A research team led by Prof. FU Qiang from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences demonstrated a new form of metal spillover that is mediated by water adlayers, and revealed that metal species can spontaneously migrate across solid interfaces under mild and humid conditions.

Scientists have developed plant-based decomposable plastics using phenylpropanoids, compounds from essential oils. These high-biomass polymers are heat-resistant, durable and recyclable, capable of breaking down under mild conditions for use in chemical recycling or upcycling. They offer a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics, reducing environmental impact and supporting a circular economy.

Carbon dioxide energy storage (CES) is an emerging compressed gas energy storage technology which offers high energy storage efficiency, flexibility in location, and low overall costs. This study focuses on a CES system that incorporates a high-temperature graded heat storage structure, utilizing multiple heat exchange working fluids. Unlike traditional CES systems that utilize a single thermal storage at low to medium temperatures, this system significantly optimizes the heat transfer performance of the system, thereby improving its cycle efficiency. Under typical design conditions, the round-trip efficiency of the system is found to be 76.4%, with an output power of 334 kW/(kg·s−1) per unit mass flow rate, through mathematical modeling. Performance analysis shows that increasing the total pressure ratio, reducing the heat transfer temperature difference, improving the heat exchanger efficiency, and lowering the ambient temperature can enhance cycle efficiency. Additionally, this paper proposes a universal and theoretical CES thermodynamic intrinsic cycle construction method and performance prediction evaluation method for CES systems, providing a more standardized and accurate approach for optimizing CES system design.

Ion migration capability and interfacial chemistry of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) in all-solid-state sodium metal batteries (ASSMBs) are closely related to the Na⁺ coordination environment. Herein, an electrostatic engineering strategy is proposed to regulate the Na⁺ coordinated structure by employing a fluorinated metal–organic framework as an electron-rich model. Theoretical and experimental results revealed that the abundant electron-rich F sites can accelerate the disassociation of Na-salt through electrostatic attraction to release free Na⁺, while forcing anions into a Na⁺ coordination structure though electrostatic repulsion to weaken the Na⁺ coordination with polymer, thus promoting rapid Na⁺ transport. The optimized anion-rich weak solvation structure fosters a stable inorganic-dominated solid–electrolyte interphase, significantly enhancing the interfacial stability toward Na anode. Consequently, the Na/Na symmetric cell delivered stable Na plating/stripping over 2500 h at 0.1 mA cm⁻². Impressively, the assembled ASSMBs demonstrated stable performance of over 2000 cycles even under high rate of 2 C with capacity retention nearly 100%, surpassing most reported ASSMBs using various solid-state electrolytes. This work provides a new avenue for regulating the Na⁺ coordination structure of SPEs by exploration of electrostatic effect engineering to achieve high-performance all-solid-state alkali metal batteries.

A new study has shown that turning sugarcane waste into a smart catalyst can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into methane, offering a promising route to recycle greenhouse gases into useful fuel. The research team designed a cobalt and cerium based catalyst supported on biochar made from sugarcane bagasse, achieving high CO2 conversion and methane selectivity under relatively mild conditions.

In physical systems, transport takes many forms, such as electric current through a wire, heat through metal, or even water through a pipe. Each of these flows can be described by how easily the underlying quantity—charge, energy, or mass—moves through a material. Normally, collisions and friction lead to resistance causing these flows to slow down or fade away. But in a new experiment at TU Wien, scientists have observed a system where that doesn’t happen at all.

By showing that the electronic topology of a material can be tuned by adding or removing electrons, the study opens new possibilities for seamlessly integrating emerging quantum materials technology with established electronics.