Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a dual-defect suppression strategy, achieving record-breaking luminescence in lead-free quantum materials, opening new possibilities for advanced optoelectronic applications. Lead-free perovskite nanomaterials are regarded as safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives for next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, tin halide perovskite nanocrystals have suffered from poor luminescence. Prof. Jun YIN, Assistant Professor of the Department of Applied Physics at PolyU, has addressed this challenge through computationally guided dual-defect suppression strategy, achieving a record photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQYs) of 42.4%, more than 80 times higher than previous reports.

Regular physical activity is a cost-effective strategy for cardiovascular health. However, comprehensive evidence on the specific impact of different exercise types remains limited. Now, a team of researchers from Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences published a review in Medicine Plus. It elucidates the effects of aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and combined exercises on cardiovascular diseases, summarizes underlying mechanisms, and highlights the critical value of personalized exercise strategies in health promotion.

As researchers seek better batteries beyond today’s lithium-ion technology, black phosphorus is drawing growing attention as a high-capacity anode material for lithium-, sodium-, and potassium-ion storage. A new Science Bulletin review examines both the promise and the practical barriers of this material, from structural instability to interfacial degradation, and highlights emerging strategies to address them. The article provides a clear roadmap for developing more durable, scalable, and higher-energy battery anodes for future energy-storage systems.

A recent study published in National Science Review has revealed new insights into the global riverine carbon cycle. This study constructed global maps of riverine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, along with its radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) and stable carbon isotope (δ¹³C) signatures, based on a comprehensive global database and machine learning approaches. It systematically elucidates the sources, spatial distribution, and age characteristics of riverine DOC, quantifies the contributions of different endmembers, and reveals how its age and origin are dynamically regulated by climate conditions, hydrological processes, and soil properties. The results show that soil carbon residence time plays a key role in determining the age of dissolved organic matter transported by global rivers. In particular, warming-induced permafrost thaw is accelerating the release of long-preserved “old carbon” into river systems. Once mobilized, this aged carbon can be transported downstream and participate in aquatic biogeochemical processes, potentially enhancing carbon cycle feedbacks to the climate system.

To address the long-standing challenges of difficult mass-production and low phase purity in high-entropy sodium vanadium fluorophosphates (HE-NVPF), this study developed a microfluidic system integrated with in-situ Raman spectroscopy. This setup allows for the high-throughput optimization of reaction conditions, achieving an iteration efficiency 400 times higher than traditional methods. Based on these insights, the author developed a microfluidic-assisted spray drying technique, enabling the kilogram-scale production of various HE-NVPF cathode materials . The resulting cathodes demonstrate record-breaking rate performance in sodium-ion batteries, proving the universal potential of this microfluidic synthesis platform.

Boundary states in topological states of matter are determined by bulk topological invariants. The conventional bulk–boundary correspondence typically maps a single invariant to a specific boundary mode, which complicates the description of systems hosting multiple coexisting topological phases. Now, writing in the journal National Science Review, researchers proposed a unified characterization of strong, weak, and higher-order topological boundary states in two-dimensional Floquet systems using three complementary one-dimensional winding numbers, offering new insights into the prediction and manipulation of complex topological phases.

This study has revealed the pro-apoptotic effect of GADD45B in intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), explored its downstream pathways and targets, and further confirmed the crucial role and molecular mechanism of epigenetics in intestinal I/R, which is helpful for deepening the understanding of intestinal I/R injury and providing important theoretical basis and key targets for the treatment of I/R injury.

A global analysis of field experiments suggests that biochar, a carbon-rich material made by heating organic biomass with limited oxygen, can significantly increase soil microbial biomass carbon, an important indicator of soil health and biological activity.

A plant best known as an ecological problem may offer a new tool for healthier soils and more resilient crops. A study published in Biochar reports that biochar made from Solidago canadensis L., an invasive plant in southern China, can be modified with silicon to suppress bacterial wilt, improve soil quality, and promote beneficial soil microbes.