This study cross-applies d-band center theory from catalysis to stabilize zinc anodes in aqueous electrolytes. By adding oxalic acid, the d-band center of Zn is downshifted, fundamentally weakening hydrogen adsorption and suppressing hydrogen evolution. Concurrently, it optimizes the Zn²⁺ solvation sheath, minimizing byproduct formation. The Zn||I₂ battery enables a high Coulombic efficiency of and retaining 92.8% capacity after 10,000 cycles. This work pioneers a new paradigm for stabilizing metal anodes via surface electronic structure modulation.

A collaborative study published in National Science Review utilized an h-BN-encapsulated scanning tunneling microscopy technique to investigate twisted bilayer MoTe₂. Researchers directly observed electric-field-tuned topological moiré flat bands transitioning from a honeycomb to a triangular lattice and visualized Wigner molecular crystals, providing atomic-scale evidence for topological phase transitions and charge-ordered states in this material. The full study can be found in National Science Review.

HfO₂-based ferroelectrics are promising for embedded non-volatile memory, but typically require high crystallization temperatures. Researchers developed an in-situ ALD lanthanum-doping approach that enables robust ferroelectricity under low thermal budgets, delivering low-voltage operation, high breakdown voltage, and endurance over 10¹¹ cycles.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have succeeded in detecting laser-assisted electron scattering (LAES) using circularly polarized light for the first time. The use of circularly polarized light promises valuable insights into how atomic scale “helicity” impacts how electrons interact with matter and light. Using synchronized femtosecond laser pulses and electron pulses directed at argon atoms, they succeeded in detecting a LAES signal showing excellent agreement with theory.

Scientists in Sweden and the U.S. today reported the first-ever direct observation a type of short‑lived molecule that has shaped decades of thinking in atmospheric chemistry, combustion research and biomedical science.

Publishing in Science Advances, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, and Kinetic Chemistry Research in Mountain View, California, say their discovery of long-theorized, oxygen-rich tetroxides has implications in a number of sciences, including atmospheric chemistry, biochemistry and medicine and combustion chemistry.

In a recent study published in Chem, a research team led by Prof. SUN Jian and Prof. YU Jiafeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a novel design strategy that spatially decouples active sites through a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI)-driven overlayer structure, enabling efficient methanol synthesis from CO₂.

MLIP calculations successfully identify suitable dopants for a novel photocatalytic material, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. As demonstrated in their latest study, a materials informatics approach could predict which ions can be stably introduced into orthorhombic Sn₃O₄, a promising and recently discovered photocatalytic tin oxide. Their experiments revealed that aluminum-doped samples achieved 16 times greater hydrogen production than the undoped material, paving the way for next-generation clean energy applications.

After years of research, international experts have confirmed the discovery of a new chemical reaction, launching new opportunities for rapid advances in a range of fields – from recycled plastics to pharmaceuticals.

In a major new article to be published in top-ranking journal Nature Chemistry, the interdisciplinary team explore how sulfur-sulfur bonds can be formed and broken rapidly and cleanly at room temperature, opening new avenues for drug development, biotech and protein science, and chemical and material science.