Boracycles are important functional scaffolds, finding increasing applications in catalysis, synthesis, materials science, and pharmaceuticals. However, current studies predominantly focus on three-, five-, and six-membered boracycles, leaving four-membered boracycles largely unexplored. A research team led by Prof. QUAN Yangjian and Prof. LIN Zhenyang from the Department of Chemistry at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with Prof. LYU Hairong from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has made a breakthrough in developing an efficient synthetic approach to four-membered boracycles. This advancement enables the facile synthesis of other previously inaccessible boracycles, which may lead to valuable applications.

A new study reveals a fresh way to control and track the motion of skyrmions—tiny, tornado-like magnetic swirls that could power future electronics. Using electric currents in a special magnetic material called Fe₃Sn₂, the team got these skyrmions to “vibrate” in specific ways, unlocking clues about how invisible spin currents flow through complex materials. The discovery not only confirms what theory had predicted but also points to a powerful new method for detecting spin currents—paving the way for smarter, faster, and more energy-efficient tech.

A team of chemists from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with international scientists, has made significant strides in the field of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs). Their work, recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Synthesis, showcases the development of a compact catenane with tuneable mechanical chirality, offering promising applications in areas such as material science, nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.

Although glasses exhibit disordered atomic structures, X-ray and neutron scattering reveal a subtle periodicity. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have demonstrated that this hidden periodicity—referred to as "invisible order"—plays a critical role in determining vibrational fluctuations in the terahertz (THz) frequency range, which significantly influence the physical properties of glass.

The Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit (AGTRU) and the Synthetic Organic Chemistry Unit in the School of Chemistry at Wits have received one of six international innovation awards under the GIZ SAVax programme. Their project, Local large-scale production of ionisable lipids, secured a R7-million grant to develop vaccine-enabling compounds derived from cashew nutshell liquid – a by-product of the cashew industry that is abundant across Africa.

This breakthrough positions Wits and South Africa as a leader in developing bio-renewable materials for mRNA vaccines and supports the African Union’s target of producing 60% of the continent’s vaccines locally by 2040. Currently, Africa produces only 1% of the vaccines it uses.

A collaborative research team from PKU, CAEP, SJTU, and UESTC has systematically analyzed electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) generated by multi-petawatt laser interactions with nitrogen gas jets. The study identifies that the variation in accelerated electron dynamics induced by laser energy and gas pressure constitutes a critical factor governing the intensity and distribution of electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), offering insights for applications in high-power microwaves and non-destructive testing.