Natural Sciences

There is more than just graphene: In an interdisciplinary project, researchers have focused on a new class of two-dimensional materials known as MXenes. This versatile group of materials is suitable for a wide range of applications, from energy storage to medicine.

A bone-like composite developed at EPFL uses naturally occurring enzymes to accelerate mineralization through an energy-efficient, room-temperature process. The strong, lightweight material shows promise for bone repair applications.

In a current strategy paper, an international team with the participation of TU Graz calls for the search for room-temperature superconductors to be pursued in a coordinated manner and with combined forces - and presents a programmatic approach for its success.

New research into why lithium-ion batteries tend to lose power over cycles of charge and discharge could help unlock the next generation of more durable, fast-charging power cells. An international team of chemists and engineers from the UK, China, and Germany have published a paper which challenges the conventional assumptions about how batteries should be optimised to maximise performance, highlighting the importance of electrical, rather than ionic, conductivity.

Scientists reveal that even small differences in solar magnetic activity produce detectable changes inside the Sun.

An international research team including Stefan Kimeswenger, astrophysicist at the University of Innsbruck, has tested a new approach to studying Earth-like exoplanets.

Breakthrough discovery provides new clues about how these celestial bodies - that push the known laws of physics to their limits - find each other.

Scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered that placing magnetic films on atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) fundamentally changes how they lose energy, a finding that could bring 2D-material spintronics a step closer to real devices.

Solid-state batteries do not use flammable liquid electrolytes and are therefore safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries. researchers have developed a solid electrolyte based on a stretchable polymer. The scalable material could allow the development of better solid-state batteries and be used in flexible batteries for medical applications.

Methanol is a key starting material for chemical products. Researchers from ETH Zurich can now produce this precursor from CO₂ and hydrogen with high efficiency by using isolated metal atoms as catalysts.