Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77944-9 At a glance One-dimensional zeolites can steer methanol-to-hydrocarbons chemistry towards C₃–C₅ alkenes, but their narrow channels are vul...

The SuperCam Margin unit bedrock dataset was divided into eight clusters through a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (Fig. 2 and S1). Overall, 356 data points (22% of the dataset) had a weak relationship to their assigned cluster (see Methods) and were placed into their own “mixed” group (Fig. 2). Clusters were best defined according to differences in SiO2, MgO, and FeOT (Fig. 2C and D), but some notable variation exists in Al2O3, CaO, and TiO2 (Fig. 2A, B, G). The following is a breakdown of the clusters: 1. Cluster 1 (17% of the data) is characterized by low SiO2 (16.3 ± 4.5 wt% mean ± stdev) and TiO2 (0.04 ± 0.08 wt%) values, but high MgO (35.1 ± 6.0 wt%) and C scores (Fig. S2), with moderately high FeOT (31.6 ± 6.8 wt%). The low SiO2 abundances, high MgO and FeOT abundances, and elevated C scores suggest that this cluster is related to a Mg and Fe carbonate-rich component, like that identified in VISIR (Fig. S9), Raman15, and proximity science results8. As such, this cluster is interpreted as a Fe/Mg-rich carbonate cluster. 2. Cluster 2 (7% of the data) has high SiO2 with an average of 69.3 ± 6.1 wt%...

Researchers at Penza State University have developed a photocatalyst capable of decomposing organic pollutants using visible light, expanding the utility of materials that typically rely solely on ultraviolet radiation. The shift in performance stems from a transition in architecture: replacing a dense single-layer coating with a dual-layer porous heterostructure composed of SiO2-SnO2/ZnO:Ag. Standard substrate catalysts limit chemical reactions to the surface, as pollutant molecules cannot penetrate the bulk. To overcome this, the team engineered a porous upper layer. By eliminating the standard 24-hour "aging" stage during the preparation of the film-forming sol, the researchers altered the material's internal morphology, allowing organic particles to migrate deeper and interact with the underlying layer. The material's activity is governed by the interaction between its two components. The base layer consists of tin dioxide (SnO2) integrated into a silicon dioxide (SiO2) framework. While SnO2 is largely inert on its own, it becomes active when paired with the upper layer of zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag). The addition of silver shifts the catalyst's sensitivity toward the visible spectrum, enabling the use of solar energy, where ultraviolet light accounts for only 4% of the total output.