Researchers have developed tough, conductive RBA hydrogels using a hyperbranched multi-arm crosslinking strategy. The hydrogels form a dense, stable network that enables wearable sensors to monitor full-body motion and support Morse-code-based human–machine interaction.

Birgitta Schultze-Bernhardt and her team at the Institute of Experimental Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have developed a new type of UV dual-comb spectrometer that detects gaseous air pollutants with unrivalled accuracy and sensitivity. Using ultraviolet double laser light, the device measures the concentration of harmful gases such as formaldehyde within half a second. Thanks to its compact design and a measuring range of up to two and a half kilometres, the spectrometer is not only suitable for laboratory analyses, but also for mobile measurements in cities, industrial areas and agricultural regions.

Researchers have developed a new approach to compressing X-ray imaging data in real time, reducing the size of data files by more than 8,000 times, while at the same time preserving the detailed X-ray intensity information required for quantitative analysis.

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in artificially mimicking the ion signalling of heart muscle cells. To succeed, researchers at LiU, Sweden, have used organic electronics based on conductive plastics. The findings, published in Nature Communications, open up for new types of prostheses, heart implants and sensors in the long term.

In a new Nature Communications study, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Institute of Protein Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences have described in detail a structural adaptation supporting the survival of one of the Dead Sea’s few hardy inhabitants — a single-celled archaea called Haloarcula marismortui (H. marismortui). Using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the researchers characterized the proteins that form the archaeal filament (also known as archaellum), a long tail-like structure essential for movement.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new, entirely bio-based material from a somewhat unexpected ingredient: yeast. The material is 3D printed and customised for use in architectural and interior design elements that are currently made from non-renewable or fossil-based materials, such as plaster, plastic or synthetic textiles. These may be daylight modulating and sunlight protecting screens, room partitions or wall systems.

Quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSEs) are critical for ultrafast-charging yet high-safety sodium metal batteries (SMBs), yet their implementation is hindered by sluggish Na⁺ transport in bulk and at interfaces. Here, we propose dual interlocked mediator engineering that transcends conventional independent approaches by coupling cationic Sn²⁺ salt with anionic difluoro(oxalato)borate (DFOB⁻) salts to simultaneously regulating bulk ion transport and bilateral interface chemistry. During QSE preparation, Sn²⁺ initiates in situ cationic polymerization, while DFOB⁻ acts as a retarding agent to suppress runaway polymerization. The first interlocking effect in the Sn-FB QSE bulk builds a uniform network, enabling near-unity Na⁺ transference number (0.94) and robust puncture strength (8.5 kPa). During cell operation, Sn²⁺ is reduced to form a hybrid NaSn alloy-based solid-electrolyte interphase, while DFOB⁻ oxidizes to generate a robust yet thin cathode–electrolyte interphase, respectively. This second interlocking effect creates adaptable bilateral interphases that facilitate Na⁺ diffusion and mitigate interfacial degradation. As a result, the symmetric cells exhibit 6000 h stability, and full cells retain 80.1 mAh g^–1 at an ultrafast-charging rate of 15C and retain 90% capacity at 3C over 2000 cycles. Furthermore, high-mass-loading full cells and pressure-free pouch cells are demonstrated, underscoring the potential of dual interlocked mediator engineering for practical SMBs.

Chiral objects can behave differently depending on their handedness. However, existing methods cannot reveal how chirality varies across a material. Researchers from Chiba University developed a terahertz imaging technique that maps right- and left-handed chirality using spiral-shaped light. The researchers visualized different chiral regions on a moiré-type metasurface with a resolution of about 100 μm, marking the first direct observation of spatial chirality distributions within a material.