Advanced imaging reveals a detailed understanding of the mechanisms driving a previously misunderstood material, researchers say

The study serves as a benchmark for quantum chemical methods in modeling phosphate-containing clusters, opening new pathways for designing more efficient proton-conducting materials and understanding biological proton transfer.

Researchers at The University of Osaka use a nanoreactor to produce pores that mimic biological ion channels

Morphological characterization of the Fe 3 S 4 nanosheet-like structures. (a,b) SEM images at different magnifications. (c) TEM image, evidencing the two-dimensional structure, (d) HRTEM image with the corresponding FFT pattern shown in the inset. (e,f) Magnified views of the boxed regions marked in blue and pink in (d), highlighting the crystallographic planes of Fe 3 S 4 . (g−i) Dark-field STEM image and the corresponding EDX elemental mapping of Fe (red) and S (yellow). (

When ice melts into water, it happens quickly, with the transition from solid to liquid being immediate. However, very thin materials do not adhere to these rules. Instead, an unusual state between solid and liquid arises: the hexatic phase. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now succeeded in directly observing this exotic phase in an atomically thin crystal. Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy and neural networks, they filmed a silver iodide crystal protecte

With carefully designed tunable active sites, unique structure of new single atom platforms enables strong gas binding in pioneering step towards more efficient industrially-relevant catalysis.

The team’s breakthrough, reported in Nature on 19 November 2025, emerged from reimagining how light is generated. Instead of forcing current through insulating nanocrystals, the researchers wrapped them in specially-designed organic semiconductor molecules. These tailored ligands acted as molecular intermediaries, capturing electrons and holes under an electric field and transferring their energy to the lanthanide ions inside the crystal. The result was bright, stable light e

Light is fast, but travels in long wavelengths and interacts weakly with itself. The particles that make up matter are tiny and interact strongly with each other, but move slowly. Together, the two can combine into a hybrid quasiparticle called a polariton that is part light, part matter. In a new paper published today in Chem, a team of Columbia chemists has identified how to combine matter and light to get the best of both worlds: polaritons with strong interactions and fa

University at Buffalo researchers are theorizing that core electron bonding may not always require as much pressure as previously thought. In fact, for some elements, it may only take the atmospheric pressure you’re experiencing right now on the Earth’s surface. The researchers’ quantum chemical calculations, described in a study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, revealed insights on the semicore electrons of alkali metals, a gro

PFAS are fluorinated compounds found in many everyday products, such as outdoor clothing and cookware like Teflon pans. This is because PFAS are durable, heat-resistant and dirt-repellent. Their stability is precisely what leads to problems: although potentially harmful to our health, these substances are scarcely broken down at all in the environment and are regarded as ‘forever chemicals’. PFAS are also found in wastewater. Although they can be removed by filtration, this i

Using a combination of spectromicroscopy at BESSY II and microscopic analyses at DESY's NanoLab, a team has gained new insights into the chemical behaviour of nanocatalysts during catalysis. The nanoparticles consisted of a platinum core with a rhodium shell. This configuration allows a better understanding of structural changes in, for example, rhodium-platinum catalysts for emission control. The results show that under typical catalytic conditions, some of the rhodium in th

Chirality, or "handedness," is a fundamental property of objects, from galaxies to molecules, and plays a crucial role in biological systems. However, chiral compounds in living organisms such as sugars and amino acids, exist almost exclusively in a single form. This phenomenon, known as "biological homochirality," has long puzzled scientists, and its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Understanding how a preference for one chiral form over the other arises is crucial for