Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127847 "laser carves precise vacancy patterns into photosensitized hydrogel at macroscopic scale, soaking gel in ionic solution, apply supercritical drying, shrinks uniformly until internal features <100 nm, smaller than the wavelength of visible light, allowing the resulting devices to bend and manipulate light to perform complex optical computations... To demonstrate its potential, the team successfully created an optical neural network that can perform digit classification at the speed of light with near-zero electrical power"

https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dual-network-chapter-3d-printable.html "either: easy to print/ structurally weak, or strong/ difficult to print through nozzle... overcome: 1st network provides necessary flow (viscosity) for high-precision 3D printing, while 2nd strengthens structure immediately after printing... high stretchability, toughness, self-healing, unlike often brittle standard hydrogels... can print intricate, high-resolution structures maintaining shape without collapsing under own weight... bio-printing, flexible electronics, wearable sensors, soft robotics, drug delivery"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120711 "overcomes water coolant's weight/ fluidity in portable/ structural applications... density as low as 0.041 g/cm³; 25X lighter than water, still maintaining >52% water content... hollow microspheres create sealed air pockets blocking heat conduction/ retained water provides evaporative cooling and high IR emissivity... at 80°C maintains >50°C temperature difference across its thickness... 100X better compressive strength (shape recovers)... aerospace, portable electronics, wearables, less need for air conditioning"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1106889 "uses NAND gate (combinations of which can construct all gate types)... computes/ makes decisions instead of simply responding to stimuli... shining 3 lasers into merocyanine-functionalized hydrogel contracts it/ increases its refractive index, causing beam to narrow/ brighten... in this way, beams inhibit each other in predictable pattern, allowing input/ output mapping without wires, electrodes, external circuits... mimics biological materials' autonomy... self-adapting: soft robotics, medical devices/ implants"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1099952 "aids in monitor plant health in real time... zero-waste, low-environmental-impact solution for agriculture, especially in drought/ pollution environment... porous polymer network retains water/ nutrients... produced hydrogels from carrageenan biopolymers extracted from red algae, enriched with whole-algae biostimulant extracts... more vigorous plant growth process compared to using traditional hydroponic substrates” Related: Could a fungus provide a blueprint for next-gen hydrogels? https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100471 Seeing inside smart gels: Scientists capture dynamic behavior under stress https://phys.org/news/2025-12-smart-gels-scientists-capture-dynamic.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1099220 "hydrogels exhibit strong swelling/ uncontrollable degradation restricting applications' long-term performance, overcome using nanocolloidal hydrogel... nanoparticles self-assemble into hydrophobic nanodomains preventing water uptake... UV-triggered polymerization photocrosslinked network interconnects nanoparticles while preserving internal hydrophobic phases, yielding transparent, mechanically tunable gels... long-term drug delivery, soft-tissue augmentation, implantables, wound healing, wearables"

https://phys.org/news/2025-05-ultrasound-safer-greener-hydrogels.html "no toxic chemical initiators... sound applied to liquid precursor creates microscopic bubbles collapsing with immense energy, forming gel within minutes... 5 minutes ultrasound, not hours /overnight under UV...  ultrasound penetrates deep into tissues enabling in-body hydrogel formation without surgery... injecting liquid precursor then using ultrasound solidifying precisely where needed... tissue engineering, bioadhesives, 3D bioprinting" Related: Ultrasound-guided 3D bioprinting enables deep-tissue implant fabrication in vivo https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1082646

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-hydrogel-infused-additive-ceramics.html#google_vignette "printed product exhibits high thermal stability, chemical resistance, mechanical strength... separates printing step from ceramic material... viscous orange resin used for 3D printing initial gel, converted into hydrogel via infusion with metal salt solution, then burn off organic components and convert metal salts into metal oxides... hydrogel formulation/ metal salts types optimizes ceramic quality/ shape, determining ceramic's density, porosity and strength... aerospace... future: expanding to new materials/ applications"

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-highly-robust-reconfigurable-mechanochromic-cellulose.html "robust, dynamic response/ reconfigurable, mechanochromic, multi-level active interfaces... cellulose nanocrystal self-assembly properties... precise network matrix alignment control through nanofiber sliding/ hydrogen bond reconstruction, driven by water-activated hydrogen bonding interactions... compared with original hydrogel: 5X tougher, >9.5X more stretchable... dynamic color-changing abilities, switching reversibly between red/ blue maintaining stable electromechanical sensitivity... smart photonics" Related : Nacre-like ceramic-metal composite achieves superior strength and mass-production potential https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nacre-ceramic-metal-composite-superior.html Non-destructive ultrasonic vibration enables defect-free machining of ceramic gels https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1086735 Researchers leverage advanced bioengineering techniques to develop plastics ma...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1074812 "overcomes sluggish reinforcement during typical deformation rates, using weak chemical bond cleavage for activation, modifying DN hydrogel by embedding molecular components containing weak azo bonds (–N=N–) into primary polymer network, subsequently soaking up large monomer/ crosslinker concentrations... dmechano-radicals rapidly react with the absorbed monomers/ crosslinkers, forming, 100X faster, new stronger self-strengthening primary network... rubber, elastomers, biomaterials, contact lenses, soft robots"

https://www.electronicsforu.com/news/nitrogen-doped-catalyst-boosts-hydrogen-fuel-cells "forming stable cobalt-nitrogen bonds, preventing cobalt dissolution, significantly reduces platinum requirement... highly ordered, both on surface/ within its core... doubles cobalt dissolution energy, substantially improving its stability...  automotive, marine, aviation, power generation" Related: X-ray study sheds light on cost-effective fuel cell material that could rival platinum https://techxplore.com/news/2025-02-ray-effective-fuel-cell-material.html Cobalt catalyst rivals platinum in key industrial reaction https://phys.org/news/2025-05-cobalt-catalyst-rivals-platinum-key.html China’s PEM Fuel Cell Breakthrough Slashes Platinum Use, Boosts Power with COF-Enhanced Catalyst Layer https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/chinas-pem-fuel-cell-breakthrough-slashes-platinum-use-boosts-power-with-cof-enhanced-catalyst-layer/8572100/ Platinum-calcium alloy nanoparticles replace platinum – achievi...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1062233 "tissue-level moduli as soft as 81 kPa, 150% strain stretchability,  up to 1.4 cm2 V-1 s-1  charge-carrier mobility ... soft mechanical properties/ large degree of hydration... hydrogel very porous allowing efficient diffusion transport... solvent exchange, dissolving semiconductors in organic solvent, then immersed into water dissolving out organic solvent/ letting water in... semiconducting properties/ hydrogel... reduces immune response/ inflammation... elevated biosensing response, stronger photo-modulation effects:" Related: No etching, more precision: a simpler way to build brain interfaces https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092848 DGIST successfully developed “spraying like inkjet” technique to produce high-sensitivity biosensors https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1097480

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-fridge-free-storage-approach.html "stabilizes proteins, protecting properties/ functionality at temperatures as high as 50°C... withstanding vibration such as when being shipped... hydrogel built from a low molecular weight gelator forming long stiff fibrous 3D network, proteins become trapped in spaces between fibers, unable to mix and aggregate—the process which limits or prevents effectiveness... protein-storing gel stored in ordinary syringe fitted with filter... plunger provides pressure breaking fiber network, releasing protein... insulin, vaccines" Related: Innovative semaglutide hydrogel could reduce diabetes shots to once a month https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-semaglutide-hydrogel-diabetes-shots-month.html

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-hydrogel-microplastics.html "3D 3-layer intertwined polymers: chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, polyaniline... infused with copper substitute polyoxometalate nanoclusters, catalyzed using UV to degrade, bind as Interpenetrating Polymer Network, strong hydrogel stable under various temperatures... up to 5 cycles microplastic removal without significant efficacy loss, then repurposed into carbon nanomaterials removing heavy metals like hexavalent chromium from polluted water... removes about 95% and 93% of 2 types of microplastics in water at near-neutral pH" Related: Low-cost method removes micro- and nanoplastics from water https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1064544 Cellulose and chitin foam can remove nearly all microplastics from water https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/cellulose-and-chitin-foam-can-remove-nearly-all-microplastics-from-water/4020635.article Cotton-and-squid-bone sponge can soak up 99.9% of microplastics, scientists say https:...

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-unveiling-future-photonics-hydrogel-pave.html "photopolymerization and electron beam lithography constructing hydrogel nano-structures... hydrogels photopolymerize forming films and structures under UV, while electron beam lithography facilitates intricate nanostructures by breaking hydrogel's molecular bonds... more adaptable, responsive, and integrated with environment... devices capable of substantial, tunable optical alterations including dynamic optical cavities or nanocavities reacting to external stimuli and offering enhanced optical responses, biomedicine" Related: New hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original size https://phys.org/news/2024-03-hydrogel-size.html

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-hot-summer-air-gel-device.html "molecularly engineered hydrogel plus sunlight in conditions as low as 104°F... produce between 3.5 and 7 kg water/ kg gel, depending on humidity... transforming hydrogel into micro-sized particles, water capture and release ultrafast" Related: Mimicking a bird's sticky spit to create cellulose gels https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mimicking-bird-sticky-cellulose-gels.html Hydrogel-assisted microfluidic spinning of stretchable fibers via fluidic and interfacial self-adaptation https://phys.org/news/2023-11-hydrogel-assisted-microfluidic-stretchable-fibers-fluidic.html

https://phys.org/news/2023-06-self-healing-hydrogel-flexible-sensors.html "polyvinyl alcohol, 4-carboxylbenzaldehyde double network skeleton, polyaniline flexible sensor self-healing... hydrophobic association PVA and CBA guarantees mechanical properties hydrogel sensor, and PANI electrical properties hydrogel sensor... CBA benzene ring substituted with aldehyde and carboxylic acid into PVA... maximum stress 4.35 Mpa, maximum strain 380%.... sensitivity 1.71 strain range 0–300, limit detection strain <1%, response time 158 ms, 1 min repair, self-healing rate 60%... wearables, robots" Related: Researchers achieve higher precision with biocompatible hydrogel photoresist https://phys.org/news/2023-06-higher-precision-biocompatible-hydrogel-photoresist.html Hydrogel locomotion regulated by light and electric fields https://phys.org/news/2023-08-hydrogel-locomotion-electric-fields.html Scientists open door to achieving high-precision 'slippery structural hydrogel' https...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-self-healable-crack-resistant-hydrogel-microfibers-spider.html " ionic hygroscopic positively charged polyelectrolyte and polymethacrylic acid...  ambient conditions... water evaporation as separated nanophases embedded in the soft PDMAEA-Q/PMAA matrix... Such a hierarchical nanoconfinement imparts hydrogel microfibers with very high mechanical properties. For example, the hydrogel fiber is rather robust with a high Young′s modulus of 428 MPa and elongation of 219%... actuating fibers of prosthetic limbs or wearable devices" Related: Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230920111134.htm New reusable and recyclable environmentally friendly hydrogel https://phys.org/news/2023-12-reusable-recyclable-environmentally-friendly-hydrogel.html Scientists spin naturalistic silk from artificial spider gland https://phys.org/news/2024-01-s...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-efficient-scalable-moisture-electric-generators-ionic.html "efficient ionic hydrogel moisture-electric generator (IHMEG)... versatile, flexible, lightweight all-weather... chemical energy from atmospheric moisture to generate electricity directly without pollutants... 10% to 85% relative humidity and -24 to 60°C... unit 0.25 cm2 generate DC with constant open-circuit voltage ≈0.8V for >1,000 hours, high short-current density 0.24 mA cm−2, and power density of up to 35 µW cm−2... calculators, watchbands, ink screens, LEDs and electroplate metal nickel" Related: Researchers obtain anion ionic water-soluble two-photon initiator for 3D hydrogel construction https://phys.org/news/2023-03-anion-ionic-water-soluble-two-photon-3d.html New study shows how carbonated water can be used to tune properties of hydrogels for various uses https://phys.org/news/2023-04-carbonated-tune-properties-hydrogels.html Even as temperatures rise, this hydrogel mat...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-01-hydrogel-actuator-soft-robots-rough.html "adaptive deformation... multi-dimensional off-road locomotion on natural terrains...  hydrogel diverse biomimetic forms due to self-deformation and soft-tissue-like... inspired by inchworms... photothermal hydrogel layer containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles grown on surface of isotropic poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm) sponge, forming anisotropic bilayer structure via interfacial diffusion polymerization... could crawl on the 2D rough substrate or overstep complex sandy terrains" Related: Squid tissues and chemistry combine for versatile hydrogels https://phys.org/news/2023-01-squid-tissues-chemistry-combine-versatile.html Eco‐friendly 3D printed polymer composite parts made from chitosan of terrestrial insects https://phys.org/news/2023-04-ecofriendly-3d-polymer-composite-chitosan.html Unusual interactions between polymers explain hydrogel formation https://phys.org/news/2023-04-unusual-int...