An international research team has developed certified biodegradable and recyclable multi-purpose foams.

African scaly-tailed squirrels use their scaled tails to safely move across the smooth bark of trees in their native rainforest habitats. Researchers from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have for the first time investigated the physics of these thorn-covered scales located on the underside of the squirrel tails through mathematical and physical models. Their findings could eventually enable agile and energy-efficient bionic robots and drones.

Operando recrystallization of ZnO nanoparticle layers has been found to transform disordered films into long-range, defect-passivated nanocrystals. This process enables a shift from hopping to potential band-like electron conduction, achieving on-demand electron injection and improved charge balance in QLEDs. The findings underscore the significance of interfacial chemical reactions and demonstrate that surface-active nanocrystals can be engineered during operation to boost device performance through post-treatment strategies.

Analytical Chemistry researchers at the University of Amsterdam’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) have developed a novel algorithm that significantly improves the analysis of copolymers. It allows the determination of their block structure, which has until now been impossible using common analytical approaches. The researchers present their achievement in two recent scientific papers in ACS Macromolecules and Analytica Chimica Acta.

In the first study of its kind, researchers at the RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS) in Japan have used artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up the processing time when simulating galaxy evolution coupled with supernova explosion. This approach could help us understand the origins of our own galaxy, particularly the elements essential for life in the Milky Way.

Jürgen Czarske's team at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany used FPGA technology to achieve mode decomposition in multimode fiber communications, significantly reducing latency and power consumption, and effectively improving the efficiency of real-time data transmission. This research has broad application potential in the fields of classical communication systems, medical endoscopes, and high-precision sensors, and has contributed to advancing the industrialization of related technologies.