Waste management has transformed over the past half a century, from key dumping and landfilling laws in the 1970s to today’s complex policies targeting plastic waste reduction and recycling. Still, global disparities are glaring, and stronger policies, infrastructure and technology are necessary to achieve a truly circular plastics economy.

An article in Nature Materials reports on a method to reduce the foreign body response of semiconducting polymers.

An article in Nature Communications presents a hydrogel with a reinforced macroporous structure designed to guide stem cell differentiation.

An article in Nature Chemistry reports a library of block polymers that can form stabilizing membranes around all kinds of synthetic coacervates and biomolecular condensates.

A paper in Science reports the use of a dissociative network design that results in 3D-printable polymers with good mechanical properties that can be fully recycled without loss of functionality.

The rapid expansion of wind farms has led to a growing challenge: the escalating accumulation of decommissioned wind turbine blades in landfills. Addressing this issue through innovative recycling and reuse strategies is pivotal to advancing a circular economy within the wind energy sector.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or ‘forever chemicals’, are persistent global pollutants that require efficient sorbents for removal. We propose a minimum data standard that should be reported for any new PFAS sorbent, aiming to enhance reproducibility, facilitate quantitative sorbent comparisons and accelerate PFAS removal technologies.

An article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society describes a simple mechanochemical route to imine-based metal–organic frameworks, which have long been difficult to synthesize.

An article in Nature Communications shows that using semi-transparent perovskite rooftops in greenhouses enhances the growth of radicchio seedlings.

An article in Nature Materials reports a salt- and-oxygen-assisted chemical vapour deposition method for the synthesis of 2D single crystals of the non-layered material β-Bi2O3, which exhibit high hole mobility and result in field-effect transistors with attractive performance.

In February 2025, 15 researchers travelled from the West Bank to the Max Planck institute in Stuttgart to engage with German colleagues in discussions about science, the challenges they face in their research and potential collaborations.

An article in Nature Communications reports an aqueous processing solution, based on the kosmotropic effect, that enables the sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing of lithium-ion battery cathodes.

An article in Science Advances demonstrates a dual closed-loop robotic system that uses biodegradable materials and features an origami-based design.

An article in Nature introduces a recycling strategy for perovskite photovoltaics based on green solvents, achieving high recycling efficiency and purity while mitigating environmental impacts.

Correction to: Nature Reviews Materials https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-024-00731-9, published online 18 October 2024.

An article in Nature Communications presents a yttrium-doped NiMo/MoO2 catalyst that enhances water dissociation and optimizes intermediate dynamics for efficient hydrogen production from alkaline water.

An article in Communications Materials introduces a modular assembly approach to scale up pyrolytic carbon lattice structures while retaining their strength and ductility.

An article in Nature Materials reports an adaptation of the Czochralski method that enables the growth of centimetre-scale single-crystal MoS2 flakes with ultra-low defect density.

Correction to: Nature Reviews Materials https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-024-00759-x, published online 9 January 2025

In 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly voted to establish the world’s first legally binding international treaty to end plastic pollution — with the goal of having it finalized by the end of 2024. In December 2024 in Busan, South Korea, the intergovernmental negotiating committee met for the fifth, and what was supposed to be final, round of talks. They did not leave with an agreement as

The 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29) adjourned in late November in Baku, Azerbaijan — over a day after it was scheduled to end — with a rushed and, to some, bitterly disappointing outcome. A key aim of the summit was to reach a new climate finance goal for high-income countries to help low- and middle-income nations cope with climate shocks and transition to renewable

An article in Advanced Materials reports the development of an implantable, shape-morphing 3D micro-light-emitting diode device that enables continuous and effective light irradiation of pancreatic tumours.

Fibre-reinforced polymers are widely used — and waste is growing fast. Appropriate recycling technologies should be purposefully selected to reintegrate fibre-reinforced polymer waste into sustainable industries, yield high-quality industrial products and promote the broader recycling of fibre-reinforced polymers.

An article in Nature Communications presents a one-step spinning technique to fabricate soft magnetic high-entropy alloy fibres that exhibit enhanced plasticity and low coercivity.

An article in Nature Communications demonstrates a modular synthetic method to create metal–organic polyhedra that maintain porosity during phase transformation.