High-Performance Porous Supports Based on Hydroxyl-Terminated Polysulfone and CO/CO-Selective Composite Membranes.

The scope of this work was to develop a thin-film composite (TFC) membrane for the separation of CO/CO mixtures, which are relevant for many processes of gas processing and gasification of carbon-based feedstock. Special attention was given to the development of highly permeable porous polysulfone (PSF) supports (more than 26,000 GPU for CO) since both the selective and support layers contribute significantly to the overall performance of the TFC membrane. The PSF porous support is widely used in commercial and lab-scale TFC membranes, and its porous structure and other exploitation parameters are set during the non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) process.

Functional and Molecular Characterization of Plant Nitrate Transporters Belonging to NPF (NRT1/PTR) 6 Subfamily.

Plant nitrate transporters in the NPF (NRT1) family are characterized by multifunctionality and their involvement in a number of physiological processes. The proteins in this family have been identified in many monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species: a bioinformatic analysis predicts from 20 to 139 members in the plant genomes sequenced so far, including mosses. Plant NPFs are phylogenetically related to proton-coupled oligopeptide transporters, which are evolutionally conserved in all kingdoms of life apart from Archaea.

Artificial intelligence guided search for van der Waals materials with high optical anisotropy.

The exploration of van der Waals (vdW) materials, renowned for their unique optical properties, is pivotal for advanced photonics. These materials exhibit exceptional optical anisotropy, both in-plane and out-of-plane, making them an ideal platform for novel photonic applications. However, the manual search for vdW materials with giant optical anisotropy is a labor-intensive process unsuitable for the fast screening of materials with unique properties.

Leveraging Femtosecond Laser Ablation for Tunable Near-Infrared Optical Properties in MoS-Gold Nanocomposites.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), particularly molybdenum disulfide (MoS), have gained significant attention in the field of optoelectronics and photonics due to their unique electronic and optical properties. The integration of TMDCs with plasmonic materials allows to tailor the optical response and offers significant advantages for photonic applications. This study presents a novel approach to synthesize MoS-Au nanocomposites utilizing femtosecond laser ablation in liquid to achieve tunable optical properties in the near-infrared (NIR) region.

Graphene-Inspired Wafer-Scale Ultrathin Gold Films.

As the trajectory toward the graphene era continues, there is a compelling need to harness 2D technology further for the transformation of three-dimensional (3D) materials production and applications. Here, we resolve this challenge for one of the most widely utilized 3D materials in modern electronics─gold─using graphene-inspired fabrication technology that allows us to develop a multistep production method of ultrathin gold films. Such films demonstrate continuous morphology, low sheet resistance (10 Ω/sq), and high transparency (80%), offering opportunities in a variety of technological and scientific sectors.