Carbon fibers (CFs) are advanced materials that benefit various applications, including light-weight components for aircraft, automobiles and wind turbine blades. At present, the predominant feedstock is expensive polyacrylonitrile. A team of scientists used cheap coal and waste plastics to produce liquefied coals, which were subsequently fabricated into general-purpose and high-performance carbon fibers. This process has the potential to decrease the price of CFs and contribute to environmental and economic sustainability. Their work is published in Industrial Chemistry & Materials on October 3, 2025.

At its deepest physical foundations, the world appears to be nonlocal: particles separated in space behave not as independent quantum systems, but as parts of a single one. Polish physicists have now shown that such nonlocality – arising from the simple fact that all particles of the same type are indistinguishable – can be observed experimentally for virtually all states of identical particles.

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts with metal-N moieties are promising for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries. In a breakthrough, a team of researchers from Chung-Ang University proposes a metal–organic framework-engaged dual-level engineering strategy to fabricate a hierarchical porous carbon nanofiber with low-coordinated single-atom catalysts. This technology is expected to lead to safer and more efficient batteries, quickening the transition to clean energy and paving the way for a more sustainable future.

RODIN - Cell-mediated Sculptable Living Platforms-, is set to revolutionize the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering by shifting the focus from designing materials for cells to empowering cells to design their own environments. The team composed by Professor João Mano at the Associate Laboratory CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials from University of Aveiro (Portugal) - The Biomaterials Engineer, Professor Tom Ellis at Imperial College London (UK)- The Synthetic Biologist and Professor Nuno Araújo at Faculty of Sciences, from the University of Lisbon (Portugal)- The Physicist, will combine expertise to rethink how living systems interact with materials.

A new ERC synergy grant provides funding to investigate the role of turbulence in the physics of stratocumulus clouds and create meteorological models to improve weather and climate predictions

The interdisciplinary team consists of Eberhard Bodenschatz (Göttingen, Germany), Fabian Hoffmann (Berlin, Germany), Bernhard Mehlig (Gothenburg, Sweden) and Pier Siebesma (Delft, Netherlands), and their research groups

The team was awarded 13,7 million euros for six years

The limited fast-charging capability and safety concerns caused by lithium dendrite growth have long hindered the development of high-performance graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries. While various interface engineering strategies have been proposed, a solution that simultaneously facilitates lithium-ion desolvation and enhances ion transport remains elusive. A recent study published in National Science Review introduces a glassy metal-organic framework (MOF glass) coating developed by a team at China's Central South University, offering a solution to both challenges. The designed MOF-coated graphite anode enables selective pre-desolvation of Li⁺ ions and establishes a highly conductive interface for Li⁺ ions, leading to remarkable cycling stability under high-current conditions. This work opens a transformative strategy toward fast-charging and high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.