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As large language models (LLMs) become central tools in science, improving their reasoning capabilities is critical for meaningful and trustworthy applications. We introduce a Socratic agent for scientific reasoning, implemented through a structured system prompt that guides LLMs via classical principles of inquiry. Unlike typical prompt engineering or retrieval-based methods, our approach leverages definition, analogy, hypothesis elimination, and other Socratic techniques to generate more coherent, critical, and domain-aware responses. We evaluate the agent across diverse scientific domains and benchmark it on the abstraction and reasoning corpus challenge dataset, achieving 97.15% under a fixed prompting protocol and without fine-tuning or externalmore » tools. Expert evaluation shows improved reasoning depth, clarity, and adaptability over conventional LLM outputs, suggesting that structured prompting rooted in philosophical reasoning can improve the scientific utility of language models.« less

Vanadyl phosphates comprise a class of multielectron cathode materials capable of cycling two Li⁺, about 1.66 Na⁺, and some K⁺ ions per redox center. In this review, structures, thermodynamic stabilities, and ion diffusion kinetics of various A_xVOPO₄ (A = Li, Na, K, NH₄) polymorphs are discussed. Both the experimental data and first-principle calculations indicate kinetic limitations for alkali metal ions cycling, especially between for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, and metastability of phases with x > 1. This creates challenges for multiple-ion cycling, as the slow kinetics call for nanosized particles, which being metastable and reactive with organic electrolytes aremore » prone to side reactions. Thus, various synthesis approaches, surface coating, and transition metal ion substitution strategies are discussed here as possible ways to stabilize A_xVOPO₄ structures and improve alkali metal ion diffusion. Finally, the role of advanced characterization techniques, such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy, diffraction, pair distribution function analysis and ⁷Li and ³¹P NMR, in understanding the reaction mechanism from both structural and electronic points of view is emphasized.« less