Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a method to reproducibly form subnanometer pores within a solid-state nanopore. A voltage-driven chemical reaction produces a precipitate that fills and closes the nanopore, while dissolution reopens conductive pathways. This process forms many subnanometer-sized pores, whose effective size can be tuned by changing reactant composition and pH. These ultrasmall pores mimic biological ion channels and enable studies of ion transport in confined spaces.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have created highly transparent wood without plastic additives and revealed that its clarity depends on structural direction. Alkali treatment softens cellulose-based cell walls, allowing internal cavities to collapse during drying and reduce light scattering. Tangential sections become more transparent than radial ones due to anisotropic swelling and densification. The findings offer new design principles for sustainable transparent materials in buildings and advanced devices.

Professor Pei-Qiang Huang's research group at Xiamen University recently reported the first reduction-cross-coupling reaction of aliphatic tertiary amides with 4-cyanopyridine via iridium and photoredox tandem catalysis. This method is based on the formation of imineonium through iridium-catalyzed hydrosilylation and acid catalysis, followed by tandem photocatalysis to generate two radicals (C,N,N trialkyl α-amino radical and stable 4-cyano-1,4-dihydropyridine radical) which then undergo a cross-coupling reaction. The reaction exhibits excellent chemoselectivity, enabling gram-scale reactions with extremely low catalyst loadings, and the products can be converted in one step to partially and fully saturated α-nitrogen-substituted amines. These characteristics make this method promising for applications in organic synthesis, natural products, and pharmaceuticals. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Sandy soils are among the most challenging environments for agriculture because water drains quickly and nutrients are easily lost. A new long-term field experiment shows that combining biochar with compost and sludge can dramatically improve how sandy soils retain water, offering a practical strategy for farming in drought-prone regions.

In the complex world of soil and water chemistry, certain minerals act like microscopic sponges, soaking up pollutants and keeping our environment safe. Among the most dangerous of these pollutants is hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), a highly toxic and mobile substance often found at industrial and mining sites. Now, a groundbreaking study published in Carbon Research has identified the specific "superstar" minerals that are best at neutralizing this threat while simultaneously locking away organic carbon.

Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature.

In a new study in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of “smart fluids” called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host.

17 February 2026 / Kiel / Las Palmas. Yesterday, an international team of researchers from various disciplines set off aboard the German research vessel METEOR for an expedition along the west coast of Africa, led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The expedition focuses on two poorly understood phenomena: the Benguela upwelling system off the coasts of Angola and Namibia, which partly operates independently of the wind, and the recurring marine heatwaves known as Benguela Niños, which have a significant impact on the local climate and cause flooding in Angola and Namibia.

Rice bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski has been named a 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in chemistry, one of the most competitive honors for early career scientists in the U.S. and Canada.