Electrocatalyst design for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) typically focuses on electronic structures but overlooks the geometry influence on interfacial electric fields. This gap, combined with limitations in milligram-scale synthesis, prevents scalable electrosynthesis via EGOR. Herein, we bridge interfacial electrochemistry with industrial-scale catalyst manufacturing via evaporation-condensation, producing monodisperse Ni nanospheres (200–1,000 nm) at >2 tons per batch. Systematic investigations reveal a volcano-type size-activity relationship: ∼600 nm nanospheres (Ni600) exhibit optimal EGOR performance. In situ spectroscopies, finite-element analysis, and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that increasing particle size weakens the local electric field intensity, enhancing K+ accumulation and tuning the adsorption energetics of reactants, intermediates, and products. This geometry-field-activity correlation enables predictive catalyst optimization. Consequently, Ni600 delivers ∼93% EG-to-formate Faradaic efficiency with ∼96% yield at ∼400 mA cm−2. Notably, this catalyst sustains ∼500 mA cm−2 for >226 h in a flow stack, validating curvature-field principles under industrially relevant current densities.
Layered ammonium vanadate (NH4V4O10, NVO), a promising cathode for zinc-ion batteries, suffers from gradual NH4+ loss during cycling, causing structural degradation and limited long-term stability. Herein, we report a bromine-intercalation strategy to construct Br-NVO. The inserted Br− acts as structural pillars to expand the interlayer spacing, strengthen NH4+ anchoring via Br-H interactions, and redistribute the local charge environment. Bromine incorporation also suppresses framework distortion, lowers the Zn2+ migration barrier, and improves ion/electron transport kinetics. As a result, the optimized Br3NV100O cathode delivers a high reversible capacity of 504 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and retains 92.7% of its capacity after 3,000 cycles at 5 A g−1, benefiting from the synergistic effects of interlayer expansion, NH4+ stabilization, and electronic structure modulation. This work demonstrates that large-radius halogen intercalation provides an effective strategy to overcome the intrinsic instability of layered vanadate cathodes for high-energy, long-cycle-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
Achieving highly flaw-insensitive liquid metal (LM)-composited hydrogels for damage-tolerant wearable devices remains challenging due to the high surface tension of LM and weak filler-matrix interactions. Here, we demonstrate that tannic acid (TA) coating on LM nanodroplets (LM@TA) addresses these challenges by stabilizing LM dispersion and establishing strong yet dynamic interactions with a semi-interpenetrating poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate)-siloxane (PHEA-S) network. This interfacial engineering enables synchronized deformation between LM@TA fillers and the polymer matrix, effectively blunting crack tips and delocalizing stress. The resulting hydrogels exhibit high stretchability (860%), tensile strength (0.75 MPa), and toughness (3.09 MJ m−3), while achieving exceptional flaw-insensitivity (fracture strain retention of up to 92% and fracture energy of 12.43 kJ m−2). Notably, the hydrogel enables crack-tolerant wearable sensors for reliable motion and electrophysiological monitoring, while the plasmonic LM nanodroplets impart photothermal functionality for infrared camouflage, highlighting the broad potential of this polyphenol-mediated interfacial engineering strategy for damage-tolerant flexible electronics.
Triboelectric electronic fibers (E-Fibers) combine wearability with electronic functionality, offering broad prospects in self-powered and sustainable wearable electronics and finding extensive applications in biomedical, sports health, and industrial manufacturing fields. However, due to research disparities between materials science and textile engineering, the intrinsic relationship between fiber structural advantages and advanced performance remains unclear, posing significant challenges for the development of wearable electronic devices. This review systematically discusses the fundamental fiber structures and fabrication methods, and summarizes the pathways through which these unique one-dimensional fibers transform into two- and three-dimensional morphologies. Subsequently, performance enhancement strategies are examined from the perspective of structural advantages, alongside an exploration of recent advances in triboelectric E-Fiber-based electronic devices, including energy harvesting, wearable sensors, physiological monitoring, and human-machine interaction. Finally, remaining challenges and future prospects are discussed, aiming to provide a theoretical reference for the development of the next generation of E-Fibers.
The practical deployment of zinc metal anodes is severely strangled by inevitable issues of dendrite growth and water-induced side reactions, which collectively degrade zinc utilization and cycling durability. Herein, a sequential guidance-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) design concept is proposed to resolve the inherent trade-offs among Zn2+ deposition regulation, corrosion inhibition, deep-discharge adaptability, and long-term robustness. The advanced Zn||Zn symmetric cells operate steadily for 3,800 h, and sustain 680-h lifespan even at 96.6% zinc utilization. Meanwhile, this design criteria demonstrates universal full-cell compatibility and scalable production potential. High-mass-loading full cells using vanadium and iodine cathodes deliver exceptional cycling stability over 1,200 and 2,500 cycles with negligible capacity decay. Notably, a pouch cell with a low N/P ratio achieved highly stable cycling for 600 cycles. This work establishes a sustainable design paradigm for other burgeoning “beyond-lithium” aqueous battery technologies.
Piezoelectricity, the generation of electric charge under mechanical stress or effecting strain under an applied electric field, has powered technologies from quartz oscillators to modern actuators. The direct piezoelectric effect, traditionally confined to solid-state materials, has recently been demonstrated in room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs). This perspective showcases recent experimental outcomes, mechanistic insights, and structural dependencies to outline a roadmap for exploiting liquid-phase piezo-electrics. Highlighting the role of pressure-induced liquid-to-crystalline transitions, ion pair organization, and compositional tuning, we propose design strategies that could unlock applications ranging from flexible sensors to piezo-pneumatic devices. Unlike traditional liquids, where the application of pressure transfers mechanical load with no chemical or physical change, in these systems, the applied stress triggers a physical or chemical transformation, such as a phase transition, crystallization, or a change in molecular ordering. Such transformations are particularly important because they can generate non-centrosymmetric crystalline domains, which are essential for the emergence of piezoelectric behavior. This phenomenon is especially relevant in solid polymer electrolytes, where stress-induced crystallization can impart piezoelectric functionality. These materials are of particular interest for energy-harvesting composites, in which the multifunctional interfaces between piezoelectric phases and conductive matrices play a critical role in determining overall electromechanical performance.
Inflammation represents the body’s alarm and defense system as it is essential for healing, yet harmful when chronically activated. It drives a wide range of physiological conditions ranging from infection to autoimmune diseases to neurodegeneration. Current inflammation assessments rely on infrequent blood tests that miss dynamic immune fluctuations and fail to reflect everyday health dynamics. This review highlights the need to move from laboratory-based assays to wearable and ingestible technologies that enable continuous real-time monitoring of inflammatory status. Uniquely, we focus on how such technologies should be designed to function efficiently by emphasizing device architecture, sensing strategies, and system integration rather than biomarkers alone. Critical discussions on inflammation types, biorecognition elements and transducer designs, body fluid access, antibiofouling measures, and AI-enabled signal processing are presented. Finally, we present visionary concepts of intelligent wearable and ingestible systems that can generate personalized inflammatory fingerprints and guide tailored, timely interventions, paving the way toward precision healthcare.
A minute structural perturbation can trigger a disproportionate photophysical change in molecular aggregates, reminiscent of a “butterfly effect.” By incorporating a dicyano group into the near-infrared (NIR) D-π-A-π-D scaffold of TTBF, we developed TTBTM, a high-performance NIR-II emitter. Although TTBTM and TTBF showed nearly identical photophysical profiles in dilute solution, TTBTM displayed a ∼200 nm bathochromic shift and a large Stokes shift (305 nm) in the solid state. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and TD-DFT calculations revealed that dicyano substitution planarized the backbone and strengthened interlayer π-π interactions, promoting through-space interactions and emissive dimer formation in aggregates. These dimers account for the red-shifted emission. Alkyl chain modification validated that attenuating through-space interaction is detrimental to achieving red-shifted emission. Encapsulated with DSPE-PEG2000-c(RGDfK), TTBTM nanoparticles enabled stable, biocompatible, and tumor-specific NIR-II imaging in mouse models and patient-derived bladder cancer specimens, supporting precise surgical navigation and translational bioimaging applications.
The chronic performance of implantable neural electrodes is often compromised by multidimensional mismatches with living brain tissue, including geometric size, mechanical compliance, three-dimensional topology, and biochemical properties. Here, this preview highlights a study by Wang et al. that shrinks all-hydrogel fiber electrodes to the scale of neurons, advancing tissue-matched neural interfaces for stable long-term recording with minimal immune response.
Seawater electrolysis is a promising route for large-scale sustainable green hydrogen production, overcoming freshwater reliance. Current metal electrodes suffer severe failure in seawater electrolysis from chlorine corrosion and mechanical damage. Herein, we designed a 3D-printed, carbon-reinforced, nickel anti-corrosion electrode (Ni-C ACE) incorporating carbon to endow metal-based electrodes with resistance to chlorine corrosion and destructive gas bubbles, achieving effective Cl− repulsion and damage-free bubble release by establishing multiple anti-adsorption properties. Consequently, Ni-C ACE demonstrated stable operation for over 2,100 h at 1,000 mA cm−2 in alkaline seawater oxygen evolution reaction, exceeding commercial nickel foam by 4,000-fold (0.5 h). Coupled with photovoltaics, a Pt@Ni-C ACE||Ni-C ACE pair achieved a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 22.76% at 1,002 mA cm−2, establishing a next-generation benchmark for solar-driven seawater hydrogen production. This multiple anti-adsorption design pioneers a strategy for seawater electrolysis electrodes, representing a key step toward a green hydrogen economy.
Electromagnetic protection at ultrabroad frequencies ranging from kilohertz to gigahertz remains challenging due to the fundamental trade-off between conductive loss and magnetic loss. In Matter, Chen, Colombo, Wu, and colleagues engineer a dual-shelled hierarchical interface with magnetic core for ultra-broadband electromagnetic shielding, highlighting the potential in low frequencies for neuroprotection. In Cell Press Blue, Wu et al. further design magnetic heterointerfaces with a dielectric shell, enabling absorption-dominant electromagnetic protection.
Single-crystal fibers (SCFs) bring the thermal, optical, and chemical robustness of crystals into a fiber geometry; these characteristics make them appealing for high-power lasers and extreme-environment sensing where glass fibers reach material or operational limits. Yet many SCFs remain difficult to deploy as practical optical waveguides, owing to the absence of effective cladding, high optical loss, limited reproducibility in small-diameter growth, and poor diameter uniformity over useful lengths. This Matter of Opinion argues that controllable SCF growth and reliable cladding formation are needed if SCFs are to become practical low-loss waveguides rather than specialty crystal fibers.
