Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77080-4 At a glance How large must a reaction network be to describe CO₂ hydrogenation on copper? A team led by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science calculated 152 elementary reactions using density functional theory, then combined machine learning with
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c14417 At a glance A Westlake University team compared a series of ruthenium complexes bearing NMe₂, H and CF₃ substituents to examine how ligand electronics and a reversibly coordinating carboxylate shape ammonia oxidation. The complexes share the same broader coordination framework, allowing the
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-026-02256-w At a glance Not all oxygen vacancies behave alike. In tetragonal zirconia, a team led by researchers at Nanjing University of Science and Technology compared two vacancy charge states known as F² and F¹ centres. Although both are created by
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c10078 At a glance How do oxygen vacancies change the fate of photogenerated charge carriers in blue TiO₂? Tae Gyun Woo and colleagues combine femtosecond Ti K-edge X-ray transient absorption, optical transient absorption and electronic-structure calculations. Early carrier cooling and
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c13561 At a glance CO2 electroreduction depends not only on the electrode but also on how CO2 reaches it. Aaron Z. Hoagland and colleagues coupled a nanobubble generator to a tin-cathode H-cell and compared it with conventional macrobubbling. With an air-
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c09942 At a glance Methane is abundant, but its strong carbon-hydrogen bonds make selective conversion under mild conditions a demanding chemical task. A team led by East China Normal University reports an electrocatalytic route that converts methane into formic acid by coordinating
Chemistry
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.3649572 At a glance Single-atom catalysts offer well-defined active sites, and their coordination environments provide a way to regulate how reaction intermediates bind. Researchers from Macau University of Science and Technology, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of
Chemistry
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77732-5 At a glance Human urine is a concentrated source of nitrogen and phosphorus, but its composition begins changing soon after collection. Urease converts urea into ammonia/ammonium and bicarbonate, raising pH and promoting uncontrolled mineral precipitation. This process can lead
Chemistry
Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.5012045 At a glance Polystyrene is useful precisely because its carbon backbone and aromatic rings are difficult to disrupt, but that durability also complicates chemical recycling. Oxidative methods can shorten PS chains and form oxygenated aromatic products, while deeper oxidation can
Chemistry
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77629-3 At a glance Polaritons are hybrid waves formed when light couples to collective excitations in matter. Their ability to confine electromagnetic energy far below the free-space wavelength makes them important to nanophotonics and possible on-chip optical systems. A
Chemistry
Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c11237 At a glance Lithium metal offers high theoretical capacity and a low electrochemical potential, making it a promising anode for high-energy batteries. Its surface, however, changes continuously during lithium plating and stripping. Uneven ion transport can lead to porous deposits, inactive
Chemistry
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77708-5 At a glance Fischer–Tropsch synthesis can turn syngas into liquid hydrocarbons and is an established route from feedstocks such as biomass to sustainable aviation fuel. The catalyst faces a linked challenge: raising carbon monoxide conversion does not necessarily place