Thermal stability and environmental sustainability are paramount to the practical deployment of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are designed to harness solar energy through high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic technology. Pseudo-halide thiocyanate anions (SCN⁻), employed as a crystallization modulator, have emerged as an ideal candidate for tailoring the formation of high-quality mixed-cation perovskite films, paving the way for a new era of efficient and high-quality PSCs.

A patent-pending Purdue University method improves upon traditional ground-penetrating radar data to estimate the location, orientation and radius of underground utility pipes. This could decrease the risk of hazardous strikes during construction projects.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers addressed the challenge of balancing physical resolution and sensing distance in flexible capacitive dual-mode proximity-tactile sensor, a design inspired by the pupillary near reflex of the human eye.

The “Antscan” web platform is the world’s largest digital database of 3D insect data. It is the result of an international and interdisciplinary cooperation initiated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan. The project combines innovative 3D imaging, optimized data processing, and artificial intelligence (AI). The platform is freely accessible to researchers, teachers, and the interested public. Publication in the Nature Methods scientific journal. (DOI: 10.1038/s41592-026-03005-0).

To better understand how microplastics move through the body, researchers at Tokyo University of Science, Japan, have developed fluorescent nano-sized microplastics that can be tracked in real time using deep-tissue imaging. By loading common plastics with a fluorescent dye, they observed how particles of varying shapes and sizes travel through the digestive tract before being excreted in mice. These realistic microplastic models provide a powerful platform for studying their behavior and assessing potential health risks.