This collection features articles on Polymer published in Smart Materials in Manufacturing. All articles are free to read and download.

As agriculture faces growing pressure from drought, soil degradation, nutrient loss, and contamination, researchers are exploring whether an extremely small form of biochar could provide several solutions at once.

Hydrogen is widely viewed as a promising clean energy carrier, but storing and transporting it efficiently remains a major challenge. Methanol offers an attractive alternative because it is liquid under ambient conditions, contains a high proportion of hydrogen, and can be converted into hydrogen when needed. Now, researchers have uncovered how different oxygen species on catalyst surfaces control this conversion process, offering new guidance for designing more efficient catalysts for hydrogen production.

Young scientists who frequently handle laboratory chemicals and consume relatively few antioxidant-rich foods may be more likely to report symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, pallor, and easy bruising, according to a new study of university students in Nigeria.

A research team has revealed how the wheat transcription factor TaPGS1 may increase grain size by enriching flavonols, altering the local distribution of the plant hormone auxin, and delaying endosperm cellularization. 

Journal of Advanced Ceramics (JAC), the peer-reviewed open-access journal published by Tsinghua University Press, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year with a special series of five invited review articles by distinguished experts in the field. The collection captures the most exciting frontiers in ceramic science and technology, from ultra-high-temperature materials to data-driven discovery.

Despite advances in restoring blood flow after ischemic stroke, many patients continue to experience lasting disability. Now, researchers show that administering rapamycin immediately after recanalization significantly reduces brain damage and improves neurological recovery in a rat model of stroke. These changes occur without increasing blood flow, suggesting that rapamycin protects the brain through alternative mechanisms. The findings highlight the potential of rapamycin as a future adjunct therapy for ischemic stroke. 

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but life-threatening disease that progressively damages the blood vessels of the lungs and can lead to heart failure. A new review published in the Chinese Medical Journal highlights how advances in genetics, immune biology, and metabolism are transforming scientists' understanding of PAH. By bringing together recent discoveries and emerging therapies, the study suggests that targeting the disease's underlying drivers could pave the way for more effective treatments.