Decades ago, archaeologists discovered a sticky substance in a copper jar in an ancient Greek shrine. And until recently, the identity of the residue was still murky — is it a mixture of fats, oils and beeswax or something else? Researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society have reanalyzed samples of the residue using modern analytical techniques and determined that it’s likely the remains of ancient honey — a conclusion previous analyses rejected.

Over 500 million years ago, nature evolved a remarkable trick: generating vibrant, shimmering colours via intricate, microscopic structures in feathers, wings and shells that reflect light in precise ways. This “structural colour” has continued to fascinate and perplex scientists—but now, researchers from Trinity College Dublin have taken a major step forward in harnessing it for advanced materials science.

A team, led by Professor Colm Delaney from Trinity’s School of Chemistry and AMBER, the Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, has developed a pioneering method, inspired by nature, to create and programme structural colours using a cutting-edge microfabrication technique. 

The work, which has been funded by a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant, could have major implications for environmental sensing, biomedical diagnostics, and photonic materials.

Professor Chuang Yu from Huazhong University of Science and Technology significantly enhanced the air stability of chlorine-rich Li₅.₅PS₄.₅Cl₁.₅ electrolyte and improved the electrochemical performance of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries through a phosphate group doping strategy.

Boron-based compounds are known as a class of anion acceptors. Now, writing in the journal Science China Chemistry, a team of researchers from Nankai University use this chemistry in electrolyte design. According to the study, boron-based additives have been found to reduce charge transfer resistance, improve the Li-ion diffusion kinetics, and stabilize high-voltage cathode of batteries. The findings demonstrated versatileness of B-ads that effectively mitigated the critical challenges of energy-dense battery systems.

In medicine permanent magnets demonstrate unique advantages in terms of field strength, tunability of field and gradient distributions, and practical implementation. The findings highlight the critical role of spatial magnetic field characteristics in optimizing the interaction of magnetic fields with biological tissues and cells, thereby improving the efficacy of magnetic medical technologies. The insights derived from this study emphasize the transformative potential of permanent magnet systems in shaping the future of both magnetic surgery and therapeutic applications in medicine.