A research team led by Prof. Pavel Jungwirth at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague) has uncovered a previously unknown phenomenon that emerges during the transformation of a liquid from a nonmetal to a conductive metal. In this transition, they observed a distinct phase in which the system spontaneously and rapidly flips between metallic and nonmetallic states – without settling in either for any meaningful length of time. This newly proposed theory is grounded in high-level molecular modeling. The study, carried out in collaboration with the University of Oxford, the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, and the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS, has been published in and highlighted by Nature Communications.

Scientists developed a smartphone-compatible ethanol sensor using a metal–organic framework called Cu-MOF-74. The sensor visually detects ethanol concentrations across a wide range, with no electronics or lab tools required. This technology has promising applications in environmental monitoring, healthcare, industrial processes, and alcohol breath analysis.

Researchers have developed a light-driven floating device that integrates photocatalytic degradation, solar evaporation, and Marangoni-effect-based motion. This smart evaporator robot purifies water while navigating on the surface using programmable light control. The system demonstrates an energy-free, multifunctional strategy for solar-driven water treatment and dynamic environmental adaptation.