New research reveals that L-aspartic acid, a common amino acid found in blood plasma, may play a critical role in predicting the risk of gastric cancer and shaping the effectiveness of preventive interventions.

Fluoropolymers promise all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASLMBs) but suffer from two critical challenges. The first is the trade-off between ionic conductivity (σ) and lithium anode reactions, closely related to high-content residual solvents. The second, usually consciously overlooked, is the fluoropolymer’s inherent instability against alkaline lithium anodes. Here, we propose indium-based metal–organic frameworks (In-MOFs) as a multifunctional promoter to simultaneously address these two challenges, using poly(vinylidene fluoride–hexafluoropropylene) (PVH) as the typical fluoropolymer. In-MOF plays a trio: (1) adsorbing and converting free residual solvents into bonded states to prevent their side reactions with lithium anodes while retaining their advantages on Li⁺ transport; (2) forming inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphase layers to prevent PVH from reacting with lithium anodes and promote uniform lithium deposition without dendrite growth; (3) reducing PVH crystallinity and promoting Li-salt dissociation. Therefore, the resulting PVH/In-MOF (PVH-IM) showcases excellent electrochemical stability against lithium anodes, delivering a 5550 h cycling at 0.2 mA cm⁻² with a remarkable cumulative lithium deposition capacity of 1110 mAh cm⁻². It also exhibits an ultrahigh σ of 1.23 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C. Moreover, all-solid-state LiFePO₄|PVH-IM|Li full cells show outstanding rate capability and cyclability (80.0% capacity retention after 280 cycles at 0.5C), demonstrating high potential for practical ASLMBs.

Inflammation is a natural immune response, but when uncontrolled, it can worsen many diseases. Recent studies show that metabolism plays a surprising role in regulating this response. A new editorial in the Journal of Intensive Medicine highlights findings on the glyoxalase system, a metabolic pathway that helps immune cells tone down inflammation. This insight opens new possibilities for treating inflammatory diseases through metabolic targets, offering a promising direction beyond traditional immunosuppressants.

A research team led by Prof. LIU Qingsong and Prof. LIU Jing from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently developed a new class of compounds that effectively inhibit both wild-type CDK9 and its drug-resistant mutant form, offering a promising strategy for treating hematological malignancies. 

A research team led by Prof. WANG Mingtai at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a finely tuned method for growing titanium dioxide nanorod arrays (TiO₂-NA) with controllable spacing without changing individual rod size and demonstrated its application in high-performance solar cells.

In a recent breakthrough published in Optics & Laser Technology and Infrared Physics & Technology, a research team led by Prof. CHENG Tingqing at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have introduced a novel low-thermal-effect gradient-doped crystal to tame thermal effects and improve brightness of high-power end-pumped Nd:YAG lasers.

Recently, the research team led by Professor HUANG Qing from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully developed a series of CoNi- metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes with laccase-like activity using a gas-liquid interface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) low-temperature plasma (LTP) technique. 

A research team at the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently developed advanced aerogel composites that combine high-temperature insulation with mechanical load-bearing capabilities, while also achieving controllable fabrication of large-size samples.

In the production of dimethyl carbonate (DMC), a versatile chemical critical for manufacturing lithium-ion battery electrolytes, pharmaceuticals and high-performance polymers, an ultra-high purity (≥99.95%) is needed to meet stringent industrial standards. Melt crystallization, as a green manufacturing method is highly important for this purpose; however, the widespread adoption of this technology has been hindered by complex heat and mass transfer phenomena, which can lead to uneven crystal growth and suboptimal yields.

This study demonstrates that Setd2 overexpression rescues bivalent gene expression during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, significantly improving cloning efficiency. By mapping H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 dynamics in mouse SCNT embryos, researchers identified aberrant hyperaccumulation of these histone marks at promoter regions during ZGA, leading to dysregulated bivalent gene expression. Overexpression of Setd2, the H3K36me3 methyltransferase, restored chromatin balance by antagonizing H3K27me3 deposition and enhancing transcriptional activation of ZGA-critical genes, thereby increasing blastocyst formation rates.