Physicists have created a new computer code that could speed up the design of the complicated magnets that shape the plasma in stellarators, making the systems simpler and more affordable to build.

A research team led by Professor Qiang Zhang from Tsinghua University has published a comprehensive analysis of energy storage technologies critical to China’s power system decarbonization. The study, featured in Technology Review for Carbon Neutrality, examines the multifunctional roles of storage systems across grid segments, evaluates core technologies from ultrashort-duration flywheels to seasonal hydrogen storage, and projects their deployment under cost and regional constraints. The work highlights policy mechanisms to support China’s transition to a carbon-neutral energy economy by 2060.

When water freezes into ice or boils into vapour, its properties change dramatically at specific temperatures. These so-called phase transitions are fundamental to understanding materials. But how do such transitions behave in nanomaterials? In Nature Communications, a team of scientists led by TU Delft presents new insights into the complex nature of phase transitions in magnetic nanomaterials. Their findings reveal the coupling between magnetic and mechanical properties, paving the way for ultra-sensitive sensors.

Pollution by marine litter of anthropogenic origin –that comes from human activity– is currently one of the biggest environmental concerns given its increasing magnitude, especially due to the considerable amount of plastics present in the marine environment.