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Patterns of polar vortices discovered in lead-free superlattices on silicon

A team at HZB has, for the first time, reported polar vortices in (BaTiO₃/SrTiO₃)₁₀ superlattices on silicon. These results expand the range of materials and substrates on which polar topological textures can occur and open up new options for incorporating complex ferroelectric states into silicon-based technologies.

Polar textures such as vortices have so far been observed almost exclusively in lead-containing superlattices comprising ultrathin ferroelectric and dielectric titanate layers on oxide substrates. The delicate balance between electrical forces, mechanical stresses (imposed by the substrate) and the energy required to change the direction of polarization leads to distinctive electrical dipole patterns in the ferroelectric layers.

In principle, structures with complex polar states could be used to develop novel components with specific functions, as the structures are small, stable and can be influenced by external electric fields. However, to achieve this, it would be important to replace the toxic lead and deposit the layers on silicon substrates, the ubiquitous platform of the semiconductor industry.

‘One-positron cyclotron’ could test a key prediction of the Standard Model

The positron is the antimatter counterpart of the electron, identical in mass but carrying an equal and opposite electric charge. Like the electron, it also behaves like a tiny bar magnet, and according to a key prediction of the Standard Model of particle physics, its magnetic moment should be exactly equal and opposite to the electron’s.

Through new research published in Physical Review Letters, Gerald Gabrielse and colleagues at Northwestern University in Illinois have unveiled a promising new way to test this assumption, by trapping a single positron in a “quantum cyclotron.”

Scientists Trap a Rare-Earth Metal in a Molecular Cage, Unlocking a Strange New State

Molecular cages helped chemists remove one electron from terbium, making an unusual form easier to study for possible uses in quantum computing and advanced sensors.

Rare-earth metals are essential to modern technologies, from smartphones and high-performance magnets to advanced medical devices. Yet separating these valuable elements remains a major challenge because many share remarkably similar chemical properties. Terbium is particularly difficult to manipulate, as it strongly favors a stable electronic state that resists change.

Now, researchers led by the University of Iowa have found a way to overcome this barrier, trapping terbium inside specially designed molecular cages and stabilizing an unusual form of the metal under ordinary environmental conditions. The breakthrough could open new possibilities for rare-earth separation and technologies ranging from quantum computing to advanced sensors.

Scientists Uncover a Hidden Secret That Could Transform Chemical Manufacturing

A hidden variable in chemical reactions could hold the key to cleaner and more efficient manufacturing.

Scientists have identified a hidden factor that can determine whether a chemical reaction succeeds or fails. By controlling tiny changes in acidity near electrodes, researchers dramatically improved the production of valuable chemical ingredients, raising the proportion of the desired product from approximately 16% to 97%.

The breakthrough, led by Professor Jaeyune Ryu of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering, could help make chemical manufacturing safer, cleaner, and more efficient. The researchers developed a method that uses oxygen and electricity to produce compounds used in plastics, medicines, adhesives, and other everyday materials without requiring the separate addition of peroxide oxidants.

NASA’s Artemis I Reveals a Surprising Radiation Mystery Near the Moon

Radiation near the Moon can pass straight through the body, yet preliminary Artemis I measurements suggest a smaller-than-expected increase in exposure compared with low Earth orbit.

Beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field, astronauts face a constant bombardment of high-energy particles from deep space. But how much radiation would they actually absorb during a journey around the Moon? NASA’s Artemis I mission offered a rare opportunity to find out. Aboard the uncrewed Orion spacecraft, two human-shaped mannequins carried more than 10,000 tiny crystal detectors that recorded radiation exposure throughout their simulated bodies.

Surprisingly, radiation doses near the Moon were only moderately higher than those in low Earth orbit, a smaller increase than researchers might have expected.

A Solar Storm Heading Toward Earth Suddenly Changed in Ways Scientists Didn’t Predict

Scientists have uncovered surprising behavior inside a powerful solar eruption that challenges existing models and could change how researchers predict space weather.

A massive eruption on the Sun sent a cloud of magnetized plasma racing toward Earth, where it underwent an extraordinary transformation. Over a distance of just 13 million miles, the cloud expanded by 21% as the plasma inside became three times hotter, defying expectations about how these solar structures evolve.

Researchers led by the University of Iowa documented the rapid growth using observations from two spacecraft positioned along the cloud’s path. Their findings challenge existing models of solar storms and could improve predictions of space weather events capable of disrupting satellites, navigation systems, and electrical grids.

Scientists Develop a Clever New Way To Kill Cancer Cells From the Inside

Scientists have developed an experimental strategy that exploits a chemical byproduct of cancer cells to produce anticancer drugs directly inside them.

Scientists in Japan have developed an experimental method that uses a chemical produced by cancer cells to manufacture anticancer drugs directly inside them. The approach relies on carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that certain tumors produce in unusually high amounts, to activate a chemical reaction designed to destroy cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue.

In a proof-of-concept study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute (PRI) demonstrated that their system could generate drug compounds selectively in cultured cancer cells. The findings suggest a possible alternative to conventional chemotherapy, although the technique has not yet been tested in animals or humans.