Small-scale robots designed to operate on water surfaces face challenges in mobility, adaptability, and multifunctionality. This study introduces bio-inspired “S-aquabots” powered by a programmable Marangoni motor (PM-motor), enabling highly controllable propulsion, efficient fuel use, and silent motion. The robots mimic natural leaves, blending seamlessly into aquatic environments while achieving a 3.5-fold improvement in fuel efficiency compared to conventional designs. With flexible hybrid electronics, the S-aquabots perform complex maneuvers, transmit real-time video, and monitor environmental conditions. By combining biomimicry with advanced engineering, these devices open new possibilities for environmental monitoring, pollution control, and adaptive robotics in outdoor aquatic systems.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are widely recognized for their outstanding power conversion efficiency, but their vulnerability to heat undermines long-term stability and practical use. This study introduces a crystal facet engineering strategy to enhance thermal conductivity and reduce performance loss under elevated temperatures. By orienting the perovskite film toward the (100) facet, the researchers improved heat transfer, lowered operating temperature, and achieved stable power output even during prolonged illumination. The resulting inverted solar cells reached 25.12% efficiency while maintaining over 90% of initial performance after extended aging. These findings highlight thermal management through facet orientation as a powerful route to reliable, high-efficiency solar energy technologies.

Hydrogen release at the electrode surface has long hindered the development of aqueous zinc metal batteries, a promising technology for grid-scale energy storage. While most studies have focused on hydrogen evolution during zinc plating, new evidence reveals that significant hydrogen is also generated during zinc stripping, driven by chemical corrosion of newly exposed zinc surfaces. Researchers now show that small organic additives, particularly cysteamine, can form a protective gradient solid electrolyte interphase that isolates water molecules from the electrode surface. This approach greatly reduces unwanted hydrogen generation and improves battery reversibility, achieving more than 4000 stable cycles with high Coulombic efficiency.

A study evaluating the impact of the Project RattleCam livestream, coordinated by Cal Poly and Dickinson College, reports broad viewership, including over 21,000 subscribers on the livestream's YouTube channel. The project features camera locations across multiple U.S. states to observe rattlesnake behavior. Public engagement has led to improved perceptions and community science efforts surrounding a species that is often maligned and killed during public events in some areas.

A team of UC Riverside engineering scholars have discovered why a key solid-state battery ceramic material stays remarkably cool during operation — a breakthrough that could help make the next generation of lithium batteries  deliver higher energy density while reducing overheating and fire risks.