Polar wurtzite nitride semiconductors such as aluminum nitride and gallium nitride underpin high-power and high-frequency electronics. Researchers have now achieved the first epitaxial growth of niobium aluminum nitride (NbAlN) on GaN while preserving its polar crystal structure. Used as a barrier layer, NbAlN increased the interfacial two-dimensional electron gas density from 5.1 × 10¹² to 1.7 × 10¹³ cm⁻², opening new possibilities for polarization-based materials design in future GaN electronic devices.

A simple blending strategy used by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo can give existing block copolymers the ability to visibly respond to mechanical stress. By selectively localizing a mechanophore-containing polymer within the hard domains of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer, the team enabled reversible fluorescence during stretching while preserving the material’s mechanical properties. The approach offers a practical route to adding stress-sensing functions to existing polymer materials without modifying their chemical structure. 

Scientists have turned a common blue pigment into a powerful tool for fighting climate change. Researchers at Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, and AZUL Energy created a copper phthalocyanine catalyst that converts carbon dioxide directly into methane fuel in a single step, reaching nearly 80% efficiency and sustaining performance for 80+ hours. The breakthrough could make carbon recycling more practical and scalable using an inexpensive, readily available material.

Soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was adopted to measure organic molecules that contain sp²-hybridized carbons in organic solvents (Soft-XAS-OS) for applying the Hiyama cross-coupling reaction, a carbon-carbon bond-forming reaction. The C=C π* peaks of phenyl groups of an arylsilane and silicates in organic solvents were observed using the C K-edge XAS. Combining the XAS spectra with the inner-shell quantum chemical calculations, the energy shifts of the C=C π* peaks were related to the C‒Si bond lengths of an arylsilane and silicates, which are key factors for the reactivities in the Hiyama cross-coupling reaction.

A newly developed electrolyte additive could help lithium-ion batteries keep graphite anodes stable over prolonged cycling. Researchers synthesized pentafluorophenyl thiophene imine (FPTI), which forms a protective, LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase on graphite. At 4 mg/mL, FPTI enabled 95.6% capacity retention after 1,000 cycles in graphite/Li half-cells and improved lithium-ion transport. NMC811/graphite full cells using FPTI-conditioned anodes reached an energy density of approximately 233 Wh/kg, highlighting its potential for longer-lasting battery systems. 

Spin states of myoglobin, which is one of hemoproteins, in aqueous solutions at room temperature were probed from the porphyrin C=N π* peaks of heme using nitrogen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy combined with inner-shell quantum chemical calculations. Although the protein polypeptide chains include numerous nitrogen atoms, the porphyrin C=N π* peaks were analyzed to distinguish them from the protein polypeptide peaks. Oxymyoglobin with an Fe²⁺ ion connected to an oxygen molecule is in the S = 0 state. Deoxymyoglobin with an Fe²⁺ ion shows a spin equilibrium between the S = 2 and 1 states. Metmyoglobin with an Fe³⁺ ion connected to a water molecule also shows a spin equilibrium between the S = 5/2 and 3/2 states. These results clearly propose that the spin states of hemoproteins should be investigated in physiological conditions because these are influenced by factors such as liquid temperature, solvent, gas adsorption, and protein structure.

Kyoto, Japan -- Plants are home to a diverse array of microorganisms that support their growth and help them adapt to environmental stress -- of which there has been an abundance of late. High temperatures and drought caused by human-induced climate change have led to reduced crop yields and the use of biofertilizers such as rhizosphere microorganisms, which help plants absorb nutrients and increase their resistance to disease and stresses. Yet single microorganisms have difficulties sustaining themselves in crops and remaining functional in the fluctuating environment of an agricultural field. This is where microbial communities can help.

A recent approach involves creating defined microbial communities -- DMCs -- by combining multiple microorganisms, which in turn influence each other and can thereby strengthen their resilience. However, the composition and function of such a community changes depending on plant-specialized metabolites and environmental conditions, rendering these rather impractical to use in conventional trial-and-error experiments aiming to find optimal microbial communities from amongst a vast number of combinations.

This motivated a team of researchers from Kyoto University, with help from colleagues at Tohoku University and RIKEN, to integrate microorganism data and establish a rational, predictable method for designing DMCs. The team chose the humble tomato as their plant subject.

Okayama University of Science is advancing a comprehensive approach to disaster preparedness for people and their pets, combining community-based evacuation support, student-led outreach, and interdisciplinary research. Following the real-world use of its Imabari Campus as a pet-friendly evacuation site during the 2025 Imabari Wildfire, the university is now developing technologies to monitor animals’ health and stress during disasters, with the goal of improving the welfare of both pets and their owners.

Kyoto, Japan -- The Japanese island of Tsushima is home to the Tsushima leopard cat, a critically endangered species that can only be found on this isolated island. The most recent government survey estimated the population to be only around 150 individuals, and since domestic cats also inhabit the same landscape, introgression is a legitimate conservation concern.

That's why a team of researchers from Kyoto University became worried when, during a field survey, they spotted at least three Tsushima leopard cats with shortened tails, a trait relatively common in domestic cats but that had not yet been observed in leopard cats. The team was able to capture one of these cats for examination and discovered that its tail was half the normal length. This motivated them to investigate whether this tail abnormality reflected recent domestic cat ancestry, or a variation arising within the leopard cat population.

"An unusual phenotype can immediately raise concerns about hybridization, but we wanted to determine objectively what the genome actually tells us before drawing conclusions from appearance alone," says first author Yuki Matsumoto*.

Researchers at the University of Osaka discovered a simple, rigid aromatic hydrocarbon that breaks the usual rule. Under pressure, its crystals grow 1.7 times brighter and shift color from light blue to yellow, with a record-high sensitivity of 37.4 nm/GPa, nearly double the previous best. An elongated, uniformly slender molecular shape was the key, offering a new design principle for pressure-responsive materials without complex flexible frameworks.