Despite their critical role in turf maintenance and because they aren’t pest management tools, wetting agents do not go through the same federal registration and labeling process as herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides, resulting in less research data about what they are and how they work. In the absence of such data, marketing terminology such as “penetrant” or “retainer,” along with anecdotal evidence, have been used instead. After several years of research, the results are in on the difference in turfgrass soil surfactants that are marketed as “penetrants” and “retainers.” The study titled “Penetrants Versus Retainers: Comparing Soil Surfactant Terminology to Performance in Sand-Based Putting Greens” found that differences between soil surfactants marketed as “penetrants” or “retainers” were inconsistent, if present at all.

The 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort brings together six entrepreneurs who will collaborate with ORNL to accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and regional economic growth. 

University of Göttingen Professors – Lutz Ackermann, Timo Betz and Jörg Enderlein – have each been awarded Proof of Concept (PoC) grants by the European Research Council (ERC). These grants provide top-up funding of €150,000 over 18 months to outstanding researchers, who have already received ERC funding, so that they can build on the innovation potential of their findings. This enables Europe’s top scientists to develop initiatives that boost the economy and society.

Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published today in Nature. Coauthored by Sarah Batterman, an ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, findings have implications for natural climate solutions, as nitrogen is essential to plant growth and thus the removal of carbon from the atmosphere.

Ultramicroporous carbon materials with Ångstrom-precise pore engineering offer a transformative solution for separating fluorinated gases like C₃F₆ (fluorinated propylene) and C₃F₈ (fluorinated propane). A team of scientists has synthesized the CO₂-activated porous carbon adsorbents derived from a precursory resin and systematically investigated their molecular sieving behavior for C₃F₆/C₃F₈ mixtures. Through controlled thermal pyrolysis and stepwise CO₂ activation, they tailored ultramicropore size distributions to selectively exclude or admit target molecules. Their work is published in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials on 24 Jun 2025.