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Neptunium and plutonium are harder to oxidize than uranium, making them more difficult to study. To address this challenge, scientists have designed donor ligands—molecules that contribute electron density to metal centers, stabilizing the metals as they become more electron-poor. This will aid in studies of the structure and behavior of unusual complexes of cerium, uranium, and neptunium.

Working laser-powered quantum computers will need a system that can accurately and reliably count and distinguish 50 or more photons every few nanoseconds. Current individual detectors can count and distinguish only approximately 10 photons. To address this gap, researchers designed, built, and tested a photon detection system that accurately resolved more than 100 photons every few microseconds.

Scientists have developed a new type of lens that focuses an X-ray beam to nanometer levels. The monolithic 2D multilayer Laue lenses (MLLs) can focus an X-ray beam to approximately 10 nanometers. The system overcomes the alignment challenges typically associated with these ultra-high resolution focusing optics. This development was recognized with a Microscopy Today Innovation Award in 2022.

The exotic properties of 2D materials can be manipulated by stacking layers of these materials then modifying them by, for example, applying twists. Researchers have developed a novel microscopy technique to study twisted, layered 2D materials at high spatial resolution using interferometric four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM).

The complexity of microbiomes makes it difficult for scientists to study and predict microbes’ interactions. One solution is to use custom assemblies of microbes called synthetic communities. This study used a four-member community involved in the breakdown of cellulose into the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide to study responses to increases in sulfate due to climate change.

Researchers combined the features of clinical drugs to treat hepatitis C and viruses similar to COVID-19. This allowed them to synthesize BBH-1, a promising inhibitor that targets the breakdown of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The researchers characterized samples using X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques to provide atomic-level insights on the structure of the BBH-1 inhibitor and how it binds to the SARS-CoV-2 protein.

Defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials can give these materials special properties, but analyzing defects for useful variants is time consuming. Researchers developed an automated method to analyze these materials that combines scanning tunneling microscopy with artificial intelligence and machine learning. This combination results in a quicker, easier, and more reliable way to map atomic and electronic features.

Microbe-semiconductor biohybrids merge the power of living systems to produce biological products with the ability of semiconductors to harvest light. They use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into useful chemicals such as bioplastics and biofuels. To better understand how biohybrids work, researchers developed a way to image these biohybrids with single-cell resolution.