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THE ORIGINAL COLLECTION · SINCE 2010

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Research announcements from universities, hospitals and scientific institutions. Explore the stories, people and discoveries behind the headlines.

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Energy

Preventing dangerous short circuits in lithium batteries

Lithium-metal batteries are among the most promising technologies for energy storage. They offer significantly more energy in less space — and at a lower weight. However, one phenomenon slows down their development: tiny, needle-like metal structures called dendrites, made of lithium. They can grow uncontrollably inside the battery and cause devastating short circuits. Until now, solid electrolytes, including polymer-based electrolytes, have been considered a way to suppress this growth. “Electrolytes are responsible for transporting lithium ions back and forth between the two electrodes inside a battery — making ...

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Energy

Scientists uncover hidden nuclear droplets that link multiple leukemias and reveal a new therapeutic target

A hidden structure inside the cell is rewriting how scientists understand leukemia. Beneath the microscope, what looked like disorder turned out to follow a simple physical rule – one that connects several major mutations behind the disease. In new research from Baylor College of Medicine published in Cell, scientists reveal that different genetic drivers of leukemia use the same secret compartments inside the cell nucleus to keep cancer growing. The finding points to a shared physical target that could inspire new kinds of treatments. The ...

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Energy

Controlling next-generation energy conversion materials with simple pressure

ukuoka, Japan—Researchers at Kyushu University have designed a class of molecules whose ability to amplify light energy can be actively controlled by simply applying pressure. The findings, published in the journal Chemical Science, may open new possibilities for highly efficient energy conversion devices and advanced medical therapies. The study is centered on a physical process called singlet fission (SF). SF is a mechanism where, when a molecule is struck by a single high-energy photon, it splits that energy to create two lower-energy excited states instead of just one. In effect, it acts like an ...

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Energy

Lithium‑ion dynamic interface engineering of nano‑charged composite polymer electrolytes for solid‑state lithium‑metal batteries

Solid-state lithium-metal batteries (SSLMBs) are the holy-grail of next-generation energy storage, but their commercialization has been stymied by dendrite growth, fragile interfaces, and the ion-conductivity vs. mechanical-strength trade-off. Now, researchers from Sichuan University, led by Prof. Yu Wang and Prof. Xuewei Fu, have introduced a “lithium-ion dynamic interface (Li⁺-DI)” strategy that turns charged halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) into nano-interfacial engineers, delivering composite polymer electrolytes ...

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Energy

UV light holds promise for energy-efficient desalination

A team of UC Riverside researchers has uncovered a potential breakthrough in solar desalination that could reduce the need for energy-intensive saltwater treatment. Led by Luat Vuong, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in UCR’s Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, the team has demonstrated for the first time how the highest frequencies of sunlight—specifically invisible ultraviolet (UV) light—can break the stubborn bonds between salt and water. “To our knowledge, nobody else has yet articulated this deep UV channel for salt-water separation,” Vuong said. “UV light in the wavelength range of 300-400 nanometers is used ...

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Energy

Plugging nanoscopic cracks to make hydrogen cleaner and cheaper

Hydrogen is already an important source of energy. The $250 billion industry supports fertilizer production, steel manufacturing, oil refining, and dozens of other vital activities. While nearly all hydrogen produced today is created using carbon-intensive methods, researchers are racing to develop cheaper ways of producing hydrogen with a lower carbon footprint. One of the most promising approaches is water electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to power a reactor — called an electrolyzer — to split water (H2O) molecules into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Electrolyzers ...

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Energy

New molten salt method gives old lithium batteries a second life

As electric vehicles become more common, the number of used lithium-ion batteries is soaring. These batteries contain valuable metals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium, but current recycling methods often destroy the complex crystal structure that makes them work efficiently. Now, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology have developed a new molten salt technique that restores the structure and performance of used high-nickel cathode materials, offering a greener and more efficient route to battery recycling. The study, published in Energy & Environment Nexus, introduces a direct regeneration strategy ...

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Energy

Dirty water boosts prospects for clean hydrogen

Wastewater can replace clean water as a source for hydrogen production, eliminating a major drawback to hydrogen fuel and reducing water treatment costs by up to 47%, according to new research from Princeton Engineering. The findings, reported Sept. 24 in the journal Water Research, are a step toward making hydrogen a practical pathway to decarbonize industries that are difficult to electrify, such as steel and fertilizer production. Z. Jason Ren, the senior study author, said that current electrolytic hydrogen production requires a large amount of ...

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Energy

Thiophene-doped fully conjugated covalent organic frameworks for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production

The research teams of Professors Yu Tang and Fengjuan Chen from Lanzhou University proposed a new mixed ligand strategy. By introducing complementary building units into covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and systematically regulating their ratios, they achieved synergistic optimization of the four key steps in the photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide synthesis, effectively breaking through the constraints between various performance indicators and significantly improving the overall catalytic efficiency. Studies have shown that the introduction of the DTTA unit significantly broadens the light absorption range and enhances the charge carrier separation ability; while the TA component ...

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Energy

Heavier electric trucks could strain New York City’s roads and bridges, study warns

New York City’s roads and bridges already incur millions in annual damage from oversized trucks, and a new study warns the shift to electric freight could intensify that burden. As electric trucks replace diesel models, their heavier batteries could increase the city's yearly repair costs by up to nearly 12 percent by 2050. Led by C2SMART researchers at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in collaboration with Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and published in Transport Policy, the study finds that oversized trucks already cause about $4.16 million in damage ...

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Energy

New ‘molecular dam’ stops energy leaks in nanocrystals

A collaborative team of scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California Irvine, and Fort Lewis College, led by RASEI Fellow Gordana Dukovic, has found a way to slow energy leaks that have impeded the use of tiny nanocrystals in light-driven chemical and energy applications. As described in a new article published October 13 in the journal Chem, the team has used a molecule that strongly binds to the nanocrystal’s surface, essentially acting like a ‘dam’ to hold back the energy stored in the charge-separated state formed after light absorption. This technique extends the lifetime of the charge separation ...

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Energy

Researchers get wind of hydrogen’s role in the gut

Key points Hydrogen gas is produced in the gut, with some expelled as flatulence Researchers have shed new light on how gut microbes make and use hydrogen This will help in understanding and maintaining overall gut health Farts are causing a stink in the research world, but in a positive way. Melbourne scientists have revealed how hydrogen is made and used in the human gut. Though infamous for making farts ignite, hydrogen also has a positive role supporting gut health. In this study published in Nature Microbiology, ...

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Energy

Physical activity increases total daily energy use, study shows

The effects of physical activity don’t stop when the movement does. In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Virginia Tech researchers in collaboration with researchers at the University of Aberdeen and Shenzhen University found that being active adds to the total energy you use every day without causing the body to conserve energy in other ways. This is important because the health benefits of increasing physical activity are already well-documented, but there is less research about how exercise impacts a person’s “energy budget,” or the allocation of energy to different ...

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Energy

Epidural electrical stimulation for functional recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes paralysis in roughly one million people worldwide, with incident cases rising yearly. Beyond motor and sensory deficits, patients frequently experience muscle atrophy, spasticity, heterotopic ossification, and autonomic dysfunction, all of which severely impair quality of life. Current treatments are rehabilitation-centered; medications, physical therapies, and surgery rarely reverse neural damage. In recent years, epidural electrical stimulation (EES) has emerged as a neurorehabilitation approach. Prior animal and clinical studies suggest that EES, delivered via electrodes implanted ...

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Energy

Unmasking the culprits of battery failure with a graphene mesosponge

To successfully meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we need significant breakthroughs in clean and efficient energy technologies. Central to this effort is the development of next-generation energy storage systems that can contribute towards our global goal of carbon neutrality. Among many possible candidates, high-energy-density batteries have drawn particular attention, as they are expected to power future electric vehicles, grid-scale renewable energy storage, and other sustainable applications. Lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries stand out due to their exceptionally ...

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Energy

Circularly polarized luminescence enhancement in rare-earth MOFs due to framework chirality and host–guest energy transfer

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) represent ideal platforms for circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Incorporating rare-earth ions into MOFs enhances their luminescence via the antenna effect. Chiral imidazolium carboxylic ligands serve as excellent chiral building blocks for CMOFs. These ligands not only sensitize lanthanide ion emission through the antenna effect but also transfer chirality to the framework through coordination, enabling CPL. Their cationic nature imparts a positive charge to the framework channels, facilitating the immobilization of anionic guests through host-guest interactions. This enables modulation ...

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Energy

The paper industry can become more energy-efficient with a new measurement method

The pulp and paper industry consumes large amounts of energy. But despite stricter EU requirements for efficiency improvements, there has been no way to measure and compare energy consumption between different companies in a fair way. In collaboration with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, now present a solution that has great potential to be used throughout the EU. “Even if this would contribute to increasing efficiency by one or a few per cent only, this involves so much energy that it can make a huge difference,” says Kristina Nyström, PhD student at the Department ...

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Energy

Helping farmers, boosting biofuels

RICHLAND, Wash. — New research has found cover crops that are viable in Washington’s normal “off season” don’t hurt the soil and can be sold as a biofuel source. After harvest, farmland often sits fallow and unused until growers seed in the next crop. Soil can erode, weeds can take root, and farmers don’t make any money during that time. Cover crops can eliminate or reduce some of those issues, but many farmers have concerns about their effects on soil quality, a reduced growing window for their primary crop, and the inability to sell ...

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Energy

SwRI, 8 Rivers patent more cost-effective, efficient power generation system with liquid oxygen storage

SAN ANTONIO — October 15, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and 8 Rivers have patented a system that leverages fluctuations in energy demand by using liquid oxygen storage (LOX) to make power plants more cost-effective and efficient. To accomplish this, the Institute modified a recently developed power cycle, the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, which combusts fuel, like natural gas, using an oxygen and carbon dioxide mixture to allow complete carbon capture, producing minimal greenhouse gas emissions. The Allam-Fetvedt Cycle ...

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Energy

A prototype glucose battery inspired by the body’s metabolism

Researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have devised a battery powered by vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and glucose. Inspired by how human bodies break down glucose for energy using enzymes, the team incorporated riboflavin into a prototype flow cell battery. The riboflavin mediator helped shuttle electrons between the battery’s electrodes and the glucose electrolyte, generating an electrochemical flow from the energy stored in the sugar. “Riboflavin and glucose flow cells can generate electricity from naturally ...

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Energy

Fatal Attraction: Electric charge connects jumping worm to aerial prey

A tiny worm that leaps high into the air — up to 25 times its body length — to attach to flying insects uses static electricity to perform this astounding feat, scientists have found. The journal PNAS published the work on the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, a parasitic roundworm, led by researchers at Emory University and the University of California, Berkeley. “We’ve identified the electrostatic mechanism this worm uses to hit its target, and we’ve shown the importance of this mechanism for the worm’s survival,” says co-author Justin Burton, an Emory professor of physics whose lab led the mathematical analyses of laboratory experiments. “Higher ...

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Energy

Can smoother surfaces prevent hydrogen embrittlement?

As the world strives to achieve carbon neutrality and slow down climate change, hydrogen has emerged as a promising fuel and energy carrier. Producing only water when consumed, hydrogen could help decarbonize industrial processes, power generation, and transportation. However, fulfilling this vision requires massive infrastructure—from high-pressure storage tanks to dedicated pipelines—that must withstand constant material stress due to the nature of hydrogen. One of the biggest obstacles is hydrogen embrittlement. This is a complex phenomenon where metals, including ...

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Energy

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

Some industrial processes used to create useful chemicals require heat, but heating methods are often inefficient, partly because they heat a greater volume of space than they really need to. Researchers including those from the University of Tokyo devised a way to limit heating to the specific areas required in such situations. Their technique uses microwaves, not unlike those used in home microwave ovens, to excite specific elements dispersed in the materials to be heated. Their system proved to be around 4.5 times more efficient than current methods. While there’s more to climate ...

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Energy

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

Some people flip off the lights the moment they leave a room, while others rarely think twice about saving energy. According to the most comprehensive analysis of people’s sentiments toward household energy savings to date, publishing October 10 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports Sustainability, people’s attitudes and moral sentiments about their energy usage—rather than income or knowledge of how to conserve power—determine whether they take action at home. Domestic energy usage accounts for about a fifth of all energy consumption in the United States and European Union. Understanding what matters ...

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Energy

Energy flexibility is reshaping Finland’s electricity market

The future of the electricity market may depend less on big power plants and more on everyday choices made at home. Nayeem Rahman’s dissertation at the University of Vaasa shows how consumers are gaining influence through energy flexibility, with direct implications for sustainability and costs. For decades, the low cost of electricity provided little incentive for consumers to change their energy consumption habits. However, as prices surged due to the energy crisis that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many ...

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