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The capture and storage of CO₂ using porous materials is one of the strategies being explored to combat climate change. However, humidity—present everywhere—tends to adsorb preferentially onto most solids, reducing their capacity to capture CO₂.

Ferroelectric Rashba semiconductors such as α-GeTe have recently emerged as promising candidates for all-electrically controlled spin-orbitronics. The persistence of Rashba spin-split electronic states in ultrathin α-GeTe films is of utmost importance in the context of device downscaling. Using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy supported by first-principle calculations, the authors here demonstrate that α-GeTe films as thin as 5 nm still exhibit an in-plane spin texture at the Fermi surface.

The highlights of this article are:
• Bacillus pseudofirmus enabled calcite mineralization on 3 pure cement pastes
• Bacillus pseudofirmus enabled the complete filling of 9 mm3 holes in cement pastes in 21 days
• The bio-induced precipitation of calcite leads to the coating of bacterial cells

This work introduces an AI-based method to quantify phase fractions in steels directly from X-ray diffraction data in real time. It overcomes the limitations of traditional time-consuming analysis methods and enables fast, high-throughput experiments with real-time feedback.

The article provides an accurate characterization of the hot corrosion of the AD730 alloy in molten sulfate environments. Less severe corrosion is observed in the presence of magnesium sulfate at 700°C.

This study highlights distinct NO₂ sensing behaviors of activated carbon materials at room temperature. Contrary to the prevailing assumption, unmodified activated carbons exhibit either p-type (A Supra, PK1-3) or n-type (MSC 30, CW 30) semiconducting behavior toward the same gas. These differences are attributed to variations in surface chemical states, which govern the interaction mechanisms with NO₂.

As an alternative to the blast furnace, the current pig iron production reactor using fossil coal and coke and emitting huge CO2 amounts, we propose a novel, cleaner, direct reduction process using biomass (charcoal gasified in situ), able to cut down CO2 emissions by a factor 8.

Magnetron sputtering offers precise control over material properties, yet its potential on nanostructured substrates remains underexplored. We show that carbon nanomaterial substrates induce open microstructures that increase the active surface and enhance electrochemical performance. This scalable approach extends across multiple materials.