Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111320 "new 8B13B coding scheme on field-programmable gate array, employing return-to-zero format maintaining balanced number of logical 1 and 0 bits, suppressing visible flicker for stable synchronization... up to 3.48 Mbit/s data rates over approximately 3 m, packet (893 bits) loss rate10^−4 to 10^−5... commercially available: field-programmable gate array, Raspberry Pi, and other electronic parts... autonomous driving (traffic lights/ street lamps transmit data to vehicles)"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111289 "speculative decoding splits workload: edge GPU predicts likely token (word) sequence, data center GPU batch verifies sequences... eliminates idle time/ speeds overall response... 67.6% reduced cost/ token, 1.91x more efficient, increased processing capacity, 2.22X increased server throughput... works over standard internet, servers handle verification requests from multiple edge devices simultaneously... smartphones, neural processing units"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111319 "integrated into multi-periodic spin tunnel junction... stabilizes 2 exotic magnetic texture mixture (Bloch-type skyrmions/ bimerons) at room temperature, conducive for low power electron flow control... purify electron spin before reaches LED by passing through 4 sequential MgO tunneling barriers... skyrmions create nanoscale gradient magnetic field bending electron paths toward texture's core... spin-based logic, LEDs/ lasers for secure communication, scalable/ low-power data storage solutions"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-dual-cation-strategy-boosts-upconversion.html "triggers structural transition improving energy transfer between rare-earth ions, for increased luminescence intensity/ quantum yield... 32X increased upconversion intensity, 70X increased quantum yield, maintains high thermal/ chemical robustness... phosphors produce bright, tunable green/ blue under 980 nm laser excitation, ideal for: secure anti-counterfeiting (hard to replicate durable labels), solid-state lighting (high-performance, long-lasting LED components) resisting dimming at high temperatures"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111215 "efficiently generated using phase-matched 2nd-order nonlinear processes in optical crystals... linear to super-linear photocurrent response to pulse energy... scalable manufacturing... free-space communication system was demonstrated as a proof of concept, where a message was encoded by the laser source-transmitter and decoded by the 2D sensor-receiver. This research has potential applications in super-resolution microscopy, material processing, optical communications, and spectroscopy" Related: HKU Engineering scholar demonstrates the smallest all-printed infrared photodetectors to date https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111575

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1111246 "encapsulates up to 60% stearic acid by weight without leakage... approximately 118 J/g thermal storage density (melting enthalpy)... improved thermal conductivity compared to pure stearic acid, allowing efficient heat absorption/ release... elevates stearic acid activation energy, indicating improved thermal stability... retains >97% original heat storage capacity, maintains stable phase change temperatures after 100 heating/ cooling cycles... chitin from seafood waste: low-cost, environmentally friendly... buildings, electronics"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-outline-atomic-scale-polaritons.html "polaritons: hybrid quasiparticles formed when light couples intensely with matter... light manipulations: travels along specific paths, bends in direction opposite of typical when passing between materials, guided in straight line without dispersing... faster, smaller integrated optical circuit computing components, super-resolution imaging of objects smaller than traditional light limits, biosensors for highly sensitive biological molecule detection. thermal management of heat into/ dissipated from electronics"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-ai-device-ion-gel-graphene.html "avoids multiply-accumulate operations... ambipolar behavior from interaction between graphene/ ion gel: fast processing from graphene's high electron mobility, gel's ions/ electrons move at different rates creating wide range of time constants (reaction speeds) allowing processing complex data patterns more efficienctly... 1/100th computational load due to fewer required operations... Edge AI running on sensors or smartphones without draining their batteries or requiring massive data centers"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-ultrathin-ferroelectric-capacitors-compact-memory.html "3-layer sandwich: 5 nm platinum top electrode, 20 nm scandium-doped aluminum nitride ferroelectric layer, 5 nm platinum bottom electrode... easily embedded into logic circuits... treating the bottom platinum electrode at 840°C improved its crystal structure, vital for maintaining switching performance in thinner films... mobile/ IoT devices, integrating logic/ non-volatile (due to high remanent polarization from using scandium-doped aluminum nitride) memory, nano-scale ferroelectric RAM/ tunnel junctions"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-silicon-atom-processor-links-qubits.html "Silicon Quantum Computing's 14|15 platform scales quantum capacity without fidelity loss... precision-placed (1 with 4 phosphorus atoms, 1 with 5, linked by electron exchange) within purified silicon-28... allows for non-local entanglement across different registers, with entanglement preserved for up to 8 nuclear spins... more compatible with existing manufacturing techniques than competing superconducting/ ion-trap designs... future: optimizing control pulses, further increasing qubit quantity"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-safe-fast-batteries-multilayered-alkali.html "alkali metal ions (like lithium, sodium, potassium) sandwich ultradense 4-atom layer between sheets of graphene... nanochannels/ pores act as ion superhighways with 83% capacity retention after 3K high-speed cycles... metal deposits inside carbon frame rather than on surface, mitigating dendrites... potential carbon structures: graphite with atomic channels for deeper ion penetration, hard carbon with nanopores for sodium-ion storage, carbon spheres with mesochannels directing ions along optimal paths for stability"

https://now.uiowa.edu/news/2025/12/ui-study-could-lead-faster-more-secure-quantum-tech "directing laser at atom triggering consistent single-file line of photons hampered by: creates stray light acting like electrical interference/ >1 photon might be emitted at a time compromising data fidelity... tuning laser beam angle/ shape causes the 2 problems to cancel each other out... single-file line harder to eavesdrop on than jumbled group of photons/ orderly streams easier to control/ integrate into complex circuitry for scalability... optical quantum computing, secure communications"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-formula-energy-barriers-2d-chips.html "more accurate predictive formula addresses contact resistance hindering 2D semiconductor commercialization... ultra-scaled molybdenum disulfide chips thinner/ more efficient than silicon-based... Schottky barrier forms when materials touch metal electrodes, blocking electron flow... when semi-metallic bialkali metals approach 2D semiconductor at specific angles, electron pathways within molybdenum disulfide expand, lowering barrier.. also, vacuum level energy level shift significantly alters barrier height" Related: TSMC says started mass production of 'most advanced' 2nm chips https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-tsmc-mass-production-advanced-2nm.html Tiny tech, big AI power: What are 2-nanometer chips? https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-tiny-tech-big-ai-power.html

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-quantum-machine-nears-partial-error.html "quantum processors noisy needing millions qubits to fix tiny errors accumulating in hundreds of gates required for AI models... overcome: don't need to correct every gate as more than half trainable, adapting to noise during learning... correcting only non-trainable gates achieves accuracy levels comparable to full error correction... requires only few thousand qubits instead of millions... quantum-powered AI capable of training on massive datasets in seconds could be achieved in years rather than decades"

https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/ev-battery-cooling-for-faster-charging-with-hydrohertzs-dectravalve/ "addressing thermal gradients at module level allows batteries to sustain peak charging speeds for significantly longer periods.... no: hot spots where some cells overheat while others remain cool forcing charging speeds' throttle to protect battery... routes heating/ cooling to specific modules rather than entire pack, maintaining consistent temperature across all cells... hottest cell remained below 44.5°C with 2.6°C spread across pack... up to 68% faster charging, up to 10% more range, preserves long-term pack health"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110794 "magneto-conversion enables enough energy density to alleviate EV range concerns, while lowering thermal runaway/ explosion risk... lithium entering anode creates magnetic nanoparticles which align due to magnetic field... Lorentz Force disperses lithium ions evenly across electrode surface rather than letting them clump together... >99% Coulombic efficiency for 300+ cycles... lithium stored both within/ on oxide matrix surface... viable pathway for replacing graphite-based batteries with more powerful lithium-metal"

https://frontis-energy.com/tag/materials-for-renewable-and-sustainable-energy "Nafion™ degrades structurally/ rapidly losing efficiency above 80°C, dehydrating at high temperatures/ low humidity, making protons less conductive... synergistic effect: sulfonated clay enhances water-attraction, carbon nanotubes improves structural integrity/ reinforces conductivity pathways... at 120°C/ 20% relative humidity: 443 mW/cm² Peak Power (4x higher than standard Nafion™, 42.3 mS/cm conductivity at low humidity, glass transition (thermal stability limit) 150 (was 120°C), better durability"

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251226045350.htm "persists even if crystal sliced/ reshaped... 6 directions along surface where electrons refuse to pair... naturally traps stable/ environmentally noise resistant Majorana particles (split electrons) along edges... step edges created, producing/ controlling these particles... fault-tolerant qubits... future: devise ways to manipulate the material, such as thinning it or applying magnetic fields, to isolate these quantum effects for use in future quantum computers"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110859 "vortex beams' ring size expands as topological charge (orbital angular momentum) increases hindering use in systems requiring multiple beam superpositions/ bulky & hard to align generation methods (spiral phase plates, axicons)... overcome using metasurface light manipulation creating beams: elliptical/ fractional-order (specialized spatial shaping), multi-channel & concentric-ring (multiple beam parallel generation from 1 surface), grafted (angular momentum non-uniform distributions), optical manipulation/ communication"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-sustainability-functionalized-graphene-materials.html "make graphene dissolvable by doping with nitrogen without: toxic chemicals/ harsh acids, >600 °C, significant waste... ball-milling grinds graphite with bio-derived amino acids, breaks/ reforms chemical bonds in solid state eliminating need for solvents, then paired with vitrimers... high electrical conductivity/ easier dispersion... 80% starting material converted to final product, no: long heating cycles (post-annealing)/ solvent recovery... electricity heals cracks... longer-lasting, repairable aerospace/ electronic components"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-fabricating-photon-sources-carbon-nanotubes.html "difficult controlling how many light-emitting points (defects) nanotube has/ where located... overcome by stretching nanotube across microscopic trench, exposing nanotube to iodobenzene vapor, then focused UV laser strikes specific spot on nanotube stopping as soon as 1 photon-emitting point (defect) created... controlling emitter's position to within a μm enables nanotube integration into photonic circuits on chips... unhackable data transmission"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-rare-hall-effect-reveals-pathways.html "low magnetic moment requires significantly less energy to manipulate spins, leading to ultra-low-power devices/ allows for the efficient electrical reading and control of magnetic data... polycrystalline alloys easier/ cheaper to produce than single- crystal samples, aiding industrial scalability... neuromorphic computers, non-volatile memory"

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/lensless-imager-breaks-optical-resolution-limits "event horizon telescope inspired synthetic aperture imaging for nm-precise physical alignment of visible light sensors... allowing independent sensor operation, captures raw light intensity/ phase diffraction patterns with software to stitch data together after the fact... algorithms synchronize wavefields digitally, creating virtual lens much larger than any individual sensor could provide... sub-micron resolution without sacrificing wide field of view/ requiring camera closeness... medical diagnostics, industrial inspection, remote sensing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110555 "interface 2D semiconductor tungsten diselenide with organic semiconductor perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride... energy transfers from 2D to organic layer in <10⁻¹³ seconds... excitons generally immobile (localized), excitons highly mobile (delocalized), hybrid at interface harnesses best of both: 2D materials' speed/ movement alongside organic chemistry's light-harvesting strengths... solar cells' more efficient energy capture/ transfer, ultrafast optoelectronics, quantum state manipulation for information processing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110787 "emissive layer of QDs, hole-transport polymer, UV-activated crosslinker... no harsh chemicals/ photoresists degrading performance... UV triggers polymer to form network locking QDs in place, patterns develop using simple solvent, bypassing destructive ligand exchanges... >10K (single color)/ 1K ppi (full RGB) pixel density, 1.7X increased external quantum efficiency, nearly 3X device lifetime... of the device. scalable:  demonstrated on  4" wafer... AR, VR, smart glasses, optoelectronic chips"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-lowering-barriers-ai-technique-llms.html "LangVAE and LangSpace software make LLMs more explainable/ controllable while drastically reducing resource costs... Geometric Mapping: Instead of modifying LLM itself, creates compressed representations of language... treats internal patterns as geometric shapes/ points in space, allowing mathematical model behavior adjustment... lowers barrier to entry to AI development, more scientists can contribute to AI safety/ explainability... makes AI behavior more predictable for mission-critical fields like healthcare"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-optimized-nanotube-amplify-electromagnetic-field.html "identified shape using: isoieometrics–based boundary element method modeling complex EM fields around tube boundaries, hybrid optimization combining global/ local search algorithms, parametric modeling ensuring shapes manufacturable... stable even if incoming waves' angle changes... scalable: appliable to large nanotube arrays, not just single pairs... nanophotonics/ plasmonics, high-sensitivity sensors, EM gratings/ photonic metasurfaces (for cloaking/ flat lenses), advanced signal processing, wave-manipulation"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110828 "multipath interference, clock bias, complex multi-beam transmissions limits use for navigation, overcome combining advanced 5G signal tracking with real-time fusion of satellite/ cellular measurements... 5G synchronization/ reference signals stabilize tracking in environments affected by multipath interference, reducing ranging errors... phase-stabilized Kalman filter helps maintain accurate carrier phase estimates... continues delivering reliable positioning when satellite visibility is severely limited... autonomous vehicles"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110807 "LLMs using memory 8 times smaller than uncompressed LLM scored better on math, science, coding tests while spending same time amount reasoning... helps LLMs respond to more user queries simultaneously, reducing power needed/ task... benefits AI solving complicated tasks or slow/ limited smart home/ wearables' memory... Dynamic Memory Sparsification decides which data units (tokens): important enough to keep/ can be deleted... faster reasoning/ same quality compared with non-compressed models"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-vision-method-links-photos-floor.html "maps/ photos look nothing alike, making correlating by AI difficult, overcome with dataset of 90K pairs floor plans/ photos (manually aligned) across nearly 600 internet photos turned into 3D models... includes 153 million pixel-level matches, allowing AI to see spot in photo corresponding to map coordinate... reduces errors by 34%... step toward multi-modal 3D computer vision... robots navigating indoor spaces using only blueprint, AR helping people find way through buildings, digital modeling: 3D architecture reconstructions"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-chirality-electricity-voltage-driven-method.html "naturally achiral molybdenum disulfide single crystal semiconductor in chiral ionic liquid containing specific right-handed or left-handed molecular ions... positive voltage applied to transistor's gate electrode forces chiral ion accumulation on crystal's surface imprinting ions' handedness onto electronic state of crystal surface without permanent bonding... achieved Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity allowing only electrons with specific spin direction through/ Electrical Magnetochiral Effect... new way to control electron spin"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-ionic-liquids-perovskite-degradation-solar.html " acts as multi-functional additive during fabrication: binds to positively charged lead ions filling halide vacancies, added to perovskite precursor slows down crystallization for larger grains/ fewer imperfections, additive migrates to bottom (buried) interface, suppressing defects where perovskite meets underlying layer... tested at 90°C, 1,500 hours simulated full sunlight: retained 90% initial performance... scalable: ionic liquid easy to synthesize/ compatible with large-area panel blade coating methods... tandem solar compatible"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-exciton-moir-superlattices-method-leverages.html "moiré superlattice: 2 layers dichalcogenides stacked with small rotational mismatch, creating periodic potential trapping electrons/ excitons, for easy charge-neutral exciton manipulation using electric fields... electrostatic doping (adjusting gate voltage) to change electron density radically alters how excitons move... when electrons dense forming Mott insulator, exciton diffusivity up to 100X greater... when electrons rigid/ Wigner crystal, exciton flow suppressed trapping energy... excitons, not electrons, as information carriers"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110207 "bulky/ costly current sensor elimination... derives duty cycle using only inductor voltage equation, split into feedforward/ control components... built-in delay compensation ensures current/ voltage perfectly aligned... implements on standard digital signal processors avoiding complex mathematical observers/ models... 1.3 kW prototype: up to 0.9998 power factor, low 2.12% total harmonic distortion at full load, high tolerance for variations in circuit parameters, for scalability... slimmer laptop adapters, compact chargers"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110535 "at least 2 orders magnitude less expensive than etching away bulk materials' layers using caustic acids, 90% weight purity (was 60%), tetrachloroethylene safer/ more stable than highly reactive precursors... MXenes atomically thin highly conductive, ideal for: hosting ions between layers for faster-charging batteries, EM interference shielding/ optoelectronics, highly efficient catalysts in industrial chemistry"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-quantum-entanglement-drones-disaster-relief.html "wireless signals/ fiber optics disrupted during wildfires/ natural disasters but not with instant entanglement information transmission not reliant on external network/ open internet... qubits store more complex environmental information like amplitudes/ phases (audio/ video from fire line) more efficiently than classical bits... change in entangled partner allows base station(s)/ rest of swarm to read it instantly... quantum/ classical technologies work together as single system... less energy-intensive AI, better data security"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109523 "maintaining small, controlled barrier at metal/ semiconductor interface allows operation in contact-controlled mode, significantly improving long-term consistency... shifting current flow control from semiconductor channel to contact interface enables aging effect/ voltage shift resistance caused by trapped charges... stays stable even at ≤-4 V... silver contacts, multimodal transistor designs allow for more uniform current between devices/ simpler circuit architectures... OLED/ microLED displays, wearable sensors"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110614 "sensitivity signal loss trade-off solved, moving away from using boron/ phosphorus... bombard silicon waveguide with germanium ions, creating controlled defects, without having to add free carriers that degrade optical signals.... high sensitivity in both O-band (1,310 nm) and C-band (1,550 nm), ultra-low absorption ensuring strong primary data signal, minimal electrical noise when no light present, low bias voltage reducing power consumption... programmable photonic networks, medical diagnostics, lab-on-chip"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-driven-method-rapidly-complex-nanomaterials.html "replaces extreme heat/ pressure with sustainable, CO₂-driven chemical reaction bridge bonding disparate metal ions normally difficult to combine due to varying atomic sizes... add hydroxide ions, stir forming metal carbonate nanoparticles exhibiting non-crystalline highly disordered structure, often superior for chemical reactions... scalable, low-cost manufacturing, eco-friendly, enhanced durability/ catalytic efficiency... hydrogen production/ more efficient battery electrodes, semiconductors"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109726 "when electrolyte solidifies its molecules lock into place significantly hindering ion movement, overcome by maintaining constant ionic conductivity across liquid, liquid-crystal, solid phases... organic molecules with flat, disc-shaped center surrounded by long, flexible side-chains... positive charge spread evenly across molecule, preventing grabbing negative ions too tightly... molecules stack into rigid columns, but flexible side-chains provide enough space for negative ions to flow through them, even at lower temperature"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109809 "more flexibility, utilizing optical latent space/ Bayes-based training algorithms... scalable to dimensionality of optical network... high density, integrating >2 million photonic neuron-mimicking structures... high-resolution image synthesis, video manipulation/ style transfer, advanced denoising... performs tasks with speed/ energy-efficiency several orders magnitude higher than current electronic GPUs/ AI accelerators... significant step toward making large-scale generative AI more sustainable and faster"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-team-shatters-3d-nanofabrication-limits.html ">120K metalense array (ultrathin optical elements) splits single laser into thousands of coordinated focal spots... prints across cm-scale areas simultaneously rather than point-by-point... throughput 1,000X faster while maintaining sub-μm precision, feature sizes as small as 113 nm... spatial light modulator enables real-time intensity control of each individual beam... prints non-periodic, complex, stochastic structures (like 16 chess openings at once), quantum computing, fuel capsules (fusion energy), biomedicine, microelectronics" Related: Goodbye stereolithography: Scientists develop a faster and finer way to 3d print metal https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110463

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110364 "soft X-rays identify/ track specific atoms, observing how electrons reorganize during chemical reactions/ phase transitions in real-time... utilizes high-harmonic generation, advanced laser engineering, new pulse retrieval method... observes how: molecular rings open during polymerization, electrons interact with crystal lattices in solids, dynamics driving quantum devices, processes powering PV/ catalysis... operates below atomic unit of time... physics, chemistry, biology, quantum, material/ drug design"

https://www.uts.edu.au/news/2025/11/scientists-reveal-it-is-possible-to-beam-up-quantum-signals "satellite downlinks limited by hardware size/ power (suitable for just sending secret keys), overcome by first uploading, despite atmospheric interference/ signal loss, then downlinks... greater bandwidth with access to more power/ cooling, lower satellite costs (only re-directs), easier maintenance since at ground... aligns 2 single light particles from separate ground stations to meet on satellite traveling 20,000 km/h... allows quantum computers to plug into global network for massive distributed computations across continents"

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-heat-pump-turns-sunlight-into-heat "heat source: twaste heat or solar energy... converts 293°F heat source into 518°F, shattering the previous 392°F limit... instead of mechanical compressors, uses interaction between sound waves/ heat converting thermal energy into intense acoustic waves to pump heat from a low-temperature source to a high-temperature sink... ceramics, petrochemicals and metallurgy... future: 2,372°F by 2040"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110089 "0 net magnetization (like antiferromagnets) but with spin-split electronic structures (like ferromagnets), best of both: stable, high-density, easy to read electrically... poor sample quality overcome using sapphire substrates/ precise growth conditions to align all crystal axes... memory cells packed much closer together without interfering with each another since no stray magnetic fields... altermagnets inherently faster switching speeds than ferromagnets... future: discover other altermagnetic materials" Related: Flat Fermi surface in altermagnets enables quantum limit spin currents https://phys.org/news/2025-12-flat-fermi-surface-altermagnets-enables.html Reversible spin splitting effect achieved in altermagnetic RuO₂ thin films https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reversible-effect-altermagnetic-ruo-thin.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110092 "non-toxic, low-cost, stable, less electrical loss... larger, more uniform grains enhances charge transport/ collection... at interface between molybdenum back contact/ thin-film absorber: unwanted chemical reactions/ unintended atomic movement, overcome using 7-nm thick germanium oxide interlayer created exploiting oxidation during vapor transport deposition... 4.81% (was 3.71) Power Conversion Efficiency... contact resistance: thin-film transistors; PCE: thermoelectric; performance: photodetector/ memory devices"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110024 "mimics neuron Compute-in-Memory: digital logic more accurate but uses more energy than analog... versatile platforms switching between traditional/ neuro-inspired networks based on application... only communicates (sends spike) when electrical charge (membrane potential) reaches threshold... responds to irregular/ occasional events (sparse signals) enabling AI to operate onboard device (like drone), outside large data centers/ cloud... event-Based cameras send data only when pixel change detected" Related: Single coin-battery runs AI, from multi-sensor fusion to high-fidelity voice/ vision, for years https://mailchi.mp/allaboutcircuits/experience-ai-on-a-coin-cell-at-ces-8871931?e=197a4256c6

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-transparent-ceramic-boost-internet-energy.html "cheaper, easier manufacture at scale, better chemical composition control... faster, smaller, more energy-efficient... contain tiny, dynamic few atoms wide polarization pockets fluctuating continuously... zentropy theory: with small, fluctuating pockets, extremely low energy barrier required for polarization to flip, allowing almost instant polarization adjustment under applied electric field... optical communications, sensing, medical imaging, optical modulators/ switches... future: make lead-free, replace lithium niobate"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nanoscale-magnetic-mazes-center-communications.html "enables depositing cerium-substituted yttrium iron magnetic garnet films onto substrates with different lattice mismatches (opposite strain types). with both films still exhibiting strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy...  film's magnetic direction primarily determined by magnetotaxial anisotropy (growth-related effect from how atoms arrange during deposition) which is >10X more important than substrate strain... magnetic domains orders of magnitude smaller, Faraday rotation 1.6X better, low saturation field"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109988 "pressure forces the material's electrons closer together, unlocking extraordinary electronic behaviors... charge-density waves, collective electronic behaviors, typically weaken or disappear under pressure in similar materials, but in this specific material, this behavior not only strengthens under extreme pressure but also emerges at room temperature" Related: Physicists push superconducting diodes to high temperatures https://phys.org/news/2025-12-physicists-superconducting-diodes-high-temperatures.html Scientists unlocked a superconductor mystery under crushing pressure https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251219093328.htm

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-optical-modulation-silicon-electron-avalanche.html "single free electron generated by 1 absorbed photon is accelerated by applying high voltage to silicon diode, gaining enough energy to collide with atoms/ create multiple additional free electrons in chain reaction... significantly amplifies resulting change in silicon's metallicity... effect modulates reflected intensity of 2nd, macroscopic optical beam, mimicking photonic transistor... increases silicon device's nonlinear refractive index, at room temperature, no optical cavity needed, CMOS fabrication compatible"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108298 "overcomes low mixing strength/ performance degradation by controlling polytetrafluoroethylene binder's structure rather than changing material itself... add small amount of binder forming thread-like fibrous network, densely connecting active material/ conductive additive, ensuring uniform dispersion/ mixing... then remaining binder added creating rope-like fiber binding entire electrode together, increasing electrode's strength/ stability... with pouch-type lithium metal anode 349 Wh/kg energy density, about 40% improved"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-framework-2d-materials-printable-electronics.html "predicting 2D materials that can be successfully formed into nanosheets via electrochemical exfoliation... key factor: in-plane must be higher than out-of-plane stiffness" (resistance to: deformation vs. deformation perpendicular to material)... dozens of 2D semiconductors identified... printed transistors, and for 1st time printed: digital-to-analog converters, BASK communication circuits, wearable sensors, smart packaging, disposable IoT... future: reduce performance limits in junctions between nanosheets (flake-to-flake)"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-femtosecond-lasers-limits-nanostructures-thermal.html "manipulates/ scatters phonons (quasiparticles of vibrational energy that conduct heat) through small, parallel grooves (created via high-speed, powerful laser ablation) on silicon/ silica thin films... limits phonons' average travel distance reducing thermal conductivity... laser throughput >1,000X faster than single-beam electron-beam lithography... highly scalable wafer-level mass production: maskless, resist-free, CMOS-compatible... high-performance computing, on-chip energy conversion, quantum devices" Related: Cracking the mystery of heat flow in few-atoms thin materials https://phys.org/news/2025-12-mystery-atoms-thin-materials.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109121 heats areas down to 150 nm on thin magnetic films' surface... modulating laser's intensity can alter magnetization strength/ direction, change: oxidation, crystallization, alloying... 2D gradients/ arbitrary shapes (circles, spirals, snowflakes) of magnetic properties, previously limited to 1D gradients... spintronics, continuous magnetic gradient allows electric current (instead of magnetic field) to write/ read... in-memory computing, creates magnetic landscapes mimicking neurons, can change material's refractive index"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109236 "qubits in quantum chips rely on superconducting thin films with stable crystal structure... superconductive below -263°C... iron and telluride atoms deposited onto cadmium telluride substrate using molecular beam epitaxy... 20% lattice misalignment typically leads to defects, but instead resulted in superconducting film... led to higher-order epitaxial matching (alignment) between film/ substrate reducing lattice distortion, enabling superconductivity"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-atom-advance-quantum-emitter.html "Quantum Emitter Electron Nanomaterial Microscope in combination with cathodoluminescence spectroscopy... focused beam of electrons excites material causing it to emit single photons 1 at a time... twisting layers at specific angles creates twisted interfaces amplifying light up to 120X, pinpointing emitters' location emitters within <10 nm... create these emitters at chosen spots by adding carbon/ activating using electron beam... boosts signals/ improves information sharing efficiency in quantum systems"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-growth-strategy-enables-coherent-quantum.html "crystalline defects typically arise (coalescence) when small crystal regions (grains) merge... overcome combining epitaxial growth with precise control of coalescence kinetics on vicinal sapphire substrates yielding single-crystal molybdenum disulfide channels with minimal defects... exhibits coherent transport at low temperatures/ high 1,200 cm2 V−1 s−1 Hall mobility... used to fabricate arrays of field-effect transistors: 100 cm2 V−1 s−1 average mobility, 65 mV dec−1 minimum subthreshold swing at room temperature"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-monolithic-3d-chip-built-foundry.html "stacks ultra-thin memory/ computing units vertically, enabling fast, massive data movement between layers... layers built 1 on top of other in continuous, low-temperature process in commercial foundry... helps chip bypass the bottlenecks that have long slowed improvement in flat designs... outperforms comparable 2D chips 4X, up to 12X improvement on real AI workloads... 100 to 1,000X improvements in Energy-Delay Product metric balancing speed and energy efficiency" Related: CityUHK pioneers breakthrough in 3DIC semiconductor packaging materials https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109660

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109423 "structural frustration at interface of 2 compounds: manganese/ cobalt/ germanium, and manganese/ cobalt/ arsenic... translates to magnetic frustration causing atomic spins to twist, creating desired magnetic properties for: high-density hard drives, reduced power consumption for data centers as moving skyrmions requires little energy, materials for fault-tolerant quantum computing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109566 "logic (transistors)/ memory fabricated in 1 compact stack on 1 chip... 2 nm thick amorphous indium oxide active channel layer grown at relatively cool 150°C preventing damage to existing front-end circuitry, minimized defects (oxygen vacancies)... added ferroelectric hafnium-zirconium-oxide layer, ending up with 20 nm back-end transistors with built-in memory, 10 ns switching speed, lower voltage... generative AI, deep learning, computer vision... future: integrate these back-end memory transistors onto single circuit"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109604 "quantum computers using trapped-ion or trapped-neutral-atom systems rely on precise laser beams to communicate with and control individual qubits... uses microwave-frequency vibrations to manipulate laser light... generating, with high stability and efficiency, many copies of laser with slightly different frequencies... higher density of components, scalable CMOS fabrication, high efficiency consuming 80X less microwave power, reduced heat allowing more channels placed close together on single chip"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109311 "CMOS inefficient for compressed sensing reconstruction due to high energy/ latency caused by data shuttling between processor/ memory)... overcome using memCS: 128Kb memristor chip with CIM architecture executing core CS calculations directly within memory... 31.11 dB peak signal-to-noise ratio, 94.2% classification accuracy, closely matching pure software implementations... 11.22X faster, 30.46X more energy-efficient... excels in power-constrained edge computing scenarios"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109250 "P-bits hardware elements naturally fluctuate between 0 & 1, so ideal for optimization/ inference, but rely on bulky, power-hungry, expensive digital-to-analog converters... overcome using magnetic tunnel junctions  naturally switching between 2 states randomly, a 50/50 bitstream fed into simple digital circuit that uses controlled timing combining signals, allowing smooth tuning probability of output being 0 or 1... requires significantly less area and power while being compatible with modern semiconductor manufacturing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109310 "more efficient, durable, scalable, cheaper... sulfuric acid applied to nanotube films, improving electrical conductivity, maintaining high transparency, stabilizing nickel-based interfacial layer, which improves connection between internal cell components, >20% power conversion efficiency... after month of heat, humidity, sunlight, retained > 95% initial performance, when repeatedly bent 1,000X lost only about 5% efficiency, roll-to-roll chemical vapor deposition 6X cheaper than ITO sputtering (by $200/ m2), scalable"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108851 "extreme thinness/ tendency to collapse due to metallic bonding makes synthesis difficult, overcome combining quantum-mechanical modeling/ machine learning... interface stability with smooth well-aligned geometries at metallene edges, most robust interfaces overall use transition metals, machine-learning accurately predicts atomic-level interface behavior... accelerates synthesis of more robust, larger-scale metallene structures... high-performance devices in: high-tech electronics, energy conversion, biomedicine"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-nanomagnet-production-efficiency.html "greater efficiency/ higher density than horizontal alignment... ion beam magnetic engraving imprints magnetic nanostrips onto iron-vanadium alloy thin film... ion beam locally orders atoms into crystal lattice, making bombarded areas ferromagnetic... reduced nanostrip widths to 25 nm, forcing magnetic moments to stand out vertically from surface... increased data storage density, increased efficiency especially in spintronics, enhanced sensitivity, cost-effective... magnetic storage, sensors, spin-based quantum computing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109148 "materials can be engineered with mobile ions to modulate their internal fields, furthering light sculpting across various wavelengths... could form the basis for tunable UV/ blue components in integrated electro-optics... control method: tuning of these components would be controlled not just by traditional electronics (electrons), but by the motion of ions within the crystal, which is only billionths of a meter thick... also control of how much the crystal slows and bends light... also applies to other types of components"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108915 "fundamentally different approach to data processing that does not treat all data equally... up to 10X performance improvements at half the power without requiring users to rewrite their applications... national security tasks, such as advanced fluid dynamics simulations helping assess nuclear deterrent safety/ reliability without underground testing... more sophisticated/ efficient simulations... scalable, featuring innovative server/ advanced cooling... smarter, more adaptive designs rather than just bigger machines"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reconfigurable-platform-chip-photonic.html "extending light storage time crucial for quantum memory... on-chip vital for robustness, deployability, manufacturability... light loss from chips' defects overcome utilizing slow-light effect on-chip (reducing velocity nearly 1,000X) extending propagation time using spectral hole burning... achieved using erbium-doped lithium niobate, exhibiting high density/ coherence... tunable/ reconfigurable repeatedly over large bandwidth without needing to fabricate new device for each different application"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109000 "removing positively charged cesium cations from quantum dots creating bromide-rich solution, then manganese cations added enabling dots to absorb magnetic cations into their structure, displacing about 40% of lead ions, resulting in magnetic, cheap, scalable, near 100% efficient manganese-doped quantum dots... lighting: energy-efficient dots glow in desirable warmer, orange hues... solar cells: increased efficiency... quantum computers: magnetic dots as stable qubits... cheaper/ scalable (no protective stabilizing coating)"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-solid-state-quantum-processor-based.html "each nuclei sits close to rare-earth ion Er3+, which carries unpaired electron spin, much easier to manipulate/ detect than nuclear spin, so it acts as amplifier for nuclear spin... atoms located within calcium tungstate crystal, which is placed on top of superconducting microwave resonator used to manipulate quantum states... no need for additional optical transition (as in NV centers) or particular electrical properties (as in semiconductor donors)... very long coherence (seconds)... improves sensitivity/ performance"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108474 "unit-cell level: surrogate modeling accelerates electromagnetic response prediction, inverse design frameworks explore complex solution spaces, robust design methods improve stability against manufacturing errors... system-level: AI unified differentiable framework integrates structural design physical propagation models, task-specific loss functions... AI shifting metasurface design from staged methods to intelligent, collaborative, system-level optimization... compact/ computational imaging, AR/VR displays, LiDAR"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108271 "avoids complex, energy-intensive, unidirectional freezing... discarded egg white precursor, self-assembly (salting-out protein)... yields directional 1–7 µm macroporous channels enhancing impedance matching/ EM wave attenuation when EM waves propagate parallel to channels... WC1-x nanoparticles formed (tunable) during pyrolysis/ uniformly dispersed on carbon matrix, improving energy dissipation... record minimum reflection loss, wide absorption bandwidth... radar stealth, chip anti-interference"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108469 "computes while data in transit over optical fibers... speed: tera- to peta-scale operations/ second, energy consumption: femtojoules to attojoules/ operation, latency: pico- to nanoseconds... remote access to optical processor without digital conversion drastically reduces computing latency... performs machine learning computations within optical fiber... proof-of-concept combining computation with data transfer over 20 km fiber access line achieved good classification accuracy for image recognition tasks"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-gold-nanoclusters-materials-nanoelectronics.html "gold nanoclusters (act like individual atoms) assembled into 3D framework using metal ions, forming cluster-based MOFs... assembly allows for precise control/ fine-tuning material's properties... reducing distance between gold nanoclusters improved material's electrical conductivity as much as 31X... metal ions' electron structure affects material's overall electrical conductivity... 4 cluster-based MOF materials created... poised to revolutionize nanoelectronics"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-demand-electronic-topology-crystal.html "topological currents protected by symmetry have significantly less dissipation (energy waste)... addition or subtraction of electrical charge drives reversible topological transition: initial OFF non-conductor insulator: modifying antimony/ tellurium ratio changes electron count/ lattice arrangement, disrupting symmetry, opening energy gap... switching ON metal conductor: depositing thin potassium layer donates electrons, restoring symmetry... restoring OFF: heating removes potassium, returns to initial insulating state"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108479 "multiple tantalum oxide molecular junctions can be created automatically/ simultaneously... approx. 0.3 V individual molecular circuits, without use of silicon... stable electrical contacts (molecular junctions) between functional molecules (rectifiers, switches, memory units)/ metal electrodes... atomic switch chemically forms/ breaks conductive path rather than moving physical parts, ON = positive voltage, silver atoms move... highly energy-efficient molecular switches/ sensors leveraging molecules' quantum properties"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-strong-material-egg-whites-cool.html "protein foaming method used to create structure in which low cost particles densely/ uniformly interconnected, similar to how egg-white proteins expand at high temperatures... enables creation of composite material with continuous thermal pathways, preventing heat transfer from being interrupted... inherently economic/ scalable injection molding fabrication... high performance, eco-friendly, lightweight, strong, low cost... electronics/ battery thermal management" 

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ev-motor-packs-1000-hp-per-wheel "28-pounds, 59 kW/ kg power density, paired with highly efficient 33-pound dual inverter, EV conversions still save about 441 pounds... advanced regenerative braking captures/ reuses energy, potentially eliminating the need for rear disc brakes and driveshafts... light enough to be fitted inside the wheel while remaining mass-neutral, meaning it does not add net weight to the vehicle... performance, efficiency, weight reduction, scalable for various high-performance EVs"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1107901 "electrically driven switching without substantial heating and under a weak current... switching completing within few to several tens of ps... fastest was 140 ps, constrained by the short current pulses that could be generated by the current device setup, not by the material itself... faster computing, communications, and advanced electronics,,, future: switch even faster under optimized conditions, including creating even shorter current pulses"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-aluminum-nitride-transistor-advances-gen.html "ultra-thin gallium nitride layer on bulk single-crystal aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate... AlN has ultrawide bandgap allowing it to withstand higher temperatures/ voltages, with low defect densities/ high thermal conductivity... lower channel temperature enables operation at even higher power, extending communication/ radar range... about 1 million-fold fewer crystalline defects significantly improves performance, several orders magnitude less gallium... RF power amplifiers for: 5G/ 6G, radar"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108300 "energy-efficient: achieves >50% reduction in core loss compared to initial amorphous material... particularly high performance in high-frequency range (up to several tens of kHz) where materials usually suffer from increased energy loss... efficiency of soft magnetic materials in high-frequency transformers/ inductors in: EV drive power supply circuits, AI-focused data centers... future: prototype transformers: test material's integration into actual power conversion circuits"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-energy-efficient-rare-earth-element.html "uses electricity to split neodymium chloride molecules, drawing pure neodymium to cathode... eliminates 2 major, energy-intensive steps... reduces production costs from >14 to approximately $5/ kg... no harmful gas byproducts... anode design prevents degradation, allowing continuous use... complete mine-to-magnet U.S.-based manufacturing chain... future: making scalable, testing new deposition approaches to stabilize anode... method can be extended to other critical rare-earth metals"

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-previously-untrainable-neural-networks-effectively.html "network encouraged to match internal representations of guide network during brief training... transfers structural knowledge, aligning way 2 networks organize information within each layer, even when guide network untrained, as already encode valuable architectural biases steering other networks toward effective learning... even few alignment steps before full training sufficient to confer lasting benefits... stabilizes training, eliminates failure modes, prevents overfitting... success less dependent on task-specific data" Related: For visual AI systems, selecting the right blueprint may accelerate learning https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108079 Taming chaos in neural networks: A biologically plausible way https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-chaos-neural-networks-biologically-plausible.html

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-terahertz-device-quantum-horizons.html "prototype device fabricated >11 years ago still works as well/ stable as on day 1... longevity (materials' intrinsic resilience/ engineered to resist degradation from air or moisture)/ stability... built from high-temperature superconductor/ consists of atomically thin layers... contains Josephson junctions, enabling phase-locked coherent generation/ transmission... small (elements less than human hair width), 1 V low-power... emits waves tunable from 100 GHz to 1 THz... operates as superconductor near 90°K"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108105 "sound scattered off them creates attractive forces, causing them to snap together into single clump...  introducing/ tuning electric charge to particles leverages electrostatic repulsion to keep particles separated, achieving stable configurations ranging from completely separated systems to fully collapsed ones, and hybrids in between, including non-reciprocal: particle arrangements that spontaneously rotate/ pairs of particles that chase each other... stable mid-air manipulation: material science, micro- robotics/ engineering"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108208 "low: power consumption/ signal interference (cross talk)... created from carbon and other light elements to form covalently bonded, highly porous crystalline sheetlike films... ultralow dielectric constant/ ultrahigh electrical breakdown strength (needed for high-voltage), good thermal stability... synthetic interfacial polymerization stitches molecular building blocks to form strong crystalline layered sheets.... ultimate goal is to greatly lower the power consumption of the booming AI data center growth"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientists-advance-quantum-technology.html "silicon nanopatterned substrate creates corkscrew-like spinning photons imparting spin on electrons in/ nanopatterning thin-film molybdenum diselenide, above... replaces complex, costly super-cooling systems, for smaller, simpler, cheaper, low-energy quantum components for use in cryptography, advanced sensing, high-performance computing, AI... future: integrate into larger quantum networks (requiring new light sources, detectors), embed into smart phones enabling smart phone quantum computing"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1107673 "replaces large-aperture metalens with array of multiple small-aperture metalenses, preventing chromatic/ off-axis aberrations from severely escalating with increases in aperture size or FOV... reduced wavefront error from >90 to approximately 1 wavelength, reducing aberration, ensuring Modulation Transfer Function curve stays above noise-limited threshold, enhancing recoverability/ image quality... Multi-scale Feature-domain Wiener Deconvolution Deep Fusion Network: interpretable/ detail-preserving image reconstruction"

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-argon-ion-treatment-carbon-nanowall.html "carbon nanowalls: vertically stacked 10-15 graphene sheets have large specific surface area for high capacitance... ion implantation allows for material's bulk treatment due to high penetrating capacity... also creates nanosized cavities in material's structure, which are then passivated in air by functional groups... 10¹⁴ ions/ cm2 optimal dose since aligns cavity size to that of electrolyte molecules enabling them to embed, providing nanostructuring further increases capacitance... works better than embedding heteroatoms" Related: Mini-vortices in nanopores accelerate ion transport for faster supercapacitor charging https://phys.org/news/2025-12-mini-vortices-nanopores-ion-faster.html

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-high-pressure-terahertz-emission-2d.html "using diamond anvil cell... >150 fs phase shift under high pressure, indicating transient current process precedes optical rectification... pressure alters intrinsic resonant frequency/ initial charge distribution, which determines amplitude, frequency, THz phase... hydrostatic pressure could be used to probe, informing improved new THz-active materials' bandwidth, efficiency, and tunability, including those modified through chemical-pressure-based doping... topological materials, spintronics, heterostructures"