Lithium-ion batteries are integral to modern technologies but the sustainability of long-term battery health is a significant and persistent challenge. In this perspective Borah and colleagues discuss the integration of physics and machine learning to support developments in battery performance and safety.

Shuo Chen and colleagues present a cost-effective neural network-based method to deal with tip-sample convolution artifacts in atomic force microscopy. Their method merges multiview atomic force microscopy images into precise 3D models of complex micro- and nanostructures.

Taixia Shi and colleagues demonstrate a microwave photonics system with integrated capabilities of radar, communication, and spectrum sensing for 6G technologies, simultaneously achieving high-accuracy radar ranging and imaging, high-data-rate wireless communications, and wideband spectrum sensing.

Arranz and colleagues introduce a closure model for computational fluid dynamics. Their approach is implemented using artificial neural networks. It predicts multiple flow conditions, is directly applicable to complex geometries, and ensures consistency with numerical schemes.

Ke Chen and colleagues address the optimal design problem for the multiscale design of high-permeability seawater reverse osmosis desalination systems, aiming to develop a stable and efficient surrogate model. This technique enables a quantitative description of hydrodynamics processes and local transport characteristics in narrow flow channels.

Dianzhao Li and Ostap Okhrin proposed a deep reinforcement learning framework for transition between various simulated and real-world driving environments. Their method allows for the more effective control of autonomous vehicles in lane following and overtaking tasks.

A thermoelectric glazing prototype made from cost-effective aluminium-doped zinc oxide and copper iodide nanogenerators achieves a 22.5 °C temperature difference on either side of the glaze, harvesting electricity from the differential. Such glazes are critical for increasing energy efficiency in the built environment.

Alberto Ferraris and colleagues demonstrate a cryogenic circuit with a InGaAs-based quantum well transistors integrated with capacitors for the application of quantum computers. This system improves over Si CMOS by superior properties at cryogenic temperature and with a lower voltage supply, which is helpful to reduce the power consumption in the qubit control applications.

Xi Ouyang et al. developed a unified machine-learning model for multi-task segmentation in computed tomography images. After collating a large dataset composed of over 35K scans, the model presented superior results compared to the state-of-the-art in various tasks.

Hai-Han Lu and co-authors present a new radio transmission system. Using directly modulated laser thought injection locking of the optical comb, they demonstrate millimeter wave/sub-terahertz wireless and fiber transmission.

Daniel Perez Lopez is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at iPronics, a company dedicated to the development and commercialization of integrated programmable photonic circuits. His company focuses both on hardware advances for novel circuit and component architectures as well as software advances leading to the creation of fault-tolerant automated routines enabling advanced optical networking and processing, specially for AI infrastructure and intra-datacenter communications. As a young entrepreneur, Daniel shares with us his experiences and insights of the academia-industry transition and building a spin-out company from his university research.

A recent publication in Nature Communications describes the use of cameras on hovering drones to detect submillimetre displacements of bridge spans.

Learning from the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Sequence offers valuable insights into disaster recovery. Carmine Galasso and Eyitayo Opabola delve into the intricacies of the “Build Back Better” (BBB) concept, underscoring the importance of recovery and reconstruction efforts toward a future that is not only more resilient but also more sustainable and equitable.

Recent high-profile concrete material failures, including the collapse of parts of public buildings in the UK, have highlighted the need for a greater understanding of the durability of concrete. Here, John Provis explores the need to recognise the complexity of concrete when planning both the research and application of this key construction material.

Nanomaterial solutions to sustainable development goals are hindered in their path to commercialisation by an early-stage reliance on single metric optimisation. Here we formulate the PSEC challenge (Performance, Scalability, Environment and Cost) to integrate broader sustainability thinking with precise technical solutions and so enable successful commercialisation of these advanced materials.

On International Women in Engineering Day, we outline the ways that Communications Engineering supports the equitable inclusion of women in our publishing activities. We also suggest ways in which researchers can be supporters of diversity and inclusion when publishing their own research.