The multiband superconductor offers a unique venue for investigating the interplay between Cooper pairing and inter-band interactions. Here we report the emergence of two-band superconductivity in hybridized superlattice Na (1,3-diaminopropane)ZrNCl. The intercalation of organic molecules and Na ions into the interlayer modulates the electronic structure near the Fermi surface, and promotes the emergence of intrinsic superconductivity with onset transition temperature T_c = 15K. Systematical investigations of upper critical field H_c2 reveals that temperature dependence of H_c2 can be well-described by two-band theory, yielding the out-of-plane and in-plane H_c2 values of 2.9 T and 11.5 T, respectively. Furthermore, analysis of the reversible magnetization data confirms the intrinsic two-band characteristics, which deviate significantly from the predictions of the single-band Ginzburg–Landau(GL)model. Meanwhile, the superconducting state exhibits a two-fold rotational symmetry under in-plane magnetic fields, contrasting with the three-fold symmetric ZrNCl lattice. Angle-dependent H_c2 behavior aligns with the three-dimensional (3D) anisotropic GL model. These findings establish the intercalated rhombohedral ZrNCl as a compelling platform for exploring multiband superconductivity. One-Sentence Summary: Discovery of two-band superconductivity in the intercalated rhombohedral ZrNCl system, which was supported by the upper critical field and reversible magnetization experiments.

Published 23 April, 2025

Researchers have synthesized a new allohexaploid wheat, Triticum kiharae, and demonstrated a feasible route to simultaneously introgress standing genetic variations from both the Timopheevii wheat (T. timopheevii) and goat-grass (Aegilops tauschii), as well as heritable de novo variations that have arisen in T. kiharae, into common wheat.

Rechargeable zinc (Zn)-ion batteries (RZIBs) with hydrogel electrolytes (HEs) have gained significant attention in the last decade owing to their high safety, low cost, sufficient material abundance, and superb environmental friendliness, which is extremely important for wearable energy storage applications. Given that HEs play a critical role in building flexible RZIBs, it is urgent to summarize the recent advances in this field and elucidate the design principles of HEs for practical applications. This review systematically presents the development history, recent advances in the material fundamentals, functional designs, challenges, and prospects of the HEs-based RZIBs. Firstly, the fundamentals, species, and flexible mechanisms of HEs are discussed, along with their compatibility with Zn anodes and various cathodes. Then, the functional designs of hydrogel electrolytes in harsh conditions are comprehensively discussed, including high/low/wide-temperature windows, mechanical deformations (e.g., bending, twisting, and straining), and damages (e.g., cutting, burning, and soaking). Finally, the remaining challenges and future perspectives for advancing HEs-based RZIBs are outlined.

Micro light sources are crucial tools for studying the interactions between light and matter at the micro/nanoscale, encompassing diverse applications across multiple disciplines. Despite numerous studies on reducing the size of micro light sources and enhancing optical resolution, the efficient and simple fabrication of ultra-high-resolution micro light sources remains challenging due to its reliance on precise micro-nano processing technology and advanced processing equipment. In this study, a simple approach for the efficient fabrication of submicron light sources is proposed, namely shadow-assisted sidewall emission (SASE) technology. The SASE utilizes the widely adopted UV photolithography process, employing metal shadow modulation to precisely control the emission of light from polymer sidewalls, thereby obtaining photoluminescent light sources with submicron line widths. The SASE eliminates the need for complex and cumbersome manufacturing procedures. The effects of process parameters, including exposure dose, development time, and metal film thickness, on the linewidth of sources are investigated on detail. It is successfully demonstrated red, green, and blue submicron light sources. Finally, their potential application in the field of optical anti-counterfeiting is also demonstrated. We believe that the SASE proposed in this work provides a novel approach for the preparation and application of micro light sources.

In a paper published in MedComm - Oncology, an international team of scientists summarized the regulatory roles of MRPs in cancer. They further predict the clinical value of MRPs based on data from The Human Protein Atlas and the BEST to explore the correlation between all members of MRPs and the prognosis of patients with cancer. Finally, they provided novel insights regarding strategies targeting MRPs and future directions of research on MRPs and cancer.

In a paper published in MedComm, a team of scientists identifies a critical role of the autophagy protein ATG5 in protecting lung epithelial cells from bacterial infections by regulating mitochondrial DNA release and controlling pyroptosis-induced inflammation via the non-canonical caspase-11 pathway.

Using population sample survey data, this study shows bike-sharing boosts household consumption by up to 6.8% and dining by 4.9%, as a catalyst for local development. The positive externalities are driven by reduced commuting time, increased leisure, and lower rental costs.

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is evolving rapidly, AI models still struggle with understanding long videos. A research team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a novel video-language agent, VideoMind, that enables AI models to perform long video reasoning and question-answering tasks by emulating humans’ way of thinking. The VideoMind framework incorporates an innovative Chain-of-Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) strategy to reduce the demand for computational resources and power, advancing the application of generative AI in video analysis. The findings have been submitted to the world-leading AI conferences.