The flexible nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/thermoplastic polyurethane (N-rGO/TPU) linear thermosensitive film is synthesized via a straightforward ultrasonic-assisted solution mixing process followed hydrothermal treatment. N-rGO is uniformly dispersed in the TPU film and formed conductive paths, which constructs an excellent three-dimensional conductive network. 2 wt

Photo-assisted overall water splitting (PA-OWS) provides an effective strategy to enhance electrocatalytic hydrogen production through photo-induced interfacial modulation. Herein, an amorphous/crystalline MoS2/NiPxSy@NF heterojunction is constructed, which undergoes in situ reconstruction into MoS2/Ni(OH)2@NF during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) process, as revealed via In situ Raman spectroscopy, thus improving structural stability and photo-assisted catalytic activity. X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) further demonstrates that the NiPxSy forms a coordination-unsaturated Ni(OH)2 phase. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the reconstructed interface is found to induce electron transfer from Mo to Ni, suppressing excessive oxidation of Ni species and facilitating catalytic kinetics. Benefiting from these features, MoS2/Ni(OH)2@NF reach the current density of 1000 mA cm-2 at 1.77 V and achieves the Solar-to-Hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 24.56%, driven by efficient charge separation as reflected by the light-induced surface potential increase from 373.5 mV to 395.5 mV under Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). This work reveals the critical role of dynamic interfacial evolution in regulating charge redistribution and HER kinetics, which offers new opportunities for designing efficient amorphous/crystalline heterostructure catalysts for PA-OWS.

The solution-based processing of halide perovskites typically yields films of limited crystallinity, plagued by abundant grain boundaries and surface defects that degrade device performance. To address this, we introduce multifunctional DL-methionine-S-methyl sulfonium chloride (DMSC) as a dual-action additive for the perovskite precursor, which enables high-quality crystallization and efficient defect passivation, substantially boosting the performance of hole-conductor-free, printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs) with carbon electrodes. The distinct functional groups of DMSC (-NH2, -COOH, and sulfonium) coordinate strongly with the perovskite components. This interaction refines the colloidal particle size distribution in the precursor solution, retards uncontrolled nucleation, and promotes subsequent crystal growth, ultimately enhancing the perovskite crystallinity within the mesoporous scaffold. Moreover, DMSC effectively passivates defect sites by interacting with Pb and I species, which suppresses non-radiative recombination and enhances stability against aging. Consequently, p-MPSCs incorporating DMSC achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of 22.5%, an encouraging advance over the 20.6% efficiency of control devices. Furthermore, encapsulated DMSC-based p-MPSCs retain 95% of their initial efficiency after 1000 h of maximum power point tracking under continuous one-sun illumination at 55 ± 5°C and 55 ± 5% relative humidity. This work establishes an effective dual-action additive strategy for achieving high-quality perovskites towards high-performance p-MPSCs.

We synthesized FeS-loaded, lignin-derived, heteroatom-doped porous carbon nanosheets as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, which showed a high ORR half-wave potential of 0.83 V, a low OER overpotential of 330 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a small potential gap of 0.73 V.

The growing adoption of wearable electronics is spurring the development of lightweight, highly integrable fabric systems. These systems are required to seamlessly merge multiple functions, including energy storage, signal rectification and neuromorphic computing. However, integrating these diverse functionalities into a single fiber structure remains a significant challenge, primarily due to material compatibility issues and distinct operational mechanisms. To address this challenge, we present the novel fiber-shaped aqueous dual-ion batteries (FADIBs) composed of a CuHCF/CNTF cathode, an Ag/CNTF anode and an NH4Cl/PVA gel electrolyte. This dual-ion configuration serves as a unified platform that inherently combines these typically disparate functions. Specifically, the FADIBs achieve a high energy density of 51.5 mWh cm- 3 and an exceptional ionic rectification ratio of up to 109, facilitated by asymmetric ion migration. It also emulates artificial synaptic behavior with an ultra-low energy consumption of only 7.5 fJ per synaptic event. Furthermore, the versatility of the FADIBs allows integration into various fabric-based functional modules, demonstrating applications in energy harvesting, power supply and synaptic-controlled electrochromic regulation. This work establishes FADIBs as a foundational technology for multifunctional integration, providing prescient insights for future fabric systems that unify energy management, intelligent perception and information processing.

Developing water-soluble nano-additives that elevate tribological performance and corrosion resistance in aqueous environments continues to define the forefront of advanced research. Herein, microwave-synthesized sulfonic carbon dots (CDs@PSS) were functionalized with three benzothiazole derivatives. This yielded CDs@PSS-2ABT, CDs@PSS-2AMBT, and CDs@PSS-2AMBZT, which possess a "rigid-core/flexible-shell" structure. CDs@PSS-2AMBT (-CH3) achieves exceptional tribological performance, evidenced by a 61% reduction in friction coefficient and a 90% reduction in wear volume, while CDs@PSS-2ABT (-H) exhibits outstanding corrosion inhibition. Innovatively, we utilize the intrinsic fluorescence of CDs. A real-time method for monitoring adsorption rates is established via fluorescence decay. The observed sequence of adsorption rates is VCDs@PSS-2AMBT > VCDs@PSS-2ABT > VCDs@PSS-2AMBZT, highlighting the functional groups' regulatory role in adsorption kinetics. Molecular dynamics simulations further clarify the underlying lubricating mechanism: The -CH3 group imparts CDs@PSS-2AMBT with strong metal affinity through hydrophobic effects (approximate to-4833 kcal/mol). This promotes rapid adsorption and the formation of an effective protective film. This work quantitatively connects functional groups to both performance and fluorescence properties, establishing a robust framework for the rational design of high-performance aqueous lubricants.

Solar-driven selective aerobic transformations of organic chemicals to specific products with high selectivity and productivity is significant for green chemistry but extremely challenging. This study presents a metal displacement strategy to construct magnetism-plasma coupled semiconductor systems comprising plasma Ag nanoparticles embedded within transition metal ion-substituted Ag-Bi halide double perovskites for photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of styrene. The resulting photocatalysts efficiently boosts the generation of 1O2, achieving an impressive benzaldehyde productivity of 18.3 mmol g- 1 h- 1 under light-magnetism field irradiation, without significant loss of reactivity. Transient absorption and in-situ photovoltage spectroscopy combined with computational simulations demonstrate that magnetism-plasma coupling effects in perovskite intensifies the localized electromagnetic field and facilitates the efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Theoretical calculations elucidate that magnetism-plasma coupling in perovskite also boosts the interfacial electron transfer and the absorption and activation of O2. This study presents a strategic approach to reinforcing the reactivity of photocatalysts for aerobic oxygenation via advanced plasma and electronic engineering.

Developing highly efficient single-atom catalysts (SAC) for oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER) shows great promise in rechargeable Zn-air batteries (RZABs). As one of the most appealing candidates for oxygen electrocatalysis, Fe-N-C catalysts are still suffered from the suboptimal adsorption of oxygen intermediates. Herein, a facile strategy to optimize the activity of Fe-based SAC is achieved through the construction of well-dispersed FeN4/CuN4 dual single-atom sites and FeCu atomic clusters on lignin-derived porous carbon nanosheets (Fe,Cu-DSAs/ACs) by engineering metal-lignin coordination complexes. The optimized catalyst demonstrates remarkable bifunctional ORR/OER activity with a low potential gap of 0.686 V, which is comparable to benchmark Pt/C+RuO2 and even superior to previously reported non-precious metal catalysts. When assembled in RZABs, it exhibits superior energy and power density, as well as excellent cycling stability up to 500 h. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that coexisting Cu-N4 sites and FeCu atomic clusters could collaboratively break the symmetric electronic structure of Fe-N4 and induce a downward shift in the d-band center, thus reducing the adsorption energy of oxygenated intermediates and promoting both the ORR and OER performance. This work proposes a universal and sustainable strategy for electron regulation of M-N-C, thereby offering key insights for the design of advanced multifunctional electrocatalysts for future energy applications.

The development of high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) from biomass-derived materials represents a promising route toward sustainable energy technology. Herein, using alkaline lignin as the renewable precursor and melamine as the nitrogen dopant, Fe3C/NC electrocatalysts were synthesized through NaCl template-assisted pyrolytic process. This synthetic route generates an interconnected three-dimensional (3D) porous network for the catalysts. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between Fe3C and active N species, high specific surface area, and rich porous architecture, the resulting material exhibits an ORR half-wave potential (E 1/2) of 0.855 V, an OER overpotential (eta 10) of 328 mV, and a potential gap (Delta E) of 0.703 V, demonstrating the excellent bifunctional activity. Moreover, zinc-air batteries constructed with Fe3C/NC cathodes deliver high open-circuit voltage, large specific capacity, as well as outstanding cycling stability. These results provide valuable insights for the design of sustainable, biomass-derived bifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy applications.

Linear temperature sensors have the advantages of simple signal processing, high accuracy and good stability. They have received extensive attention in the field of temperature monitoring. In this work, N-rGO/MnNi2O4 thermosensitive films were screen-printed on PI substrates and assembled into sensors with electrodes. The influence of different mass ratios of N-rGO to MnNi2O4 on the sensing performance is systematically investigated, including the detection range, resolution, and response time. Results indicate that increasing N-rGO content transforms the resistance-temperature (R-T) curve from exponential to linear. The sensor with the optimal mass ratio (1:25) demonstrates a linear R-T relationship (20-50 degrees C, R2 = 0.9980), a fast response time (0.585 s), and a high TCR (1.31 %/degrees C), which is higher than that of N-rGO (0.842 %/degrees C). After 90-day aging, the resistance value of N-rGO/ MnNi2O4 temperature sensor still maintains a highly linear relationship with temperature changes, with relative fluctuation rates of only 1.10 %, demonstrating excellent stability and repeatability in temperature measurement. These findings establish a solid foundation for developing novel linear temperature sensors.

Artificial interface layer-aided zinc anodes (AIL@Zn) with simultaneously controllable Zn dendrite growth and corrosion resistance are highly expected to simultaneously achieve both high capacity and cycle stability in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs). However, how the facet effects of the AIL guides the efficient Zn deposition behavior remains an open question. Herein, we devise a facile and scalable hydrothermal approach to synthesize various nanostructured X-CeO2 AILs to coat the Zn anode, ultimately offering an X-CeO2@Zn electrode. Among all X-CeO2@Zn anodes, rod-shaped CeO2 with exposed {1 10} facets modified Zn anode (R-CeO2@Zn) can effectively inhibit dendrite growth and side reactions, thereby delivering ultrastable durability over 2500 h at 1 mA cm-2/0.5 mAh cm-2 and reversibility cycled for 250 hat 84.7% depth of discharge. In addition, MoS2//R-CeO2@Zn full cell delivers a significantly capacity retention rate above 99% after 1000 cycles. The superior performance originates from the exposed {1 10} facets, which uniquely modulate the binding and diffusion energies of Zn adatoms to promote homogeneous deposition. This work shifts the AIL design principle from mere composition selection to atomic-level facet control, offering a general strategy for next-generation battery electrodes. Additionally, the strategy proposes its extension to other metal-ion battery systems. (c) 2026 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

The proton conduction mechanism of imidazole and its homologues within confined spaces has attracted much attention from researchers, which is highly beneficial for the development of novel proton exchange membranes. Traditionally, the hydrogen at the 1-position (H-1) on the nitrogen (N-1) of imidazole is seen as the exclusive source of mobile protons. However, we suggest that the 3-position nitrogen atom (N-3) can also generate mobile protons under hydrous conditions. This is because N-3 can form hydrogen bonds with water, which are particularly robust in confined spaces, thereby enhancing proton ionization from water and facilitating proton transfer. Based on this concept, 1-methylimidazole was introduced into a covalent organic framework (COF), resulting in a remarkable proton conductivity of 2.40 & times; 10-3 S/cm at 70 degrees C and 100 % relative humidity. This performance is on par with that of COFs doped with imidazole, demonstrating the key role of N-3 & centerdot;& centerdot;& centerdot;H2 O interactions within the framework in producing mobile protons and facilitating proton diffusion. Furthermore, this challenges the conventional viewpoint that H-1 of imidazole is the sole contributor to proton concentration, offering a new strategy for the preparation of high-performance proton conductors. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Electrochemical ozone production (EOP) and chlorine evolution reaction (CER) are key electrochemical reactions with broad applications in water treatment and industrial processes. However, current electrocatalysts suffer from low activity, limited durability, and inadequate intermediate adsorption control, hindering practical applications. This study fabricated a 3D morphology microenvironment of the sgNATO-Bn electrocatalyst by optimizing sol-gel conditions, which enriched reactant concentration and enhanced EOP performance. Building on this, the incorporation of Ru-Sm dual-atom modulated the electronic structure microenvironment at the atomic scale, thereby boosting CER performance. The sgNATO-Bn electrocatalyst exhibited excellent EOP stability, sustaining 510 h at 250 mA & centerdot;cm-2 under acidic conditions. The Ru-Sm-sgNATO-Bn demonstrated outstanding CER performance with an overpotential of 49 mV, a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99.1%, and a lifetime of 312 h at 250 mA & centerdot;cm-2. Theoretical calculations revealed that the doped Sb and Ni elements facilitated O3 adsorption at lattice oxygen vacancies through the formation of stable five-membered ring structures, thereby enhancing EOP activity. Ru-Sm dual-atom co-doping optimized the d-band center and lowered Cl adsorption energy, significantly boosting CER activity. This work presented a new strategy for electrocatalyst design and offered insights into water treatment and environmental protection.

Strontium titanate (STO) is a prototypical quantum paraelectric, lacking long-range ferroelectric order at any temperature, which has made the engineering of robust polarization a persistent challenge. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature ferroelectricity in nonstoichiometric STO films down to two unit cells in thickness. Direct nanoscale imaging via piezoresponse force microscopy reveals strong, switchable ferroelectric polarization. Atomic-scale imaging of oxygen columns using integrated differential phase contrast confirms a large, long-range ordered polarization of ∼30 μC·cm-2. Chemical analysis shows that these films are strontium-deficient (Sr/Ti = 0.93), with electron energy-loss spectroscopy indicating that the reduced Ti valence originates from oxygen vacancies. We conclude that the interplay of Sr deficiency and oxygen vacancies drives the emergent ferroelectric phase transition facilitated by the strain that can enhance the polarization. This work establishes nonstoichiometric ultrathin STO as a platform for strong low-dimensional ferroelectricity, opening pathways for nanoscale electronic devices and engineered quantum materials.

Nanomaterials prepared by physical exfoliation or chemical synthesis and used as lubricant additives can enhance the load-bearing capacity of lubricants and reduce the COF. However, the use of shear-induced mechanical strain to trigger molecular fragmentation and rearrangement reactions, thereby directly generating carbon dots (CDs) in situ within the lubricant system, has not yet been reported. A new lubricant, composed of aromatic polyacids, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and water, has been prepared such that it can in situ generate carbon dots through shear friction, thereby achieving the lowest friction coefficient (COF = 0.012) to date in the four-ball model. Under the action of high shear forces at the interface, TA and PEG molecules undergo mechanochemical reactions at the friction interface, in situ generating CDs and consequently resulting in changes in the solution state. The tribofilm composed of CDs, together with the hydrogen-bonding network formed by TA, PEG, and water molecules, provides the lubricating system with the ability to withstand high loads. This finding provides important theoretical and practical guidance for the development of new, highly efficient carbon-dot-based lubricants via an in situ approach.

The two-electron electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction presents a sustainable strategy to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis, opening avenues for decentralized environmental water treatment and chemical synthesis, yet its practical translation is impeded by inadequate catalyst selectivity and durability. Here, we report a universal design principle for anchoring iodine single atoms onto various high-entropy sulfide matrices. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that this architecture harnesses the dynamic redox activity of iodide to create an adaptive electron reservoir, reversibly modulating the local electronic structure to optimally stabilize reaction intermediates, thereby steering the oxygen reduction reaction pathway toward the two-electron route. The resulting electrocatalyst achieves a high H2O2 production rate exceeding 33 mol gcat-1 h-1, and exceptional longterm stability even in seawater. Most importantly, the integrated I/HES system capitalizes on in-situ H2O2 generation within actual wastewaters achieving over 99% uranium extraction efficiency from 1000 ppm solutions, demonstrating practical viability for on-site environmental remediation and resource recovery.

Quasi-one-dimensional RbMn6Bi5, the first pressure-induced ternary Mn-based superconductor, exhibits a phase diagram analogous to those of cuprate and iron-based superconductors, with superconductivity neighboring antiferromagnetic order. Here, we use 55Mn and 87Rb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to unravel its magnetic structure and fluctuations. Above the Néel temperature (TN), strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations dominate, characteristic of a paramagnetic state with pronounced spin-lattice relaxation rate enhancement. Below TN, a first-order phase transition establishes a commensurate antiferromagnetic order, where Mn atoms at the pentagon corners exhibit distinct magnetic moments with different orientations, while the central Mn atom carries no magnetic moment. The complex magnetic architecture, revealed by zero-field and high-magnetic-field NMR spectra, contrasts with earlier neutron diffraction models proposing uniform spin density waves, instead supporting localized moment ordering with charge rearrangement. The proximity of robust antiferromagnetic fluctuations to the high-pressure superconducting phase suggests a potential role for magnetic excitations in mediating unconventional Cooper pairing, akin to paradigmatic high-Tc systems. These findings provide critical insights into the interplay between geometric frustration, magnetic order, and superconductivity in manganese-based materials.

Elevating the charging cutoff voltage is critical for practical lithium metal batteries (LMBs); however, this strategy is severely hampered by solvent parasitic reactions. Despite advances in electrode/electrolyte interface engineering, solvent molecules near the interface remain attracted by cathodic parasitic-reaction sites, resulting in solvent decomposition. Here, we propose a separator-adsorbed solvent strategy, establishing a separator-electrolyte interface enriched with adsorption sites that prevents solvent molecules from being captured by cathodic parasitic-reaction sites. The selected polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) separator serves to interact with positively charged regions of carbonate solvents. This combination facilitates robust separator-solvent interactions, including C-H···F weak hydrogen bonds and n → π* interactions. Significantly, these interactions generate numerous solvent adsorption sites at the separator-electrolyte interface, which compete with the active cathode surface for solvent molecules. This enables the solvent molecules to escape the attraction of cathodic parasitic-reaction sites and preferentially accumulate on the separator surface, thereby significantly suppressing solvent decomposition and stabilizing the cathode interface. The gel polymer electrolyte with a polytetrafluoroethylene separator (GPE-PTFE) enables a 4.4 V Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cell to achieve a high-capacity retention rate, maintaining 80% capacity over 671 cycles, nearly double the 368 cycles achieved using a polyethylene (PE) separator. Under an ultrahigh cutoff voltage of 4.7 V, the capacity retention reaches 90% after 100 cycles. This work proposes a paradigm for realizing ultrahigh-voltage LMBs through the separator-electrolyte interface.

The electrochemical two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) offers a sustainable route for the on-site production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), yet developing cost-effective and high-performance catalysts remains highly challenging. In this study, porous biochar (BC) was first derived from corncob powder via KOH activation, followed by loading of uniformly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles through impregnation and carbothermal reduction methods to yield catalysts denoted as Co/BC-X (with X representing the Co : C molar ratio). The characterization of the catalysts by various analytical methods confirmed the formation of uniformly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles anchored on porous biochar with abundant oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs), significantly enhancing the electrocatalytic production of H2O2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested the modulation of the electronic structure of the carbon atoms through synergy between Co nanoparticles and OFGs, optimizing the adsorption free energy of the OOH* intermediate closer to the theoretical optimal value and steering the ORR predominantly along the 2e- pathway. Among catalysts, the optimized Co/BC-3.3 catalyst achieved outstanding electrocatalytic performance toward H2O2 production with high H2O2 selectivity (∼96%), an electron transfer number of ∼2.06 at 0.45 V vs. RHE, a low Tafel slope of 72.42 mV dec-1 and excellent stability. In an H-type cell, the H2O2 production rate reached 1602 mmol gcat-1 h-1 using Co/BC-3.3, highlighting the effectiveness of the proposed strategy for sustainable and cost-effective conversion of biomass waste into high-performance electrocatalysts, along with providing fundamental insights into tuning the electronic structure of carbon-based materials for efficient on-site H2O2 electrosynthesis.

In this study, biodegradable porous poly(ethylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PEAT) foam materials with excellent properties were prepared using supercritical carbon dioxide foaming technology. First, PEAT with varying molecular weights underwent systematic characterization to understand molecular weight's impact on PEAT properties. Subsequently, the effects of different foaming processes and molecular weight on PEAT foam's foaming performance, solubility, compressive properties, cell structure, and degradation behavior were thoroughly investigated. Experimental results confirmed that PEAT exhibits exceptional foaming capability. Uniform and intact cellular structures can be well retained even after complete aging and shrinkage. All PEAT foams exhibited high expansion ratios, with the maximum reaching approximately 36.69 times. However, due to its linear structure and weak melt strength, the PEAT foam experienced significant shrinkage. Carbon dioxide solubility tests revealed that high-molecular-weight PEAT materials demonstrated superior CO2 dissolution capacity. Notably, compared to the low-molecular-weight PEAT foam, the high-molecular-weight PEAT foam exhibits superior compressive strength and compressive modulus. After 10 compression cycles, it retains excellent compressive strength and elasticity. Furthermore, the PEAT foam demonstrates outstanding biodegradability, achieving a weight loss of 64.03% within a 10 day degradation cycle. These results confirm that the PEAT foam produced via supercritical carbon dioxide foaming technology not only achieves ultrahigh expansion ratios and outstanding compressive properties but also aligns with contemporary societal demands for eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness. This material combines excellent comprehensive performance with practical application potential, offering prospects for further research and engineering implementation.