Airovation Technologies was awarded the prestigious 2025 Asper Prize for “The Hebrew University Rising Startup”. The prize, part of a competition launched by ASPER-HUJI Innovate, the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Asper Foundation, drew entries from more than fifty startups. Airovation Technologies secured the top spot after presenting to an international panel of judges.

Platinum diselenide (PtSe₂) is a two-dimensional multilayer material in which each layer is composed of platinum (Pt) and selenium (Se). It is known that its excellent crystallinity and precise control of interlayer interactions allow modulation of various physical and chemical properties. Due to these characteristics, it has been actively researched in multiple fields, including semiconductors, photodetectors, and electrochemical devices. Now, a research team has proposed a new design concept in which atomically dispersed platinum on the surface of platinum diselenide can function as a catalyst for gas reactions. Through this, they have proven its potential as a next-generation gas-phase catalyst technology for high-efficiency carbon dioxide conversion and carbon monoxide reduction.

KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on July 22 that a joint research team led by Endowed Chair Professor Jeong Young Park from the Department of Chemistry, along with Professor Hyun You Kim's team from Chungnam National University and Professor Yeonwoong (Eric) Jung's team from the University of Central Florida (UCF), has achieved excellent carbon monoxide oxidation performance by utilizing platinum atoms exposed on the surface of platinum diselenide, a type of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD).

To maximize catalytic performance, the research team designed the catalyst by dispersing platinum atoms uniformly across the surface, departing from the conventional use of bulk platinum. This strategy allows more efficient catalytic reactions using a smaller amount of platinum. It also enhances electronic interactions between platinum and selenium by tuning the surface electronic structure. As a result, the platinum diselenide film with a thickness of a few nanometers showed superior carbon monoxide oxidation performance across the entire temperature range compared to a conventional platinum thin film under identical conditions.

A joint international research team has, for the first time, unveiled the crucial link between the structure of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and the efficiency of lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction to ammonia, a promising eco-friendly approach to fertilizer production. Using in situ spectroscopy, the team directly observed the previously poorly understood SEI formation process, revealing that the ethanol-to-water ratio in the electrolyte significantly impacts ammonia conversion efficiency. This discovery opens a new avenue for sustainable fertilizer production by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

In this paper, the authors address that the quality of water affects the health of animals and humans directly due to chemical and microbial pollutants. They advocate an integrated One-Water/One-Health framework to study sources, transport, and impacts of emerging contaminants and pathogens from wastewater. The paper focuses on three key topics: 1) Environmental Virology (using viruses as fecal pollution indicators), 2) Emerging Contaminants (human-altered chemical signatures), and 3) The Wastewater-Water Amalgam (assessing global fecal pollution impacts using new tools). They stress the urgent need to identify at-risk ecosystems and populations by integrating monitoring data, global mapping, and source diagnostics into watershed programs prioritizing viruses, microbial tracking, and emerging contaminants.