An international research team led by the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has achieved advances in ion beam manipulation technology, overcoming a long-standing obstacle in the development of a self-adaptive, self-powered ion beam guide.

A soft-matter photonic platform uses a dye-doped liquid crystal droplet to switch light with light alone. By sending a precisely timed red-shifted pulse into a self-assembled optical cavity before lasing begins, researchers redirect stored optical energy and change the output wavelength. The approach enables fast, low-energy optical switching and could support flexible, biocompatible technologies for next-generation optical computing and communications.

Gabe Schwartzman, assistant professor of human geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a co-principal investigator of a project funded through a $1 million Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant. The three-year collaborative research project will track and monitor the development of data centers in Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia and their impact on rural communities. 

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the rapid development of smart wearable and implantable electronic devices has greatly facilitated the daily life and healthcare sectors, and driven the demand for high-performance yarn-like energy storage devices. However, in situ integration of multidimensional nanomaterials on a single yarn while maintaining high stability and energy density remains a major challenge.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), with their ultrahigh theoretical energy density, environmental benefits, and cost advantages, are considered a promising next-generation energy storage technology, but their practical application has long been hampered by the polysulfide shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics. To overcome these challenges, researchers from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, led by Prof. Gaoran Li, have developed an undercoordinated chromium single-atom catalyst (CrN₃) that precisely tunes the local coordination environment to accelerate sulfur redox reactions. Compared with the conventional CrN₄ structure, the CrN₃ motif optimizes 3d orbital electronic states and activates in-plane orbital interactions with sulfur species, enabling balanced polysulfide adsorption and reduced conversion barriers. Supported by theoretical modeling, advanced characterization, and electrochemical validation, the CrN₃ catalyst endows LSBs with high sulfur utilization, long cycling stability over 1000 cycles, and excellent rate performance, while maintaining high capacity under practical conditions of high sulfur loading and lean electrolyte. This work highlights undercoordination engineering as a powerful approach for advancing sulfur electrocatalysts and accelerating the practical implementation of LSBs.

Current treatments for corneal neovascularization rely on invasive intravitreal injections, which limit patient compliance and carry significant risks. To address this, researchers developed a noninvasive dithiolane-based antibody eye drop using a small yet potent anti-VEGF single-domain antibody (sdVE01) and engineered carriers that enable efficient penetration into both anterior and posterior eye segments. Topical application of this nanoformulation significantly suppresses pathological blood vessel growth, offering a promising, needle-free therapy for ocular neovascular diseases.

Cobalt-free LiNiO₂ (LNO) is considered a promising cathode for its high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, its structural instability under deep delithiation severely limits practical application in next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Microstructure engineering enhances structural stability through precisely controlled lattice modulation strategies, particularly via high-valence element doping which effectively stabilizes the crystal framework through strong bonding characteristics and charge compensation effects.