Scientists from Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have used an electric field to reverse the handedness of atomic vibrations known as chiral phonons. Chiral phonons link magnetism with atomic motion. The ability to control them opens new possibilities for phonon-based information technologies. 

A new digital twin optical computing system could dramatically simplify the development of high-speed optical computing applications by allowing developers to train and optimize tasks without continuous access to physical optical hardware.

Magnesium alloys are among the lightest structural metals available, but their poor corrosion resistance and electrically insulating surface films have limited their use in energy devices. Now, researchers have developed a low-temperature Steam-Assisted Solvothermal process combined with calcination that converts a magnesium hydroxide precursor into a robust, conductive MgFe₂O₄ spinel coating. The coating combines excellent corrosion resistance with electrical conductivity, making lightweight magnesium more suitable for polymer electrolyte fuel cells and other energy applications.

Polar wurtzite nitride semiconductors such as aluminum nitride and gallium nitride underpin high-power and high-frequency electronics. Researchers have now achieved the first epitaxial growth of niobium aluminum nitride (NbAlN) on GaN while preserving its polar crystal structure. Used as a barrier layer, NbAlN increased the interfacial two-dimensional electron gas density from 5.1 × 10¹² to 1.7 × 10¹³ cm⁻², opening new possibilities for polarization-based materials design in future GaN electronic devices.

A simple blending strategy used by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo can give existing block copolymers the ability to visibly respond to mechanical stress. By selectively localizing a mechanophore-containing polymer within the hard domains of styrene–butadiene–styrene block copolymer, the team enabled reversible fluorescence during stretching while preserving the material’s mechanical properties. The approach offers a practical route to adding stress-sensing functions to existing polymer materials without modifying their chemical structure. 

A recent study published in National Science Review has revealed that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), traditionally regarded as a single climate mode, consists of two distinct types with different physical mechanisms and climate impacts. The findings advance the understanding of Indian Ocean variability and provide new insights into how IOD events influence regional climate.

In International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing,  researchers fired ultrafast laser bursts at titanium foil and carved dual-scale microscopic textures in a single manufacturing step to create an artificial skin that handles both extremes.

A study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reports a scalable approach for introducing radiative cooling functionality onto wood surfaces. The researchers integrated thermochromic microcapsules (TCMs) and ZnO nanoparticles into a phenolic resin coating applied to rubberwood and fir. The resulting coating reversibly changes its optical response with temperature, increasing UV-visible reflectance by about 44.7% above its 28 °C transition temperature while maintaining high thermal emissivity. Outdoor experiments showed surface and subsurface temperature reductions of up to 10.4 °C and 7.2 °C, respectively. A model wooden house also showed lower surface and indoor temperatures, while EnergyPlus simulations indicated potential annual cooling energy savings of up to 19.5% in hot climates.

Researchers have discovered a system that helps seeds survive when there is too much salt in the soil. The system helps young germinating embryos keep the right balance of sodium and potassium as they begin to grow. Understanding how it works could eventually help scientists develop crops that grow better in salty soils.