Newly developed method allows for dynamically switching chirality—a particular lack of mirror symmetry—to generate spin currents in semiconductors, report researchers from Science Tokyo. Their approach relies on reversible insertion and removal of small chiral molecules from the interlayer gaps of a layered, non-chiral semiconductor material using electrochemistry. The findings could pave the way for the development of novel chiral spintronic materials and technologies that do not rely on magnets or magnetic fields.

As climate change intensifies drought stress and threatens agricultural productivity, improving crop resilience has become increasingly important. Now, researchers from Chonnam National University have identified OsFeSOD3, a rice gene that coordinates chloroplast development and protection against stress-induced reactive oxygen species. Rice plants overexpressing OsFeSOD3 produced 33–42% higher grain yields under drought conditions across two growing seasons. This discovery offers a promising strategy for developing climate-resilient, high-yield crops worldwide.

Clean hydrogen production depends on catalysts that can split water efficiently while using precious metals more wisely. A new catalyst design addresses one of the long-standing barriers in alkaline water electrolysis: the slow breakdown of water molecules on platinum (Pt) surfaces. By placing Pt clusters on a symbiotic oxide support made from titanium dioxide quantum dots and cobalt oxide (TiO₂ QDs/Co₃O₄), the study reshapes the electronic state of Pt and creates paired active sites. These sites separately accelerate water dissociation and hydrogen adsorption, enabling faster hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, stronger stability, and a clearer path toward more efficient alkaline electrolyzers.

In an international experiment, researchers observed Jahn–Teller polarons – quasiparticles that could play an important role in future ultrafast spintronic devices. These polarons emerged within the crystal lattice of cobalt oxide that had been activated by carefully tailored laser pulses.

Recently, Professor Hanjun Sun and his team from Nanjing Normal University proposed a novel C_sp–π–d conjugation design strategy. By incorporating carbon–carbon triple bonds (C≡C) into a metalloporphyrin framework, they constructed a C_sp–π–d conjugated structure with unique electronic modulation capability, enabling precise regulation of the adsorption behavior of the key oxygen reduction intermediate *OH and thereby significantly enhancing the performance of non-precious-metal catalysts. The resulting p-Co-TEPP/rGO catalyst not only exhibited outstanding oxygen reduction activity in alkaline media, but also delivered superior overall performance to the Pt/C–RuO₂ cathode in zinc–air batteries, offering a new strategy for the design of low-cost, high-performance energy catalysts.