Scientists capture a new polar orders: true ferrielectric material discovered
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Dec-2025 05:11 ET (22-Dec-2025 10:11 GMT/UTC)
Researchers have confirmed the true ferrielectric state in a single-phase material, (MV)[SbBr5]. This new polar order exhibits a unique combination of a switchable net polarization, asynchronous dipole switching, and polar-to-polar structural transitions, while enabling unprecedented electric-field control of spin-orbit coupling and circular photogalvanic effects, opening new avenues for next-generation electronics.
Researchers from Shandong University have engineered CYP152 peroxygenases for a green, efficient, and enantioselective one-step synthesis of (R)-mandelic acid derivatives, offering a sustainable solution for producing chiral molecules in pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.
The first generations of stars formed under conditions very different from anywhere we can see in the nearby universe today. Astronomers are studying these differences using powerful telescopes that can detect galaxies so far away their light has taken billions of years to reach us.
Now, an international team of astronomers led by Tom Bakx at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has measured the temperature of one of the most distant known star factories. The galaxy, known as Y1, is so far away that its light has taken over 13 billion years to reach us.
Researchers from University of Granada and the Spanish National Research Council designed four ideal weekly menus with an equal energy value and following international recommendations for the daily intake of a wide range of macro- and micronutrients. Each menu was in accordance with an omnivorous Mediterranean, pesco-vegetarian, ovo-lacto-vegetarian, or vegan diet. The vegan diet reduced carbon emissions by 46%, water use by 7%, and land use by 33%, while the two vegetarian diets cut carbon emissions by up to 35%. The three plant-based diets were nutritionally balanced, except for small deficits in vitamin D, iodine, and vitamin B12, which can be remedied with supplements. The authors concluded that plant-based diets are equally nutritious and healthy as a Mediterranean diet, and much better for the planet.
Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have been found as prominent group of optoelectronic materials extensively researched for more than forty years due to their ability to tune capabilities by modifying chemical structure and simple processing. Their performance has been significantly improved, advancing from the fast development in design and synthesis of new OSC materials. The spectral response of OSCs was extended from ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) wavelength region. There are reports on detectivity (D*) higher than the physical limits set by signal fluctuations and background radiation. Authors attempted to explain the organic photodetectors’ peculiarities when confronted with typical devices dominating the commercial market.
Photon avalanche (PA) upconversion, driven by a positive feedback loop that couples nonresonant ground-state absorption (GSA), resonant excited-state absorption (ESA), and highly efficient cross-relaxation (CR), gives rise to a threshold-triggered ultrahigh optical nonlinearity accompanied by uniquely prolonged rise-time dynamics. From spark to surge, this phenomenon can deliver tens to even hundreds of nonlinear orders at the nanoscale, redefining opportunities in imaging, sensing, and optical computing while opening a new paradigm for interrogating light–matter interactions.