Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) is a promising process for reducing CO₂ emissions and producing high-value chemicals. However, this process remains hindered by diffusion-limited mass transfer, low activity, and high overpotentials. Here, we controllably prepared hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon, carbon nanosheets, and carbon nanotubes confined single-atom Fe catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. The hierarchically porous Fe-N-C (Fe-HP) exhibited prominent performance with a Faradaic efficiency of CO (FE_CO) up to 80 % and a CO partial current density (j_CO) of -5.2 mA cm⁻² at -0.5 V vs. RHE, far outperforming the single-atom Fe on N-C nanosheets (Fe-NS) and N-C nanotubes (Fe-NT). The detailed characterizations and kinetic analysis revealed that the hierarchically porous structure accelerated the mass transfer and electron transfer processes toward single-atom Fe sites, promoting the desorption of CO and thereby enhancing CO₂ reduction efficiency. This study provides a promising approach to designing efficient single-atom catalysts with porous structures for energy conversion applications.

A review article published by the Fudan University presented the most recent progress for these purposes, with an emphasis on material properties such as foreign body response, on integration schemes with biological tissues, and on their use as bioelectronic platforms.

The new review paper, published on Apr. 29 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, summarized an envisioned applications involve advanced implants for brain, cardiac, and other organ systems, with capabilities of bioactive materials that offer stability for human subjects and live animal models.

Using the experimentally known aromatic icosahedral B₁₂H₁₂^2– and B₁₁CH₁₂^– as precursors and based on extensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations, bottom-up approaches are established to form a series of novel superatom-assembled 2D few-layered borophanes and carborophanes and the experimentally known 3D α-B₁₂, γ-B₂₈, and B₄C crystals which are all semiconductors in nature. In particular, the newly predicted trilayer, tetralayer, and pentalayer carborophanes (CB₁₁-CBC)_nH₈ (n=3-5) with the calculated band gaps of E_gap=1.32–1.26 eV appear to be well compatible with traditional silicon semiconductors in band gaps, presenting the viable possibility of a new class of boron-carbon binary 2D semiconducting nanomaterials different from monolayer graphene which features a Dirac cone.

A study published in Forest Ecosystems reveals that bark beetle-induced logging in Central Europe follows a 9 to 12-year cycle tied to solar activity and weather patterns. Researchers analyzed nearly 50 years of forestry and climate data from Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia, linking low solar activity to hotter, drier weather and severe beetle outbreaks, with implications for climate-informed forest management.

Research has shown that ferroptosis can overcome chemotherapy resistance induced by apoptosis, making the combination of chemotherapy and ferroptosis a very promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the high levels of glutathione in the tumor environment and insufficient intracellular iron content limit the anticancer effects mediated by ferroptosis. Recently, a study published in Nano Research utilized the tumor environment to achieve a "multi-machine integrated" combined strategy, enhancing the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy and ferroptosis. The study was published in Nano Research with the DOI of 10.26599/NR.2025.94907298.

A research paper by scientists at Beijing Institute of Technology proposed an amplification-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor using the CRISPR/Cas system for ultrasensitive detection of the specific gene fadA from F. nucleatum at femtomolar levels.

The new research paper, published on May. 1 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, provide the CRISPR/Cas12a system for the selective detection of fadA, a specific gene in F. nucleatum, followed by the verification of fluorescence and ECL analysis.

The Ag nanoparticles were deposited on the hBN surface, and the synergistic effect of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets and silver nanoparticles was utilized to achieve superlubricity with very low coefficient of friction and wear rate.

Researchers from Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Macau University of Science and Technology have developed a solar X-ray detector (SXD) that features a wide energy range and a high count rate. The main goal of the instrument is to study X-ray spectral characteristics of solar flare eruption with high accuracy. These measurements require high throughput and excellent spectral resolution. The flight model integrated on the MSS-1B satellite has demonstrated remarkable in-orbit performance, achieving an energy resolution of 138 eV for solar X-ray detection. The detector's novel electronic architecture, meticulously engineered to meet stringent space mission requirements, enables reliable operation even during extreme solar events up to X-class flare intensities. Comparative analysis with existing solar X-ray instruments reveals that this new detector offers significant advancements, including enhanced energy resolution and reduced signal peaking time, which indicates a higher measurable solar flare level. 

A new study has unveiled a new method for wirelessly powering implantable medical devices (IMDs) using a pre-charged capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT).

The Second International Conference on Space Science and Technology was successfully held in Suzhou, China, from May 22 to 24, 2025. Over 300 experts, scholars, and corporate representatives from more than ten countries gathered to discuss cutting-edge research and innovations in the aerospace field. The conference, hosted by Beijing Institute of Technology and co-organized by several institutions, featured a main forum and four sub-forums with over 30 high-quality reports on topics like deep space exploration, intelligent aerospace technology, and aerospace information processing. It aimed to foster global cooperation and cross-disciplinary innovation in space science and technology. The next venue of the conference will be held at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore from July 22 to 24, 2025.