Researchers outline a path to turn carbon dioxide into a valuable green fuel and chemical feedstock, offering a promising strategy for a circular carbon economy.

As the world faces the urgent challenges of climate change and the transition to sustainable energy, a new critical review provides a comprehensive roadmap for converting waste carbon dioxide (CO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) into propanol, a valuable fuel and industrial chemical. Published by researchers from Korea University and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the review highlights innovative strategies and outlines future directions for efficient, scalable production of propanol, a vital alcohol used in fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

Researchers have created a novel, bio-based foam that integrates three advanced functions: shielding electromagnetic interference, regulating temperature, and reducing infrared visibility. This lightweight, durable material could protect sensitive electronics in electromagnetic and thermal shock and offer new solutions for camouflage technology.

In a paper published in MedComm – Biomaterials and Applications, a research team from Guangzhou Medical University reports the development of a copper ion (Cu²⁺)-coordinated nanoplatform (designated as CuN) using the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) inhibitor NLG919. This carrier-free nanoplatform can efficiently encapsulate various chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., cinnamic acid, mitoxantrone, docetaxel, β-lapachone) and activate systemic antitumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) and inhibiting IDO1. Using β-lapachone-loaded CuN (Lap@CuN) as a representative, the team demonstrated robust suppression of primary tumor growth and lung metastasis in mice without obvious side effects, offering a new strategy for synergistic chemo-immunotherapy.

Scalable fabrication of efficient wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is crucial to realize the full commercial potential of tandem solar cells. However, there are challenges in fabricating efficient methylammonium-free (MA-free) WBG PSCs by blade coating, especially its phase separation and films stability. In this work, an MA-free WBG perovskite ink is developed for preparing FA_0.8Cs_0.2Pb(I_0.75Br_0.25)₃ films by blade coating in ambient air. Among various A-site iodides, RbI is found to be the most effective in suppressing the precipitation of PbI₂ induced by Pb(SCN)₂ while keeping the enlarged grains. The distribution of Rb suggested that the Rb ions are kept isolated with the perovskite grains during the crystallization and Ostwald ripening processes, which contributes to the formation of the large-grain WBG perovskite film with minimum non-radiative recombination. As a result, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.0% was achieved on small-area WBG PSCs, while mini-modules with an aperture area of 10.5 cm² exhibited a PCE of 20.2%, among the highest reported for solar cells prepared with WBG perovskites via blade coating. This work presents a scalable and reproducible fabrication strategy for stable MA-free WBG PSCs under ambient conditions, advancing their path toward commercialization.