In the vast cotton fields of Xinjiang, plastic film covering technology has been a weapon for increasing yield—it conserves water, raises temperatures, and improves water utilization efficiency, significantly boosting cotton production in arid regions.

Research team debuts the first deterministic streaming algorithms for non-monotone submodular maximization, delivering superior approximation ratios with minimal memory and real-time throughput on massive datasets.

Nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co)-based superalloys are leading candidates for advanced turbine disks; however, their strength relies heavily on how dislocations interact with nanoscale γ′ precipitates during deformation. In a new study, researchers combined in-situ neutron diffraction tensile testing with line-profile analysis and electron microscopy to monitor the alloy’s internal response in real time. They discovered a sequential transition in strengthening mechanisms—from γ′ shearing to Orowan looping—accompanied by interphase load transfer from γ to γ′. This study links these microstructural events to changes in dislocation character and configuration, driving the alloy’s characteristic three-stage work-hardening behavior.

In the first quantitative roadmap covering the entire forest-biomass value chain, researchers show that integrating selective harvesting, residue valorisation and advanced catalytic refining could raise carbon-use efficiency above 85 % and generate an annual mitigation wedge of 2.2 Gt CO₂—comparable to eliminating global aviation emissions twice over. The study, published today in Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, pinpoints lignin recalcitrance and volatile bio-chemical prices as the twin barriers preventing the sector from moving from pilot glory to gigatonne scale, and calls for an international “carbon-smart biorefinery” programme modelled on semiconductor R&D alliances.

A research team led by Profs. WANG Song and ZHU Yongping from the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new approach to suppressing the shuttle effect in transition metal fluoride cathodes. The team's study focused on thermal batteries—a type of battery that operates at 350–550 °C.

A research team from the Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics at Northwestern Polytechnical University, jointly with Xi'an Shiyou University and Xidian University, developed a novel crystallization regulation strategy. The team introduced all-inorganic 2D CsPb₂Br₅ nano-flakes as a "heteronucleation agent" for the first time, successfully achieving precise control over the crystallization process of wide-bandgap perovskites.