A new study published in Biomedical Analysis reports a protein-coated nanoparticle platform that combines the powerful light-to-heat conversion ability of copper sulfide with the biological compatibility of albumin, offering a potential strategy for safer photothermal cancer therapy.

A new study in Energetic Materials Frontiers provides a detailed picture of how aluminum combustion evolves after detonation and how this process contributes to the sustained thermal and blast-wave effects of CL-20-based thermobaric explosives. By combining high-speed infrared thermography, blast-wave measurements and theoretical modeling, the researchers show that thermobaric explosives differ fundamentally from TNT in the spatial organization and temporal evolution of their fireballs. More importantly, the work identifies a key transition around 30 ms after detonation, when the dominant contribution shifts from early oxygen-deficient aluminum combustion to secondary post-combustion involving entrained atmospheric oxygen.

Researchers have developed a dimethyl-substituted energetic molecular perovskite, DAP-DM4, by rationally modifying the A-site cation of the DAP-4 framework. Single-crystal analysis reveals that double methylation induces a structural transformation from the conventional three-dimensional perovskite network to a one-dimensional chain architecture, while simultaneously eliminating labile N–H bonds. This molecular passivation raises the decomposition temperature to 373.5 °C and improves friction insensitivity, providing a new strategy for designing ultra-heat-resistant perovskite energetic materials. 

A recent study published in the National Science Review reveals that the tradition of wrapping grains in leaves may date back as far as 2,200 years ago. Leaf-wrapped plant bundles unearthed at the Wuwangdun Site—believed to have served as funerary offerings—are now considered an early precursor to zongzi, the iconic traditional Chinese food enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and other institutions conducted a systematic study on intrinsic defects in half-Heusler compounds—a big family of functional materials. They have discovered a new type of planar defect, named “filling fault,” along with the associated vacancy swap occupation. Their work clarifies the long-standing contradiction regarding defect types and atomic occupation in half-Heusler compounds. They elucidate the formation rules of filling faults across different compositions and reveal the mechanisms by which this novel planar defect influences carrier transport and piezoelectric response. These findings offer new perspectives for the design of functional materials.

Researchers have developed a wide-field Fourier transform hyperspectral imaging system that captures electrochemical reactions on hundreds of individual nanoparticles simultaneously. By integrating a common-path interferometer with a fast 2D camera, the method provides real-time spectral evolution during electrodeposition of palladium and cadmium sulfide on gold nanoparticles. Statistical analysis reveals distinct deposition behaviors on nanospheres versus nanorods—insights that would require thousands of tedious single-particle measurements using conventional approaches.