An international interdisciplinary research team led by Prof. Richard GU Hongri, Assistant Professor of the Division of Integrative Systems and Design at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has made a groundbreaking discovery that challenges a centuries-old understanding of friction. For over 300 years, scientists have adhered to Amontons’ law, which posits that friction increases monotonically with the load pressing two surfaces together. However, this new study reveals that friction can manifest even without physical contact, opening avenues for the development of wear-free technologies and reshaping our comprehension of this fundamental rule that governs everyday activities from walking to braking a car. The study titled "Nonmonotonic Magnetic Friction from Collective Rotor Dynamics" was recently published in the leading international journal Nature Materials. 

Manipulation of structured electromagnetic (EM) waves is key to boosting wireless communications capacity. Recently, scientists have invented a space-time-coding metasurface that generates structured EM waves with multidimensional orbital angular momentum, greatly increasing the number of communication channels. Meanwhile, the metasurface can directly encode information into the channels, eliminating the need for external modulators. Benefiting from simple yet high-performance metasurface hardware, this technology enables high-dimensional multiplexing and opens new opportunities for ultra-high-speed wireless communications.

Through precisely tuning the CdS shell thickness to balance the triplet exciton transfer efficiency and the triplet lifetime of ligands, a record upconversion efficiency of 3.9% was achieved under 1064 nm excitation. This efficient quantum dot-based photon upconversion enabled unprecedented large-volume photocatalysis driven by low-energy sunlight with wavelengths beyond 1000 nm.

 A new Feature Article by Professor Sun Wei team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) introduces a systematic Multiscale Regulation Framework for neutral zinc-air batteries (ZABs). The framework, based on the team's pioneering research, integrates innovations in electrolyte formulation, interfacial engineering, and device design to overcome critical issues like sluggish reaction kinetics and poor reversibility, significantly enhancing the energy efficiency and cycling stability of these promising energy storage devices.

Researchers have developed a room-temperature liquid metal method that cleanly separates cathode materials from aluminum foil in spent Li ion batteries, eliminating the need for heating or chemical leaching. Liquid metals infiltrate aluminum grain boundaries and dissolve the foil within 30 minutes, achieving 99.4 percent separation efficiency across all four major commercial cathode types. The liquid metal is fully recyclable and coproduces clean hydrogen gas as a valuable byproduct.

A recent study published in National Science Review has revealed that atmospheric oxidation capacity at northern midlatitude regions is approaching a turning point, challenging prior assessments of hydroxyl radical (OH) increases or stability. Over the past 50–60 years, OH levels have remained near peak values. Future sustained reductions in nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions will lead to a decline in surface OH concentrations across the northern midlatitude regions, implying an increase in the atmospheric lifetime of pollutants and methane. This poses new challenges for regional air pollution control and climate change mitigation.

Most aquaculture species have long maturation periods that limit breeding efficiency. Here, researchers from the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, report in Science China Life Sciences with a cover story of an ultra-fast surrogate reproduction strategy: female germline stem cells from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), a species requiring ~5 years to mature and >20× longer and ~20,000× heavier than zebrafish, were transplanted into zebrafish (~3 cm, 3-month maturation), producing all-female grass carp within just three months, dramatically shortening the breeding cycle.