Researchers at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics have developed an interface-anchoring strategy for solar thermal storage. By continuously circulating photothermal core-shell phase-change particles, the approach keeps the phase-change front anchored at the irradiated surface and suppresses the thermally resistive liquid layer that limits conventional diffusion-limited systems. Under concentrated solar irradiation, this strategy achieves a solar thermal storage efficiency of 49.7%, a 26-fold improvement over the conventional 1.9%. Published in Science Bulletin, the work opens a viable pathway toward continuous, high-temperature solar thermal energy storage.

A research team led by Profs. GAO Jing and YAO Tandong from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with international scientists, has determined how the westerlies integrate their moisture into the local water cycle under non-precipitating conditions.

Recently, Prof. Haiwen Liu’s group systematically studied novel superconducting phases in Ising superconductors. Based on the Lawrence–Doniach model, They showed that bulk layered Ising superconductors can develop a finite-momentum pairing configuration under in-plane magnetic fields, and developed a quantitative method to compute the Josephson vortex lattice melting line. The work clarifies the impact of orbital effects shape the high-field phase diagram and provides a theoretical basis for understanding vortex phase transition.

Using a novel multiscale energy analysis tool, scientists have decoded how energy flows between the stratosphere and mesosphere during the 2023 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). They found that pressure work acts as a vertical energy bridge, while a process called baroclinic instability consistently transfers energy from large-scale circulation to SSW-scale disturbances. Compared with the 2012–2013 event, the 2023 SSW showed much stronger energy transfers in the mesosphere, highlighting event-specific variability.

In the paper published on Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine (STCM), the authors employed UPLC-MS/MS technology and elucidated the processing principle of rhubarb pieces based on in vivo profile of components. This study comprehensively analyzed the dynamic in vivo changes of prototype anthraquinones and their glucuronide metabolites in rhubarb from the perspectives of absorption, distribution, and excretion. It proposed that processing can reduce the exposure of components, achieve targeted distribution in the intestine, and accelerate the excretion of components, thereby clarifying the processing mechanism of 'raw rhubarb purges while steamed rhubarb moderates'. This provides a solid research perspective for the study of the processing principles of traditional Chinese medicine.

The researchers coupled the vehicle-track dynamics model with the UIUC model to provide a comprehensive description of vehicle-induced ballast settlement — encompassing both its full evolution and cumulative dynamic effects. Special emphasis was placed on the influence of sleeper voids.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have created ultrathin liquid crystal Fresnel lenses whose focusing power can be switched ON and OFF electrically. Using 3D femtosecond-laser printing inside a liquid crystal layer, the team are able to create  a smooth continuous phase profile that significantly boosts optical efficiency compared with that of a binary lens. A secondary design feature enables switching between two focal lengths, enabling compact varifocal optics for AR/VR, imaging, and adaptive optics.