A PtIn nanoalloy catalyst supported on Sn MFI zeolite was designed, which exhibits remarkable performance in the selective oxidation of glycerol to lactic acid under base-free conditions. Notably, the PtIn/Sn-MFI catalyst shows a faster initial reaction rate than its monometallic Pt/Sn-MFI counterpart. The synergy between electron-rich PtIn alloy and Lewis acid Sn sites enables remarkable stability and activity, offering a sustainable route for glycerol valorization.

Carbohydrate-based vaccines are an effective means for combating bacterial infections, particularly in the face of rising antibiotic resistance. This perspective provides an overview of carbohydrate vaccine against bacterial infections, from the earliest polysaccharide formulations to the latest synthetic constructs, and highlights the full engineering continuum encompassing carbohydrate antigen production, epitope mapping, conjugation chemistry, formulation, preclinical and clinical evaluation, and regulatory approval. By introducing the integrative framework of carbohydrate-based vaccine engineering (CVE), a unified perspective is provided to support both the optimization of current vaccine platforms and the rational design of next-generation glycoconjugate vaccines.

Electronic skin (e-skin), a stretchable, conformable, and multimodal sensing platform, is rapidly advancing in healthcare, robotics, and human–machine interaction (HMI). However, prolonged wear and sweat accumulation at the e-skin-skin interface can introduce signal artifacts, cause discomfort, and eventually lead to interfacial failure. Inspired by the unidirectional liquid transport of the Nepenthes peristome, we constructed an intelligent breathing e-skin (SPTL) featuring a Janus bilayer structure that creates a “liquid diode” effect for active sweat transport, achieving a remarkable cumulative one-way transport index of 956.36 while maintaining a dry interface even under profuse perspiration. This device exhibits a high tensile strain of 627%, a breathability of 20.02 mm s⁻¹, and a pressure sensitivity of 7.39 kPa⁻¹. Furthermore, the SPTL demonstrates versatile multimodal sensing capabilities, including real-time Morse code and non-contact capacitive sensing, while sustaining stable performance over 10,000 pressing cycles (capacitance decay < 3%). As a bio-integrated electrode, SPTL enables high-fidelity acquisition of electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, significantly outperforming commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes. Integrated with machine learning algorithms and EMG signals captured by the SPTL, it facilitates precise teleoperation of a quadruped robot and handwritten letter recognition with over 95% accuracy. This bionic strategy provides a versatile solution for intelligent, breathable, and multimodal bio-integrated interfaces.

Australian scientists are calling for wildlife surveys to be conducted within hours of prescribed burns after new research revealed that evidence of animal deaths can disappear in less than two weeks, significantly underestimating the true toll of fire on the country's wildlife.

QUT researchers have overcome a challenge that has limited next-generation energy-harvesting materials for more than two decades, opening the door to more powerful wearable electronics and new ways of turning wasted heat into electricity.

• Professor Il-Kwon Oh’s team in the Department of Mechanical Engineering develops a wire-free, light-driven shape-memory alloy meta-morphing structure.

• A single UV-laser process programs both light absorption and mechanical motion without any additional coating.

• The technology could enable next-generation tactile applications, including shape displays and wearable haptic interfaces.terfaces.