Technology

The abundance of sulfur not only makes lithium-sulfur batteries cheaper to manufacture, but they also boast superior energy-storage capacity to current lithium-ion technologies. But one problem preventing practical deployment is polysulfide shuttling—when polysulfides formed during battery cycling escape the cathode and drift into unwanted areas and cause the battery to erode. Now, a group of researchers from Tohoku University has solved this problem with a molecularly designed covalent organic framework (COF)–graphene interlayer. Like a security checkpoint that both identifies threats and efficiently streams people where they need to go, the interlayer combines chemical trapping, rapid charge transport, and sulfur-conversion promotion.

Magnets can store data – but there is a limit. To improve the data density of memory devices, researchers at Tohoku University delved into ways to exert precise control over a unique material called metallic helimagnets.

The end of colored plastic downgrading could be near with new approach

Rice grown on the Moon? No, this is not something out of science fiction, but a future possibility thanks to a plasma technology developed by Tohoku University and JAXA. The plasma technology synthesizes gas from atmospheric air and turns it into a nitrogen-based fertilizer. Researchers also tested the fertilizer on rice seedlings planted in a lunar soil simulant, finding that the fertilizer released critical minerals from the Moon's soil while suppressing harmful ones. The technology is portable and energy-efficient, meaning it can even be used here on Earth for a more sustainable form of rice farming.

Lingnan University has secured funding for 49 research projects in the 2026/27 competitive funding rounds of the Research Grants Council (RGC), including the General Research Fund (GRF), the Early Career Scheme (ECS), and the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS), with total awarded funding approaching HK$27 million. Of these, 48 projects were supported under the GRF and ECS schemes, marking a record high for the University. Funding secured under the ECS scheme alone increased by nearly 30 per cent year-on-year, underscoring the strong research capability and academic excellence of Lingnan’s early-career scholars.

The School of Graduate Studies (GS) at Lingnan University launched the Postgraduate Summer School 2026. This year's programme focuses on interdisciplinary methodological approaches, including the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative mixed method designs. Lingnan is providing scholarship for each of the 18 outstanding postgraduate students, which includes sending them to the University of Oxford for an intensive UK session to further expand their horizons.

Neural Drive, founded by SUTD first-year student Mohammed Khambhati Huzefa, has raised US$250,000 (S$325,000) in pre-seed funding from Afore Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm

Researchers have developed an AI system that automatically figures out where an inspection photo was taken inside a building by matching it to the building's digital model, with no GPS or manual tagging required. The system achieved under two meters of location error and dramatically outperformed existing AI approaches.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, carry out computer experiments to track how water nanodroplets wet surfaces

An international research team has discovered a method to precisely synthesize extremely small Iridium Nanoclusters that outperform conventional, commercially available iridium catalysts by 1.5 times in mass activity. This breakthrough could result in improved production of green hydrogen.

Sweet power nanogenerator, Cosmic fossil, Dopamine and Alzheimer's link, Sustainable 3D printing, Quantum dots for brain diseases, Smart trolley and Bamboo and bone. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus SciCom Coffee talk: Inside a University Merger.

Lingnan University has achieved a major advancement in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2027, rising 120 places to 581st globally, its biggest jump in recent years. Lingnan recorded an outstanding performance across several key indicators, achieving a full score for International Faculty, ranking 34th worldwide, alongside a highly competitive result for International Students, placing at 76th worldwide. The University also achieved a significant rise of 211 places in Sustainability and climbed 64 places in Academic Reputation.

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.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (UTokyo-IIS) have developed a real-time data assimilation system that substantially improves streamflow and flood forecasting accuracy across Japan.

Researchers from The University of Osaka, SEC, and Juntendo University have developed quantum multi-programming auto mode, a function that automatically runs quantum programs from different users in parallel. Implemented in OQTOPUS and launched on QIQB’s quantum computer cloud service, the system reduces idle qubit resources, improves throughput, and may help ease congestion in quantum cloud computing.

Scientists found that certain chemical impurities, such as hydrogen and oxygen, help amorphous carbon form graphite-like, ultralow-friction interfaces under mechanical stress. The findings reveal how impurities can enable self-forming lubricating surfaces, offering a new strategy for designing durable, energy-efficient materials.

A study co-led by an SUTD researcher has developed an AI-powered deep-learning framework trained on experimental data rather than simulations, enabling faster and more accurate design of light-controlling nanostructures.

Researchers from Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo analyzed Nankai Trough seafloor displacement data, detecting previously unknown variations in the locking strength between tectonic plates

On 19 May 2026, a delegation led by Prof Wei Zhiqiang, President of Qingdao University, visited Lingnan University, and was warmly received by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, and other University representatives. Prof Qin and Prof Wei signed a university-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) witnessed by representatives from both institutions to further coordinate development and reinforce collaboration between higher education institutions in Shandong and the Hong Kong SAR.

Researchers at Tohoku University used state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication technologies to demonstrate how we could be ready for large-scale spintronic p-computers.

- Professor Hyuk-Jun Kwon's team developed ultrahigh-resolution optical doping technology based on microlenses - The technology could potentially be implemented in next-generation 2D semiconductor-based CMOS - The study was published in Small, an international journal in the nanotechnology field

Spin waves are a promising way to reduce the energy-consumption of computing. New research shows that sending spin waves along a zig-zag path boosts the signal over 5,000 times compared to previous methods.

The LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration published today a new catalog of gravitational wave events. A total of 161 events, detected between April 2024 and the end of January 2025, have been added to the collection, bringing the total number of gravitational wave signals detected to date to 390. Among the most significant findings are: evidence for the existence of second-generation black holes, the most precise sky localization ever achieved for a gravitational wave source, and the first measurement of three vibrational modes of a black hole. A wealth of results that marks the coming of age of gravitational astronomy.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators proposed the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a new concept for bio-hybrid control that uses AI to interpret internal biological signals from insects. By integrating heartbeat, neural signal features, and body movement data, the team developed a cyborg cockroach system that can estimate environment-associated internal states and guide movement while reducing unnecessary stimulation.

Lingnan University announced that its Teaching and Learning Centre has been renamed the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITAL). This restructuring continues to support Lingnan University’s transformation into a leading liberal arts research university comprehensive in arts and sciences in the digital era, aligning with the University’s development and with the educational direction of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China.

[Content warning] A survey of nearly 12,000 children in 12 countries across Asia and Africa found that one in six internet-using children experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse.

The study from National Taiwan University reveals a single-layer zigzag-type metallic glass film with precisely tunable emissivity for thermal infrared camouflage technology.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo break down complex hydrological processes for students with a game-based rainfall model