Recycling news: 2026

Research & science Neil the Seal can teach us plenty about seal behaviour. A marine biologist explains He also offers valuable lessons about how humans can interact – safely and responsibly – with marine wildlife. The Conversation Australia — Environment · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Monitor 93 - UCL | University College London UCL News · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Times of transition: Starmer’s record and Burnham’s agenda - UCL Blogs UCL News · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Examining ESG Performance Through TNFD‐Aligned Disclosure Practices Business Strategy and the Environment, EarlyView. Business Strategy and the Environment (Wiley) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Halide Perovskites for Photo(electro)catalytic Sustainable Energy: Recent Advances and Challenges ChemSusChem, Volume 19, Issue 14, 29 July 2026. ChemSusChem (Wiley) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Graphdiyne‐Stabilized Cobalt Oxyhydroxide Quantum Dots for Efficient Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia Electrocatalysis ChemSusChem, Volume 19, Issue 14, 29 July 2026. ChemSusChem (Wiley) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Pathways to Sustainable Development: Digital Maturity, Sustainability Practices and Innovation Barriers in Social Economy and Conventional Enterprises Business Strategy and the Environment, EarlyView. Business Strategy and the Environment (Wiley) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Which Green Technology to Subsidize? Evidence from Electric Vehicles in South Korea arXiv:2607.14446v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We develop a framework to compare the relative effectiveness of subsidizing alternative emission-reducing technologies. We show that an intermediate technology may reduce emissions more effectively than the cleanest technology if it induces sufficiently greater substitution away from the prevailing high-emission technology. We apply the framework … arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Governing Artificial Intelligence: Public Preferences and Regulatory Options arXiv:2607.14585v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming economies, societies, and polities, raising fundamental questions about how it should be regulated. Policymakers face choices over whether to prioritize innovation or safety, rely on public oversight or private self-regulation, and govern nationally or internationally. Yet little is known about … arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Does Multi-Agent Debate Improve AI Feedback on Research Papers? arXiv:2607.14713v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Probably not, at least for meta-analyses in economics. In a pre-registered, identity-masked, within-paper experiment, the authors of 44 meta-analyses ranked three AI reports on their own paper by usefulness for improving it: a single pass by a frontier model against two multi-agent debate tools we built and expected to win. All reports were held t… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Indirect Variational Inference: Applications to Earnings Dynamics arXiv:2607.15168v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Latent-variable models are central to economics but often entail intractable integration. Variational inference (VI), widely used in machine learning, turns this integration into tractable, differentiable optimization by replacing the likelihood with a variational objective. However, guarantees of recovering the true parameters remain limited when… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Adaptive Ad Load Design for Sponsored Search Markets: Evidence, Theory, and Deployment arXiv:2607.14418v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Ad-load design is a central supply-side decision in sponsored search: more sponsored slots can raise revenue, but may crowd out organic results and degrade user outcomes. We study this trade-off using a large-scale randomized field experiment on an Android app store, where over five million users are exposed to one through six sponsored slots. I… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Thermodynamic theory of voting and EU elections arXiv:2607.15119v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We introduce a thermodynamic theory of voting and show that it provides a good description of distribution of party votes in EU elections. The theory traces parallels between system energies of coupled nonlinear oscillators and party vote fractions. Such a classical system evolution is characterized by the conservation of total energy and probab… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Platform Choice, Trust, and Privacy in the Consumer AI Assistant Market arXiv:2607.15134v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We study how a representative sample of United States adult AI-assistant users (n=1,999; June 2026) choose among platforms, allocate tasks across them, evaluate provider trustworthiness, and value data-handling features. Estimates are weighted to the AI-user population using external adoption benchmarks. Four patterns emerge. The market is conce… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science "Rich-Get-Richer"? Platform Attention and Earnings Inequality using Patreon Earnings Data arXiv:2509.26523v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Using monthly Patreon earnings, we quantify how platform attention algorithms shape earnings concentration across creator economies. Patreon is a tool for creators to monetize additional content from loyal subscribers but offers little native distribution, so its earnings proxy well for the attention creators capture on external platforms (Ins… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Automated Trading System for Straddle-Option Based on Deep Q-Learning arXiv:2509.07987v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Straddle Option is a financial trading tool that explores volatility premiums in high-volatility markets without predicting price direction. Although deep reinforcement learning has emerged as a powerful approach to trading automation in financial markets, existing work mostly focused on predicting price trends and making trading decisio… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Large language models can effectively convince people to believe conspiracies arXiv:2601.05050v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) have been shown to be persuasive across a variety of contexts. But it remains unclear whether this persuasive power advantages accuracy, or if bad actors can just as easily use LLMs to promote misbeliefs. Here, we investigate this question across four experiments in which participants (N = 3996 Americans) dis… arXiv — econ.GN (General Economics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Boosting Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Performance by Introducing High Work-function Metal Transition Layer arXiv:2607.14471v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We investigated the impact of the anode's work-function on the performance of an all inorganic PeLED device which was hailed for stability and long lifetime with drift-diffusion and Poisson equations embedded as a computation package in Setfos, a commercially professional software to emulate LED. According to the simulation results, a conclusion t… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Stochastic binary networks with asymmetric and time-delayed interactions arXiv:2607.15215v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Stochastic binary networks are widely used to describe collective dynamics in complex systems and to perform neuromorphic computation, yet realistic networks often contain both asymmetric interactions and finite signal propagation times that fall outside conventional theories. Here we study stochastic binary networks with asymmetric and time-delay… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Towards a monolithic platform for coupling superconducting circuits to low-loss microwave phonons in AlScN on 4H-SiC arXiv:2607.14319v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Hybrid superconducting-phonon quantum processing is promising for cavity QED, measurement-based quantum computing, and other quantum applications. Relative to microwave photons at the same frequency, phonons can provide ultra-compact footprints, extremely low losses, and greater connectivity. Phonons can also couple strongly to superconducting c… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Interfacial-Thermo-Fluid-Adhesion Dynamics of Evaporating Capillary Bridges between Curved Surfaces arXiv:2607.14322v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We probe the evaporation mechanism, and the associated adhesion dynamics of liquid capillary bridges connecting two curved, solid substrates. The coupled thermo fluid species transport and the transient evolution of capillary adhesion during evaporation are systematically examined. An accurate, fully coupled transient numerical framework is deve… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science 3D scanning microscopy through scattering surfaces using the optical memory effect arXiv:2607.14751v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Wavefront shaping allows light to be focused through scattering objects. However, the wavefront correction found is only valid in a small region called the isoplanatic patch. Here we present a simple approach to extend this isoplanatic patch by shifting and scaling the corrected wavefront appropriately, demonstrating an 8.6-fold increase in the … arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Spot Profile Analysis Low Energy Electron Diffraction of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Grown Epitaxial Few-Layer Graphene on Sapphire arXiv:2607.14922v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We demonstrate the use of high-resolution spot-profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction to determine the mean grain size of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition grown few-layer graphene on sapphire (Al$_2$O$_3$). The diffraction patterns exhibit broadened graphene spots, pronounced diffuse scattering, and azimuthally extended featur… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Dynamic sliding and rolling friction models for viscoelastic contact pairs arXiv:2606.09128v4 Announce Type: replace Abstract: This paper considers the sliding and rolling contact between viscoelastic bodies. Combining linear viscoelastic rheologies for bristle-like elements with nonlinear dynamic friction models, it derives a class of viscoelasto-kinematic equations, formulated as a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) governing the evolution of the fricti… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science A figure-of-merit-based framework to evaluate photovoltaic materials arXiv:2404.14732v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: I propose a general quantitative framework to evaluate the quality, track the historical development, and guide future optimization of photovoltaic (PV) absorbers at any development level, both lab-made and computer-simulated. The framework is centered around a PV figure of merit designed to include efficiency limitations that are not ca… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Homogeneous All-Inorganic Perovskite Films via High-Pressure Recrystallization arXiv:2511.02177v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Metal halide perovskites are promising materials for optoelectronic applications owing to their outstanding optical and electronic properties. Among them, all-inorganic perovskites such as CsPbBr$_3$ offer superior thermal and chemical stability. However, obtaining high-quality CsPbBr$_3$ thin films via solution processing remains challe… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Surface Optimization of Superconducting Aluminum Resonators for Robust Quantum Device Fabrication arXiv:2601.04082v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Aluminum (Al) remains the central material for superconducting qubits, and considerable effort has been devoted to optimizing its deposition and patterning for quantum devices. However, post-processing strategies focused on oxide removal of niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) -based resonators using buffered oxide etch (BOE), which can not be… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Enhanced Mid-Infrared Single-Photon Detection with Antenna-Coupled Superconducting Nanowires arXiv:2604.18155v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Scaling the photon-detection area of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) has traditionally been achieved by nanowire meandering. However, material inhomogeneities and fabrication-induced defects, such as line-edge roughness, increase with nanowire length, leading to reduced internal photon-detection efficiency and e… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Thin Film AlN Microbolometer for Very Long-Wave Infrared Detection arXiv:2604.22301v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: We demonstrate a suspended thin-film aluminum nitride (AlN) microbolometer for narrowband very long-wave infrared detection. The device uses a 100-nm-thick AlN membrane suspended above a Pt back reflector by a 1-um air gap. Resonant absorption is set by the AlN transverse optical phonon near 15.4 um and is strengthened by suspension abov… arXiv — physics.app-ph (Applied Physics preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Interlayer sliding direction as a symmetry selector in altermagnetic bilayer Fe2WS4: Switchable anomalous Hall and anomalous valley Hall effects arXiv:2607.14459v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Altermagnets combine compensated collinear magnetic order with momentum-dependent spin splitting, offering a promising platform for coupling spin and valley degrees of freedom with ferroelectricity and Berry-curvature driven transport in the absence of net magnetization. However, achieving nonvolatile and selective control of these intertwined deg… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Multistate ferroelectricity and switchable layer-locked anomalous valley Hall effects in bilayer ReIrGe2Se6 arXiv:2607.14461v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Two-dimensional multiferroic materials, which combine magnetic and ferroelectric (FE) orders with strong magnetoelectric coupling, represent ideal platforms for high-density information storage and low-power multistate electronics. However, the intrinsic bistability of conventional ferroelectricity poses a substantial challenge to realizing multip… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Fractional quantum ferroelectric control of spin-valley locking and valley Hall effects in altermagnetic monolayer Cr2S2 arXiv:2607.14465v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Fractional quantum multiferroics, arising from the coupling between fractional quantum ferroelectricity (FQFE) and altermagnetism (AM), provide a promising platform for nonvolatile control of momentum dependent spin splitting in systems with zero net magnetization. However, extending this FQFE-AM coupling to valley degrees of freedom and Berry cur… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Second-Order Optical Nonlinearity of AlScN Films Grown By Molecular Beam Epitaxy arXiv:2607.14590v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Alloys of AlN have rapidly emerged as a material platform for nonlinear optics. In this paper, we measure the second-order optical nonlinearity of AlScN films grown directly on nitrided c-plane sapphire by molecular beam epitaxy. This direct growth approach, which bypasses a thick AlN buffer layer, allows us to isolate the true nonlinear response … arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Direct observation of anisotropic exciton dispersion in the 2D semiconductor CrSBr arXiv:2607.14712v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We report momentum-resolved measurements of exciton dispersion in multilayer CrSBr using defocus-engineered electron energy-loss spectroscopy, supported by first-principles calculations. A pronounced in-plane anisotropy is observed, with the exciton exhibiting a linear dispersion along $\Gamma$Y within $\lvert \boldsymbol{q} \rvert$ < 0.007 \r{A}$… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Tunable Magneto-Excitonic Coupling in Alloyed van der Waals Antiferromagnet arXiv:2607.14723v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The unique coupling between magnetic order and photo-generated excitons, electron-hole pairs bound by Coulomb interaction, in layered magnetic semiconductors offers a powerful mechanism for controlling light-matter interactions. In the van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr, this coupling is exceptionally strong and manifests distinctly between two c… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Boson peak and medium-range elastic heterogeneity in calcium silicate hydrate probed by terahertz spectroscopy and low-temperature calorimetry arXiv:2607.14764v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The boson peak (BP), a universal vibrational anomaly of disordered solids, has been predicted but not systematically characterized in calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), the binding phase of hardened cement. Building on a preliminary terahertz survey, we characterize the BP across five Ca/Si ratios (0.5-1.7) using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy … arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Computing binary alloy phase diagrams with explicit configurational and vibrational entropy arXiv:2607.14795v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Phase stability in multicomponent solid solutions depends on configurational entropy beyond the ideal mixing limit, but capturing it together with vibrational entropy within the same atomistic framework remains challenging. Here, we extend non-equilibrium thermodynamic integration to composition-dependent transformations through an alchemical inte… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science SevenNet-Polar for MultiTask Prediction of Energy, Forces, Stress, and Born Effective Charges: Development and Application to ZrO$_2$, Li$_3$PO$_4$, and Perovskites arXiv:2607.14827v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Accurate prediction of the Born effective charge (BEC) tensor is crucial for modeling materials under electric fields but remains computationally expensive. To bridge this gap, we present SevenNet-Polar, an equivariant graph neural network framework based on the SevenNet architecture for fast and accurate BEC predictions. Our BEC-only predictors c… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Are we facing a reproducibility crises in materials synthesis? A systematic review of Turkevich AuNP synthesis and CVD MoS2 growth arXiv:2607.14849v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Reproducibility remains a major challenge in materials synthesis, particularly for nanomaterials whose properties are highly sensitive to experimental conditions. Here, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the reproducibility of two widely used synthesis routes: the Turkevich method for gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and the che… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026 Research & science Self-organized defect clustering and concentration-dependent vacancy diffusion in MoS$_2$ arXiv:2607.14951v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Sulfur vacancy migration has a crucial impact on electronic transport and the functional behavior of MoS$_2$-based devices such as memristors and memtransistors. According to recent atomistic simulations, vacancy migration proceeds via cooperative, vacancy-assisted sulfur jumps, implying strongly correlated defect dynamics. Here, we investigate th… arXiv — cond-mat.mtrl-sci (Materials Science preprints) · 17 Jul 2026