Engineers have long known that powerful lasers can make metals stronger. For decades, a technique called laser shock peening has been used to extend the lifetime of aircraft engines, railway components, and other critical parts by blasting their surfaces with intense laser pulses. The treatment leaves metals better able to resist fatigue, wear, and corrosion—key requirements in extreme environments.

What has received far less attention, however, is how long the laser pulse duration last.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers demonstrate that laser pulse duration, from nanoseconds down to femtoseconds, fundamentally changes how laser shock peening works. By analyzing nearly 300 studies published over the past six decades, the team shows that timing, not just power, may define the future of laser-based metal strengthening.

Graphene and diamond sit at opposite ends of the materials spectrum, yet they are made from the same element. One is a single layer of carbon atoms that bends easily and carries electrical current with little resistance. The other is among the hardest materials known, prized for its strength, chemical stability and ability to conduct heat. For years, engineers have wondered whether it might be possible to combine the best of both worlds.

Researchers in China identified Fusarium cugenangense as a novel causal agent of pear wilt in China. Systemic infection is demonstrated via GFP-labeling and ultrastructural analysis. This is the first report of F. cugenangense causing pear wilt disease in China.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers report a method for coating complex curved surfaces with ultra-thin (≤10 nm) metal films that are almost invisible to the eye. Their resulting transparent conductive films with a capping layer show 88% visible transmittance and low sheet resistance of 8.1 Ω·sq^-1, offering a practical route to making transparent electrodes that perform as well on curved surfaces as they do on flat ones.

Researchers have created a process using liquid metals, powered by sunlight, that can produce clean hydrogen from both freshwater and seawater.

Researchers have developed an AI technique that adds realistic 3D sound to ordinary videos recorded with a single microphone. By using visual information in the video, the system makes sounds appear to come from the correct directions, even when no spatial audio was originally recorded.