The corrosion and surface icing of metallic materials in low-temperature marine environments represent critical factors that restrict the development of marine engineering. Consequently, the development of protective technologies that integrate long-lasting anticorrosion performance with effective anti-icing and deicing capabilities remains a significant challenge. In this study, a self-healing photothermal superhydrophobic coating (F-HNTs/Phen-PDA@EP superhydrophobic coating) was fabricated using functionally modified halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and epoxy resin (EP). The resulting coating exhibits excellent superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of 152.8 ± 2.5° and a sliding angle of 8.7 ± 0.7°. In the meanwhile, the coating possesses self-healing property, enabling the precise release of corrosion inhibitor to restore its protective performance upon damage. At −10 °C, the freezing time of water droplets on the coating surface is significantly prolonged compared to that on bare Q235 carbon steel. Moreover, under 1.0 sun illumination, frozen water droplets on the coating surface melt rapidly, demonstrating excellent delayed icing and active deicing performance. This photothermal self-healing superhydrophobic coating offers a promising solution to the challenges of corrosion and icing in low-temperature marine environments.

Exploring new material systems and enhancing the birefringence of compounds is a highly valuable endeavor. In this study, we introduce a novel method to enhance the birefringence of inorganic compounds by inducing structural alignment through linear groups and fluoride ions. We report on two new compounds: HgGa2(SeO3)4 and Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F. HgGa2(SeO3)4 crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric (NCS) space group, exhibiting a second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of approximately 60% that of commercial KH2PO4 (KDP), with a birefringence of 0.032@546 nm. Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F, on the other hand, crystallizes in a centrosymmetric space (CS) group and represents the first reported HgI-based selenite birefringent material. Due to the influence of the linear group Hg2O2, its birefringence is significantly enhanced to 0.111@546 nm, which is 3.5 times that of HgGa2(SeO3)4. Moreover, both compounds demonstrate high stability and a broad optical transparency window. These findings indicate that Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F is a promising candidate for birefringent material in the mid-infrared (MIR) range. Our research provides an innovative strategy for improving the birefringence of compounds.

The three-dimensional (3D) porous copper foil, as the promising current collector to suppress lithium dendrite growth for lithium metal batteries (LMBs), still confronts the challenge of facile fabrication. Herein, we report a simple strategy of electro-etching planar copper foil into porous structure with citric ions. The citric ions act as drills, preventing the formation of inert layer at local sites, and drill into the copper surface, carrying the generated Cu2+ to the bulk phase of electrolyte. The porous copper foil prepared at an optimal current density of 20 mA cm-2 for 5 min demonstrates superior electrochemical performance and dendrite inhibition capability. When employed as a lithium metal host, the Li-Cu half-cell exhibits stable cycling over 140 cycles with a low overpotential of 27.4 mV. Moreover, the symmetric cells demonstrate sustainable lithium plating/stripping behavior for over 2500 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 1.0 mAh cm-2. The full cell assembled with prelithiated porous copper foil and LiFePO4 exhibited a capacity retention rate of 98.72% after 90 cycles at 0.5C. This work presents a cost-effective and scalable strategy for easy fabrication of 3D porous copper foil, offering valuable insights for the development of high-performance lithium metal batteries.

The exchange bias effect is of growing importance in information storage technologies, yet achieving a giant exchange bias in single-phase materials under an ultralow cooling field remains a formidable challenge. Here, La1.5Ba0.5CoMnO6 double perovskites were synthesized by the sol-gel method at various sintering temperatures. The influence of grain size on their structural, morphological, and magnetic properties was systematically investigated, with a particular focus on exchange bias performance. All samples crystallize in a rhombohedral structure (space group R3¯c), with the average grain size tunable in the range of 110–570 nm. Remarkably, the sample with an intermediate grain size of 470 nm exhibited a giant exchange bias field up to 10.7 kOe under a cooling field as low as 200 Oe. Further analysis reveals that grain size effectively modulates the degree of B-site antisite disorder and the associated antiphase boundaries. These microstructural features, in turn, govern the competing interfacial exchange couplings among the coexisting ferromagnetic, spin glass–like, and antiferromagnetic states, thereby enabling precise tuning of the exchange bias effect. These findings establish grain-size engineering as a viable and effective strategy for enhancing exchange bias in double-perovskite systems, with significant implications for low-power spintronic device applications.

The cathode interphase is disrupted by rapid Li⁺ flux and insufficient desolvation, which results in structural collapse and eventual battery failure at high rates. In this work, we proposed a kinetic buffering strategy to mitigate the severe Li⁺ flux under high rates by designing an Mg/B-rich cathode interphase. Boron-containing Mg(OH)2 nanoparticles are electrodeposited in flexible, confined spaces with self-adjusting capability via dynamic bonding between boric acid and Tween80, and are subsequently used to modify the LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cathode. In the generated Mg/B-rich cathode interphase, B-O sites facilitate sufficient desolvation and favorable adsorption through strong affinity for Li⁺, thereby buffering interfacial kinetics and protecting the interphase from severe Li⁺ flux damage. The dense and thin Mg/B-rich layer enables smooth Li⁺ transport and remains stable under harsh conditions, including high rates, elevated cut-off voltages, and wide temperature ranges. The assembled Li||NCM-MHB half-cell performs favorably at rates ranging from 0.5 C to 10 C, and shows high temperature adaptability (25-50 °C). At the high rate of 5 C, the cell exhibits an excellent initial discharge capacity of 109.48 mAh·g-1 and 78% capacity retention after 750 cycles. This work provides a kinetic buffering strategy for the lithium-ion battery cathode interphase under high rates.

CdZnTe (CZT) crystals have attracted considerable attention due to their excellent room-temperature detection performance. However, the performance of as-grown CZT crystals is severely constrained by Cd vacancy-related point defects, which are induced by the high Cd vapor pressure. Although indium (In) doping can effectively mitigate the adverse effects of such point defects in CZT crystals, the inhomogeneous radial distribution of In-caused by the segregation effect of In and the gettering effect of the Te solvent-results in performance variations across different crystal regions. To improve the uniformity of In doping in CZT crystals, this study proposes an In-limited source thermal treatment (In-LSTT) relying on solid-phase thermal diffusion with a limited In source. Specifically, photolithography and lift-off techniques were used to fabricate microscale In sources with precise mass control down to 10-5 g. Controllable ppm-level In doping via solid-phase diffusion was achieved by regulating the microscale source area, as well as the thermal treatment temperature (160 degrees C-200 degrees C) and duration. Electrical and detection performance results revealed that after 1 h of In-LSTT at 160 degrees C, CZT crystal exhibited higher resistivity, a significantly reduced leakage current, higher breakdown voltage and improved symmetry of I-V characteristics, contributing to enhanced energy spectral response performance. Meanwhile, photo-induced current transient spectroscopy (PICTS) indicated that during the diffusion process, indium atoms preferentially compensate VCd defects, forming A-centers ([InCd + -VCd 2- ]-). With increasing treatment temperature, the energy levels of the A-centers broaden and the impurity energy levels shift higher. Further TCAD simulation analysis of In-LSTT's effect on crystal performance demonstrates that this optimized process precisely balances acceptor and shallow donor defects, optimizes internal net doping distribution, and restricts In-related impurities. This mechanism improves internal electric field distribution, enhances the carrier mobilitylifetime product, and ultimately leads to significant enhancement in the crystal's energy spectrum detection capability.

Bone defects stemming from trauma, infection, osteoporosis, tumor resection, and congenital or metabolic bone diseases often demand effective strategies for repair. Current bone graft options, such as autologous or allogeneic bone, face limitations related to donor morbidity, immune rejection, and poor osseointegration. Bone tissue engineering, which integrates biocompatibility, osteogenic capacity, and angiogenic potential, therefore offers a promising approach for bone defect repair. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of a novel composite scaffold, the TGP-377 nanoparticles-loaded HAMA hydrogel-infused PLGA/β-TCP (THPT) scaffold, in supporting early bone repair and angiogenesis-related responses. The scaffold was designed to provide sustained local release of TGP-377 and to support concurrent osteogenic and angiogenesis-related responses. , In vitro, TGP-377 exhibited pronounced osteogenic and angiogenic effects, boosting MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, alongside HUVEC proliferation and migration. In a rabbit femoral defect model, THPT increased mineralized tissue-related micro-CT indices and osteogenic and angiogenesis-related marker expression at 4 weeks. Moreover, the scaffold demonstrated favorable biocompatibility, with no pathological changes observed in major organs. These findings support further investigation of THPT as a local bioactive scaffold for early bone-defect repair.

The mechanistic origins underlying the anisotropic brittleness and incipient plasticity of fluorite-structured alkaline earth fluorides (MF2, M = Ca, Sr, Ba) are revealed by a unified first-principles framework. Our computations revealed that the notorious {111} cleavage propensity originates from an exceptionally low tensile strength, a critically limited strain threshold governed by the onset of phonon instability, and the minimum cleavage energy among low-index planes. In contrast, incipient plastic flow is dominated by slip along the <110>{001} system, which possesses not only the lowest shear strength but also, decisively, the lowest generalized stacking fault energy (GSFE) barrier, a feature enabled by significant anionic relaxation. The competition between these deformation modes is rigorously quantified by the ratio of the cleavage energy to the slip energy barrier E-C/Gamma. The resulting E-C/Gamma landscape exhibits profound anisotropy. A near-unity ratio (similar to 1.0) on {110} and {111} planes signifies virtually identical energetic costs for cleavage and slip nucleation, thereby rationalizing the extreme brittleness. Conversely, the conspicuously high E-C/Gamma ratio (>3.8) on {001} planes affirms that dislocation-mediated plasticity is energetically strongly favored over fracture, consistent with experimental evidence. We reveal that this fundamental deformation anisotropy stems from the pronounced directionality of M-F bonds coupled with intense electrostatic repulsion between like-charged ions during shear, which collectively dictate a unique energetic landscape. This work establishes the E-C/Gamma criterion as a predictive framework, providing a fundamental basis for understanding deformation mode selection in fluorite-structured crystals and directly bridging atomic-scale bonding to macroscopic mechanical response.

Growth of Ruddlesden-Popper phase LaxSryFe2O7-delta single crystalline thin films on SrTiO3(001) was carried out using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the films can grow epitaxially in a two-dimensional mode at 850 degrees C, with a surface roughness of-0.1 nm for 30-nm thick films. The film composition was determined to be La0.83Sr1.95Fe2O7-delta by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. Electrical transport measurements revealed that the La0.83Sr1.95Fe2O7-delta/STO(001) film has an activation energy of-0.16 eV. Additionally, freestanding 40-nm La0.83Sr1.95Fe2O7-delta/1.2-nm STO films were obtained using Sr3Al2O6 as a sacrificial layer. PACS: 68.37.-d, 68.55.-a, 81.15.Fg.

In this paper, Ti1-xNdxZr0.1Fe0.8Mn0.2 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) alloys were prepared using vacuum magnetic levitation melting. The influences of Nd addition on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of the alloys were investigated. The Nd addition reduces the grain size of the TiFe phase, with the average grain size decreasing from 278.67 & Aring; in the TiZr0.1Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy to a minimum of 188.00 & Aring; in the Ti0.94Zr0.1Nd0.06-Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy. The Nd addition decreases the activation incubation period of the alloys. The TiZr0.1Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy exhibits an activation incubation period of 1000 s, while the Ti0.92Zr0.1Nd0.08Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy shows a markedly reduced activation incubation period of only 50 s. The Nd addition enhances the hydrogen absorption saturation ratio of the alloys. When measured at 333 K, the saturation ratio increases from 79.58 % in the TiZr0.1Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy to 97.42 % in the Ti0.94Zr0.1Nd0.06Fe0.8Mn0.2 alloy in the first 100 s of the reaction. Furthermore, the Nd addition does not alter the rate-determining step during the hydrogen release process, and with the increase in Nd content, the reaction rate constant gradually increases. When x = 0.08, the value of this constant increases by 32.61 %.

To overcome the limited protective performance of waterborne epoxy (WEP) coatings, a novel scalable ceriumpolyphenol-amine ternary system (Ce-TA-PEI, CTP) was synthesized via a simple dynamic supramolecular selfassembly strategy. The material effectively anchored corrosion-inhibiting cerium ions within its network through cerium-phenolic coordination, achieving an exceptionally high cerium loading capacity of 20.3 wt%. The polyphenol-amine crosslinked network of the CTP nanocontainer can form chemical bonds with the epoxy matrix, ensuring good interfacial compatibility and significantly reducing the intrinsic defects of the coating. Consequently, the dry and wet adhesion strengths of the coating increased to 3.13 MPa and 2.99 MPa, respectively. After 60 days of immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the |Z|0.01Hz value of CTP2/WEP remained as high as 1.21 x 109 Omega & sdot;cm2, more than an order of magnitude greater than that of pure WEP (1.05 x 108 Omega & sdot;cm2). In addition, UV-Vis analysis confirmed that CTP is pH-responsive and can sustain continuous cerium release for up to 144 h. This behavior arises from changes in coordination strength between cerium ions and phenolic hydroxyl groups, together with variations in electrostatic interactions within the CTP framework under different pH conditions, which promote rapid cerium release in acidic environments. When incorporated into WEP coatings, this "smart" nanocontainer responded dynamically to localized acidic corrosion at coating defects. It not only enhanced the physical barrier properties of the coating but also imparted active self-healing functionality. This work therefore provides a new strategy for advancing environmentally friendly WEP coatings toward broad engineering applications.

The corrosion behavior and corrosion-induced mechanical degradation of 2524-T3 aluminum alloy in pure chloride and HSO3 --containing environments are investigated in the present work. The controlling factors and underlying mechanisms of the mechanical property degradation and the associated reversibility are discussed. In a pure chloride environment, the ductility loss is fully reversible, which is influenced by the corrosion product layer, the nature and depth of subsurface attack propagation, and the corrosion-induced hydrogen behavior. However, in the HSO3 --containing environment, the ductility loss is predominantly irreversible, with a recovery rate of 14.6% after 48 h and only 3.4% after 72 h. This is attributed to changes in the initial pH, buffer effect, and the corrosion patterns, with the buffer effect accounting for 72% of the contribution to the irreversibility. The results provide insights to predict the reversibility of the mechanical property degradation in aluminum alloys, thereby addressing the challenges posed by corrosion in diverse environments for ensuring safe use and widespread application. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Cathodic polarization is often used as a pretreatment procedure before electrochemical measurement of a certain passive metal material, aiming to remove the natural oxide film and obtain a fresh metal surface. However, cathodic polarization is proposed to only render the oxide film more defective rather than complete removal. This controversy has not come to an end due to lacking the direct experimental evidence. Here, we primarily employed aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to systematically investigate the structural and chemical evolution of transpassive oxide films induced by cathodic polarization. It is found that cathodic polarization can thin and almost remove the Cr-enriched oxide film, and the Cr/Fe ratio within the outer oxide layer remains invariant during thinning, contrary to theoretical predictions suggesting minimal reducible dissolution of chromium oxides. Our results confirm that cathodic polarization induces simultaneous reductive dissolution of both Cr oxide and Fe oxide, leading to thinning and eventual removal of the oxide film. This work provides direct experimental evidence for the structural evolution of oxide films under cathodic potential at the nanometer and atomic scale, and enriches the theoretical system of the structural evolution of passive films under external field effects. (c) 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

High-purity KCl is essential for semiconductors and laser crystals, yet even trace bromine severely compromises its performance. During the preparation of KCl via underground brine crystallization, Br-readily enters the KCl lattice to replace Cl-, forming crystals with a single-salt structure rather than a simple mixture. This makes it difficult to use conventional separation methods to produce high-purity KCl. To address this issue, this study proposes a separation strategy that involves intervening in the recrystallization process by regulating coordination interactions within the solvent system, thereby yielding ultra-pure potassium chloride. Systematic studies involving phase equilibrium experiments, solid-liquid phase characterization and molecular simulations indicate that as the number of hydroxyl groups in the alcohol molecule increases, the solvent's separation capacity increases accordingly, with glycerol exhibiting the best performance. As the simplest trihydric alcohol, glycerol's three hydroxyl groups create distinct solvation environments for Cl-and Br-, thereby inhibiting Br-from occupying the KCl lattice during the concentration and crystallization processes. Furthermore, the introduction of 30 wt% mass water inhibits intermolecular hydrogen bonding and self-aggregation of glycerol, releasing free coordination sites and significantly increasing the solubility of KCl in the system (from 1.7 wt% to 9.63 wt%), thereby further optimizing separation efficiency. The separation process, designed based on the phase diagram of the KCl-KBr-Gly(30 wt%)-HBO system at 298.15 K, enables the efficient recovery of high-purity KCl (purity up to 99.9940%, recovery rate of 97.30%) and the simultaneous enrichment of bromine resources in the liquid phase (bromine content increased from 3.36 wt% to 44.30 wt%).

The rapidly growing deployment of electric vehicles and energy storage systems is generating increasing quantities of spent LiFePO 4 (LFP) batteries and creating an urgent need for environmentally sound and economically viable recycling. Compared with Ni‐ and Co‐rich cathodes, spent LFP has a lower intrinsic resource value, which reduces the profitability of conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical routes and limits their suitability for closed‐loop utilization. This review summarizes recent advances in the high‐value recycling and regeneration of spent LFP batteries, with an emphasis on retirement trends, degradation mechanisms, recycling challenges, and advanced regeneration strategies. Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recovery routes are first compared in terms of efficiency, cost, environmental burden, and scalability. Recent progress in direct regeneration is then discussed, including lithium replenishment, lattice repair, carbon‐coating reconstruction, hydrothermal treatment, and molten‐salt‐assisted regeneration. Upgraded regeneration strategies, including defect modulation, doping, surface engineering, micro/nanoscale structural optimization, cross‐system conversion, and transformation into multifunctional materials, are also highlighted. Finally, key barriers associated with feedstock heterogeneity, impurity control, process economics, environmental sustainability, and industrial standardization are identified. This review provides systematic insights into green, scalable, and value‐added recycling pathways for spent LFP batteries.

For lithium metal batteries, the dendrite growth on copper current collectors is often hard to be prohibited, due to the inherently lithiophobicity of copper surface. No matter three-dimensional structure, nor simple lithiophilic surface modification, is not efficient enough to solve this problem. Herein, a nanopore confinement strategy was employed to promote uniform lithium deposition on a copper current collector with hierarchical porous structure. The Micro pores provide ample space for the deposition of metallic lithium, while suppressing lithium expansion through the physical confinement effect. Furthermore, the nano-tubular pores generate a strong capillary confinement effect, inducing the “bottom-up” dense filling of its internal channels at the early stage of lithium deposition, and the subsequent growth into a flat, dense layer. When striping, the continuous and interface-free lithium layers can achieve uniform dissolution, avoiding the accumulation of dead lithium. The hierarchical porous Zn-Cu current collector delivers stable cycling over 220 cycles in half-cells, an ultralong lifespan exceeding 2400 h in symmetric cells. The full cells assembled with LiFePO₄ shows a high reversible capacity of 142.3 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.5 C, and exhibits the highest capacity under discharge rates from 0.1C to 5C. This work provides insights into the regulatory of lithium deposition on copper current collectors by structure and surface engineering.

Dielectric capacitors, owing to their ultra-high power density and millisecond-level charge-discharge capability, are key components in high-reliability pulse power systems. However, the advancement of practical dielectric materials is persistently constrained by the low energy density stemming from insufficient breakdown strength, a challenge is how to overcome the typical trade-off between polarization and breakdown strength. Distinct from the empirical single-site or simple multi-ion modifications, this work pioneers a synergistic heterovalent high-polarity dual-site engineering strategy. This approach is mechanistically designed to create a local inhomogeneity by concurrently introducing ions with strong polarity and large size disparities at both A and B sites of the tungsten bronze lattice. Atomic-scale characterization confirms that this targeted design induces an unprecedented combination of high-dynamic polar nanoregions (PNRs) and aperiodic lattice distortion, which not only breaks the long-range ferroelectric order but also synergistically enhances the relaxation behavior and breakdown field. Ultimately, the 0.85Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6–0.15(Bi0.5Na0.5)(Ti0.5Mo0.5)O3 ceramic achieves a record-breaking recoverable energy storage density of ~11.1 J cm−3 and an ultra-high efficiency of ~94.5% under 600 kV cm−1, alongside outstanding thermal, frequency, and mechanical stability. This study transcends the conventional paradigm of inducing disorder, establishes a new design principle—targeted synergistic modulation—for developing high-performance pulse power capacitors.

As modern industrialization accelerates, traditional metallic materials face challenges in meeting critical surface protection requirements. Constrained by their physicochemical properties, these materials exhibit significant performance degradation. This leads to frequent peeling of surface coatings on critical components. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-performance semi-crystalline thermoplastic used in advanced engineering applications. Its composite coating systems have emerged as a promising alternative to metallic coatings. This paper systematically reviews the recent advances in coating preparation techniques for PEEK composites. The current status of the use of mainstream preparation methods such as thermal spray technology, rapid prototyping and electrophoretic deposition is highlighted. The strengths and weaknesses of each method are also compared. Critical parameters including substrate roughness, temperature, and substrate elasticity are systematically examined. The effects of these variables are evaluated with respect to critical performance indicators, including porosity levels and interfacial bonding strength of PEEK composite coatings. A comparative investigation was carried out on different reinforcement materials. Their interfacial interactions with the matrix are examined in detail at the microscopic level. The impact of these modification strategies on coating performance was comprehensively evaluated.

Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) has gained widespread adoption in aluminum alloy protection due to their remarkable corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, the inherent microporous defects of MAO layer persist in exposing the substrate to corrosive damage during operational conditions. While silane-based sealing techniques have emerged as a promising solution for these defects, their practical implementation still faces critical challenges including insufficient defect-filling capacity and compromised mechanical durability. The present work employs electrochemical-assisted method that selectively generates hydroxyl/hydroxide ions at microporous defect sites within the MAO layer. Such local alkalinization conditions enable the directed assembly of silane hydrolysis products, driving interfacial adhesion-condensation reactions to achieve in situ silane film deposition with spatial selectivity. The optimized sealing system demonstrates a 50 % improvement in long-term corrosion resistance (150 M Omega & sdot;cm2) compared to conventional impregnation methods, accompanied by significantly enhanced selfcleaning, wear-resistant property. This provides a solution for the multifunctional anti-corrosion, wear-resistant, self-cleaning of aluminum alloy surfaces.