Researchers at Kyoto University and Tohoku University have developed a new porous polymer gel that selectively recognizes specific molecules (referred to as ‘guests’ in the study) through coordination chemistry and converts these invisible molecular-scale interactions into strikingly visible, macroscale deformation. The study demonstrates how subtle differences in molecular structure can directly alter the shape, color, and mechanical properties of a soft material, opening new possibilities for “smart” stimuli-responsive materials and molecularly programmable soft matter that can sense and react to its environment.

Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered a new principle that could help accelerate the development of cheaper and more efficient fuel cells. The team discovered that dual-atom catalysts follow a previously unknown “dual-Sabatier optima” pattern, overturning long-standing assumptions in catalyst science and opening new possibilities for clean energy technologies.

Scientists identified a key breakpoint in the RELA gene that helps predict how harmful mutations cause a rare inherited inflammatory disease. Mutations in a location before amino acid P290 reduce protein levels, whilst those located after P290 produce disruptive proteins. The finding could improve diagnosis and treatment selection for patients with RELA deficiency.

For decades, physicists have approached spin glass like blind men to an elephant. In a seven-year-long study, researchers have now monitored the evolution of spin organization in a well-ordered antiferromagnetic crystal as chemical disorder is gradually introduced, raising the bar for studying exotic magnetism and offering an experimentally verified definition of spin glass, which previously represented a foundational disconnect between theoretical physics and materials science.  

A newly developed organic semiconductor device can both generate electricity from light and emit bright visible light, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. By carefully designing a material where energy losses are suppressed, the team achieved efficient power conversion and electroluminescence simultaneously, demonstrating a multifunctional platform with potential applications in displays, sensors, and energy-harvesting technologies.

Since their discovery in the 1950s, metallocenes — chemical compounds where a metal atom sits ‘sandwiched’ between two carbon rings — have been at the heart of organometallic chemistry research, finding applications in catalysis, materials design, energy, sensing, drug delivery and more. Yet knowledge of their formation has been limited, due to the transient nature of their unstable intermediates.

Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have reported the first full structural characterization of a doubly ring-slipped reaction intermediate in the formation of a metallocene. With its unusual structure, the characterization provides new evidence of how metallocenes may form, break and react, presenting design opportunities for stimuli-responsive, metallocene-based materials for a wide variety of potential applications.

As the global push toward a carbon-neutral society accelerates, understanding how microorganisms metabolize methanol with high efficiency has become increasingly critical. At University of Tsukuba, researchers have applied cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to resolve the high resolution three-dimensional structure of a key methanol metabolizing enzyme in yeast. Their work reveals that enzymes with nearly identical overall architectures can nonetheless perform distinct functions depending on environmental conditions.

NIMS discovered a phenomenon in which droplets on a single solid surface exhibit both "sticky" and "repellent” state simultaneously; namely, the wetting behavior branches into two states. This is a discovery that overturns interface chemistry scientists' belief held for over 200 years that, on a non-textured surface, wetting state is uniquely determined by solid/liquid combinations. Furthermore, the research team also clarified a universal surface design principle that causes this phenomenon. This research result was published in Advanced Materials Interfaces on April 2, 2026.

Once only achievable in the far-fetched imaginations of science fiction writers, 3D printing has gone mainstream. Relatively inexpensive machines allow individuals to design and print everything from board games and desk accessories to replacement parts for household appliances and more. One of the biggest selling points is the ability to recycle a printed piece into something new, offering a potential pathway to more sustainable living. However, the highest quality 3D printing used to create extremely precise structures at the submicron scale — a method called stereolithography — uses process that involves photocuring resin by exposing the material to ultraviolet (UV) light. This irreversibly chemically changes the resin, making it impossible to recycle.