Researchers develop a dual-ligand passivation strategy to achieve robust and ultralow-energy thiol-ene click chemistry for direct QD photolithography. The approach results in record resolution and high electroluminescent performance, with potential industrial impact.
Researchers developed a copper-zinc bimetallic tandem catalyst that enhances the efficiency and selectivity of CO2 electroreduction to produce methane. The catalyst, CuZn800@C, achieved a high methane Faradaic efficiency of 64.5% and demonstrated excellent stability.
A novel cobalt-free electrode material was developed through Ca2+ doping, reducing ionic radius mismatch and optimizing electron transport pathways. The resulting material showed significant improvements in electrical conductivity and reduced polarization resistance, leading to higher power densities and long-term stability.
Researchers developed a potassium channel-inspired composite membrane for efficient Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation, overcoming the selectivity-permeability trade-off of traditional membranes. The membrane achieved high Mg²⁺ rejection rates and excellent Li⁺ permeability, with stable separation performance in complex water bodies.
A team of researchers has developed a sea cucumber-inspired ionotronic hydrogel that combines intrinsic adhesion, room-temperature self-healing, and interfacial capacitive sensing. The hydrogel exhibits exceptional stretchability, high ionic conductivity, and strong adhesion to various substrates.
Researchers developed a synthetic bacterium-based vaccine platform that leverages engineered bacterial surfaces to assemble glucan nanofilms for enhanced antifungal immunity. The vaccine platform induces immune cell activation, increases antigen presentation markers, and promotes protective antifungal responses.
A bioinspired nanofiber patch inspired by octopus suckers maintains adaptive adhesion to the skin, even during significant deformation. The patch achieved up to 3.5 times greater delivery depth compared to conventional flat nanofiber patches under dynamic conditions.
Researchers from Xiamen University developed a strategy to boost valley polarization in 2D magnetic heterostructures by controlling spin-polarized charge transfer. Graphene proximity coupling accelerated interlayer spin-charge transfer, increasing valley polarization and polarization splitting. The enhancement improved the performance ...
Researchers propose layer-selective doping strategy to improve carrier injection and electrostatic gate control in sub-3 nm 2D MOSFETs. The strategy uses current confinement within the transport layer to overcome the trade-off between carrier injection and gate control.
Researchers have developed MXene/nanocellulose nanocomposites with exceptional mechanical and electromagnetic shielding properties. These composites offer a balance of strength, toughness, and stability, making them ideal for next-generation electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications.
A new quantum dot/molecule system achieves synchronous, inversely correlated dual-signal ratiometric response for ultrasensitive detection of hazardous chemicals. The system features rapid response time and ultralow detection limit.
A team of material scientists creates a highly fatigue-resistant eutectogel using a nanocavitation reinforcement strategy. The eutectogel is integrated into a triboelectric smart glove that captures dynamic hand gestures and recognizes sign language with 99.9% accuracy using deep learning algorithms.
A new hydrogel treatment, MXene-based composite hydrogel, disrupts bacterial biofilms in periodontitis, while reprogramming immune cells to reverse bone resorption. The treatment uses a dual mechanism of biofilm disruption and immunometabolic reprogramming to break the cycle of infection-inflammation-bone resorption.
Researchers developed an adipose-targeted microneedle patch co-delivering semaglutide and rosiglitazone, which achieves potent weight reduction and relieves glucolipid metabolic disorders. The patch works by alleviating inflammation and creating supportive conditions for fat browning, offering a sustainable clinical obesity intervention.
Combinatorial optimization is increasingly aided by large language models, which help with modeling, heuristic design, and end-to-end solving. The models assist in reducing expert burden and improving adaptability in complex settings.
Researchers developed dynamic electrostatic cladding-spun core-shell photothermal yarns that combine high mechanical strength with excellent photothermal performance. The yarns achieve stable photothermal temperatures and evaporation rates, demonstrating long-term operational stability. When integrated with thermoelectric modules, they...
A research team developed a method to modify a promising photocatalytic material using flash joule heating, resulting in a 10-fold enhancement in CO evolution under simulated solar irradiation. The work establishes a universal, scalable methodology for designing high-performance photocatalysts for diverse energy conversion applications.
High-entropy ceramics (HECs) exhibit superior wear resistance and adaptive lubrication compared to conventional ceramics due to synergistic effects of lattice distortion and sluggish diffusion. However, the field faces three major bottlenecks: standardized test protocols, mechanisms of high-entropy effect, and high synthesis cost.
A team of scientists engineered lattice and defects of nanosized metal halide perovskites using nickel doping to improve X-ray imaging performance. The modified perovskites exhibited exceptional light yield and imaging resolution, with a spatial resolution of 16.6 lp mm−1.
Researchers developed a flexible electrochemical sensor to map nanoplastic-induced oxidative stress in human cortical organoids, enabling real-time monitoring of hydrogen peroxide levels. The study showed that nanoplastics penetrate brain-like tissues and induce oxidative stress, with the signal largely confined to the penetration region.
Researchers engineered branched semiconductor nanowires to separate charge transport from light generation, demonstrating a new LED architecture that enhances light extraction efficiency. The indirect-bandgap design suppresses light emission from the core while enhancing emission from the branches.
Researchers have developed a bifunctional electrode combining high energy storage capacity with sensing sensitivity, achieved through a phosphorene/bismuthene heterojunction. The device exhibits excellent freeze tolerance, ultra-long cycle life, and mechanical flexibility, making it a promising component for wearable electronic systems.
A novel BP/Nb2SiTe4 heterostructure photodetector has been developed with exceptional polarization selectivity, self-driven functionality, and ultrabroadband response. The device outperforms traditional polarization detectors in spectral range, dichroic ratio, and spatial resolution.
Researchers at Tsinghua University have developed microwave catalytic systems for the conversion of waste plastics into high-value chemicals. The technology achieves efficient and rapid conversion of various types of plastics, including polyesters, polyolefins, and others, with high yields and selectivity. The study highlights the pote...
Researchers have successfully synthesized novel MAX ceramics with V solubility threshold, achieving 35% hardness and 5% toughness gains. The team's findings establish a clear route to property optimization via site-selective solid solution.
A graded recycling framework for real-world waste plastics aims to maximize carbon retention and improve recycling efficiency. The framework organizes mechanical recycling, chemical reconstruction, gasification, and biological upgrading as complementary strategies.
Researchers developed a rapid-heating furnace to test oxidation resistance of diboride ceramics at 2300 ℃. The Ti-containing composition exhibited superior oxidation resistance, with a dense outer layer and porous inner layer that buffered thermal stress accumulation.
Researchers at Guizhou University developed a lead-free ceramic material with near-zero strain hysteresis by introducing Sb³⁺ at the B-site and creating high-activity glassy polar nanoregions. The material exhibits a nearly linear strain loop under positive electric fields, demonstrating its potential for actuator applications.
Researchers developed a new screening strategy for low-conductivity rare-earth tantalates to improve thermal-barrier coating design. The new approach, which considers mean sound velocity and unit-cell volume, reveals a composition with lower lattice thermal conductivity at x = 0.8, contrary to the conventional point-defect parameter.
Scientists have developed a novel multiscale ceramic aerogel structure for thermal protection and EMW absorption, exhibiting ultralow density and exceptional thermal insulation. The aerogel demonstrated outstanding thermal shielding and
Researchers at Tsinghua University Press review Pt-based catalysts for the reverse water-gas shift reaction, highlighting the importance of structurally defined active centers and defect-anchored single atoms. The study identifies priorities for future research, including improved stabilization of single-atom and sub-nanometer Pt species.
Researchers developed high-performance flexible thermoelectric generators with planar and multilayer-stacked structures, overcoming material flexibility and mechanical stability challenges. The devices achieved high energy conversion capabilities and demonstrated practical potential for wearable thermoelectric energy harvesting.
A new coating developed by Professor Zhang Yuxin's team achieves long-term adaptive anti-corrosion for magnesium alloys, overcoming the limitations of traditional epoxy resins. The coating combines a hierarchical composite system to provide both long-term barrier protection and on-demand release of corrosion inhibitors.
A collaborative research team has successfully upcycled phosphine waste into high-value electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, a critical process for a hydrogen economy. The catalyst achieves exceptional performance in water splitting, making hydrogen production spontaneous and thermodynamically favorable.
Researchers have developed a concentration-gradient strategy to stabilize cell voltage for high-yield formate production via CO2 electroreduction. The strategy uses a concentration gradient to offset the voltage increase caused by cation migration, resulting in stable operation for up to 30 hours. This breakthrough enables efficient gr...
Transparent ferroelectric ceramics face trade-offs between transparency and functionality due to multiscale structural features. Strategies such as pressure-assisted sintering, grain refinement, and domain engineering can reduce optical scattering, but may alter polarization switching, piezoelectric activity, and thermal stability.
Phosvitin phosphopeptides from chicken egg yolks demonstrate strong antioxidative and neuroprotective effects, reducing ROS and increasing cell viability in SH-SY-5Y cells. Further research is needed to confirm their value as potential food/nutraceutical ingredients and determine their dosage and safety in humans and animals.
Researchers found that a combination of sucrose and supercritical carbon dioxide can improve egg white protein foam's foaming ability and stability. The treatment increases foaming capacity and preserves stability, enabling better freeze-thaw resistance in liquid egg white products.
Researchers found that high-entropy tungsten bronze ceramics exhibit ferroelectric behavior despite increased configurational entropy, challenging the conventional expectation. The study reveals that structural evolution, local BO6 environment, and polar nanoregion dynamics control the relaxor-ferroelectric evolution.
A team of researchers at Shandong University has introduced a solution to the hardness-toughness trade-off in advanced ceramics. They demonstrated that spinodal decomposition and precipitation can be activated simultaneously through controlled aging, creating a hierarchical microstructure that combines different interfaces and defects....
Researchers employed in-situ dielectric spectroscopy to monitor capacitance and conductance during ZnO varistor ceramics sintering. The apparent activation energy of DC conductance was identified as a descriptor for tracking DSB evolution, correlating with microstructural and phase evolution.
Researchers developed a three-stage autoregressive neural network architecture to predict midship bending moments in real-time, offering continuous probabilistic confidence bounds and probabilistic safety intervals. The model achieved high accuracy, with an average R² of 0.9533 and a 94.22% coverage rate at the 95% confidence level.
The study examines the impact of matrix composition on interfacial structure and mechanical-dielectric performance in Si3N4 fiber-reinforced composites. It reveals that optimal interfacial shear strength enhances high-temperature stability, while excessively strong interfacial bonding degrades flexural and compressive strengths.
Recent studies reveal multiple pathways for ceramics to accommodate deformation at room temperature. Advances in materials design and characterization techniques have made room-temperature plasticity increasingly achievable.
Researchers have developed a new cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries using engineered oxygen defects, improving electronic conductivity and reducing structural instability. The material enhances the electrochemical performance of the batteries, making them more viable for grid-scale energy storage solutions.
Researchers have developed a two-step 'pre-zincification' process to create high-performance cathode materials for Zn-ion batteries, enabling stable operation and minimal volume variation during cycling. The resulting material shows impressive structural stability and rechargability with negligible capacity degradation past 5000 cycles.
Researchers designed novel non-equimolar monoclinic-prime (m´) RETaO4 HECs with optimized thermal performance. The composition-structure-thermal performance relationship was clarified through systematic structural and thermophysical tests, revealing polyhedral distortion and lattice strain as key factors for tailoring thermal properties.
Researchers engineered a novel electrode via boron reduction, exhibiting ultra-low overpotentials and exceptional long-term stability. The Co-B bond stabilizes the electrode, suppressing metal leaching and enabling efficient water splitting.
Researchers developed a universal strategy to repair quantum dot surfaces, boosting photoluminescence quantum yield and suppressing exciton quenching. Optimized QLEDs achieved record-breaking external quantum efficiency of 34.3% with nearly four times longer operational lifetime.
A new treatment for periodontitis uses an MXene-based hydrogel that disrupts bacterial biofilms and reprograms immune cell metabolism, reversing bone resorption. The hydrogel combines electrostatic sterilization with photothermal stimulation to target periodontal bacteria.