Bonn has again prevailed in competition for funding from the European Research Council (ERC), with researchers of the University of Excellence landing two prestigious ERC Starting Grants. Neuroscientist Professor Lukas Kunz, also associated with University Hospital Bonn (UKB), conducts research on how the human brain constructs the first-person perspective of our experiences. Dr. Riccardo Pennetta is leading a research project on large-scale quantum physics. The two researchers are to each receive approximately 1.5 million euros from the ERC for their projects over a five-years period.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo and collaborating institutions found that manipulating the spin of hydrogen atoms can affect how the atoms react with a magnetic nickel surface. By controlling spin orientation with a magnetic field, the team was able to change hydrogen adsorption and chemical reaction rates, suggesting a new way to control surface chemistry.

A new computation-guided framework for exploring aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens has been developed by researchers from Japan. Quantum chemical calculations, organic synthesis, and advanced spectroscopy revealed how the introduction of donor and acceptor groups and their substitution positions shape excited-state dynamics in bridged stilbene derivatives. AIE behavior can be predicted from a small number of computational descriptors, offering a rational strategy for designing luminescent AIE materials for applications such as OLEDs, bioimaging, and sensors.

Researchers at Nagoya University have built a graphene nanoribbon that can switch which way it twists using a natural solvent. Graphene nanoribbons are thin ribbon-shaped structures made of fused carbon rings. Twisted or helical versions of these ribbons show promise for advanced light and electronic devices. However, no graphene nanoribbon could switch that twist on demand, until now.

Scientists have worked out how to switch between a right-handed and left-handed twist (chirality) by changing the solvent around it. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, opens opportunities for new optical switches, chemical sensors, and spintronic components that adapt to changing environments. 

- KAIST and Samsung Electronics have developed a new, long-lasting catalyst based on ‘entropy stabilization,’ a principle in which mixing multiple metal atoms together actually stabilizes the catalyst’s structure

- Boosts CF₄ decomposition performance 2.3 times over conventional catalysts — retains 92% activity even after 150 hours at 800°C

- Tracks the migration pathway of oxygen atoms to provide the first experimental evidence for a CF₄ decomposition mechanism that had previously only been proposed in theory

A research team led by Ji-Min Yang from the College of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, reported a novel class of monophosphine ligands based on the norbornene skeleton. This work introduces the design concept of "three-dimensional (3D) isosteric benzene rings" from medicinal chemistry into phosphine ligand development, using rigid norbornene to simulate the benzene ring core in traditional biarylphosphines. While maintaining key geometric features, this approach endows the ligand with superior stereo and electronic properties. The catalytic system based on this ligand achieves highly efficient C–N coupling with extremely low palladium loadings (down to 2 ppm), achieving a maximum conversion number (TON) of 490,000, the highest reported to date for this type of reaction. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.