Concrete is everywhere, from roads and bridges to homes, hospitals, and high-rise buildings. But the cement that holds concrete together comes with a major climate cost. Cement production is responsible for a significant share of global carbon dioxide emissions, largely because making cement requires heating limestone to very high temperatures.

As the world searches for practical ways to slow climate change, soil is gaining attention as one of Earth’s most important carbon reservoirs. A review and meta-analysis published in Biochar suggests that biochar, a carbon-rich material made by heating biomass under limited oxygen, could significantly improve the ability of soils to store carbon.

Researchers now report an yttrium-based MOF, Y-ebdc, featuring cage-type structures that accommodate protonated dimethylamine (DMA) as both counter cations and molecular sieving gates. Subsequent optimization of the adsorption separation performance for propylene/propane (C₃H₆/C₃H₈) was achieved through regulation of DMA’s thermal decomposition. With approximately 70% of DMA removed, the expanded aperture window and increased pore volume remarkably enhance dynamic C₃H₆ uptake while simultaneously facilitating the direct production of polymer-grade (>99.5%) C₃H₆ in a single adsorption–desorption cycle.

Large-area and free-standing photonic crystal polymer films exhibit highly saturated iridescence and robust structural colors, making them promising for applications in the field of display, anti-counterfeiting, and camouflage. However, their practical utilization has been hindered by challenges in achieving both vivid coloration and reusability. Professor Suli Wu's team at Dalian University of Technology has developed a sandwich-structured PC film that overcomes this limitation. Fabricated through colloidal self-assembly on porous paper substrates and polymer encapsulation, the film features a PC core protected by two polymer layers, exhibiting a synergistic effect that ensures excellent color fastness (withstanding 100 rubbing cycles), bright iridescence, flexibility, and reusability. By replacing the bottom layer with adhesive, a versatile PC sticker adaptable to various surfaces can be created, offering a new approach to functional iridescent polymer films.

A research team has developed an innovative nanodrug platform, NP_β-lap+PRO, for precise non-small cell lung cancer treatment. This system combines NQO1 bioactivation therapy with PROTAC technology and overcome drug solubility and targeting limitations. The design features a PLGA nanoparticle core co-encapsulating β-lapachone and a PARP1-targeting PROTAC molecule, shielded by a pH-responsive gadolinium-tannic acid shell. The platform's paramagnetic properties enable MRI tracking of drug distribution. Experiments confirm effective tumor accumulation and pH-triggered drug release. In A549 models, the system induces PARP1 degradation, disrupts DNA repair, and amplifies β-lap-NQO1-reactive oxygen species production, resulting in enhanced DNA damage and apoptosis.

Beryllium is valued for its light weight, strength, and heat resistance, making it important in aerospace, alloys, optics, and other advanced industries. But when beryllium enters wastewater during mining and processing, it can pose serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Long-term exposure to beryllium can damage the lungs and other organs, while beryllium-containing waste may threaten soil and water environments.

Biochar is often promoted as a promising tool for climate-smart agriculture, thanks to its ability to store carbon in soils and, in many cases, reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. But a study published in Biochar shows that the climate benefit of biochar is not guaranteed. The way biochar is produced, and the chemical groups present on its surface, can determine whether it helps reduce nitrous oxide or unexpectedly increases it.