Understanding molecular diversity is fundamental to biomedical research and diagnostics, but existing analytical tools struggle to distinguish subtle variations in the structure or composition among biomolecules. A new method using solid-state nanopores — tiny tunnels that a protein or other molecule can pass through — and machine learning suggests a way to help identify and classify proteins more accurately.

With the rapid development of two-dimensional MXene materials, numerous preparation strategies have been proposed to enhance synthesis efficiency, mitigate environmental impact, and enable scalability for large-scale production. The compound etching approach, which relies on cationic oxidation of the A element of MAX phase precursors while anions typically adsorb onto MXene surfaces as functional groups, remains the main prevalent strategy. By contrast, synthesis methodologies utilizing elemental etching agents have been rarely reported. Here, we report a new elemental tellurium (Te)-based etching strategy for the preparation of MXene materials with tunable surface chemistry. By selectively removing the A-site element in MAX phases using Te, our approach avoids the use of toxic fluoride reagents and achieves tellurium-terminated surface groups that significantly enhance sodium storage performance. Experimental results show that Te-etched MXene delivers substantially higher capacities (exceeding 50% improvement over conventionally etched MXene) with superior rate capability, retaining high capacity at large current densities and demonstrating over 90% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. This innovative synthetic strategy provides new insight into controllable MXene preparation and performance optimization, while the as-obtained materials hold promises for high-performance sodium-ion batteries and other energy storage systems.

Lignins – the complex molecules that make plants sturdy and allow them to grow tall – are not as random as once thought. A new international study led by Prof. Edouard Pesquet at Stockholm University uncovers how lignins’ chemistry and structure vary between cell types to meet plants’ physiological needs. The paper, published as a Tansley Review in the journal New Phytologist, highlights how this molecular diversity has been key to plants’ success on land.

Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have developed a polymer that adopts a coiled spring configuration at low temperatures and unfolds again upon heating. Furthermore, the molecule can break down into smaller molecules under certain conditions.

It sounds bizarre, but they exist: crystals made of rotating objects. Physicists from Aachen, Düsseldorf, Mainz and Wayne State (Detroit, USA) have jointly studied these exotic objects and their properties. They easily break into individual fragments, have odd grain boundaries and evidence defects that can be controlled in a targeted fashion. In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers outline how several new properties of such “transverse interaction” systems can be predicted by applying a comprehensive theory.

A perspective article published in Psychedelics examines how psychedelic substances fundamentally alter time perception, from seconds stretching into hours to complete timelessness. Dr. Xiaohui Wang from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, synthesizes current understanding of these temporal phenomena. Their analysis identifies critical neural mechanisms and proposes therapeutic applications for mental health conditions where disrupted time perception plays a central role.

A Japanese research team has mathematically revealed why crack tips sharpen during rapid fracture in rubber. The study demonstrates that this phenomenon is caused solely by the material’s viscoelasticity, not by previously assumed nonlinear effects. They also validated the long-standing viscoelastic trumpet theory, proposed by Nobel Laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, using fundamental equations of continuum mechanics. This work establishes a theoretical foundation for fracture control and durability improvement of a wide range of polymer materials from tires to medical devices.