A new study published in Engineering explores how energy transition, different types of environmental policies, and income affect the ecological footprint in BRICS countries. Using data from 2000—2020 and the KRLS approach, the research finds varied impacts across these countries. The results offer practical insights for policymakers aiming to enhance environmental sustainability in BRICS nations.

Certain 2D van der Waals bilayers, such as WTe₂ and h-BN, exhibit sliding ferroelectricity, yet its stability above room temperature remained unexplained. AIMR researchers developed a thermodynamic model linking this stability to monolayer stiffness. Their findings reveal a soft “sliding phonon” governing the phase transition, with implications for next-generation nanoelectronics.

Researchers from Aarhus University have developed MARTINIS – a portable, low-cost, automatic lab that monitors soil chemistry in real time using planar optodes. The system can track oxygen and pH levels in situ without disturbing the soil. It enables detailed analysis of soil dynamics, supports climate research, and may inform sustainable farming practices. The open-source technology has been field-tested and is now being further developed for broader application.

Significantly surpassing their single-junction counterparts in power-conversion efficiency (PCE), two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells have emerged as a game-changer in photovoltaics. However, due to the lack of effective optimisation of the device interface to maximise charge extraction efficiency and reduce energy loss, their widespread application has been limited. Researchers of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have pioneered a novel bilayer interface passivation strategy to develop tandem solar cells that achieve a record-high PCE of 33.89%, representing a milestone in the development of solar technology.

Researchers from the University of South China and the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out precise measurements of the photoneutron cross-section of ⁶³Cu using quasi-monochromatic and energy-tunable γ-beams generated by the Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source (SLEGS). High-precision (4%) data of the photoneutron cross-section of ⁶³Cu were obtained. The gamma-ray strength function (γSF) of the ⁶³Cu(γ, n) reaction was extracted, and the cross-section of its inverse reaction, ⁶²Cu(n, γ), was successfully calculated. This research provides important support for the measurement and evaluation of photonuclear reaction data, and offers a new approach for extracting the neutron capture cross-sections of some unstable nuclides.