A study conducted mainly by researchers at Nanjing University reports the uniform nucleation (>99%) of bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) on c-plane sapphire. Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are of interest to researchers in the field of electronics. It is believed that the combination of good electrostatic control, smaller bandgap, and higher mobility than single-layer TMDs has the potential to improve the power-delay products of transistors. However, despite the progress made in the growth of single-layer TMDs, multilayer controlled epitaxial growth remains a challenge.

Low molybdenum (Mo) bioavailability in acidic soils hinders N assimilation by vegetables, and providing available Mo in acidic soils is a challenge to reduce nitrate accumulation in vegetables. A study conducted by the Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences investigated three methods of molybdenum application: biochar-based molybdenum fertilizer (Mo-biochar), seed dressing, and basal application to improve Mo bioavailability and N assimilation in cabbage (Brassica parachinensis) in acidic soils.

Recently, researchers have proposed an analytical band calculation (ABC) model to study the band structure of monolayer molybdenum disulfide. For two-dimensional (2D) materials, a semiconductor layer is about the thickness of an atomic layer. 2D materials are gaining attention for their potential applications in future transistor manufacturing processes. 2020 International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) predicts that by 2028, 2D materials will be the optimal choice for channel material technologies and CMOS 2D device applications.

As one of the recent hot topics, cobalt-free batteries can simply be considered as an upgraded version of the current commercial ternary lithium batteries. Because of their higher energy density and lower production costs, they are popular among many battery manufacturers. So, as a typical transition metal N-type semiconductor material, how is tungsten trioxide used in cobalt-free lithium ion battery?

Researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology (SIMIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have demonstrated that doping tungsten oxide (WO₃) catalysts with appropriate cations can change the interfacial structure, surface chemical state, and bandgap values, thus improving the performance of the basic hydrogen electrolyte reaction (HER). In the experiments, cation (Ni, Co, and Fe) doped WO₃ catalysts were synthesized on nickel foam. The Co-doped catalysts (Co WO) exhibited remarkable HER activity.

Tungsten oxide-based nanomaterials have attracted a lot of attention for their use in building various electrochemical energy devices. In particular, electrochromic devices and optical change devices have been intensively investigated in terms of energy conservation.

Considerable interest in tungsten oxide polymorphs (WO_3-x) nanomaterials has been generated due to their abundance in nature, easy availability, high stability, non-recombination, and chemical diversity, and many advances have been made from traditional catalysts and electronics to emerging artificial intelligence. A recent study from Qingdao University presents the latest progress of WO_3-x polycrystals and their multifunctional applications.

A recent study conducted by the Anhui University of Technology has proposed new measures for the oxidation protection of tungsten alloys in nuclear fusion applications. As a plasma guide material (PFM), tungsten is persistently used in nuclear fusion reactors. However, it has poor oxidation resistance at high temperatures. When a reactor de-cooling accident occurs, tungsten is rapidly oxidized and volatilized due to air entering the vacuum chamber, which may cause a catastrophic nuclear leakage accident.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, describes ways to improve tungsten ductility. It is generally accepted that pure tungsten and tungsten alloys with minor alloy additions are brittle at room temperature and have high ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures (DBTT). Improving the ductility of tungsten is important in generating the range of tungsten manufacturing and applications.

Researchers at the University of California have conducted a study on the effect of tungstate on nitrate reduction in Pyrobaculum aerophilum, a hyperthermophilic archaeon that can respire both at low levels of oxygen and anaerobically with nitrate as the electron acceptor. Under anaerobic growth conditions, nitrate is reduced to molecular nitrogen via the denitrification pathway.