FOREVER CHEMICALS

Surface-engineered ZnO nanocrystals to tackle perfluoroalkyl substance contamination

Zinc oxide nanocrystals capped with specific ligands efficiently defluorinate PFOS, a persistent perfluoroalkyl substance, aiding contamination control

Ritsumeikan University

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Surface-engineered zinc oxide nanocrystals, capped with specific organic ligands, enable efficient breakdown of persistent perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under mild near-UV light. This innovative, low-toxicity, and scalable approach achieves up to 92% defluorination of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) by harnessing photocatalytic processes at room temperature, offering promising applications in environmental remediation and fluorochemical recycling.

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Credit: Professor Yoichi Kobayashi from Ritsumeikan University, Japan

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a large class of synthetic chemicals, are valued for their ability to withstand heat, water, and oil. These materials are used in the production of everyday as well as industrial items. PFAS molecules are made up of a chain of carbon and fluorine atoms linked together. The energy required to break the carbon–fluorine (C–F) bond is extremely high, making these compounds durable and highly resistant to biological degradation.

However, PFASs are also often called "forever chemicals,” as they do not degrade easily. This persistence leads to ongoing pollution and bioaccumulation, raising global concerns about long-term exposure and contamination cycles for ecosystems and people. PFAS-defluorination is the process of removing fluorine atoms from the molecule, which makes it less stable and more susceptible to further breakdown. Traditional PFAS degradation techniques are challenging as they require harsh chemicals or high energy. The development of novel, sustainable, and energy-efficient methods is required to enable PFAS to be recycled and mitigate PFAS-associated environmental risks.

A new study, led by Professor Yoichi Kobayashi from Ritsumeikan University, Japan, with Mr. Shuhei Kanao also from the same university, explored the possibility of using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals (NCs) in the PFAS-defluorination process. NCs, known for their photocatalytic properties, can use light to generate reactive species that degrade organic pollutants. NCs capped with different ligands were used for their enhanced efficiency. “Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid or PFOS is a PFAS compound that was once widely used but is now strictly regulated, and we wanted to see if ligand-capped ZnO NCs can defluorinate it,” mentioned Prof. Kobayashi. This study was published online in Chemical Science on November 5, 2025.

The study mainly focused on the defluorination efficiency of ZnO NCs, capped with acetic acid (AA–ZnO NCs) or 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA–ZnO NCs). Some other organic ligands were also used to cap the NCs for comparative analysis. The defluorination experiment was conducted using 365 nm LED light, as it mimics ambient lighting conditions. The defluorination effect of these ligand-capped NCs was also tested on a few other PFASs like trifluoroacetic acid and Nafion.

AA–ZnO NCs could efficiently defluorinate PFOS by irradiation with near-UV light under ambient conditions. The presence of acetic acid ligand proved to be far more efficient than 3-mercaptopropionic acid, as MPA–ZnO NCs achieved only 8.4% defluorination after 24 hours, while AA–ZnO NCs exhibited up to a 92% defluorination rate after 24 hours under optimized conditions.

To ensure the sustainability of these NCs, their durability and decrease in catalytic efficiency over time were also tested. The findings suggested that the decomposition reaction proceeded over multiple cycles, with a single ZnO NC able to break up to 8,250 C–F bonds, pointing towards its reusability.

ZnO NCs can be efficiently used in the defluorination process due to their unique properties. They are low-toxicity, inexpensive, and can be produced at scale, unlike many previous catalysts. “The reaction occurs at room temperature and does not require high-energy light sources, which can be costly, fragile, or hazardous,” mentioned Mr. Shuhei Kanao.

This mild photodegradation system is capable of addressing the globally critical PFAS-recycling issue. It can be used to tackle industrial PFAS pollution and can be used in fluorochemical materials manufacturing units, semiconductor manufacturing units, the recycling industry, wastewater treatment facilities, and more. “PFAS pollution is a worldwide concern, and this simple NC-based technology could contribute significantly to tackling this issue,” concluded Prof. Kobayashi.

 

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Reference
DOI: 10.1039/D5SC05781g

About Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Ritsumeikan University is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Its main campus is in Kyoto, where inspiring settings await researchers. With an unwavering objective to generate social symbiotic values and emergent talents, it aims to emerge as a next-generation research-intensive university. It will enhance researcher potential by providing support best suited to the needs of young and leading researchers, according to their career stage. Ritsumeikan University also endeavors to build a global research network as a “knowledge node” and disseminate achievements internationally, thereby contributing to the resolution of social/humanistic issues through interdisciplinary research and social implementation.
Website: http://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/
Ritsumeikan University Research Report: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/radiant/eng/

 

About Professor Yoichi Kobayashi from Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Dr. Yoichi Kobayashi is a Professor in the Department of Applied Chemistry, College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Japan, and a Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA) Associate Fellow. He graduated from Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan, in 2007, and also obtained his Ph.D. there in 2011. Before joining Ritsumeikan University, he received the JSPS Overseas Research Fellowship to pursue research at the University of Toronto, Canada, and served as an Assistant Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University for several years. Dr. Kobayashi now leads a research group in the Photofunctional Physical Chemistry Lab, where they conduct cutting-edge studies on photochromism, optical nanostructures and nanoparticles, photophysics, and photochemistry. He has published over 95 peer-reviewed papers.

 

Funding information
This work was supported by JST PRESTO (Grant Number JPMJPR22N6), JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers JP24K01460 and 25H01687) under Transformative Research Areas (A) ‘Supra-ceramics.’

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Journal

Chemical Science

DOI

10.1039/D5SC05781g 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Photocatalytic defluorination of perfluoroalkyl substances by surface-engineered ZnO nanocrystals

Gen Z’s are more likely to recognise the faces of their own age group than Boomers

GenZ’s are better at recognising people within their own age group than those outside it, according to new research.

University of Exeter

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GenZ’s are better at recognising people within their own age group than those outside it, according to new research.

Researchers from the University of Exeter examined the Own-Age Bias (OAB), a well-documented tendency for people to better recognise faces from their own age group. They found that older adults were equally good at recognising both older and younger faces, whereas younger adults struggled to recognise older faces.

Ciro Civile Associate Professor in Cognitive and Biological Psychology at the University of Exeter said: “Since older participants, have been young, they’ve developed the ability to process the information in younger faces and recognise them.  As they then age, they learn to process and recognise older faces. On the other hand, younger participants have only developed the ability to recognise the faces in their own age group.”

The study involved two groups: 19–30-year-olds and 69–80-year-olds. Participants were shown a series of unfamiliar faces, which were later mixed into a larger set of new faces. They were then asked to identify which faces they had seen before.

The researchers then inverted the images to see how this would affect the groups’ ability to recognise faces and saw no difference between the two groups. Because neither group has real-world experience with upside-down faces, the findings suggest that perceptual expertise – the ability to recognize and interpret sensory information, through practice – is responsible for the own-age bias.

The results help to rule out explanations that the reduced ability of the younger group to recognise older people’s faces is due to negative stereotypes or ageism (i.e., stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based on age).

Professor Civile said: “Understanding the younger groups difficulty recognising older people is important for situations such as eyewitness testimony, where a person’s age can influence their accuracy identifying suspects outside their age group. Our findings suggest that expertise or training can improve recognition of differently age individuals.”

The paper is published in Perception entitled “Testing the Own-Age Bias in face recognition among younger and older adults via the Face Inversion Effect”

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Journal

Perception

DOI

10.1177/0301006625140 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Testing the own-age bias in face recognition among younger and older adults via the Face Inversion Effect

Article Publication Date

15-Dec-2025

Shinshu University finds no price drop in Fukushima flounder after treated-water discharge

Comprehensive wholesale-market modeling reveals that the August 2023 ALPS-treated water release had no significant impact on Fukushima flounder pricing

Shinshu University

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The filled points are the actual prices, the solid line is the predicted price, and the gray area is the 95% credible interval of Bayesian estimation.

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Credit: Associate Professor Keisuke Ishibashi from Shinshu University, Japan

An analysis by Shinshu University and the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan shows that wholesale prices for flounder—a key Fukushima catch—remained stable after the August 2023 ALPS-treated water discharge. Using a predictive market model based on pre-discharge data, the study found no significant price decline, providing reassurance for fisheries stakeholders and informing future policy debates on nuclear-water disposal.

Fukushima’s fisheries have faced years of economic and emotional uncertainty ever since the 2011 nuclear accident disrupted marine ecosystems, damaged consumer trust, and placed a heavy burden on local livelihoods. When the Japanese government began releasing the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in August 2023 as part of its long-term decommissioning strategy, a new surge of public concern emerged. Although the water underwent multi-stage processing to remove radioactive contaminants and met the international safety standards, many feared that seafood originating from nearby waters would be rejected, triggering a steep price decline, especially for flounder, one of Fukushima’s most commercially important fish.

To provide a clear, scientific assessment of the economic impact, researchers led by Associate Professor Keisuke Ishibashi of Shinshu University, Japan, in collaboration with Dr. Maika Sasaki from the Distribution Economics Institute of Japan, turned to quantitative analysis. They focused not on speculation but on market behavior, tracking how wholesale prices actually changed after the treated-water discharge began. Using government transaction statistics from the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market, the team developed an econometric model capable of predicting what flounder prices should have been under normal conditions. They then compared this baseline to real-world price movements after the discharge.

This paper was made available online in the journal Fisheries Science on November 11, 2025, providing the first rigorous evaluation of seafood market responses to treated-water discharge. The analysis incorporated seasonal supply patterns, variations in landed volume, and broader market influences to isolate any specific economic impacts attributable to the discharge event.

Contrary to widespread fears, the results revealed no signs of a market downturn. Wholesale prices of flounder sourced from Fukushima remained stable and performed consistently with—and at times above—model projections. “Our study shows that there is no statistical evidence linking the treated-water discharge to a price in flounder—a hopeful sign for fisheries,” said Dr. Ishibashi.

The implications are significant: despite strong public emotions surrounding nuclear safety, consumers did not appear to withdraw their support for Fukushima flounder in the marketplace. Dr. Ishibashi emphasized the importance of evidence-based assessment, stating, “Using reliable government data and robust statistical modeling, we aimed to cut through speculation to show what actually happened.”

However, the researchers remain cautious about generalizing too broadly. The team recommends expanding similar analyses to other fish and shellfish caught in Fukushima waters to better understand consumer attitudes across the seafood supply chain.

Still, the findings deliver timely reassurance for an industry operating under intense scrutiny. Fishermen have repeatedly expressed fear that their livelihoods could be jeopardized by consumer distrust. This study provides a counterweight to those anxieties, demonstrating that market reactions may be more resilient than expected when scientific monitoring confirms safety.

Globally, the work offers a model for how governments and industries can evaluate the socio-economic impacts of environmental risk-management policies. As many nations face decisions about wastewater treatment from nuclear facilities or other sensitive industrial sources, data-driven analysis like this can help guide communication strategies, strengthen public trust, and safeguard local economies.

For Fukushima’s fishing communities, still working to restore pride and prosperity nearly 15 years after the disaster, the stability of flounder prices is more than an economic metric. It is a sign of gradual recovery and renewed confidence, suggesting that careful monitoring, transparent policy, and scientific evidence can help navigate even the most controversial environmental challenges.

 

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About Shinshu University

Shinshu University is a national university founded in 1949 and located nestling under the Japanese Alps in Nagano, known for its stunning natural landscapes.

Shinshu University was selected for the Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS) Program by the Japanese government. This initiative seeks to promote the formation of university consortia that will enhance research capabilities across Japan.

Our motto, "Powered by Nature - strengthening our network with society and applying nature to create innovative solutions for a better tomorrow" reflects the mission of fostering promising creative professionals and deepening the collaborative relationship with local communities, which leads to our contribution to regional development by innovation in various fields. We’re working on providing solutions for building a sustainable society through interdisciplinary research fields: material science (carbon, fiber and composites), biomedical science (for intractable diseases and preventive medicine) and mountain science, and aiming to boost research and innovation capability through collaborative projects with distinguished researchers from the world. For more information visit https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/ or follow us on X (Twitter) @ShinshuUni for our latest news.

 

About Associate Professor Keisuke Ishibashi from Shinshu University

Dr. Keisuke Ishibashi serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at Shinshu University, Japan. His areas of expertise are market research and statistical analysis, and his expertise is applied to economic analysis and marketing. Specifically, he analyzes markets and consumer behavior using statistical models, focusing on agriculture, fisheries, and the food industry. He actively collaborates with government agencies and companies to support informed decision-making.

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Journal

Fisheries Science

DOI

10.1007/s12562-025-01936-9 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Impact of ALPS‑treated water discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on flounder price

 

ARGs profiles and risk assessment between QXP and polar regions

Higher Education Press

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 Risk assessment of the impact of antibiotic resistance genes released by glacier melting on downstream ecosystems

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Credit: HIGHER EDUCATON PRESS

Global warming accelerates glacier melting, which releases antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into downstream ecosystems, poses a threat to ecological security and human health. Revealing the distribution and potential risks of ARGs in glaciers is crucial for assessing the impact of glacier melting caused by climate change on downstream ecosystems. Based on the above background, a research team of the Center for Pan-third Pole Environment of Lanzhou University published “Profiles and risk assessment of antibiotic resistome between Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Polar Regions”.

The study delineated that despite a significant difference in abundance of ARGs in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Arctic and Antarctica glaciers, their types exhibited a high similarity, mainly consisting of bacitracin and multidrug-resistant ARGs. It further indicated that the resistance of microorganisms in the glacial environment is mainly driven by the natural evolutionary process. Further assessment of the risk of ARGs in glaciers was conducted based on their mobility and the pathogenicity of their hosts. Although most ARGs in glaciers fall into the low-risk category, high-risk ARGs were still detected, indicating the need for continuous monitoring of ARGs in glaciers.

Highlights:

ARGs released from glaciers posed a threat to the sustainable development of downstream ecosystem.

The relative abundance of ARGs were the highest in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

A consistent pattern in terms of antibiotic class and resistance mechanism across three regions.

The potential ARGs future risks under climate change require further research.

 

Core content:

This study focuses on the distribution characteristics and potential risks of ARGs in glaciers of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Polar Regions, aiming to assess the impact of glacier melting under the background of climate change on downstream ecosystems and human health. By using 294 metagenomic sequences downloaded from public databases, the study conducted an in-depth analysis of the distribution characteristics and potential risks of ARGs in glaciers and their adjacent environments in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Antarctica, and the Arctic. The main research results are as follows:

Abundance characteristics of ARGs: The abundance of ARGs in glaciers of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was the highest, while that in Antarctica glaciers was the lowest. This finding indicates that the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, due to its geographical location and environmental conditions, may be more susceptible to the influence of antibiotic use in surrounding countries. In addition, significant differences in the abundance of ARGs were observed across different habitats, with the relative abundance of ARGs in snow being the highest and that in ice being the lowest. This may be related to the microbial community structure and activity in different habitats.

Types and distribution of ARGs: The types of ARGs in glaciers of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Antarctica, and the Arctic were consistent. Bacitracin, multidrug resistance, and macrolides were the most common types of ARGs in glaciers. Particularly, the bacA gene was the most frequently detected ARG subtype in the microbial communities of glaciers. Such distribution characteristics may be related to the natural selection and adaptability of microorganisms.

Risk assessment: Based on the mobility of ARGs and the pathogenicity of their hosts, a risk assessment of glacier ARGs was conducted. The study showed that most ARGs belonged to the low-risk category, but a certain proportion of high-risk ARGs (Rank I) was also detected (approximately 8%). These high-risk ARGs may pose a threat to human health through horizontal gene transfer.

 

Outlook: Future research should focus on the spatiotemporal migration mechanism of ARGs in the glacier basin continuum (glacier–runoff–lake), strengthen the source analysis of glacier ARGs, based on the climate environment and age record function of deep ice cores, reveal the long-term interaction and evolution between ARGs and climate change, and establish a prediction model for the evolution of ARGs during the process of climate change.

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Journal

Geography and Sustainability

DOI

10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100342 

Method of Research

Experimental study