropylene (PP)—a common conventional plastic—and polylactic acid (PLA)—a widely used biodegradable plastic—affect soil organic carbon (SOC) in real-world agricultural conditions. Both were added at realistic concentrations (0.2% w/w) to topsoil (0–20 cm), with an unamended plot serving as control. While neither plastic changed the total amount of carbon stored, the story beneath the surface was dramatically different.