[Image above] Credit: ACerS
NANOMATERIALS
2D materials have hidden cavities that can modify electronic behavior
Columbia University researchers found that 2D materials can self-form microscopic cavities that trap light and electrons, altering their quantum behavior. With a miniaturized terahertz spectroscope, they observed standing light-matter waves without needing mirrors.
ENERGY
Dual-level engineering strategy for battery interlayer
Chung-Ang University researchers demonstrated a dual-level engineering strategy using metal–organic framework-derived hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers embedded with low-coordinated cobalt single-atom catalysts to enhance lithium–sulfur battery performance.
World-first use of 3D magnetic coils to stabilize fusion plasma
Scientists at the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority used magnetic coils to apply a 3D magnetic field and stabilize instabilities in a spherical tokamak plasma for the first time. This achievement shows that advanced control techniques developed for conventional tokamaks can be successfully adapted to compact configurations.
BIOMATERIALS
Oyster-inspired ‘bone glue’ bonds fractures
Chinese researchers created a new kind of medical adhesive called “Bone-02.” Inspired by oysters, the glue is designed to repair broken bones quickly without the need for metal plates, screws, or big surgeries. It bonds bone fragments together in 2–3 minutes, even in blood-rich areas where most adhesives fail.
ENVIRONMENT
Tiny stones rewrite Earth’s evolution story
ETH Zürich researchers uncovered an unexpected witness to Earth’s distant past: tiny iron oxide stones called ooids. These mineral snowballs lock away traces of ancient carbon, revealing that oceans between 1,000 and 541 million years ago held far less organic carbon than previously thought.
MANUFACTURING
Atom-scale stencil patterns help nanoparticles take new shapes and learn new tricks
Inspired by an artist’s stencils, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Michigan, and The Pennsylvania State University developed atomic-level precision patterning on nanoparticle surfaces, allowing them to “paint” gold nanoparticles with polymers to give them an array of new shapes and functions.
Using crystals and light, scientists unlock new ways to grow materials on-demand
By striking gold nanoparticles with ultrafast lasers, Michigan State University researchers were able to “draw” crystals. They now plan to use multiple lasers of different colors to “draw” even more intricate crystal patterns.
Simple stabilizing solution leads to seven new ceramic materials
By removing oxygen from the tube furnace during synthesis, researchers led by The Pennsylvania State University created seven new compositionally complex oxides. They synthesized bulk ceramic pellets of the seven novel compositions.
OTHER STORIES
Bendable, self-healing, and heating concrete
Michigan State University researchers developed flexible concrete that is self-healing and produces heat, which could prove to be an environmentally friendly option for roads in terms of snow and ice removal.
Why some quantum materials stall while others scale
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers developed a system for evaluating the scale-up potential of quantum materials. Their data-driven framework combines a material’s quantum behavior with its cost, supply chain resilience, environmental footprint, and other factors.
This 250-year-old equation just got a quantum makeover
An international group of physicists brought Bayes’ centuries-old probability rule into the quantum world by deriving from first principles. Their work connects quantum fidelity (a measure of similarity between quantum states) to classical probability reasoning, validating a mathematical concept known as the Petz map.
Ice XXI: Scientists use X-ray laser to identify new room-temperature phase
Researchers led by Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science identified and described a new phase of ice called ice XXI. This structurally distinct ice forms when water is rapidly compressed to supercompressed water at room temperature.
The accidental discovery that forged the Iron Age
At a 3,000-year-old workshop in Georgia, Cranfield University researchers discovered that metalworkers were using iron oxide not to smelt iron but to improve copper yields. These discoveries give weight to a long-discussed theory that iron was invented by copper smelters.
Jingdezhen’s ancient ceramics ‘gene bank’ decodes the cultural legacy of Chinese porcelain
At the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, a vast “gene bank” of ancient ceramics is unlocking the technological and cultural codes of porcelain production in China. Inside the facility, rows of cabinets contain ceramic samples dating from the late Tang Dynasty (618–907) to the Republic of China (1912–1949).
Author
Lisa McDonald
CTT Categories
- Weekly Column: “Other materials”
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October 15, 2025