Energy

Researchers developed a hybrid supercapacitor electrode by anchoring two-dimensional vanadium disulfide nanosheets onto one-dimensional porous graphitic carbon nitride nanotubes. The mixed-dimensional structure improves ion transport, charge storage, and cycling stability, offering a promising strategy for fast and durable energy storage.

Catalysts play a vital role in the chemical reactions used to produce fertilizers, fuels, pharmaceuticals, and hydrogen, to name a few. AI-driven catalyst discovery is revolutionizing the field of materials science. But AI is only as reliable as the data it learns from. Therefore, researchers from Tohoku University have introduced an AI-powered digital catalysis platform that serves as a one-stop source for experimental data, theoretical calculations, and scientific literature.

A new electrochemical system simultaneously converts plant-derived materials and nitrate pollutants into valuable industrial chemicals. Developed by Tohoku University researchers, the system provides a more sustainable way to manufacture chemicals while helping address wastewater pollution.

Hydrogen can store renewable energy, but then what stores the hydrogen? A new AI-powered, logic-based method provides probable materials for the job – and explains the reasoning behind its decision.

Kanazawa University-led researchers developed a one-step recycling method that recovers toxic lead (Pb) and valuable metals including gold (Au) and indium (In) from flexible perovskite solar cells, supporting sustainable solar energy technologies.

Researchers demonstrate a systematic screening method that can help find promising catalyst candidates without the tedious trial-and-error of every single possible combination.

South-facing green walls help lower temperatures in indoor and outdoor environments

An exciting new strategy involving a specially designed iron-based catalyst can speed up the reaction that powers next-gen zinc-air batteries. This means cleaner, more efficient energy for everyone.

Researchers innovated artificial photosynthesis technology by optimizing the electrolyzer part of the system. This tweak enables the continuous production of solar fuel, even with fluctuations in sunlight intensity.

Exciting new research at Tohoku University’s Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) explains how to transform decades of scattered literature data into design rules for catalysts.

The Philippines can strengthen national energy security by harnessing tidal power for a clean, predictable, and locally-rooted alternative to imported fossil fuels.

The JC STEM Lab of Circular Bio-economy (the Lab) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has recently achieved a breakthrough in the field of sustainable development technologies. A research team led by Professor Lee Duu-Jong, Director of the Lab and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has successfully developed a bio-inspired "all-weather building skin" that cools in sunlight and harvests energy from rain, alongside a "turbocharged" solar hydrogen system powered by low-cost copper ions. These innovations provide a transformative pathway for urban energy conservation and clean energy production, reinforcing the Lab's commitment to translating cutting-edge research into tangible social benefits.

A newly designed magnesium-tin alloy is bringing magnesium batteries a step closer to reality. The new alloy design improves both stability and magnesium-ion transport inside solid-state batteries, helping address one of the long-standing challenges in next-generation battery technology.

Researchers from Tohoku University have developed a new kind of filter that overcomes a long-standing challenge, creating a special material that makes separating CO2 from other gases both fast and highly accurate.

Researchers from The University of Osaka discovered a mechanism that greatly improves the efficiency of endothermic singlet exciton fission. By combining singlet-fission molecules with quantum dots, the team created hybridized electronic states at the material interface that act as intermediate energy pathways. This allows one absorbed photon to generate two excited states with high efficiency, potentially allowing solar technologies to exceed current efficiency limits.

Researchers have developed a new framework that uses artificial intelligence to monitor wastewater treatment in real time, ensuring environmental safety while maximizing resource recovery. This “twin transition” approach allows facilities to predict system health and optimize energy use simultaneously.

Solid electrolyte particle sizes affect ion pathways

- DGIST Principal Researcher Kim Jaehyun’s team has developed a high-voltage, flame-retardant solid polymer electrolyte that operates even at low temperatures - Fluorine-based additives induce molecular interactions that modify the lithium-ion solvation structure, prevent polymer freezing, and improve oxidation resistance - Published in the international journal Energy Storage Materials

Optimization isn’t always about maximization: researchers at Tohoku University found a subtle rule where a bit of restraint actually speeds up chemical reactions in nanoreactors.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have demonstrated that a wireless electroencephalogram transmission system can operate using energy harvested from the temperature difference between the human body and the ambient air. The low-power device successfully operated outdoors at high temperatures, demonstrating stable performance without external power or airflow. This technology could enable the development of maintenance-free sensing systems for health monitoring and infrastructure applications in the future.

Photocatalytic systems use sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Such an environmentally friendly approach to hydrogen production has long been touted by scientists. However, these systems often require multiple cocatalysts to drive the reactions necessary to split water, thereby throttling efficiency. However, a research group has recently unveiled a new all-in-one photocatalytic cocatalyst.

Magnesium hydride stores lots of hydrogen but the problem comes with the high temperatures needed to release it. Now, researchers have found a new catalyst that helps solve this common bottleneck, focusing on a phenomenon called the burst effect.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a catalyst that uses vibrational energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important industrial feedstock. The work demonstrates a new piezocatalytic route for CO2 conversion at low temperature and ambient pressure, offering a potential path toward future low-energy carbon recycling technologies.

An international research team led by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CityUHK has successfully developed a breakthrough technology, called “Liquid Droplet Mops”, which only uses a minimal amount of water to effectively remove dust and pollutants from solar panel surfaces, significantly enhancing cleaning efficiency while conserving water.

- Prof. Jong-Soo Lee’s team realizes a “hybrid photosensor” combining quantum dots and two-dimensional semiconductors - Proposes a low-cost, large-area platform to replace expensive conventional sensors; successfully fabricates a 32×32 pixel image sensor array - Published in the world-leading materials science journal Advanced Materials

Researchers uncovered that an orthogonal molecular architecture directs the formation of a rare double-cable structure, offering a new blueprint for advancing the fundamental design of energy-active materials. By guiding charges to move along separate pathways, the new design minimizes energy loss and boosts clean energy generation.

Researchers in Japan have developed a new LED structure that generates circularly polarized light from a single chip. The advance could support smaller and more energy-efficient optical devices for AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security. By combining a semipolar InGaN light-emitting structure with a stripe-shaped silicon nitride metasurface, the team created a compact light source that reduces energy-conversion loss and operates at room temperature. This advancement could help bring ultra-compact, durable light sources closer to practical use in AR/VR, 3D displays, quantum communication, and optical security.

Matcha surprise, Smart sea urchin spines, Breaking biomass bonds, Hybrid air-conditioning, Alga in gloom & A touch of tech. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Early Bird submissions for Asia Research News 2027

Lingnan University today, 13 April, hosted its University Assembly with guest of honour Prof Arieh Warshel, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2013 and widely recognised as one of the founding figures of computational chemistry. In his lecture Electrostatic Basis of Biological Actions, Prof Warshel shared insights from his decades of research and presented an integrated account of his life’s work, from fundamental physical principles and the laws governing electrons to the construction of the “microscopic world” of biological systems. He further extended this framework to the study and application of biomolecules, and highlighted the role of computational tools and artificial intelligence in advancing medical and pharmaceutical research.

This deep dive explains the ins and outs of a catalyst called graphitic carbon nitride that speeds up the production of hydrogen peroxide – a highly useful oxidizing agent used widely in both industrial and household settings.