Magnetic control of lithium enables a safe, explosion-free ‘dream battery’
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-May-2026 13:16 ET (18-May-2026 17:16 GMT/UTC)
POSTECH develops a magnetic-field battery technology that prevents explosions and delivers four times the capacity.
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have successfully traced the mechanism behind how an industrially important “superbase” catalyst is synthesized in a faster, microwave-assisted reaction. They took measurements using X-rays while the reaction occurred, uncovering how small precursor molecules were formed first before they clustered to create the final product. Their insights promise finer control over a promising technology for speeding up chemical synthesis in industry.
Research led by University of Utah biologist Franz Goller reveals how cowbirds achieve a watery timbre in their songs. Precision airflow and a double voice box enables these birds to mimic the physics of falling water droplets.
- University of Leicester engineers have developed a design framework for a magnetic cloak
- Designed to hide objects from magnetic fields, effectively making them ‘invisible’ to magnetic detection
- Allows magnetic cloaks to be created for objects of any shape for the first timeOne of the current challenges in the chemical industry is to find methods that facilitate the optimisation of catalysts capable of enabling the development of new chemical processes. Catalyst optimisation is usually based on trial-and-error testing, in which the properties of the catalyst are improved through a slow and routine process aimed at identifying the best combinations of ligand and metal, which are its basic components. Once the catalyst has been optimised, its properties are fixed and adapted to the specific requirements of a particular chemical process.
A highly interesting alternative to this method is to design a catalyst that contains a ligand whose properties can be modulated through the application of an external stimulus. These properties, known as “switchable”, are much easier to modulate and therefore to adapt to the specific needs of each reaction. Over the past four years, the Organometallic Chemistry and Homogeneous Catalysis Group (QOMCAT) at the Universitat Jaume I has designed a series of multisensitive catalysts capable of adapting their properties through the application of electrochemical, light-based, chemical and supramolecular stimuli.
Formaldehyde, a highly toxic chemical, must be converted into value-added products. A recent paper by researchers from Chonnam National University presents an engineered enzyme system that converts the highly toxic formaldehyde into L-glyceraldehyde, a valuable chiral compound, with high selectivity and conversion efficiency in a sustainable, one-pot, water-based process. This technology can help better manage environmental pollutants, supporting greener chemical manufacturing.