EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering - News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Aug-2025 10:09 ET (20-Aug-2025 14:09 GMT/UTC)

Nano-driven EC-SERS for in situ/operando spectroscopic studies from electrochemical interfaces to interphases

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS), discovered in the mid-1970s, has become a significant technique for probing molecular processes at electrochemical interfaces and interphases. In a new review article published in Science China Chemistry, researchers from Tongji University and Xiamen University provide a comprehensive overview of the development of EC-SERS in the past half century, highlighting the breakthroughs driven by nanoscience, the development of operando applications in energy systems, and perspectives involving AI-nano-driven spectroelectrochemistry, respectively.

Researchers uncover role of A-site cation ordering in perovskite anodes for high-temperature oxygen evolution

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University and Georgia Institute of Technology, uncovered the mechanisms underlying the anodic high-temperature oxygen evolution reaction in solid oxide electrolysis cells.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

The New Generation Ultrasound “Microscope”! A team from Nanjing University has developed an ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy technology

Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Professors Juan Tu, Dong Zhang, Jingning Zhu, and Academician Ning Gu from Nanjing University developed an ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy algorithm combining velocity constraints and motion compensation. This breakthrough technique achieves super-resolution imaging of microvascular networks in organs like the rat brain and kidney, producing high-definition “microscopic maps of life pathways”. It provides a powerful new imaging tool for medical research and the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and microcirculatory diseases. The work, titled “Velocity-Constraint Kalman Filtering for Enhanced Bubble Tracking in Motion Compensated Ultrasound Localization Microscopy”, was recently published in Research (2025, 8:0725, DOI: 10.34133/research.0725).

Journal: Research
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China, Nanjing University Integrated Research Platform of the Ministry of Education of China

Nano-engineered photocatalyst sets milestone for solar fuel production

Institute of Science Tokyo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a leap forward for solar fuel technology, researchers from Japan developed nanosized, porous oxyhalide photocatalysts (Pb₂Ti₂O_5.4F_1.2) that achieved record performance in producing hydrogen from water and converting carbon dioxide to formic acid using sunlight, outperforming previous oxyhalide catalysts by ~60 times. This breakthrough offers a scalable, eco-friendly approach to solar fuel production and highlights the importance of controlling particle size and structure to enhance efficiency.

Journal: ACS Catalysis
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology

Efficient solar harvesting even in high humidity

National Research Council of Science & Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Energy & Environment Materials Research Division of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), led by Dr. Dong-chan Lim and Dr. So-yeon Kim, has developed a highly durable flexible perovskite solar cell material and fabrication process that remains stable even under high humidity conditions.

Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal
Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

Reinforcement learning world models for catalyst surface reconstruction: state-of-the-art review

ELSP
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Reinforcement learning (RL) and latent world models are emerging as promising tools for modeling complex atomic level changes in catalyst surfaces under real reaction environments. This newly published review in AI Mater introduces a conceptual framework to reconstruct and optimize catalyst surfaces, such as AgPd nanoalloys, using AI-driven techniques. The work presents advancements in using Dreamer based architectures and multi-objective optimization strategies to address long standing challenges in catalytic surface modeling, offering new insights for computational catalysis and smart materials design.

Journal: AI & Materials

Design of a household robot with autonomous navigation for object detection and sorting

ELSP
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have designed an intelligent household robot capable of autonomous navigation, object detection, and sorting. This robot, equipped with advanced technologies like depth cameras, YOLOv11 object recognition, and a flexible gripper, can perform various tasks, including retrieving objects and interactive entertainment. The study, published in Robot Learning, highlights the robot’s ability to navigate indoor spaces, recognize objects with high accuracy, and grasp items of different sizes and weights. This innovation could transform household robots into more efficient and interactive family assistants.

Journal: Robot Learning

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