A group of researchers has implemented polyphenylene-based anion exchange membranes (AEMs) poised to make hydrogen production more efficient and durable. Its robust hydrophobic design enables effective ion transport while resisting chemical degradation. This supports its potential for durable, high-efficiency use in AEM water electrolyzers, making it a promising component in sustainable hydrogen production applications​, which would advance the goal of a carbon-free energy future.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo combined nuclear reaction analysis and ion channeling to locate hydrogen and deuterium atoms in titanium hydride nanofilms. They found that 11% of the hydrogen present was at octahedral sites, with the remainder at tetrahedral sites. In comparison, deuterium was only found at tetrahedral sites. This understanding will allow control of hydride nanofilm properties to discover new hydrogen-induced phenomena.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all the importance of educating the public about viral infections. Besides educating the general public, we need to equip the next generation of scientists by bringing viral education into the classroom. Now, researchers from the Tokyo University of Science have filmed the ‘giant’ virus Mimivirus in the process of infecting a cell, creating a fascinating film that can help educators teach biology in a more engaging manner.

A research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed a non-invasive, low-cost tool for assessing the risk of vitamin D deficiency in young women called ViDDPreS (Vitamin D Deficiency Predicting Scoring).

Ising machines are specialized computing systems designed to solve complex optimization problems by arranging “spins” to minimize system energy. However, their fully connected architecture leads to a large circuit footprint, limiting scalability. In a recent study, researchers from Japan developed a method to halve the required spin–spin interactions using a novel matrix-folding technique. Their findings will pave the way for highly scalable Ising machines, making them more practical for real-world applications.

Industrial gas separation, essential for clean energy and environmental protection, demands efficiency and adaptability. Current materials, however, lack the flexibility to selectively separate gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrogen (H₂) while remaining energy-efficient. Researchers at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS) at Kyoto University and the Department of Chemical Engineering at National Taiwan University have developed a phase-transformable membrane that could meet these needs.