Chemistry: A sophisticated process stacks dye molecules in such a way that their luminosity increases significantly as their size grows – a significant step forward for the electronics of tomorrow.

Fast fashion is appealing because it’s an inexpensive way to dress rapidly growing kids. But preliminary research has found that the fabric in some of these items contains lead. After testing several shirts from different retailers, undergraduate researchers found that all exceeded U.S. federal regulatory lead limits. They also estimate that even briefly chewing these fabrics could expose young children to dangerous lead levels. The researchers will present their results at ACS Spring 2026.

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a boron-catalysed method to transform oxetanes which are small four-membered ring molecules into larger, medicinally relevant 1,3-oxazinanes by the selective insertion of two building blocks, a carbon unit and a nitrogen unit.

The research team was led by Associate Professor KOH Ming Joo from the NUS Department of Chemistry. The research breakthrough was published in the scientific journal Nature Synthesis on 12 March 2026.

Energy-efficient, high-resolution colour modulation remains a key challenge for next-generation displays. Researchers have developed a sub-1-volt, electrically reconfigurable Gires–Tournois resonator that enables vibrant full-colour modulation within a single reflective pixel. By integrating a conductive polymer with a tailored Gires-Tournois resonator, the system achieves ultrahigh pixel densities (~ 16,900 PPI), low power consumption (< 90μW cm^-2), and memory-in-pixel operation, offering a scalable platform from near-eye displays to electrical billboard, enabling energy-efficient visual technologies.

Kyoto, Japan -- Toward the right side of the periodic table below oxygen you'll find the chalcogens, or "ore-forming" elements. The chalcogens that occur naturally, including sulfur, selenium and tellurium, are all somehow involved in biological processes. Molecules containing sulfur, like the antioxidant glutathione, play a central role in redox regulation, the balance between oxidation and reduction that is essential for maintaining cellular health.

Recent studies have suggested that the heavier selenium and tellurium are active in biological redox systems as well, but the instability of molecules containing chains of different chalcogen atoms has made structural analysis difficult. Traditional methods have largely relied on mass spectrometry, which cannot be used to directly observe molecular bonds. This limitation motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University to develop a method that would allow them to more clearly observe chains of chalcogens.

"We have long been interested in understanding how subtle atomic substitutions can alter biological function," says corresponding author Kazuma Murakami. "Chalcogen chemistry offers a unique window into redox biology that remains largely unexplored."

Mapping light fields and local density of optical states (LDOS) around nanostructured materials with very high spatial resolution is instrumental for advancing nano-optics, nanomaterial science, and quantum technologies, yet has remained a longstanding challenge. Recently, scientists from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in China, demonstrated an imaging modality, called scanning-exciton optical nanoscopy (SEON), to simultaneously and robustly map the light fields and LDOS around plasmonic nanostructures and photonic-crystal nanocavities with few-nanometer resolution.

Polyolefin upcycling is advancing through two key hydrogen‑based routes—hydrocracking and hydrogenolysis—which differ fundamentally in mechanism and product profiles. Despite promising lab results, scale‑up faces hurdles including catalyst deactivation, mass-/heat‑transfer limits, and analytical gaps. Researchers outline five priorities to enable real‑world, scalable plastic‑to‑alkane conversion.