EurekAlert! News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics - News by Subject: Chemistry & Physics

Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Aug-2025 05:11 ET (25-Aug-2025 09:11 GMT/UTC)

New study resolves long-standing debate on low-pressure phase transitions in HfO₂

Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

According to a research published in Physical Review B, researchers from the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Southwest Jiaotong University, has combined high-pressure electrical transport experiments, high-pressure Raman spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations to reveal the structural phase transition behavior of hafnium oxide (HfO₂) under high pressure and its evolution mechanism in electrical properties.

Journal: Physical Review B

Joint consensus highlights the role of bone turnover markers in osteoporosis diagnosis and management

International Osteoporosis Foundation
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new consensus paper, published by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO), the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), provides an updated evaluation of reference bone turnover markers (BTMs) and newer markers in the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis. The paper reassesses the clinical utility of BTMs in predicting fracture risk and monitoring osteoporosis treatment based on evidence from the past decade. The study reaffirms the use of procollagen type I N propeptide (PINP) and β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTX-I) as reference BTMs, with standardized measurement protocols for clinical studies and patient monitoring.

Journal: Osteoporosis International

Phases and triple (multiple) point: Critical phenomena around the AD singularity

Osaka Metropolitan University

Osaka Metropolitan University physicists present a case study of the critical phenomena around Argyres-Douglas singularity of N = 2 susy made at (𝐴₁, 𝐴₄_𝑘₋₁), 𝑘=1,2 realized by one unitary matrix model.

Journal: Nuclear Physics B

Stereoisomeric engineering for critical balance of solvation and adsorption capability

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This study introduces the stereoisomerism to inform the balanced selection of electrolyte additives to achieve the optimal deposition behaviors and electrochemical performance. An appropriate level of solvation ability and adsorption ability can facilitate faster deposition kinetics and encourage the preferential orientation growth of (002) planes. With sorbitol, the symmetrical battery can stably cycle for over 3470 h at 2 mA cm^-2 and 1 mAh cm^-2, and full battery also exhibits excellent electrochemical performance.

Journal: Advanced Powder Materials
Funder: Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, National Natural Science Foundation of China

AI-powered breath test could detect silicosis early: Study

University of New South Wales
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The new test for silicosis has shown promise in an early study, and is now being analysed in larger cohorts.

Journal: Journal of Breath Research
Funder: iCare Dust Diseases Board

Love your neighbor as yourself: Zinc-centered materials serving as calcium-ion host could be well refined by its closest copper neighbor

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pyrovanadates are deemed as an ideal class of potential Calcium ion storage hosts, owing to abundant confined species. However, the higher Coulombic hinderance brings about more sluggish diffusion kinetics of charge carriers. Therefore, an allelic reconfiguration is proposed for the activity-limited zinc sites, and a novel solid-solution phase copper/zinc pyrovanadate for calcium-ion host is prepared. Combining theoretical calculations with experiments, the feasibility of the solid solution phase host for high-performance reversible calcium-ion storage is clarified.

Journal: National Science Review

Tidal forces induce pronounced temporal variations in seismic velocity within fault fracture zones

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a paper published in National Science Review, scientists present evidences that tidal forces have a significant impact on temporal variations in seismic velocity within fault fracture zones.

Journal: National Science Review
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Special Fund of Key Laboratory of Earthquake Prediction, Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology