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Professor Andrei Khlobystov, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, said, “We have investigated the ultimate limit for nanowire size while preserving useful . This is possible for selenium because the phenomenon of quantum confinement can be effectively balanced by distortions in the atomic structure, thus allowing the band gap to remain within a useful range.”

The researchers hope that these new materials will be incorporated into electronic devices in the future. Accurately tuning the band gap of by changing the diameter of the nanowire could lead to the design of a variety of customized electronic devices using only a single element.

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have developed a new, easily manufacturable solid-state thermoelectric refrigeration technology with nano-engineered materials that is twice as efficient as devices made with commercially available bulk thermoelectric materials.

As global demand grows for more energy-efficient, reliable and compact cooling solutions, this advancement offers a scalable alternative to traditional compressor-based refrigeration.

In a paper published in Nature Communications, a team of researchers from APL and refrigeration engineers from Samsung Electronics demonstrated improved heat-pumping efficiency and capacity in refrigeration systems attributable to high-performance nano-engineered thermoelectric materials invented at APL known as controlled hierarchically engineered superlattice structures (CHESS).

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A novel thin-film material capable of simultaneously enhancing the efficiency and durability of tandem solar cells has been developed.

Led by Professor BongSoo Kim from the Department of Chemistry at UNIST, in collaboration with Professors Jin Young Kim and Dong Suk Kim from the Graduate School of Carbon Neutrality at UNIST, the team developed a multi-functional hole-selective layer (mHSL) designed to significantly improve the performance of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells (POTSCs). Their study is published in Advanced Energy Materials.

Tandem solar cells are advanced photovoltaic devices that stack two different types of cells to absorb a broader spectrum of sunlight, thereby increasing overall energy conversion efficiency. Among these, combinations of perovskite and organic materials are particularly promising for producing thin, flexible solar panels suitable for wearable devices and building-integrated photovoltaics, positioning them as next-generation energy sources.

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Scientists at the University of Surrey have made a breakthrough in eco-friendly batteries that not only store more energy but could also help tackle greenhouse gas emissions. Lithium–CO2 “breathing” batteries release power while capturing carbon dioxide, offering a greener alternative that may one day outperform today’s lithium-ion batteries.

Until now, lithium-CO2 batteries have faced setbacks in efficiency—wearing out quickly, failing to recharge and relying on expensive rare materials such as platinum.

However, researchers from Surrey have found a way to overcome these issues by using a low-cost catalyst called cesium phosphomolybdate (CPM). Using computer modeling and , tests showed this simple change allowed the battery to store significantly more energy, charge with far less power and run for over 100 cycles.

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A study carried out at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC), in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, presents a new way to mitigate the rapid degradation of perovskite solar cells. The problem, which limits the use of these devices in everyday life, has challenged researchers in the field to find viable solutions.

Perovskite solar cells are a very promising photovoltaic technology. They are as efficient as and have lower production costs. In addition, they are light, flexible and semi-transparent, which opens up numerous possibilities for applications such as windows, clothing or tents that can generate electricity from sunlight.

However, the commercialization of these cells is hampered by their low durability due to the degradation that materials undergo when exposed to humidity and ambient temperature conditions during both manufacturing and use. This degradation affects the performance of the devices over time and therefore their durability.

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Almost half of the scientists who responded to a survey have experienced territorial and undermining behaviours from other scientists — most commonly during their PhD studies1. Of those affected, nearly half said that the perpetrator was a high-profile researcher, and one-third said it was their own supervisor.

Most of the survey respondents were ecologists, but the study’s organizers suspect that surveys focusing on other disciplines would yield similar results.

The gatekeeping behaviours that the study documents “damage careers, particularly of early-career and marginalized researchers”, says lead author Jose Valdez, an ecologist at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig. “Most alarming was that nearly one in five of those affected left academia or science entirely.”

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Today, we’re announcing our newest generative media models, which mark significant breakthroughs. These models create breathtaking images, videos and music, empowering artists to bring their creative vision to life. They also power amazing tools for everyone to express themselves.

Veo 3 and Imagen 4, our newest video and image generation models, push the frontier of media generation, with their groundbreaking new capabilities. We’re also expanding access to Lyria 2, giving musicians more tools to create music. Finally, we’re inviting visual storytellers to try Flow, our new AI filmmaking tool. Using Google DeepMind’s most advanced models, Flow lets you weave cinematic films with more sophisticated control of characters, scenes and styles, to bring your story to life.

We’ve partnered closely with the creative industries — filmmakers, musicians, artists, YouTube creators — to help shape these models and products responsibly and to give creators new tools to realize the possibilities of AI in their art.

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