Solid-state phosphorescent materials with stimulus-responsive properties have been widely developed for diverse applications. However, the task of generating excited states with long lifetimes in aqueous solution remains challenging due to the ultrafast deactivation of the triplet excitons and the difficulty in regulating stimulation sites in an aqueous environment.  Here, we present a microscale rigid framework engineering strategy that can be used to modulate the phosphorescence properties of carbon nanodots (CNDs). Ultrasound-responsive phosphorescent CNDs with a lifetime of 1.25 seconds in an aqueous solution were achieved. 

Producing ammonia – a valuable chemical compound used in many fields – takes enormous amounts of energy. Researchers at Tohoku University have found a more efficient option that converts harmful pollutants in water to ammonia.

Beneath our feet, an invisible world of electron exchanges quietly drives the chemistry that sustains ecosystems, controls water quality, and even determines the fate of pollutants. A new review published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes sheds light on how electrons travel through soils and sediments across surprisingly long distances—sometimes spanning centimeters to meters—reshaping our understanding of underground environments and offering new strategies for pollution cleanup.

A sticky, toxic by-product that has long plagued renewable energy production may soon become a valuable resource, according to a new review published in Biochar.

What if we told you that one of nature’s simplest materials—biochar, the black gold of sustainable tech—can do more than just soak up pollution? Spoiler: it can actually destroy it directly, like a microscopic superhero with an electric punch. And the best part? This isn’t sci-fi. It’s real science, just published on July 10, 2025, in Carbon Research—led by Dr. Yuan Gao from the Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education), School of Environmental Science and Technology at Dalian University of Technology, China. This team didn’t just study biochar—they redefined it.

Yuanyuan Wang and Wenlei Zhu's group at Nanjing University, China, and Yuehe Lin at Washington State University, USA, recently reported the development of a three-dimensional ordered mesoporous carbon skeleton with Ni single atom support using the superlattice blotting strategy for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production. Firstly, they derived an ordered mesoporous framework based on finite element simulation, which is of great significance for promoting uniform gas distribution, stabilizing the gas-liquid-solid interface of nanoscale hydrophilic surfaces, and enhancing mass transfer kinetics. Then, the proposed superlattice blotting strategy integrated confined oxidation to achieve thermal stability, ligand carbonization to maintain superlattice-derived porosity, acid etching to improve hydrophilicity, high-temperature graphitization to enhance conductivity, and in-situ heteroatom doping to optimize Ni coordination for the successful preparation of a three-dimensional ordered mesoporous carbon skeleton with Ni single atom support. The resulting Ni-N₂S₂ and Ni-N₃P catalysts exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity, reaching overpotents of 239 mV (OER, 20 mA cm⁻²) and 90 mV (HER, 10 mA cm⁻²), respectively. Ni-N₂S₂⁽⁺⁾Ni-N₃P^(-) electrolysis pairs can achieve stable electrolysis performance for more than 100 hours. This work, published in CCS Chemistry, introduces a finite element simulation guidance framework to customize three-phase equilibrium, as well as confined oxidation pathways to design highly active and durable single-atom electrocatalysts. 

Researchers at the University at Albany are exploring a new method to improve weather and climate forecasts that relies on a tiny but powerful assistant — stable water isotopes.