Chemists have long been fascinated and frustrated by saxitoxin: a molecule that causes temporary paralysis by blocking the electrical signals that nerve cells (neurons) use to activate muscle, and which accumulates in shellfish like clams, oysters and scallops. Although the way saxitoxin works has inspired interest in developing new anesthetics, extracting it from natural sources is neither scalable nor practical. Since its discovery, the molecule has defied practical laboratory synthesis, slowing the effort to create long-acting, highly targeted pain therapies inspired by its mechanism. Now, scientists at Scripps Research, in collaboration with Merck, report a streamlined approach to synthesize saxitoxin and related molecules (known as analogs) in the lab.

A new electrocatalyst combining iron phthalocyanine (FePc) with mesoporous Ti₃C₂ MXene significantly enhances oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance under alkaline conditions, achieving higher activity and stability than commercial platinum-based catalysts, and demonstrating great potential for application in zinc-air batteries.  

Understanding how ozone behaves indoors is vital for assessing human health risks, as people spend most of their time inside. 

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have attracted significant attention as sustainable energy technologies due to their efficient energy conversion and fuel flexibility. However, several challenges remain, such as low catalytic activity of fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA), insufficient mass transfer performance, and performance degradation caused by catalyst deactivation over long period of operation. These issues are especially significant at high current densities, limiting both efficiency and operational lifespan. Mesoporous carbon materials, characterized by a high specific surface area, tunable pore structure, and excellent electrical conductivity, are emerging as crucial components for enhancing power density, mass transfer efficiency, and durability of PEMFCs. This review first discusses the properties and advantages of mesoporous carbon and outlines various synthetic strategies, including hard template, soft template, and template-free approaches. It then comprehensively examines the applications of mesoporous carbon in PEMFCs, focusing on their effects on the catalyst and gas diffusion layer. Finally, it concludes with future perspectives, emphasizing the need for further research to fully exploit the potential of mesoporous carbon in PEMFCs.

Perovskite-based photovoltaic devices have garnered significant interest owing to their remarkable performance in converting light into electricity. Recently, the focus in the field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has shifted towards enhancing their durability over extended periods. One promising strategy is the incorporation of two-dimensional (2D) perovskites, known for their ability to enhance stability due to the large organic cations that act as a barrier against moisture. However, the broad optical bandgap and limited charge transport properties of 2D perovskites hinder their efficiency, making them less suitable as the sole light-absorbing material when compared to their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts. An innovative approach involves using 2D perovskite structures to modify the surface properties of 3D perovskite. This hybrid approach, known as 2D/3D perovskites, while enhancing their performance. Beyond solar energy applications, 2D perovskites offer a flexible platform for chemical engineering, allowing for significant adjustments to crystal and thin-film configurations, bandgaps, and charge transport properties through the different organic ligands and halide mixtures. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in integration of 2D perovskites into solar cells without compromising device stability. This review encapsulates the latest developments in 2D perovskite research, focusing on their structural, optoelectronic, and stability attributes, while delving into the challenges and future potential of these materials.

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier that is expected to play a crucial role in helping Canada achieve its net-zero target by 2050. However, reducing the ambiguity in regulatory frameworks is essential to incentivize and facilitate international trade in hydrogen. To this end, regulators must agree on quantification methodologies that consider life cycle boundaries, process descriptions, co-product allocation, conversion constants, and certification units. Several studies have highlighted the importance of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a standardized, relevant method for estimating the carbon footprint associated with hydrogen production and evaluating its environmental sustainability. As such, LCA-based certification schemes could help create a transparent hydrogen market. The aim of this study is to validate the proposed harmonized LCA-based methodology for quantifying hydrogen production’s carbon intensity. This methodology follows a consistent scope and life cycle inventory (LCI) development criteria, alongside a rigorous data quality assessment. The well-to-gate carbon intensities of six hydrogen production pathways are compared, which range from 0.26 to 10.07 kg CO_2e per kg of hydrogen (kg CO_2e/kg H₂), against the hydrogen carbon intensity thresholds established by the Canadian Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit (CHITC). For example, the biomass gasification with carbon capture (CC) pathway demonstrates the lowest carbon intensity, while thermochemical pathways, such as steam methane reforming of natural gas without CC, poses challenges to meeting the maximum CHTIC threshold of 4 kg CO_2e/kg H₂.

Artificial carbon fixation is a promising pathway for achieving the carbon cycle and environment remediation. However, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and poor selectivity of CO₂ reduction seriously limited the overall conversion efficiencies of solar energy to chemical fuels. Herein, we demonstrated a facile and feasible strategy to rationally regulate the coordination environment and electronic structure of surface-active sites on both photoanode and cathode. More specifically, the defect engineering has been employed to reduce the coordination number of ultrathin FeNi catalysts decorated on BiVO₄ photoanodes, resulting in one of the highest OER activities of 6.51 mA cm⁻² (1.23 V_RHE, AM 1.5G). Additionally, single-atom cobalt (II) phthalocyanine anchoring on the N-rich carbon substrates to increase Co–N coordination number remarkably promotes CO₂ adsorption and activation for high selective CO production. Their integration achieved a record activity of 109.4 μmol cm⁻² h⁻¹ for CO production with a faradaic efficiency of > 90%, and an outstanding solar conversion efficiency of 5.41% has been achieved by further integrating a photovoltaic utilizing the sunlight (> 500 nm).

Recently, Prof. Andrea Alù from the City University of New York and Dr. Guangwei Hu from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore summarized previous representative work in the field of terahertz topologies and reconfigurable metamaterial devices, discussed design and integration methods for existing reconfigurable terahertz topology platforms, and explored potential avenues for future research and development. The findings were published as the cover paper titled “Topological and Reconfigurable Terahertz Metadevices” in Research (Research, 2025 DOI: 10.34133/research.0882).

As artificial intelligence (AI) and smart gadgets become more common, our need for reliable power sources grows. Renewable energy options like solar and wind are great, but they depend on specific conditions. A research team led by Professor Dong-Myeong Shin from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a novel moisture-activated electricity generator (MEG) that offers a fresh, eco-friendly way to generate electricity — just from moisture in the air.