Forests, grasslands, and other natural areas around the world have access to about a quarter less nitrogen than previously estimated, according to a new study published today in Nature. Coauthored by Sarah Batterman, an ecologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, findings have implications for natural climate solutions, as nitrogen is essential to plant growth and thus the removal of carbon from the atmosphere.

Ultramicroporous carbon materials with Ångstrom-precise pore engineering offer a transformative solution for separating fluorinated gases like C₃F₆ (fluorinated propylene) and C₃F₈ (fluorinated propane). A team of scientists has synthesized the CO₂-activated porous carbon adsorbents derived from a precursory resin and systematically investigated their molecular sieving behavior for C₃F₆/C₃F₈ mixtures. Through controlled thermal pyrolysis and stepwise CO₂ activation, they tailored ultramicropore size distributions to selectively exclude or admit target molecules. Their work is published in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials on 24 Jun 2025.

Jack Berkery, deputy director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade research program, has been named a Fulbright Specialist and will travel to Japan this September to strengthen international collaborations on spherical tokamak research.

High-nickel cathodes are promising for improving the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their high nickel concentration leads to intense side reactions, degrading safety and stability. While full concentration gradient (FCG) design can address this issue, current approaches limit design flexibility. Now, researchers have developed a novel mathematical framework that, combined with an automated reactor system, allows unlimited customization of FCGs with independent parameter control, leading to LIBs with enhanced safety and stability.

Layered sodium manganese oxide (NaMnO₂), especially its β-phase, has received considerable attention for use as cathodes in sodium-ion batteries. However, β-NaMnO₂ exhibits stacking faults (SFs), which severely reduce its cycling stability. In a new study, researchers studied how copper-doping can eliminate SFs in β-NaMnO₂, significantly improving cycling stability. This strategy can lead to the development of longer-lasting sodium-ion batteries, leading to more affordable energy-storage solutions.