https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Can we use nothing more than sunlight and inexpensive materials to produce clean hydrogen fuel while also removing toxic pollutants from water? That question shaped our recent work with γ-In2S3, a semiconductor that has intrigued researchers for years but still holds untapped potential. By making subtle changes at the atomic scale, we discovered that we could significantly enhance its performance under visible light without adding noble metals or forming complex heterojunctions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-scientists-advance-multi-purpose-photocatalyst.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:40:05 EST news689857364 A team of physicists from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, has identified the dominant physical mechanism responsible for energy release in the nuclear isomer molybdenum-93m (Mo-93m). Using high-precision experiments, the researchers showed that inelastic nuclear scattering—rather than the long-hypothesized nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC)—is the primary driver of isomer depletion under their experimental conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-physicists-key-mechanism-energy-molybdenum.html General Physics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:00:06 EST news689860363 Researchers in Australia have unveiled the largest quantum simulation platform built to date, opening a new route to exploring the complex behavior of quantum materials at unprecedented scales. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-twins-simulator-unveils-dots.html Condensed Matter Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:00:06 EST news689595329 The Pauli exclusion principle is a cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics and is essential for the structure and stability of matter. Now an international collaboration of physicists has carried out one of the most stringent experimental tests to date of this foundational rule of quantum physics and has found no evidence of its violation. Using the VIP-2 experiment, the team has set the strongest limits so far for possible violations involving electrons in atomic systems, significantly constraining a range of speculative theories beyond the Standard Model, including those that suggest electrons have internal structure, and so-called "Quon models." Their experiment was reported in Scientific Reports in November 2025. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-vip-narrows-exotic-physics-pauli.html General Physics Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:10:24 EST news689530201 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered experimental evidence that particles of matter emerging from energetic subatomic smashups retain a key feature of virtual particles that exist only fleetingly in the quantum vacuum. The finding offers a new way to explore how the vacuum—once thought of as empty space—provides important ingredients needed to transform virtual "nothingness" into the matter that makes up our world. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-glimpsing-quantum-vacuum-particle-insight.html General Physics Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:20:01 EST news689442697 A research team from the Institute of Metal Research (IMR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an efficient, stable, atomic-scale catalyst for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. This advancement offers promising strategies for environmental catalysis and designing low-cost, high-performance catalysts. The study, published as a cover article in Nano-Micro Letters on January 5, addresses a long-standing challenge in catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-dual-atom-platinumruthenium-catalyst-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:47:53 EST news689438821 As the miniaturization of silicon-based semiconductor devices approaches fundamental physical limits, the electronics industry faces an urgent need for alternative materials that can deliver higher integration and lower power consumption. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, which are only a single atom thick, have emerged as promising candidates due to their unique electronic and optical properties. However, despite intense research interest, controlling the growth of high-quality 2D semiconductor crystals has remained a major scientific and technological challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-real-view-microreactor-reveals-2d.html Nanophysics Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:40:25 EST news689272801 Current electrochemical theory does not adequately describe realistic platinum electrodes. Scientists at Leiden University have now, for the first time, mapped the influence of imperfect platinum surfaces. This provides a more accurate picture of these electrodes, with applications in hydrogen production and sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-realistic-picture-platinum-electrodes.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:53:24 EST news689269981 Through a combination of high-pressure experiments and optical spectroscopy, physicists have revealed new insights into the structural forms of solid methane. Led by Mengnan Wang at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, the team hopes their results, published in Physical Review Letters, could dispel long-standing confusion over where these different forms appear within methane's phase diagram—potentially deepening our understanding of planetary interiors. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-solid-methane.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:00:01 EST news689247706 Fluorine has changed the world of medicine. You might not see it, but newly approved drugs contain at least one fluorine atom. This tiny but powerful element is the "hidden engine" that makes our medications more stable and effective. Over the past decades, chemists have turned the trifluoromethyl (CF3) group into the "gold standard" in organic chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-high-potential-cfsf.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 31 Jan 2026 12:50:01 EST news688733412 Time is almost up on the way we track each second of the day, with optical atomic clocks set to redefine the way the world measures one second in the near future. Researchers from Adelaide University worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the United Kingdom to review the future of the next generation of timekeeping. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-optical-atomic-clocks-poised-redefine.html General Physics Sat, 31 Jan 2026 11:50:09 EST news688737016 Researchers from Regensburg and Birmingham have overcome a fundamental limitation of optical microscopy. With the help of quantum mechanical effects, they succeeded for the first time in performing optical measurements with atomic resolution. Their work is published in the journal Nano Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-quantum-mechanical-effects-fundamental-limitation.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:21:45 EST news689001661 The Einstein–de Haas effect, which links the spin of electrons to macroscopic rotation, has now been demonstrated in a quantum fluid by researchers at Science Tokyo. The team observed this effect in a Bose–Einstein condensate of europium atoms, showing that a change in magnetization causes the coherent transfer of angular momentum from atomic spins to fluid motion, thereby experimentally demonstrating that angular momentum is conserved at the quantum level. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-atomic-quantum-fluid-motion-experimental.html Condensed Matter Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:44:52 EST news688898641 Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA published a step-by-step framework for determining the three-dimensional positions and elemental identities of atoms in amorphous materials. These solids, such as glass, lack the repeating atomic patterns seen in a crystal. The team analyzed realistically simulated electron-microscope data and tested how each step affected accuracy. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-framework-benchmarks-3d-atom-amorphous.html Nanophysics Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:28:30 EST news688840081 With a new electrochemical synthesis via an electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), achieving carbon-free ammonia production is closer to reality through work from Drs. Abdoulaye Djire and Perla Balbuena, chemical engineering professors at Texas A&M University, and graduate students David Kumar and Hao En Lai. A topic outlined in their recent paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society introduces NRR, which produces ammonia in a cleaner and simpler way by using renewable electricity. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-proton-mnene-ammonia-production-food.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:50:51 EST news688837802 A light has emerged at the end of the tunnel in the long pursuit of developing quantum computers, which are expected to radically reduce the time needed to perform some complex calculations from thousands of years down to a matter of hours. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-based-platform-stage-future-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:18 EST news688814821 Recent research has demonstrated that a rhodium (Rh) cluster of an optimal, intermediate size—neither too small nor too large—exhibits the highest catalytic activity in hydroformylation reactions. Similar to the concept of finding the "just right" balance, the study identifies this so-called "Goldilocks size" as crucial for maximizing catalyst efficiency. The study is published in the journal ACS Catalysis and was featured as the cover story. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-goldilocks-size-rhodium-clusters-advance.html Materials Science Tue, 27 Jan 2026 21:30:01 EST news688742673 Earth is closer than it's ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the U.S. and other countries become "increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic," a science-oriented advocacy group said Tuesday as it advanced its "Doomsday Clock" to 85 seconds till midnight. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-doomsday-clock-closer-midnight-threats.html Other Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:50:01 EST news688751254 The field of nanomaterials is witnessing a transformative shift at the intersection of organic chemistry and molecular engineering. Among the most promising molecular structures are carbon nanohoops, of which [n]cycloparaphenylenes ([n]CPPs) are a representative example. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-route-multiple-functionalized-carbon-nanohoops.html Nanomaterials Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:32:28 EST news688750321 It has been revealed that simply twisting and stacking two layers of oxide crystals can allow the atomic arrangement itself to control the behavior of electrons. Much like the new patterns that emerge when two meshes are overlapped and rotated, a twisted oxide interface forms specific atomic configurations that act as an "invisible fence," either trapping or repelling electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-oxide-crystals-atomic-patterns-repel.html Nanophysics Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:54:33 EST news688748042 After years of trying, scientists have finally created a stable superatom of copper, a long-sought-after chemical breakthrough that could revolutionize how we deal with carbon emissions. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-highly-stable-cu-superatom-carbon.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:20:04 EST news688745688 Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) and the Cancer Research Institute at Kanazawa University have uncovered how targeted lung cancer drugs alter the shape and behavior of a key cancer-driving protein—revealing a hidden mechanism that helps explain why some treatments stop working over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-visualizing-cancer-drugs-reshape-proteins.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:34:38 EST news688664042 Together with an international team, researchers from the Molecular Physics Department at the Fritz Haber Institute have revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated by X-ray irradiation. For the first time, they have gained detailed insights into the timing of the process—shedding light on related radiation damage mechanisms. Their research is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-atoms-roam-decay.html General Physics Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:20:04 EST news688655453 For the first time, physicists have generated and observed stable bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interactions within a grid of laser light. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-breakthrough-laser-technique-quantum-stable.html Optics & Photonics Sun, 25 Jan 2026 13:00:03 EST news688141605 What do Thomas Edison and 2010 Nobel Prize in physics winners Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim have in common? According to a recent publication from the lab of Rice University's James Tour in ACS Nano, it could be graphene—an answer that might have confused Edison, who died almost 20 years before physicist P.R. Wallace proposed such a substance could exist and nearly 80 years before Novoselov and Geim were awarded a Nobel Prize for isolating and characterizing it. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-edison-bulb-unintentionally-graphene.html Nanomaterials Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:24:31 EST news688490507 Organic chemistry is packed with rules about structure and reactivity, especially when it comes to making and breaking chemical bonds. The rules governing how these bonds, which hold atoms together in molecules, form and the shapes they give molecules are often thought to be absolute, but UCLA organic chemists are pushing the boundaries of the possible. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-year-undermining-bredt-scientists-cage.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 24 Jan 2026 10:10:01 EST news688230519 Inserting, removing or swapping individual atoms from the core of a molecule is a long-standing challenge in chemistry. This process, called skeletal editing, can dramatically speed up drug discovery or be applied for upcycling of plastics. Consequently, the field is witnessing a surge of interest spanning from fundamental chemical research to applications in the pharmaceutical industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-molecular-surgery-deleting-atom-molecule.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:28:20 EST news688321681 Researchers at the University of Basel and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel have demonstrated how quantum mechanical entanglement can be used to measure several physical parameters simultaneously with greater precision. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-entangled-atomic-clouds-enable-precise.html General Physics Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:01 EST news688310401 For many years, cesium atomic clocks have been reliably keeping time around the world. But the future belongs to even more accurate clocks: optical atomic clocks. In a few years' time, they could change the definition of the base unit second in the International System of Units (SI). It is still completely open, which of the various optical clocks will serve as the basis for this. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-optical-atomic-clock-combine-ion.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:21:41 EST news688234861 Here's a novel pathway to a more sustainable planet: carbo-loading for the public good. In a new study published in Nature Synthesis, chemists at Yale and the University of California-Berkeley have developed a two-step process that removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and converts it into carbohydrates, aka sugars. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-sweetening-sustainability-carbon-dioxide.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:57:43 EST news688233422