Science — Page 8 | XenoSpectrum

Science
Could EVs Get 10x the Range? Platinum-Free "Lithium-Air Battery" Catalyst Advances Toward Practical Use
The lithium-air battery boasts an energy density up to 10 times that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. A new catalyst has been developed that overcomes the charge/discharge overpotential barrier—long the obstacle to commercialization—without using precious metals. By overturning a half-century-old assumption about surface area and instead engineering interfaces at the molecular level, oxygen vacancies are opening the door to the future of next-generation mobility.
August 6, 202611 min read
Science
The Anomalous Tunneling Effect That Was a "Desk-Drawer Prediction" for 20 Years: A Cloud Experiment Opens a Laboratory to Theoretical Physicists
First predicted theoretically in 2003 but never observed experimentally, the anomalous tunneling effect in BECs has now been detected indirectly for the first time by theoretical researchers using the cloud experiment platform Oqtant. The team confirmed a distinctive trend—lower-energy collective excitation modes being less affected by potential barriers—and published the results as a peer-reviewed paper.
August 6, 202610 min read
Science
Metasurface That Redirects Light in 74 Femtoseconds Sets New Speed Record for Optical Control
A Caltech-developed amorphous silicon metasurface achieves 74-femtosecond beam steering by resonantly amplifying the optical Kerr effect. This light control, roughly 100 billion times faster than liquid-crystal SLMs, could become a foundational technology for all-optical computing.
August 6, 20268 min read
Science
Falcon 9 Upper Stage May Have Struck the Moon: Ejecta Traces Detected Before Any Crater Image
SpaceX's Falcon 9 upper stage 2025-010D appears to have impacted the Moon, with ground-based spectroscopy detecting sodium and lithium ejecta. Direct crater measurements remain unconfirmed, leaving post-impact LRO imagery as the key focus for verification.
August 6, 20266 min read
Science
NUS Separates High-Temperature Activation from Product Control with an Incandescent-Bulb-Style Reactor
NUS has developed a reactor that rapidly heats only a metal filament, much like an incandescent light bulb, and applied it to ammonia decomposition, polyolefin decomposition, and methane conversion. The design separates high-temperature activation from low-temperature product control, but continuous operation and lifetime verification remain necessary for industrialization.
August 5, 20265 min read
Science
A6WO4, an Oxide That Blocks Heat While Carrying Charge, Expands Semiconductor Composition Design
In the high-entropy oxide A6WO4, which mixes six transition metals, researchers confirmed a maximum thermal conductivity of 0.7 W/mK alongside semiconductor-like electrical transport. Challenges remain in reproducing the thermoelectric performance and scattering mechanisms of the current composition.
August 5, 20266 min read
Science
The US Air Force's "Infinite Eye" Plan: Powering Grounded Drones by Radio Wave
A concept that breaks through the 30-minute flight limit of small drones by supplying RF power while the drone remains landed has won a US Air Force STTR contract. As laser-based systems handle long-range, high-power delivery, radio-wave systems—resilient to obstructions—are emerging as the choice for sustained surveillance in urban environments.
August 5, 20269 min read
Science
China Puts World's First 'Quantum Substation' Into Full Operation, Preventing Blackouts With Quantum Sensors and Superconducting Quantum Computing
The world's first quantum-technology-integrated substation, now operating in Hefei, China, uses quantum sensors and quantum computing to detect minute grid anomalies and perform high-speed power flow calculations. With communication security also secured through quantum cryptography based on the laws of physics, it stands as an innovative proof-of-concept supporting next-generation power infrastructure.
August 4, 20265 min read
Science
X-energy Invests $8 Million in SGL Carbon to Double Nuclear-Grade Graphite Supply Capacity
SMR developer X-energy has signed an investment agreement with SGL Carbon to secure a stable supply of nuclear-grade graphite. By building an international division of labor in which material is manufactured in France and processed in the US, the companies aim to double production capacity and strengthen the supply chain for the commercialization of next-generation reactors.
August 4, 20263 min read
Science
The Einstein Problem's "Hat" Twists Light: Aperiodic Tiles Reveal an Unknown Optical Phenomenon
A new quasi-lattice structure has been developed using the solution to the "einstein problem," which achieves aperiodic tiling of a plane with a single type of tile. When light is shone onto this structure, researchers observed optical vortices and a distinctive response to circularly polarized light arising from its geometric properties, raising hopes for applications in next-generation light-control technologies.
August 4, 20267 min read