To enable next-generation energy devices like fuel cells and water electrolyzers, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) collaborated with scientists at New York University to study the backbone chemistry of different types of ion-exchange membranes to better understand how their chemical make-up governs their structure and ability. They found that the nanostructures within these membranes evolve when water passes through and are affected by the stiffness of the polymer backbone. Different backbone architectures promote distinct ionic nanostructures, which govern how water is distributed within the membrane. Flexible backbones achieve higher ion conductivity with less water uptake, overcoming a trade-off that has long challenged membrane design. The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. 

A fleeting photoinduced electronic state and the subsequent formation of a photoinduced hidden state in a metal–organic framework were captured in just 30 femtoseconds by researchers at Science Tokyo, Tohoku University, and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. By combining ultrafast laser spectroscopy with theoretical analysis, the researchers found that a transient electronic state plays a key role in this process. The findings provide new insights into controlling material properties with light for future applications.

Laser cutting is widely used in the manufacture of semiconductor chips and other precision electronic parts, as it can shape and cut materials without damaging the parts. However, laser cutting requires precision, and measuring the depth of the laser’s penetration during cutting remains challenging. Now, researchers from Chiba University have developed a simple yet effective monitoring technique that uses recoil forces to detect the processing depth and penetration of the laser in real time.

Crystalline organic semiconductors offer excellent charge transport but have been difficult to incorporate into practical OLEDs. Researchers from the University of Toyama developed the first OLED using a non-epitaxial crystalline rubrene thin film. Using a two-step annealing process, they achieved 1,000-fold higher current density and a turn-on voltage of just 1.33 V. This breakthrough demonstrates that crystalline organic semiconductors can be integrated into practical OLEDs, paving the way for a "crystalline generation" of displays.

Complex simulations – the most intricate of their kind to date – reveal how water governs the way protons move through it. They were carried out by an international research team led by scientists of Heidelberg University’s Institute for Physical Chemistry. Using their modeling, the researchers from Cambridge (UK), Bochum, Dijon (France) and Heidelberg were able to trace in full quantum detail the movements of a proton shared among six water molecules. At its core, the work addresses how a proton moves through water: not as a single particle drifting along, but by “hopping” from one molecule to the next.