A team from the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Seville (US), has developed a new hybrid device that allows energy to be captured from both the sun and rain simultaneously. A thin film created and patented by the research team not only protects and improves the durability of perovskite solar cells, even in adverse weather conditions, but also allows nanogenerators to produce more than 100 volts from the impact of a single drop of water, enough to power small portable devices.

An international study, conducted in Italy by Cnr-Nanotec, the Italian Institute of Technology, and Sapienza University of Rome, has identified an unprecedented link between quantum physics and the theoretical models of artificial intelligence. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research demonstrates how photons can be used to simulate the functioning mechanisms of associative memory and neural networks, opening new perspectives for the development of brain-inspired computing systems.

Ionogel actuators combine low density, mechanical compliance, and environmental stability to convert molecular-scale responses into macroscopic deformations. This review systematically examines material development, synthesis strategies, stimuli-responsive mechanisms under various triggers, and applications in soft robotics, microfluidics, sensors, and biomedicine, while highlighting challenges in multiscale mechanisms, quantitative property-performance links, green design, and closed-loop system integration.