Researchers discovered a previously unknown polishing mechanism in bismuth, a promising layered material for future computer chips. Instead of being scratched or chemically pulled away during chemical mechanical polishing, bismuth forms a thin oxide layer that slips sideways, enabling unusually rapid material removal. The findings contribute to future advances in semiconductor manufacturing.

In the fields of material science and engineering, understanding the principles of wear and friction is pivotal for the development and optimization of materials and mechanical systems. A research team has synthesized the current research on wear modeling and friction-induced noises, exploring their mechanisms, influencing factors, and predictive challenges.  By studying wear modeling and friction-induced noise, engineers are better able to predict the lifespans of components and prevent structural failure across a wide range of industries.

PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a growing global concern because they persist in water, are difficult to remove, and have been linked to health risks, including certain cancers. A new review by researchers from Hanyang University shows that the length of a PFAS molecule’s fluorinated carbon chain is a key predictor of its environmental behavior and treatment response. The study found that short-chain PFAS are generally more mobile and harder to remove, providing a practical framework for improving water treatment and contamination cleanup.

To address this limitation, research teams led by Prof. Kai Zhang (University of Göttingen) and Prof. Rongxin Su (Tianjin University) have developed an integrated salt-assisted assembly (iSAA) that couples ion crosslinking with organic–inorganic co-assembly to construct nanofibril–crystal (NF-C) composite films exhibiting vivid, tunable interference colors. The work has been recently published in Research.

A research team at the College of Science, National University of Defense Technology has proposed a compact way to generate and manipulate relativistic mid-infrared light using transversely magnetized plasma. Their studies demonstrated that a magnetized plasma can function as a relativistic waveplate, enabling both frequency conversion and polarization manipulation within a single laser-plasma interaction process. The advance points to a new class of plasma optical components capable of operating in regimes far beyond conventional optical devices.