Scientists in China have engineered topology-driven energy transfer networks in lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles to dramatically reduce the laser power needed for stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. By spatially separating sensitizers and emitters in core–shell nanoparticles, they enhanced energy migration, boosted emission, and improved optical switching efficiency. Their design achieves STED microscopy imaging with significantly lower excitation and depletion intensities, paving the way for low-power, photostable super-resolution imaging in life sciences and nanophotonics.

Recently, a research team led by Academician Lijun Wang at CIOMP under UCAS has systematically reviewed the latest advancements in transfer printing (TP) technology. The team detailed its practical applications in integrating III-V semiconductor devices into photonic integrated circuits (PIC), demonstrating its significant potential for developing high-performance, high-reliability PICs. Their work provides crucial theoretical guidance for improving transfer yield and precision, while also offering forward-looking insights into current technical challenges and future development directions for this technology.

An electrode for structural batteries was developed by combining carbon nanotubes (CNT) with quartz woven fabric (QWF), demonstrating the potential for structural batteries applicable to the aerospace and defense industries.

Despite the long-standing reputation of each, as well as distinct underlying physics, laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and imaging photoplethysmography (IPPG) reach concordance on functional cerebral haemodynamics. The unified, heartbeat-resolved, camera-based readout offers fast, wide-field assessment of cortical perfusion for the operating theatre.

A Fourier-domain mode-locked optoelectronic oscillator (FDML OEO) fabricated on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform is firstly demonstrated. By leveraging the high speed Pockels effect in TFLN, a linear, electrically-tuned ultrafast frequency-scanning micro-ring resonator (MRR) filter is designed, overcoming the limitations of conventional thermally-tuned frequency-scanning MRRs in terms of tuning rate and linearity. This work validates the feasibility of utilizing TFLN to fabricate integrated FDML OEOs capable of delivering ultra-wide scanning bandwidth at chirp rates and frequencies not attainable with any other approaches to date, thanks to the superior properties of the TFLN. LCMW signals will have promising applications in advanced radar systems.

Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have designed a rhodium catalyst whose microenvironment is tuned by both sulfur and phosphine ligands, based on an industrial single-site Rh₁/POPs catalyst. The new “single-site” catalyst hydroformylates propylene and higher olefins up to twice as fast as the current benchmark, while maintaining high selectivity and stability. The study explains how a carefully controlled amount of sulfur can switch from poisoning the catalyst to promoting its performance.

Nitrate pollution has become one of the most widespread water quality challenges in intensively farmed regions around the world, threatening drinking water safety, aquatic ecosystems, and downstream lakes. A new study published in Nitrogen Cycling reveals how human activities in rural urban transition zones are reshaping the nitrogen cycle, allowing nitrate to move through rivers and groundwater and ultimately reach large freshwater lakes.

In the field of polyoxometalate chemistry, organophosphonate covalently modified polyoxometalates have recently emerged as a promising frontier. These hybrid materials not only broaden the structural diversity of conventional polyoxometalate derivatives and address the inherent stability limitations of polyoxometalates, but also allow for the design of improved properties tailored to diverse applications. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advances in organophosphonate covalently modified polyoxometalates research, with a particular focus on their structural features, functional properties, and prospective research directions.

Polyoxometalates are promising inorganic drugs with antiviral activity; however, they pose a risk to humans because of their potential accumulation in the body. Polyoxometalates encapsulated with berberine from a traditional Chinese herb may exhibit lower cytotoxicity. In this study, the antiviral effects of four berberine-based organic–polyoxometalate hybrids (BR-POMs) on BHK-21 and PK-15 cells were evaluated in vitro using encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) or pseudorabies virus (PRV) models. The collected cells were used for quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. The supernatants were collected to quantify the viral loads using a TCID50 assay in vitro. EC50 and CC50 were determined through dose–response experiments, and the EC50/CC50 ratio was used as a selectivity index to measure the antiviral activity. The results demonstrate that all BR-POMs exhibited certain antiviral activity. The BR-POMs did not exert toxicity against the EMCV- or PRV-infected cells at the tested concentration (CC50 > 40 μM). Notably, BR-EuSiW (EC50 15.07 μM, CC50 651.2 µM, SI 43.21) exerted antiviral effects by acting on the virus at its biosynthesis stage, thereby inhibiting virus proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. This study demonstrates that organic–polyoxometalate hybrids represent a new strategy for developing antivirals against EMCV.