Materials

This invited publication highlights the contributions of Distinguished Professor Hao Li to AI and materials science – focusing on their original concept for a digital materials ecosystem.

Researchers used electroluminescence-detected magnetic resonance to directly observe electron-hole pairs in operating light-emitting electrochemical cells. They found that ion-driven changes in the internal electric field strongly affect recombination efficiency. Lower-voltage, more stable electric fields promote light emission, a discovery that identifies electric field management as a key factor in improving organic optoelectronic devices.

Researchers found that Y-doping (adding yttrium) to an inexpensive nickel catalyst was the key to speeding up an otherwise sluggish reaction that results in hydrogen – which can be used as a sustainable fuel.

Wearable medical devices, like exoskeletons, often rely on soft actuators, materials that convert electrical energy into motion. But traditional actuators often use stiff metallic materials that limit mobility. Now, an international research group has developed soft yarn actuator fibers that can bend, contract, and produce complex movements when electricity is applied.

Kelli canines, Healthy fats in rice, Mercury and Earth in chorus, AI lights up materials discovery, Radiation detection with phones and Down to one. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Women's Month 2026.

What’s going on in there? An international research team developed a method to pull back the veil on the unknown processes going on inside quantum computers - which may help us build more reliable quantum machines.

We uncover moiré-induced electronic reconstruction in PtSe2/PtTe2 heterobilayers, where interfacial hybridization, geometric corrugation, and spin–orbit coupling generate emergent flat bands and distinctive eye-shaped band splitting, as directly confirmed by combined DFT and ARPES measurements.

We all want cheap, long-lasting, green, and efficient energy. Researchers are helping to make this dream a reality with a new distortion-resistant material that greatly improves these aspects of a battery’s cathode.

The Ateneo de Manila University’Research on Optical and Electronic Systems (ROSES) Laboratory, the Philippines' first and only facility dedicated to locally designing Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and training PIC designers.

Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of “smart fluids” called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host.

DNA - the blueprint of life – can also act as a reaction vessel that guides chemical reactions. This is possible using interstrand crosslinking technology developed by researchers at Tohoku University.

Offers a promising route for precise glass manufacturing

From the DeLorean to skyscrapers, stainless steel is known for its exceptional strength. But exposure to certain elements, such as seawater, can compromise it. Grinding the surface of stainless steel has long been known to reduce its corrosion resistance, and now researchers at Tohoku University have discovered why, potentially opening the door to new ways to mitigate the problem.

The approach uses 3D printing to produce WC–Co cemented carbides—ultra-hard materials used in cutting and construction tools—while reducing the waste and cost of conventional manufacturing.

Critical to hydrogen’s widespread adoption as a clean energy source is its storage. Solid-state storage, where hydrogen is absorbed into metals, offers an alternative to high-pressure tanks. Yet hydrogen storage alloys face a trade-off between storage capacity and material stability. Tohoku University researchers discovered that magnetism governs this trade-off, and that by controlling the magnetic properties of alloys, it is possible to workaround this trade-off.

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a much more efficient way to produce ethylamine - a crucial component for dyes, pharmaceuticals, and more. It all starts with a catalyst.

Take a dive into the streamlined workflow of DIVE (Descriptive Interpretation of Visual Expression)! DIVE combines multiple AI agents to extract images from about 4,000 scientific publications to propose new materials – all within minutes.

A new tool offers researchers a better way of exploring and understanding catalyst data.

Researchers at Tohoku University developed a wastewater treatment method to help clear pollution caused by toxic, non-biodegradable dyes. The method uses a 3D, sponge-like covalent organic network to purify wastewater in a sustainable manner.

Old trees are learning new tricks with the advent of composite materials. Made of biodegradable polymers and the waste bark of the Yakushima Jisugi tree, the green composite was developed by a research team at Tohoku University. When assessing the material, they found that simply testing its mechanical strength — in this case, its tensile strength or ability to resist pulling —could reliably predict the biodegradation process. Traditionally, in processes that are costly in time and money, scientists chemically test how much of a material remains after time has passed. Shifting assessment focus to how a material continues to safely function during the biodegradation process, the team said, could help better inform practical use of such products.

A new nanocomposite material made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers and piezoelectric materials can use vibrations to self-detect tiny cracks. This material could be used in the aerospace, automative, and construction industries to monitor structural health without the need of an external power source.

Iternational researchers have improved an ultrasonic phased array system, making it possible to see hidden defects in aging concrete infrastructure and potentially strengthening the efficiency of infrastructural maintenance.

Two-dimensional topological materials are widely studied because they can be efficient and cost-effective catalysts. Their unique electronic properties give rise to robust topological surface states. However, this assumption is often made under the premise that their surfaces remain clean and unchanged during reactions, which is rarely the case. Using quantum computing, a research team has recreated a 2D material’s true working surface under reaction conditions.

Sticky life beginnings. Precarious pitcher plant, Breaking the cobalt "cage", Toxic algae killer & “Pure-bred” stem cell medium. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Asia Research News 2026 is out now and SciCom Coffee talk by Rachael Smith at Wellcome Sanger Institute.

National Taiwan University researchers have developed an ultrahigh-solid-loading (83 vol%) yet highly flowable suspension for 3D printing that produces ceramic parts with extremely low shrinkage and 100% density, overcoming a major barrier in precision ceramic manufacturing.

A recent review article explores how software-based AI systems are changing the design process of solid electrolytes, enabling faster development of solid-state batteries.

By utilizing the GaAs substrate miscut, we can modulate the superconducting critical temperature, current, and magnetic field of wafer-scale Al nanofilms grown by molecular beam epitaxy by approximately 10%, 100%, and 1000%, respectively. Our approach points to a simple method of tailoring grain architecture and superconductivity in Al, which is a critical requirement for advancements in quantum computation and engineering.

Initially stacked benzene layers increase fluorescent color change drastically when exposed to pressure, suggesting new ways to design the pressure sensors used in machinery and medical devices

When aluminum alloys get exposed to sodium chloride solutions, it causes a process known as pitting corrosion. Since aluminum alloys are widely used in transportation equipment, scientists are constantly looking for ways to improve the means of monitoring corrosion. Now, researchers from Tohoku University have developed a new technique to do so.

A simple tablet could change the way deadly breathing disorders are treated, with no need for electricity, machines, or gas tanks.