A new review highlights how electric fields can act as a versatile "smart switch" to dynamically control friction in atomically thin two-dimensional materials. This precise manipulation, achieved through mechanisms like electrostatic regulation and mechanical resonance, is crucial for improving the reliability and lifespan of next-generation nanoelectronics and micro-machines.

Amid global energy and environmental challenges, thermoelectric generation (TEG) technology offers a green solution by converting thermal energy directly into electricity. However, traditional TEG systems are limited by low energy density and inability to operate around the clock. A joint research team has developed a bio-inspired Janus-structured metamaterial device integrating microstructured SiO₂ radiative cooling and Si photothermal layers, achieving 24-hour continuous power generation with a peak voltage of 108 mV and power density of 41.5 μW/cm², marking a major advance in sustainable energy technology.

Two-dimensional (2D) Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets, as an emerging ternary layered semiconductor, exhibit promising potential for photodetection owing to their moderate bandgap, high carrier mobility, and excellent environmental stability. However, their intrinsically high carrier concentration typically results in elevated dark currents and sluggish response speeds, thereby limiting further performance enhancement. To synergistically optimize both the response speed and sensitivity, we fabricated n-type Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and integrated them into a Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunction photodetector featuring a single-sided depletion region. Benefitting from the type-II band alignment and the graphene bottom electrode, photogenerated carriers are efficiently separated and rapidly extracted. This design simultaneously shortens the carrier transit time and suppresses recombination, enabling the device to achieve high sensitivity (responsivity R of 0.47 A/W, detectivity D* of 3.21 × 10¹² Jones, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 166.09%) while maintaining ultrafast response characteristics (rise/fall times of 48.5/41.7 μs). The photodetector exhibits broadband self-powered operation across ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths (300 ~ 1050 nm). These results highlight the significant potential of Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunctions for high-performance, low-power, self-powered broadband photodetectors spanning the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum.

Inspired by the tetrachromatic vision of butterflies, researchers have developed an artificial optoelectronic synapse using monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS₂). This device can simultaneously sense and process both ultraviolet and visible light, mimicking key brain functions like learning and memory with an ultralow energy cost of 2.28 aJ per event. An 8 × 8 synaptic array was built to demonstrate high-fidelity image sensing, memory, and preprocessing, boosting recognition accuracy of complex color images to over 98%. This work paves the way for next-generation machine vision systems with ultraviolet-visible spectral intelligence.

DNA sequencing with nanopores has proven their power as single molecule sensors and highlighted their potential for next-generation protein sequencing. In protein nanopores, precise structural engineering through modification, reconstruction and de novo design has driven major advances, enhancing measurement accuracy and versatility and opening new frontiers in protein sequencing and sub nanometer analysis.

An RMIT innovation uses ultrasound to extract leaf protein from discarded cauliflower leaves, identifying a potential new use for vegetable scraps.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team studied the wall structure of MCM-48 and the Ar adsorption process in the mesopores of MCM-48 using MEM analysis of in situ powder XRD intensities recorded during gas adsorption to show that the adsorption process can be monitored through variations in the electron density distribution.