Researchers at the University of Osaka and their collaborators found that the structure of water directly next to carbon electrodes strongly affects their durability. Carbon corrosion accelerated when the network connecting water molecules became disrupted. By controlling this interfacial water with ion-conducting polymer coatings, the team suppressed corrosion while maintaining catalytic activity. The findings offer a new design strategy for longer-lasting carbon electrodes in water electrolysis, chlorine production, fuel cells, and other electrochemical technologies.

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is regarded as a key capability for future intelligent electromagnetic systems, yet existing approaches typically require separate hardware architectures for sensing and communication. Researchers have now demonstrated a programmable topological metasurface that dynamically switches between nontrivial and trivial electromagnetic states, enabling surface-wave-based human-position sensing and spatial-wave-based wireless communication within a single platform. The work establishes topological phase reconfiguration as a new route toward multifunctional electromagnetic systems.

POSTECH Researchers Develop a Dual-Focus Metalens-Based Photoacoustic Microscope for High-Resolution Imaging at Different Depths

Scientists in China have developed tandem PbSe colloidal quantum dot photodiodes for 1550 nm LiDAR. By stacking two matched photodiodes in series, the device suppresses visible-light interference while accelerating the electrical response. The tandem photodiode achieves nanosecond response, maintains strong 1550 nm sensitivity, and enables centimeter-level LiDAR ranging under intense background illumination, offering a promising route toward low-cost, integrated infrared depth-sensing systems.

Can one-dimensional systems show behavior usually associated with two-dimensional topological phase transitions? Researchers at Kochi University of Technology used fractional calculus to construct a one-dimensional nonlocal U(1) Ginzburg–Landau model and found BKT-like correlation scaling in large-scale numerical simulations. At low temperatures, correlations decay algebraically, and finite-size data follow a BKT-like scaling form. Yet the model does not show the conventional stiffness jump that characterizes the standard two-dimensional BKT transition. The result reveals both a mathematical connection and a fundamental difference between one- and two-dimensional phase behavior, showing how long-range interactions can reshape the role of dimensionality. Whether this finite-size evidence represents a true thermodynamic transition or an extended crossover remains an open question.

A research team comprising Associate Professor Yasutomo Segawa, Assistant Professor Takashi Harimoto, and graduate student Haruka Kano of the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, and The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, has designed and synthesized a molecular cage with an internal cavity by connecting two curved π-conjugated molecules ⁽¹⁾ face-to-face at three points.

The cage takes up a range of π-conjugated guest molecules through three orifices in its sides and sandwiches them between two π-conjugated panels. Guests small enough to pass through the orifices can enter and leave reversibly, and bind more strongly as their shapes better match the cavity. Larger guests that cannot pass through the orifices are instead incorporated as the cage is assembled, forming carceplexes ⁽²⁾ from which the guests cannot escape even upon heating under reduced pressure. A distinctive achievement of this study is the permanent encapsulation of planar π-conjugated molecules through molecular shape complementarity, irrespective of the guests' electronic properties--a longstanding challenge.

Because the two π-conjugated panels enclose the guest like armor, the researchers named this molecule "π-Armor." The approach may enable the design of molecular capsules with diverse functions, including the protection of unstable molecules and the development of new molecular materials.

The research findings were published online in the American Chemical Society journal Journal of the American Chemical Society on October 13, 2026.

The liver’s job clearing harmful substances from the body is so essential that the organ may have implications for addressing unexpected diseases, including Alzheimer’s and heart disease. A promising example comes from new Keck School of Medicine of USC research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The study, conducted in aged rats, shows that an experimental drug called cinaciguat reverses effects of aging in the liver. This, in turn, may lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease and clogged arteries. The researchers also revealed what’s behind that rejuvenation, including a specific biochemical pathway used for local communication between liver cells, which suggests a potential therapeutic target.

Optica announces 2027 fellows. 

Penn Engineers have developed a promising new type of insulation for the moon by stacking hundreds of ultrathin sheets of Mylar, the same material used in post-race blankets for marathon runners. The resulting material combines exceptional resistance to heat transfer in a vacuum with the flexibility and durability needed for future lunar habitats, rovers and other space technologies.