Nanoscience News (<front>)

Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00216H, PaperXinjie Yuan, Pengfei Qiu, Chuanyao Sun, Shiqi Yang, Yi Wu, Yumeng Wang, Ming Gu, Lidong Chen, Xun Shi
Thermoelectric (TE) technology provides a promising self-powered solution to the wearable electronics and Internet of Things (IoT), but the output voltage density and power density of current TE devices are...
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Nature Materials, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02206-w

Multislice electron ptychography reveals ferroelectric microstructures with sub-ångström lateral resolution and nanometre depth resolution, directly imaging a ferroelectricity generated by anion displacements relative to the Nb sublattice.

Nature Materials, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02219-5

Inspired by the entangled structure of double-network hydrogels, the authors integrate stiff truss and compliant woven components into metamaterial architectures to realize simultaneous high stiffness and high stretchability.

Nature Materials, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02205-x

Limited by challenges in light-atom imaging, microscopic investigations of ferroelectricity have used cation–cation displacements as a proxy for the true cation–anion distortions. Using electron ptychography, oxygen anions can be tracked to observe an otherwise-hidden ferroelectric mechanism in thin-film NaNbO3, which would have appeared antiferroelectric from cations alone.

Nature Energy, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01762-4

Llewelyn Hughes is a social scientist working on the low-carbon energy transition, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region, and Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. He talks to Nature Energy about evolving trade relationships and interdependencies in the energy transition, and the role of social sciences research in informing policy in these spaces.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01904-5

This study presents an oral CRISPR–Cas9 delivery system that precisely disrupts the TRAP1 gene in colorectal cancer, enhancing chemo-immunotherapy with robust antitumour effects.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01907-2

The FDA-approved nanodrug ferumoxytol can relieve reactive oxygen species in haematopoietic stem cells, facilitating their post-injury regeneration.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 23 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01919-y

Microscale ferroelectric topological textures in freestanding BaTiO3 nanomembranes enable dynamic vortex light manipulation via nonlinear spin-to-orbit conversion.

Black hole radiation from non-vacuum initial states

Hawking derived the black hole thermal radiation state by comparing the vacuum state at the future null infinity I+ with that at the past null infinity I-. We revisit Hawking’s computation, considering a non-vacuum initial state at the past of the black hole geometry. We show in which cases the black hole radiation arising from the initial matter state differs from the well-known thermal state. We moreover classify what initial states are distinguishable from one another through measurements on the black hole radiation in this framework. Finally we provide a physical interpretation of the classification, using Algebraic Quantum Field Theory localisation.

• Speaker: Ali Akil, Hong Kong University
• Friday 25 April 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Potter room/Zoom: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/88420112623?pwd=uogMItLtNT8pn4aks1hO4nJVmonbpV.1.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Xi Tong.

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An Explicit Filtered Lie Splitting Scheme for the Original Zakharov System with Low Regularity Error Estimates in All Dimensions

In this talk, we present low-regularity numerical schemes for nonlinear dispersive equations, with a particular focus on the Zakharov system (ZS) and the “good” Boussinesq (GB) equation. These models exhibit strong nonlinear interactions and are known to pose significant analytical and numerical challenges when the solution has limited regularity.

We concentrate on our recent results for the Zakharov system, where we construct and analyze an explicit filtered Lie splitting scheme applied directly to its original coupled form. This method successfully overcomes the essential difficulty of derivative loss in the nonlinear terms, which not only obstructs low-regularity analysis, but has long prevented rigorous error estimates for explicit Lie splitting schemes based directly on the original Zakharov system. By developing multilinear estimates in discrete Bourgain spaces, we rigorously prove the first explicit low-regularity error estimate for the original Zakharov system, and also the first such result for a coupled system within the Bourgain framework. The analytical strategy developed here can also be extended to other dispersive equations with derivative loss, offering a way to overcome both low-regularity difficulties and the fundamental obstacle posed by derivative-loss nonlinearities. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical predictions.

• Speaker: Hang Li (Sorbonne Université)
• Thursday 01 May 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Centre for Mathematical Sciences, MR14.
• Series: Applied and Computational Analysis; organiser: Georg Maierhofer.

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The Porous Medium Equation: Multiscale Analysis of a Zero-Range Process, Integrability Estimate and Large Deviations

We consider a doubly-rescaled zero-range process with jump rate $g(k)=k\alpha, \alpha>1$, with scaling parameters $\chi_N\to 0, N\to \infty$, as a microscopic model for the porous medium equation. As a result of the superlinear jump rate, new ingredients are needed in addition to the Kipnis-Landim framework, of which the most interesting is an integrability estimate: Even if one can prove rapid equilibration on macroscopically small boxes, the superexponential estimate could fail due to configurations in which a vanishing proportion of mass produces a nonvanishing contribution to the $L\alpha_{t,x}$ norm. In order to rule this out, we show that the realisations of the particle system enjoy pathwise regularity estimates with superexponentially high probability across suitably chosen scales, which can be used in a multiscale argument to obtain the necessary integrability. Joint work with Benjamin Gess (TU Berlin / Max-Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences)

• Speaker: Daniel Heydecker (Imperial College)
• Tuesday 06 May 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR12.
• Series: Probability; organiser: Perla Sousi.

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Title to be confirmed

Abstract not available

• Speaker: Longfei Shangguan, University of Pittsburgh
• Tuesday 13 May 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Computer Lab, FW26 and Online.
• Series: Mobile and Wearable Health Seminar Series; organiser: Cecilia Mascolo.

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Materials RIG Seminar: Professor Sally Brooker

tbc

• Speaker: Prof. Sally Brooker, University of Otago
• Thursday 05 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Unilever Lecture Theatre.
• Series: Materials Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Sharon Connor.

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Materials RIG Seminar: Professor Sally Brooker

tbc

• Speaker: Prof. Sally Brooker, University of Otago
• Thursday 05 June 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Unilever Lecture Theatre.
• Series: Materials Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Sharon Connor.

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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00264H, PaperZonglong Song, Jiangfeng Wang, Yuqi Bao, Jie Zeng, Deng Wang, Jiang He, Peide Zhu, Bo Jiang, Zhixin Liu, Siru He, Yanna Hou, Ziyang Hu, Chen Xie, Yongsheng Chen, Yongsheng Liu, Xingzhu Wang, Baomin Xu
By introducing moroxydine hydrochloride to optimize the crystallization of wide-bandgap perovskites, phase separation of halides was suppressed, achieving a PCE of 18.76%. This technology significantly improved photothermal stability.
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TBA

Abstract not available

• Speaker: Kay Schönwald (Zurich U.)
• Friday 06 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: MR19 (Potter Room, Pavilion B), CMS.
• Series: HEP phenomenology joint Cavendish-DAMTP seminar; organiser: Terry Generet.

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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00650C, Paper Open Access &nbsp This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.Jianbo Dong, Guolang Zhou, Wenhao Ding, Jiayi Ji, Qing Wang, Tianshi Wang, Lili Zhang, Xiuyang Zou, Jingzhou Yin, Edison Huixiang Ang
A machine-learning-designed cerium-iron MOF layer enhances Zn anode stability, achieving over 4300 hours at 1 mA cm−2 and 99.8% coulombic efficiency over 1400 cycles at 2 mA cm−2, providing a cost-effective protective strategy.
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LMB Seminar - Title TBC

Abstract not available

• Speaker: Nenad Ban - ETH Zurich
• Wednesday 17 September 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97937314535?pwd=SciQzQiuFkLGF3ERwcMiLLTEbryUxV.1.
• Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.

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Thermal vortex rings: the vortex dynamics

A thermal is a convective structure generated from a localized buoyancy anomaly, say, released from the surface. Since it evolves into a donuts-shaped vorticity, the vortex ring, it may be more precisely called the thermal vortex ring. Thermals are often considered basic elements of fully-developed convection in astrophysical and geophysical flows, as most vividly visualized by a cauliflower-like structure of cumulus-convective clouds. This talk revisits the problem of the thermal vortex ring from a point of view of the vortex dynamics. More specifically, I present: 1) a modon solution of a thermal vortex ring as an extension of Hill’s vortex; 2) a concise description based on the volume integrals of the vorticity weighted by a power of the distance from the vortex-ring axis; 3) derivation of a classical similarity solution based on it, as well as 4) a development of a closed system based on an explicit simulation. Those investigations as a whole suggest that the thermal vortex ring could be interpreted as a type of two-dimensional turbulence.

• Speaker: Dr Jun-Ichi Yano, University of Reading
• Friday 13 June 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: MR2.
• Series: Fluid Mechanics (DAMTP); organiser: Professor Grae Worster.

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Perfect modelling of linear and nonlinear vibration

It is suggested that a universal, simple equation exists that can be used for modelling all linear and nonlinear vibration. The motivation for this work comes from vibration testing. Here, a structure may be set into vibration and the resulting motion captured. This motion can be modelled perfectly by the proposed equation. More surprisingly the model will be familiar to all those who know about vibration. Finally, a good algorithm exists for fitting the model to data. The fitted equation is the homogeneous solution of the differential equation describing the structure and consequently the differential equation, linear or nonlinear, can be deduced. All these claims seem too good to be true! The talk will give details of the equation the modelling algorithm and applications. The author is interested your view of the universality of the modelling.

• Speaker: Dr Hugh Goyder, Cranfield/ AWE
• Friday 30 May 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: JDB Seminar Room, CUED.
• Series: Engineering - Dynamics and Vibration Tea Time Talks; organiser: div-c.

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