High-nickel batteries with manganese-rich protective shells are emerging as a cheaper and more sustainable alternative for electric vehicles. However, a study at Hanyang University reveals that exposing battery precursor materials to air alters manganese chemistry, creating reactive surface defects that accelerate electrolyte breakdown and cause battery degradation. A simple adjustment in lithium content during synthesis can suppress these defects and restore stability, helping manufacturers develop longer-lasting, high-energy batteries for future electric vehicles.

Modern natural language processing (NLP) systems face challenges in adaptability, privacy, and require immense computational resources, limiting real-world deplorability beyond the cloud. A new comprehensive review analyzes how recent paradigms of federated learning, reinforcement learning and their integration into NLP can address these issues and become the foundation of emerging intelligent systems (EIS), making AI more reliable, safer and deployable on grounded devices.

Spin waves, or magnons, have attracted attention as information carriers with potential applications in logic circuits, memory devices, and related technologies. Magnonic crystals (MCs) are important platforms for controlling magnon propagation and can be tailored for specific applications. However, general design rules for optimizing targeted properties in MCs remain unclear. In a new study, researchers developed an inverse-design framework to discover optimized MC structures based on target properties and help establish more effective design rules.

Researchers have developed a low-cost, semi-automated, AI-driven method that uses remote cameras to survey bumblebees and potentially other insects.

Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania, report that waste-based geopolymer mortars with selected fine aggregates – particularly corundum and ceramic waste – can retain high compressive strength after exposure to 800°C. The study shows strengths up to 53 MPa with limited microcracking, outperforming conventional Portland-cement concrete under extreme heat. Made entirely from industrial and demolition waste, these geopolymers offer a lower-carbon alternative to cement, whose production generates up to 8% of global CO₂ emissions. The material is suited for fire-resistant applications such as tunnels, furnaces, and industrial infrastructure.

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University and UNSW Sydney have developed a dual-side electrosynthesis system that simultaneously converts plastic waste and biowaste into Succinic Acid, a key building block for biodegradable plastics, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals. By directing both the anodic and cathodic reactions toward the same target product, the system achieves an unprecedented succinic acid yield of 169.1%, surpassing the conventional single-electrode limit. The process combines the electrooxidation of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)-derived 1,4-butanediol and the electroreduction of biomass-derived maleic acid, demonstrating a profitable and scalable pathway for circular chemical manufacturing.

Seoul National University (SNU) College of Engineering announced that a research team led by Professor Jeong Woo Han of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a new nanostructured catalyst with up to 14.4 times higher greenhouse gas decomposition performance compared to conventional commercial catalysts.

The capabilities of large AI systems are constantly improving, but they consume a great deal of energy during training and operation. The human brain, by contrast, is extremely energy-efficient: it requires only around 20 watts. Researchers at Graz University of Technology, in collaboration with international partners, have developed a novel, brain-inspired AI model that can plan flexibly and solve complex problems. In doing so, it consumes significantly less energy than multi-layer neural networks or large language models.