Boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen: these four elements can form chemical triple bonds with each other due to their similar electronic properties. Examples of this are the gas carbon monoxide, which consists of one carbon and one oxygen atom, or the nitrogen gas in the Earth’s atmosphere with its two nitrogen atoms.
Chemistry recognizes triple bonds between all possible combinations of the four elements—but not between boron and carbon. This is astonishing because there have long been stable double bonds between boron and carbon. In addition, many molecules are known in which triple bonds exist between two carbon atoms or between two boron atoms.
Chemists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, have now closed this gap: A team led by boron expert Professor Holger Braunschweig has succeeded for the first time in synthesizing a molecule with a boron-carbon triple bond, a so-called boryne, which exists as an orange solid at room temperature.
The scientists characterized the new molecule and also carried out initial reactivity studies. They present the results in the journal Nature Synthesis.
Boron atom in an uncomfortable situation
In the novel molecule, the boron atom is in a linear arrangement with carbon atoms. “In combination with the triple bond, this is about as uncomfortable as it gets for boron, requiring very special conditions,” says Dr. Rian Dewhurst, co-author of the study. This is why it has taken so long to synthesize such a triple bond for the first time.
What interests the Würzburg chemists about the new molecule: “Compounds in which individual atoms feel ‘uncomfortable’ often show a very interesting reactivity,” explains Maximilian Michel, the doctoral student who made the molecule in the laboratory.
It is precisely this reactivity that the team’s further work is now focusing on. Ultimately, this may result in innovative tools for chemical syntheses. The findings could also be helpful for a better understanding of chemical bonds and structures.
“Another benefit that is often overlooked: Basic research like ours inspires other researchers to put their efforts and imagination into synthesizing compounds that might seem improbable,” says Dewhurst. “World-changing advances often emerge from these kinds of crazy ideas.”
Teflon, for example, was discovered during research originally aimed at developing new refrigerants, while the well-known product superglue emerged by chance during attempts to produce transparent plastics.
Researchers at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, depend on the facility’s bright, stable electron beam to carry out groundbreaking experiments. Behind the scenes, a dedicated team of physicists, engineers, designers, and technicians in the facility’s accelerator complex are not only maintaining this system for reliable operation but also looking into ways to improve performance and unlock new areas of synchrotron science for the light source’s research community.
In an inventive new design that has been years in the making, the team has unveiled a proof-of-principle prototype for a new “complex bend” lattice design. This unique magnet array has sparked discussion about some intriguing possibilities for the future of NSLS-II’s accelerator, and the design is lighting the way for necessary next steps.
Building on a legacy of accelerator innovation
Synchrotrons like NSLS-II use powerful magnets to steer and focus an ultrabright beam of electrons as the beam circulates around a circular track called a storage ring. This beam produces intense X-rays that are directed to experimental stations known as beamlines, where they are used for a wide range of scientific investigations.
For decades, light sources around the world have relied on the Chasman-Green lattice, a complex arrangement of magnets also known as the double bend achromat lattice. Developed in the 1970s by Brookhaven Lab scientists Renate Chasman and George Kenneth Green, this design has become a foundational element of modern synchrotron light sources.
The NSLS-II storage ring is currently comprised of 30 double-bend achromat cells that support the construction of nearly 60 beamlines. At this time, 29 beamlines are operational and several more are in various stages of development.
In 2018, a group of scientists in NSLS-II’s Accelerator Division, led by Division Director Timur Shaftan, began exploring a new design for an upgraded lattice that showed promise in achieving very strong localized focusing and minimized beam emittance. Emittance is the measurement of how much the electrons in a beam will spread, which is important to light source facilities. The tighter the beam is, the brighter it will be.
For this reason, accelerator physicists are on the lookout for ways to minimize emittance as much as they can. This quest helped motivate a novel “complex bend” lattice, which requires closely spaced, high-strength, combined-function magnets. These magnets are placed along a curved trajectory, known as a “Halbach” cylinder arrangement, which requires the use of compact permanent magnet quadrupoles (PMQs). These magnets would serve a combined function, meaning they would operate not only as a quadrupole but also as a dipole component if needed.
Permanent magnets, in contrast to the widely used electromagnets that are currently in use at NSLS-II, would bring several benefits, particularly in their size and efficiency, but they also present some interesting challenges, namely the design and fabrication of these unique magnet modules.
Evolving prototypes
To test this revolutionary design, the accelerator team began developing prototypes at multiple scales. The initial prototype—a small, low-energy version—paved the way for a full-scale, high-energy model designed in collaboration with the Lab’s Collider-Accelerator Department. The next step is to install two full-scale prototypes in the NSLS-II accelerator tunnel to demonstrate their operational feasibility, a major milestone that calls for careful planning and cautious optimism.
“We are planning for success,” said Bernard Kosciuk, a mechanical engineer in the Accelerator Division’s Instrumentation Group. “Before installation, we need to take rigorous magnetic measurements in the lab that will instill a high level of confidence in the prototype’s performance. We want to address any uncertainty to ensure we can commission the prototype.”
These prototypes are a critical step toward developing an accelerator that uses the complex bend design, an approach that could deliver major benefits to NSLS-II. These permanent magnets will not require utility infrastructure or maintenance, and they will likely reduce power consumption and cost by an estimated 80%, from 1.7 megawatts to 0.3.
The low emittance would increase brightness by an estimated factor of 10–100, depending on the photon energy, which would make experiments at the beamlines more efficient. The space saved by the compact size would leave ample room for insertion devices and other accelerator equipment, allowing for new possibilities at future beamlines.
The six-year journey from concept to full-scale prototype has already built up momentum fairly quickly. Guimei Wang, leader of the accelerator coordination group at NSLS-II, led a team that successfully demonstrated the first complex bend prototype using the NSLS-II linac beam, a 200 megaelectron volt test setup, and a scaled-down version of a 3 gigaelectron volt machine. This first proof of concept would operate at 15 times less energy than a full-scale version.
“There were some challenges with this novel design,” recalled Wang. “Strong focusing made it difficult to match optics perfectly and avoid beam blowout. The compact size also made it difficult to incorporate diagnostic equipment. We were able to find innovative ways around some of these issues, including using machine learning to tune the beam, a flexible vacuum chamber connection, and a micrometer-resolution imaging system.
“The initial prototype ended up being a successful step in the project, though. The design maintained high gradient, comparable to a full-scale magnet, while significantly reducing the magnet size.”
In the National Synchrotron Light Source II Project Research and Development Facility, a prototype permanent magnet quadrupole is being tested for field quality. Credit: David Rahner/Brookhaven National Laboratory
This initial work led to a three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development proposal to scale up the prototype to a single girder assembly with combined-function PMQs and a vacuum chamber. Vacuum systems are integral to accelerators like this, but the radically different magnet design would place significant challenges on the vacuum chamber.
“The incredibly small aperture and straight magnetic elements required precision machining to accommodate a smooth beam radius while also allowing sufficient exit slot geometry,” explained Robert Todd, leader of the Vacuum Group at NSLS-II.
“This pushed the limits of machining and welding to create a thin-walled chamber, two meters in length, within tolerance and capable of withstanding vacuum forces. A careful design and machining approach led to a successful vendor collaboration and fabrication.”
“We had to come up with creative solutions because nothing like this had really been done before,” said Sushil Sharma, a senior advisor in the Accelerator Division and the lead on this project. “To keep our facility competitive with the rest of the world, we have to do a lot of research and development ourselves.”
There was another aspect of this prototype that needed to be realized. The low-energy version used simple PMQs that were able to focus and defocus, but bending was produced by displacing these magnets perpendicular to the beam. This new prototype needed to be designed to realize the multifunctional aspect of the magnets and allow bending to be produced by the PMQ itself at a larger size with optimized permanent magnet wedges, which required significant changes to their magnetization angles.
These changes, which were crucial to moving forward, were made possible through a collaboration with Brookhaven’s Collider-Accelerator Department. Stephen Brooks, an accelerator physicist within the department, was instrumental in developing the two-dimensional geometry for the PMQs.
Carefully closing in on the design of the future
An important aspect of the PMQs is their field quality, especially in combined function magnets. If a magnet is designed to have a dipole and quadrupole field, it should not show any other higher-order field. This was measured very precisely with a tiny copper coil that was created for the task in a collaboration with DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and ended up being a significant project in and of itself. Three of these coils were made and used to test the performance of this new magnetic measurement system. Passing those tests would lead to the biggest challenge yet.
“This prototype met the specifications we set, but to be installed in the storage ring, we need to validate its scalability, cost-effective production, and operational reliability,” said Sharma. “We’re currently working on the proposal to create two fully functional prototypes that fit these refined specifications and install them in the NSLS-II storage ring.”
These aren’t the only explorations that are happening. A team of scientists from NSLS-II’s Accelerator Division also participated in the recent “1,000 Scientist AI Jam Session” hosted by DOE in cooperation with OpenAI and Anthropic. At this event, teams of scientists and engineers from nine DOE national laboratories brought some of their toughest challenges to test advanced AI models and see how they could help with their research in the future.
“Our goal was to test the ability of AI tools to help us solve some of the problems related to the PMQ design in relation to the NSLS-II upgrade,” recalled Patrick N’Gotta, a magnet physicist in NSLS-II’s Accelerator Division who participated in the event.
“We investigated the mathematical model of the magnet, ideas for field correction, ways to improve our correction algorithm code, and the possibility of predicting a correction based on previous correction data. Overall, we’re convinced that AI is an interesting tool that can help our work and save us time if provided with the proper input and guidance.”
As designs are being tested and data is being analyzed from each study, NSLS-II staff and members of the greater light source community have been putting their heads together in a number of discussions and workshops.
In the last four years, the subject of an accelerator upgrade has been a topic of immense interest for scientists and engineers across the entire facility, with the complex bend being the core element for an upgraded machine. There is currently another large, exploratory science workshop with a focus on the accelerator upgrade being organized in early fall of 2025.
“Complex bend methodology conceived at NSLS-II is planned to become the main building block for a future facility upgrade, taking advantage of high-gradient, high-quality fields produced by complex permanent magnets for the low-emittance ring lattice design,” said Shaftan. “It will be really exciting to see the hard work that led up to where we are now become the accelerators of the future.”
Some beetles, such as Anomala albopilosa, strongly reflect left circularly polarized light (electromagnetic waves that oscillate leftward relative to the direction of light reception). This property originates from the formation of a cholesteric liquid crystal phase with an optically active, helical structure during chrysalis during exoskeleton formation and the solidification of this phase into a rigid skeleton while retaining its helical structure.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have coated the surface of its exoskeleton with an electrically conductive polymer, polyaniline. The polymer does not reflect circularly polarized light; however, electrical or chemical oxidation of the polymer changes its coloration, thereby changing its light transmittance.
By combining the color change caused by the oxidation and reduction of polyaniline with the exoskeleton’s properties of reflecting circularly polarized light, the researchers have crafted a new polymer element that can modulate the reflection intensity of the circularly polarized light. The work is published in the journal Next Materials.
First, the researchers examined the circularly polarized light reflectance of the exoskeleton. They confirmed that the green reflection of the exoskeleton is not caused by dyes, etc., but is a structural color (i.e., its coloration results from the reflection of light from the surface microstructure). They also confirmed that the exoskeleton strongly reflects left circularly polarized light.
Next, they coated the exoskeleton with polyaniline and created a polymer element with a two-layered structure comprising a conductive polymer and a sheath spring. For this coating, they measured the circularly polarized reflectance spectra of polyaniline in the oxidized state by doping it with ammonia and in the reduced state by dedoping.
They found that no circularly polarized light was reflected in the oxidized state. However, in the reduced state, left circularly polarized light was reflected. This research realizes a new bio/synthetic photofunctional material that combines the excellent optical properties of insects and the external field responsiveness of conductive polymers.
More information: Hiromasa Goto et al, Circularly polarized reflection spectra of a photonic beetle and preparation of tunable circularly polarized light reflecting device consisting of conductive polymer/beetle exoskeleton, Next Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.nxmate.2025.100516
Transistors are the fundamental building blocks behind today’s electronic revolution, powering everything from smartphones to powerful servers by controlling the flow of electrical currents. But imagine a parallel world, where we could apply the same level of control and sophistication—not to electricity, but to heat.
This is precisely the frontier being explored through quantum thermal transistors, devices designed to replicate electronic transistor functionality at the quantum scale, but for heat.
The rapidly growing field of quantum thermodynamics has been making impressive strides, exploring how heat and energy behave when quantum mechanical effects dominate. Innovations such as quantum thermal diodes, capable of directing heat flow in a specific direction, and quantum thermal transistors, which amplify heat flows similarly to how electronic transistors amplify electric signals, are groundbreaking examples of this progress.
These devices promise revolutionary advances in managing heat at nanoscale, critical for developing next-generation quantum and nanoscale technologies.
Despite this progress, the quantum thermal transistor lacked a comprehensive, practical model akin to the widely used Ebers-Moll model in electronics, which simplified complex transistor behaviors into understandable, manageable forms. Such models were instrumental in the rapid advancement and widespread adoption of electronic transistors, serving as fundamental tools for engineers and designers.
Addressing this crucial gap, our team at Monash University’s Advanced Computing and Simulation Laboratory (AχL), Australia, has developed a novel equivalent model for quantum thermal transistors.
This innovative model, recently published in APL Quantum, leverages a unique quantum analogy to the Ebers-Moll electronic transistor model.
From Ebers-Moll model to quantum thermal transistors We focused on a quantum thermal transistor consisting of two quantum two-level systems (qubits) interacting with a three-level system (qutrit), which collectively mimic the behavior of a traditional electronic transistor, but with heat instead of electric current.
Our research demonstrates that this quantum thermal transistor behavior can be effectively captured and explained using a simplified, yet powerful equivalent model composed of two quantum thermal diodes connected in a configuration analogous to the classical Ebers-Moll model.
This not only makes quantum thermal transistor technology more accessible and intuitive but also provides critical insights into optimizing their operation, such as determining ideal coupling strengths for maximum thermal amplification.
This development represents a significant step forward, laying a foundational framework that parallels the success of classical transistor models in electronics. By enabling clearer visualization, simulation, and design of quantum thermal circuits, this model opens the door to transformative advancements in thermotronic technologies with applications in thermal management.
Ultimately, translating electronic principles into thermal counterparts at the quantum scale represents a frontier of technological innovation, promising a new era where thermal energy is precisely managed much like electrical current in electronics, shaping the future of sustainable, efficient, and powerful quantum technologies.
This story is part of Science X Dialog, where researchers can report findings from their published research articles. Visit this page for information about Science X Dialog and how to participate.
Researchers in South Korea have developed a cobalt-iron (CoFe)-based non-noble metal ammonia decomposition catalyst, advancing eco-friendly hydrogen production. The work is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
The research team led by Dr. Su-Un Lee and Dr. Ho-Jeong Chae from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) has successfully developed a high-performance ammonia decomposition catalyst by incorporating cerium oxide (CeO2) into a cobalt-iron-based layered double oxide (LDO) structure. This innovation enables high ammonia decomposition efficiency at lower temperatures.
Ammonia (NH3) is gaining attention as a carbon-free hydrogen carrier due to its high hydrogen storage capacity and transport efficiency.
However, extracting hydrogen from ammonia requires a high-temperature decomposition process, typically facilitated by catalysts. Ruthenium (Ru) catalysts demonstrate the highest efficiency in this reaction, but their high cost and the need for elevated temperatures pose significant barriers to large-scale application.
To overcome these challenges, the research team developed a CoFe-based non-noble metal catalyst enhanced with cerium oxide (CeO2). This catalyst offers high ammonia decomposition efficiency at lower temperatures, ensuring cost efficiency and long-term stability.
Comparison of ammonia decomposition performance between the developed catalyst and existing catalysts. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT)
Advantages of cerium oxide incorporation:
Prevents particle agglomeration: Adjusts the surface structure of CoFe-based LDO catalysts, preventing metal nanoparticle sintering.
Enhances catalytic properties: Utilizes Ce3+/Ce4+ redox transitions to modulate the electronic characteristics of the catalyst.
Facilitating the rate-determining step:
The rate-determining step in ammonia decomposition is nitrogen recombination-desorption from the catalyst surface.
The newly developed catalyst optimizes this process, significantly accelerating ammonia decomposition even at lower temperatures.
Thanks to these advancements, the catalyst achieved 81.9% ammonia conversion at 450°C, surpassing previous non-noble metal catalysts.
This marks a significant improvement compared to a 2022 nickel-based catalyst, which exhibited only 45% conversion at 450°C.
Furthermore, long-term stability tests at 550°C demonstrated that the catalyst maintained structural integrity and hydrogen production efficiency even after prolonged operation.
The research team aims to further enhance low-temperature hydrogen production efficiency through additional studies, targeting commercialization by 2030.
“This catalyst can be applied to large-scale ammonia-based hydrogen production, hydrogen power plants, hydrogen fueling stations, and maritime industries,” Dr. Su-Un Lee stated.
More information: Su-Un Lee et al, CeO2-conjugated CoFe layered double oxides as efficient non-noble metal catalysts for NH3-decomposition enabling carbon-free hydrogen production, Chemical Engineering Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.156986
The orbital angular momentum of electrons has long been considered a minor physical phenomenon, suppressed in most crystals and largely overlooked. Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich have now discovered that in certain materials it is not only preserved but can even be actively controlled. This is due to a property of the crystal structure called chirality, which also influences many other processes in nature.
The discovery has the potential to lead to a new class of electronic components capable of transmitting information with exceptional robustness and energy efficiency.
From electronics to spintronics, and now to orbitronics: In classical electronics, it is primarily the charge of the electron that counts. In modern approaches such as quantum computing and spintronics, the focus has shifted to the electron’s spin.
Now, another property is entering the spotlight: orbital angular momentum (OAM). In simple terms, OAM describes how the electron moves within an atom—not in a classical orbit, but as a quantum mechanical distribution within an orbital.
“For decades, spin was considered the key parameter for new quantum-based technologies. But orbital angular momentum also has great potential as an information carrier—and is significantly more robust,” explains Dr. Christian Tusche from the Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-6) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The physicist is one of the lead authors of the study published in Advanced Materials.
The orbital angular momentum is one of the fundamental quantum numbers of the electron, similar to spin, which describes the apparent rotation of the electron. However, OAM is rarely observable in crystals. It is usually suppressed by the symmetrical electric and magnetic fields in the crystal lattice—an effect known as “quenching.”
In so-called chiral materials such as the cobalt silicide (CoSi) studied, this is different, as the team led by Dr. Tusche, together with partners in Taiwan, Japan, Italy, the U.S., and Germany, has now been able to show. The word “chiral” comes from the ancient Greek “cheir” for hand.
“These crystal structures lack mirror symmetry and are either left- or right-handed—just like the human hand. You can turn them around and they remain mirror images of each other,” explains Dr. Tusche. Chirality occurs frequently in nature. Sugar molecules, amino acids, and DNA all exhibit chiral structures.
Using high-resolution momentum microscopy and circularly polarized light, the researchers were able to resolve the orbital angular momentum in the chiral semiconductor for the first time—both inside the crystal and on its surface.
For the measurements, they used the NanoESCA momentum microscope operated by Forschungszentrum Jülich at the Elettra synchrotron in Trieste, Italy. They discovered that the handedness of the crystal—left- or right-handed—predictably affects the orbital angular momentum of the electrons.
Textures of the orbital angular momentum with mirror-image Fermi arcs that depend on the handedness of the crystal. Credit: Advanced Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202418040 New link between crystal structure and electron “Our results show that the structure of the crystal directly influences the angular momentum of the electrons—an effect that we were able to measure directly. This opens up a whole new door for materials research and information processing,” emphasizes experimental physicist Dr. Ying-Jiun Chen.
Dr. Dongwook Go, theoretical physicist at the Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-1) in Jülich, adds, “The discovery is particularly important for the emerging field of orbitronics, which uses orbital angular momentum as an information carrier for the next generation of quantum technology.”
A characteristic feature of the resulting orbital angular momentum texture are differently formed Fermi arcs: open, arc-shaped structures that become visible in so-called momentum space representations, as generated by momentum microscopy.
This opens up new perspectives for applications. In the future, information could be transmitted and stored not just via the charge or spin of electrons, but also through the direction and orientation of their orbital angular momentum. This so-called orbitronics—electronics based on orbital properties—could thus provide the foundation for a new class of electronic devices.
Applications The development of this future technology is part of the EIC Pathfinder project OBELIX, in which Prof. Yuriy Mokrousov from the University of Mainz is also involved. The theoretical physicist is also group leader at the Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-1) in Jülich and contributed fundamental theoretical models to the recent discovery.
Prof. Claus Michael Schneider also sees great promise. “For instance, it seems conceivable to use orbital angular momentum as an information carrier. Or one might employ circularly polarized light to selectively influence a crystal’s chirality, enabling a light-controlled, non-mechanical switch as an alternative to the transistor.
“Furthermore, coupling between orbital angular momentum and spin could allow integration into existing spintronics concepts—for example, in hybrid quantum devices,” says the director of the Peter Grünberg Institute for Electronic Properties (PGI-6) at Forschungszentrum Jülich.
How can we produce clean hydrogen without burning fossil hydrocarbons or other non-renewable energy sources? We can do so through photoelectrochemistry, or artificial photosynthesis, a method that—just like photosynthesis—uses sunlight and water, as with electrolysis, to obtain hydrogen, without generating harmful emissions. A group of researchers from the Department of Physics of the University of Trento has focused precisely on this approach.
One of the most innovative aspects of their research project is the use of photocatalysts (semiconductor materials) based on two-dimensional materials, and in particular, on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). This material is lightweight and sustainable and is used to break the chemical bond of the water molecules to produce hydrogen.
The research has shown that when used in the form of a single atomic layer, these photocatalysts offer superior performance compared to the thicker and less orderly structures previously tested. This discovery could open the way to a more efficient use of these materials in the production of green hydrogen.
Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising solutions for energy transition. But most hydrogen produced today is made via the “steam reforming” method, where methane (a fossil fuel) is heated to high temperatures; a process that is not fully sustainable. The Trento-based research team instead focuses on the production of hydrogen through photoelectrochemical cells.
This is a clean process that does not use hydrocarbons or other non-renewable energy sources to break the chemical bond of the water molecules to produce hydrogen.
“The graphitic compound based on graphitic carbon nitride has been suggested as a possible photocatalyst. In contact with water, this semiconductor absorbs visible sunlight and transforms it into chemical energy to allow the movement of electrons within matter. Before our work, little was known about these mechanisms,” explains Francesca Martini, lead author of the study.
“By studying the formation and propagation of excitons (a bound electron-hole pair), particles produced by sunlight in carbon nitride formed by a single layer of atoms, we realized that they have a very low speed and move in the photocatalyst thanks to a combined motion that includes the vibrations of the atoms.”
The authors of the study are surprised by this result. The electrons are more than two thousand times smaller than the atoms of the photocatalyst. Therefore, they move faster, just as a swarm of insects (the electrons) moves around a person (the atom). This, however, does not happen in carbon nitride. It is as if the swarm of insects agrees with the person to walk arm in arm like a couple, until they meet a hydrogen ion together.
“When this happens,” explains Matteo Calandra, study coordinator, “the atom bows and lets the electron that binds to the hydrogen ion pass through. Just as the father (the atom) of the bride (the electron) does when he takes her to the altar (hydrogen ion).”
The work of researchers will continue as they will perform numerical simulations on a database of over five thousand materials to which they have access, to perform a computational screening and identify better catalysts than the current ones.
“We hope that this research will lead to a strong innovation in the production of hydrogen from photoelectrolytic cells. Thanks to this methodology, we can now systematically identify better-performing materials and accelerate progress in the production of green hydrogen,” concludes Pietro Brangi, co-author of the study.
This project represents a significant step towards energy sustainability.
More information: Francesca Martini et al, Ultraflat excitonic dispersion in single layer g-C3N4, Carbon (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2024.119951
In conventional heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), a laser is used to locally heat the recording medium to facilitate data writing. However, the thermal energy applied is largely dissipated within the medium and does not contribute directly to the recording efficiency. Moreover, this high-temperature process consumes substantial energy and raises concerns regarding the magnetic and physical degradation of the medium, especially under repeated use.
The research team focused on the temperature gradient generated within the recording medium during laser irradiation. They developed a novel structure by inserting an antiferromagnetic manganese-platinum (MnPt) layer beneath the iron-platinum (FePt) recording layer. This structure achieved approximately 35% improvement in recording efficiency compared to conventional HAMR.
This enhancement stems from spin currents generated by the temperature gradient, which induce spin torque that assists magnetic switching—effectively augmenting the conventional thermal assist effect. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that spin torque can be applied to hard disk drives (HDDs), paving the way for a new class of recording technologies.
Building on these results, the team aims to apply the technology to FePt nanogranular media and advance TST-HAMR as a practical recording method for future HDDs. This could lead to higher-capacity and more energy-efficient HDDs, contributing to the advancement of next-generation storage technologies.
The world’s demand for alternative fuels and sustainable chemical products has prompted many scientists to look in the same direction for answers: converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO).
But the labs of Yale chemists Nilay Hazari and James Mayer have a different chemical destination in mind. In a new study, Hazari, Mayer, and their collaborators present a new method for transforming CO2 into a chemical compound known as formate—which is used primarily in preservatives and pesticides, and which may be a potential source of more complex materials.
The finding opens a new pathway for chemical discoveries, they say, and widens the possibilities for addressing environmental problems by transforming greenhouse gases into useful products.
The new study was published on March 7 in the journal Chem.
“Most of our fuels and commodity chemicals are currently derived from fossil fuels,” said Hazari, the John Randolph Huffman Professor of Chemistry, and chair of chemistry, in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). “Their combustion contributes to global warming and their extraction can be environmentally damaging. Therefore, there is a pressing need to explore alternative chemical feedstocks.”
Hazari, who is also a member of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, and Mayer, the Charlotte Fitch Roberts Professor of Chemistry in FAS, are co-corresponding authors of the study. They are also part of the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE), a solar energy research hub based at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The challenges for transforming CO2 into usable products—on an industrial scale—are formidable. Such processes require new catalysts that work under milder conditions (less extreme temperatures and pressures) and exhibit higher productivity and stability than currently available catalysts.
For the new study, the research team focused on a relatively under-explored type of catalytic system called an immobilized molecular catalyst. This is a system featuring a molecular catalyst that is attached to a solid support material.
The researchers developed molecular manganese catalysts that were attached to semiconducting, thermally oxidized porous silicon. When exposed to light, the silicon absorbs the light and transfers electrons to the manganese catalyst, which then converts CO2 to formate.
“Formate is a very appealing product, as it is a potential stepping-stone to materials used industrially in very large quantities,” Mayer said. “Our work here opens the door to the use of readily available porous silicon as a support for molecular catalysts, in part because it establishes that the presence of a thin oxide layer improves catalyst selectivity and stability.”
The researchers had previously worked with hydride-terminated porous silicon, said Eleanor Stewart-Jones, a graduate student in chemistry at Yale and co-lead author of the study.
“There’s a rich literature studying the modification of porous silicon surfaces,” she said. “Knowing that these surface modifications can be used to tune catalysis will hopefully be impactful for future hybrid catalysts using porous silicon.”
The researchers also noted that the discovery may have applications for catalysts that work with other chemical feedstocks, beyond CO2.
More information: Young Hyun Hong et al, Photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate using immobilized molecular manganese catalysts on oxidized porous silicon, Chem (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2025.102462
A recent study has mathematically clarified how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. The researchers derived a new equation that characterizes the travel of these waves through magma, revealing how the relative proportions of crystals and bubbles influence wave velocity and waveform properties.
The ratio of crystals to bubbles in subterranean magma reservoirs is crucial for forecasting volcanic eruptions. Due to the inaccessibility of direct observations, scientists analyze seismic P-waves recorded at the surface to infer these internal characteristics.
Previous studies have predominantly focused on the influence of gas bubbles, with limited consideration given to crystal content. Moreover, conventional models have primarily addressed variations in wave velocity and amplitude decay, without capturing detailed waveform transformations.
In the study, published in Physics of Fluids, the researchers developed a new equation by integrating two distinct mathematical models of magma flow. The results show that P-wave velocity decreases as the proportion of bubbles increases relative to crystals, with bubbles exerting a more significant influence than crystals.
Conversely, attenuation effects were found to be more strongly affected by crystals. The analysis further revealed that waveform characteristics depend on frequency and bubble content, with discernible differences emerging between the two underlying models.
The new equation enables the time-dependent calculation of P-waveforms based on the bubble and crystal content in magma. Looking ahead, the research team intends to integrate this model with machine learning techniques to estimate the internal composition of magma from observed P-waveforms, with the goal of enhancing the accuracy of volcanic eruption prediction systems.
