Materials

A research team led by Prof. Boseok Kang at Sungkyunkwan University has uncovered the origin of polarity inversion—a long-standing phenomenon in polymer semiconductors that occurs only in certain materials—attracting significant attention.

Move over lithium-ion batteries – researchers found a creative way to combine materials (lithium metal and a ceramic surface) that may prove to be better for energy storage used in electric vehicles and portable electronics.

Researchers have discovered a new way to control magnetic “spin” using electric current, enabling states that were previously considered unstable. This breakthrough could move computing beyond simple binary systems by harnessing continuously fluctuating signals. The findings may lead to more powerful and efficient technologies for AI and next-generation devices.

Researchers at National Taiwan University developed a unified model that explains how thickness, defects, interface quality, and roughness together control the behavior of ultrathin oxide transistors. The work provides practical design rules for building low-leakage, normally-off devices suitable for future 3D chip stacking.

Enhancement of OER has been demonstrated via co-doping of Co/Ni into FeS2, which surpasses the performance of traditional expensive RuO2 as OER electrocatalyst.

Researchers developed high-performance, lead-free piezoelectric thin films on silicon that convert everyday vibrations into electricity. By using strain engineering and a novel sputtering method, they achieved record performance and demonstrated the compatibility of efficient, battery-free MEMS energy harvesters with standard semiconductor manufacturing processes.

- Research team led by Jae Eun Jang and Goeun Pyo demonstrates stable “dual-modulated vertically stacked transistors” even with two-dimensional nanochannels - Enables large-area and multilayer scalability without costly ultra-precision fabrication processes, which is promising for high-density 3D chips and flexible devices - Published in the leading international journal Advanced Science

- Breaking through the limitations of conventional oxygen-defect-based memories... Simultaneously performing AI computation and storage through precise hydrogen atom control - First case of successfully controlling hydrogen in a two-terminal vertical structure, accelerating the era of ultra-low-power, high-density neuromorphic chips - Selected as cover paper for the prestigious international journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

From royal armouries to international exhibitions, koftgari reflects a metalworking tradition shaped by conquest, courtly patronage, and shifting markets. Across Persia and South Asia, artisans inlaid steel with gold and silver, turning arms and regalia into symbols of power, protection, and prestige. Explore the craft across changing political landscapes as its patronage and purpose evolved.

Researchers discovered that a freshwater alga captures low-energy far-red light by precisely arranging ordinary chlorophyll molecules, rather than inventing new pigments. The finding reveals a new structural strategy for photosynthesis in low-light environments and could inform future bioenergy and protein design.

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.