Three researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have received National Science Foundation CAREER awards for their work developing molecules that facilitate pharmaceutical drug design and evaluation, designing phishing detectors and developing new materials for quantum technology.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have developed a polymeric adhesion system by introducing reversible bonds at the adhesion interface based on the formation and dissociation of host–guest complexes. The adhesive can be decomposed on demand using temperature or chemicals and reused multiple times. Visualization of the interface using neutrons revealed the mechanism underlying repeatable sticking and peeling. This technology can be used for sustainable material applications.

Researchers have for the first time measured the true properties of individual MXene flakes — an exciting new nanomaterial with potential for better batteries, flexible electronics, and clean energy devices. By using a novel light-based technique called spectroscopic micro-ellipsometry, they discovered how MXenes behave at the single-flake level, revealing changes in conductivity and optical response that were previously hidden when studying only stacked layers. This breakthrough provides the fundamental knowledge and tools needed to design smarter, more efficient technologies powered by MXenes.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new structure determination method using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy which shows how different parts of complex molecular machinery like enzymes move while they help catalyze reactions. Focusing on an enzyme in yeast, they demonstrated how contrasts in atomic scale motions impact their function. The method promises unprecedented access to the mechanisms by which biomolecules work, and how they relate to illnesses.

Prof. Shigui Chen's team at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Wuhan University recently achieved, through a step-by-step construction strategy, the stabilization of the [N⋯Cl⋯N]⁺ halogen bond at the framework level, thus breaking through the bottleneck of the inability of chlorine (I) halogen bonds to form bonds under conventional conditions and successfully constructed a class of stable chlorine (I) bridged two-dimensional halogen bond organic frameworks (XOF(Cl)-TPy-BF₄/OTf). This framework not only has excellent crystallinity, chemical stability and thermal stability, but also provides an ideal platform for subsequent functionalization (such as the introduction of catalytic sites). As a cationic framework, XOF(Cl) is anion-exchanged with PdCl₄²⁻ and then reduced to generate stable Pd(0) clusters within the framework. The Pd(0) cluster-loaded XOF(Cl)-TPy-Pd⁰ exhibits excellent catalytic performance in various palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions (such as Suzuki, Heck, and Sonogashira couplings), achieving high yields even under mild conditions. In the synthesis of industrial biphenyl liquid crystal molecules, no palladium residue was detected in XOF(Cl)-TPy-Pd^0. In addition, the catalyst can be efficiently recovered by simple filtration and can be recycled many times, showing excellent practicality. These results were published as an open access article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Researchers have developed a machine learning approach that can optimize the treatment of livestock manure and predict how valuable nutrients such as phosphorus are distributed during processing. The breakthrough could help transform agricultural waste into safer and more useful resources, while reducing environmental pollution.