This comprehensive review establishes the existing methods and effectiveness of lithium ion battery recycling while putting forth a proposal for the future of lithium ion battery recycling. This proposed mechanism will include artificial intelligence powered diagnoses of the cathode materials to determine the failure features of the cathode and the optimal way to recycle the materials within, as well as the facility to sort the recyclable materials within one facility to establish a closed-loop system.

Researchers at Lund University have demonstrated a new strategy for controlling where light is generated in semiconductor nanowire LEDs. Instead of relying on a material that emits light throughout the device, they used an indirect-bandgap core semiconductor nanowire as a pathway to transport electrical charge into nanoscale branches specifically designed for light emission. The work introduces separating charge transport from light generation, opening opportunities for more efficient nanowire-based optoelectronic devices.

Black phosphorus-based micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) are a highly promising micro-scale energy storage technology beyond traditional lithium-ion batteries. They offer significant advantages in flexible wearable electronics, yet suffer from intrinsic instability and sluggish electron kinetics. The two-dimensional phosphorene/bismuthene (BP/Bi) heterojunction, featuring a highly conductive network and anti-stacking architecture constructed via interfacial P-O-Bi covalent coupling, provides a new solution for the development of high-performance, low-temperature-tolerant MSCs and integrated sensing systems.

Nanoplastics can cross biological barriers and may pose risks to the central nervous system, but how deeply they penetrate brain-like tissues and where they induce oxidative stress have remained unclear. Researchers from Wuhan University and Nanjing Medical University developed a flexible electrochemical sensor based on platinum nanoparticle-modified carbon nanotube fiber to monitor hydrogen peroxide, a key oxidative stress marker, within human cortical organoids. The sensor revealed that nanoplastic-induced oxidative stress increased over time but remained mainly localized within the approximately 100-μm-deep region where most particles accumulated.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has been awarded a new ERC Starting Grant in the latest call from the European Research Council (ERC) for a scientific research project named MUST, focused on large-eddy simulation and the phenomenon of turbulence. These prestigious grants are aimed at early-career researchers with promising scientific track records who wish to launch projects of excellence in Europe.

Physicists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a method to print three-dimensional structures in ice. Last December, the work gathered a lot of attention when the researchers 3D-printed a Christmas tree. In the scientific publication that came out this week, the researchers also show how small pillars can be printed under an angle, making it possible to print arbitrary profiles in ice that don’t need any additional support.

Five talented early-career researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have secured a total of 9.2 million euros ($10.7 million) in highly selective Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). With projects focused on AI, astrophysics, bacterial immune systems, quantum matter and optics, this major success underscores ISTA’s ability to attract exceptional young researchers and foster ambitious, curiosity-driven science.