As affordable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) face problems such as safety issues, limited lifespan, and electrolyte incompatibility with high-capacity electrodes. A non-flammable electrolyte using fluorinated triethyl phosphate (FTEP) as a weakly solvating solvent to create an anion-rich solvation sheath around potassium ions was developed. This innovation facilitates stable potassium plating, efficient K⁺ insertion into graphite, and prevents aluminum corrosion, paving the way for safer and more durable PIBs.

A computational framework integrates electrochemical lithium-ion intercalation dynamics with mechanical stress evolution in battery materials, addressing a critical gap in solid-state battery design. The specific aspect of coating material for silicon particles in anode layer is investigated, and the key parameters, including coating thickness and strength are systematically analyzed. 

Published in Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, this study reports the first complete microbial route to produce fully bio-based long-chain polyester from renewable substrates. Using engineered Candida tropicalis and Escherichia coli, researchers achieved record monomer titers—150 g/L of 1,12-diacid and 68 g/L of 1,12-diol—later polymerized into bio-polyesters exhibiting thermal and molecular properties equivalent to petroleum analogs. Scalable to a 50 L pilot fermenter, this eco-friendly process marks a key advance toward a circular bioeconomy for sustainable plastics.

Rechargeable aqueous batteries (RABs) have attracted considerable attention for large-scale energy storage applications due to their inherent safety. Manganese dioxide (MnO₂), based on two-electron-transfer deposition/dissolution chemistry, offers an ultrahigh theoretical capacity and high redox potential, paving the way for high-energy RABs.

Superconductors are famous for carrying electricity without resistance, but a new study shows they can also reshape the crystals in which they are housed. Scientists at Okayama University, Japan, have discovered that the topological superconductor Cu_xBi₂Se₃ can distort its crystal lattice when it reaches the superconducting state. Using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the team detected structural changes linked to the unusual spin-triplet pairing in this material, revealing a new way superconductivity interacts with crystal structure.