Porous silica-based ceramics (PSCs) are widely utilized in diverse fields such as 5G smart devices, biomedicine, insulation, catalysis, and energy storage. Traditional methods for producing PSCs, such as sol-gel processes, sacrificial templates, chemical foaming, and solution spinning, are hampered by high temperatures, lengthy procedures, and complex steps, leading to significant energy consumption and environmental pollution. A novel Joule carbothermal chemistry technique has been developed for the rapid synthesis of porous ceramics materials, creating high-quality PSCs within 20 s. The intrinsic mechanisms of in-situ structural evolution and porosity formation were thoroughly studied. The resulting PSCs demonstrate exceptional thermal insulation properties, forming an effective thermal barrier that maintained a backside temperature as low as 63 degrees C when the front side was exposed to a 1300 degrees C flame. Additionally, various application scenarios for these PSCs are highlighted, notably improving the fire resistance and thermal insulation of lithium-ion batteries, thus paving the way for expanded ceramic production and broader applications.

Defect engineering and bimetallic synergy are critical for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a plasma-milling-treated CeO2 with abundant oxygen vacancies (Ov), which serve as efficient anchoring...

In this study, ammonia water was used to replace hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) as the hydrothermal alkali source to successfully prepare lithium-doped ZnO nanorod arrays. Structural characterization indicated that all samples had a hexagonal wurtzite structure with c-axis preferred orientation, and the crystallinity exhibited a "volcanic" trend, which first decreases and then increases with Li doping concentration, reaching the optimum at 5 % Li. The photoluminescence spectral analysis revealed that the Li doping concentration significantly regulated the luminescence behavior: 1 % Li enhanced the near-band-edge emission, and 5 % Li generated a characteristic coupled emission at 567 nm by inducing the formation of (VO center dot -LiZn) defect complexes, which for the first time confirmed the "defect-induced-coupling" mechanism under high doping. Electrical performance tests demonstrated that 5 % Li doping significantly reduced the forward ideality factor from 41.16 to 7.54, effectively improving the electrical characteristics of the Schottky junction. This study provides new insights into the defect engineering for regulating the performance of ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

Multimodal flexible haptic sensors (MFHSs) have emerged as essential components in next-generation intelligent robotics. They are capable of perceiving multiple mechanical stimuli, such as normal and shear forces, dynamic and static inputs, and even contactless objects under complicated environments. With the recent advances in transduction principles including resistive, capacitive, triboelectric, and piezoelectric effects, MFHSs are gradually evolving from individual sensing modes to integrated and intelligent systems. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of recent advances and future developments of MFHSs, including advanced material categories, fundamental sensing mechanisms, and device architectures. Realization strategies at the signal and system level involving signal processing, system integration, and machine learning-assisted algorithms are systematically analyzed. Furthermore, representative applications in human–machine interaction and robotic perception are showcased to demonstrate the maturity and applications of MFHSs technologies. Finally, critical challenges and future prospects in materials innovation, system-level integration, and intelligent haptic processing are discussed. We believe that this review provides a roadmap and valuable insights for translating MFHSs from laboratory prototypes to real intelligent robots

This letter proposes an E -plane waveguide-to-microstrip (W2M) transition with bandpass filtering characteristics. The transition integrates two waveguide resonant cavities, an extended short-circuited waveguide, a transition probe, and two open-loop resonators. The waveguide resonant cavities and short-circuited waveguide introduce three transmission poles within the passband, and obtain preliminary bandpass filtering characteristics. By employing the extended short-circuited waveguide and introducing open-loop resonators, two pairs of transmission zeros are generated on both sides of the passband, improving the out-of-band rejection effectively. The proposed structure demonstrates much improved out-of-band spurious rejection performance. Measured results indicate that the transition achieves a return loss better than 13 dB and an insertion loss lower than0.8dB within the passband. It provides a rejection of more than 50 dB at 80 GHz and 16 dB across 104-110 GHz frequency range.

A self-powered photodetector based on a ZnSe/ZnO heterojunction was fabricated on p-type silicon, with the interface optimized via a CdSe quantum dot (QD) interlayer. The ZnO/CdSe/ZnSe band alignment forms a stepped type-II heterostructure, establishing built-in fields for zero-bias carrier separation. The QD interlayer serves as a sensitizer and enables a dynamic defect-filling effect: in the dark, surface traps suppress dark current; under illumination, photogenerated carriers fill these states, allowing efficient transport. Additionally, the QD layer induces Fermi level depinning and creates cascaded electric fields at both interfaces, transforming the weak Schottky behavior into a well-defined p–n junction. Consequently, the device achieves an ultrahigh photo-to-dark current ratio of 12,603—drastically improved from ~4 for the QD-free device—along with a specific detectivity of 1.58 × 10¹¹ Jones and a rectification ratio of 2.5 × 10³ at ±3 V.

Physicochemical instability, such as structural degradation, surface reactivity, and mechanical strain, remains a critical challenge for Ni-rich layered cathodes, leading to rapid capacity fading and raising serious safety concerns. In this work, a dual-modified LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 cathode, featuring a phase-compatible ScF3&LiF coating coupled with Sc doping, was developed to enhance its physicochemical stability. Operando characterizations combined with theoretical calculations confirm that the thermodynamically stable ScF3&LiF coating not only accelerates interfacial Li+ diffusion and resists electrolyte attack, but also promotes the formation of an inorganic-rich, robust cathode-electrolyte interphase, thereby preserving surface structural integrity. Meanwhile, Sc dopants located at the 3b site act as “pillars” in the Li slabs, which prevents lattice distortion and alleviates the stress induced by local Li+ concentration gradient, thus mitigating particle cracking under highly delithiated states. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the modified LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 cathode.delivers outstanding cycling stability, with 80.4% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 5C, as well as excellent high-voltage stability, retaining 92.1% of its capacity after 100 cycles at 4.5 V, which are superior to the pristine counterparts (70.1% and 74.1%, respectively). This study presents a surface-to-bulk dual-modification strategy that significantly enhances the structural stability of Ni-rich cathodes, offering valuable insights for the rational design of both surface and bulk chemistry in next-generation high-energy cathode materials.

In this paper, we investigated the effects of nickel (Ni) doping on the crystal structure, surface morphology and defect characteristics of ZnO films using spin coating method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that all Ni-doped ZnO thin films exhibit a preferential (002) orientation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) further confirmed that Ni2+ ions successfully substitute for Zn2+ sites, inducing lattice contraction. The Photoluminescence (PL) study revealed that Ni doping completely suppressed the intrinsic ultraviolet emission and induced three characteristic emission peaks in the visible light region. It was found that the 3% doped sample exhibited the optimal luminescence performance, with the visible light emission intensity increasing by three times. This was attributed to the synergistic effect of the isoelectronic traps and intrinsic point defects. When the doping concentration exceeded 3%, concentration quenching occurred due to the reduction in defect spacing.

Lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted significant attention as next-generation energy storage systems due to their high theoretical energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, their practical application remains limited by the severe solubility and migration of lithium polysulfide species within the electrolyte, as well as the intrinsically sluggish kinetics associated with their redox conversion processes. In this study, a composite material comprising NiCo2S4-modifed nitrogen/phoshorous co-doped honeycomb carbon derived from a resin precursor (NiCo2S4@NPC) was fabricated and subsequently integrated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through a vacuum filtration approach to form a NiCo2S4@NPC/CNTs hybrid membrane. The bimetallic sulfide NiCo2S4 supplies abundant electrochemically active sites and exhibits strong chemical interactions with lithium polysulfide species, whereas the NPC matrix offers additional polar anchoring centers. Meanwhile, the interconnected CNTs network enhances electronic conductivity and facilitates charge transport throughout the membrane. When tested in a lithium-sulfur configuration employing a Li2S6-based catholyte, the NiCo2S4@NPC/CNTs membrane electrode (sulfur loading: 3.84 mg) exhibits a reversible discharge capacity of 950.7 mAh g- 1 when operated at a rate of 0.3C and preserves 93% retention after 200 cycles, while also providing an initial discharge capacity of 581.4 mAh g- 1 under a low-temperature condition of -10 degrees C. Moreover, the cell containing a higher sulfur loading of 7.68 mg displayed maintained a capacity of 7.21 mAh at 0.1C. These result demonstrate a rational design concept integrating bimetallic sulfide catalysis, heteroatom doping, and conductive network engineering to construct multifunctional membranes for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries.

ABSTRACT Fluorinated solvents, salts, and binders are widely used in modern rechargeable batteries. High durability and superior high‐rate ability are often attributed to fluorine‐rich interphases or fluorine‐tuned solvation structures. To date, fluorine‐free battery development is still nascent, with the interphases and structure‐property‐performance relationship thereby remaining poorly understood. Here, we investigate the impact of anion substituents in Na‐ion salts on electrolyte ion transport properties and interphase compositions on Na‐ion anodes. A fluorine‐free sodium tetraphenylborate‐diglyme electrolyte can cycle hard carbon anode over 2000 cycles at 1C with a capacity retention exceeding 98%. Sodium metal anode exhibits stripping‐plating efficiencies of 99.93% over 1000 cycles at 0.5 mA/cm 2 and 0.5 mAh/cm 2 . The steric effect of the bulky phenyl substituent leads to negligible ion pairing and good ionic conductivity, supporting high‐rate performance of Na‐ion electrodes. We demonstrate that a transition‐metal(TM)‐free and fluorine‐free battery as proof of concept, in a perylene‐3,4,9,10‐tetracarboxylic acid diimide (PTCDI)||hard carbon full cell configuration, delivers stable cycling with a ∼85% capacity retention at 1C after 500 cycles and good fast‐charging capability reaching 80% specific energy in less than 4 min. These results show that it is possible to design TM‐free and fluorine‐free sodium ion batteries without an anion‐rich solvation structure or fluorine‐based interphases.

The escalating emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have created an urgent demand for ultrasensitive gas sensors. Rare-earth perovskite ceramics serve as highly promising sensing platforms; however, conventional substitution strategies are severely bottlenecked by insufficient surface active sites and sluggish electron transport, resulting in poor ppb-level detection sensitivity and slow response kinetics. To address this dilemma, this study adopts an innovative defect-engineering strategy by utilizing dual-valence cerium (Ce4+/ Ce3+) to substitute the Sm ions in the SmFeO3 lattice. This induces the spontaneous generation of massive oxygen vacancies, accompanied by the in-situ precipitation of a minor Sm2O3 phase to form localized heterojunctions. Benefiting from this, the optimized Sm0.8Ce0.2FeO3 sensor achieves a breakthrough in gas-sensing performance at 250 degrees C. It exhibits an ultra-high response of 261.4 to 100 ppm n-propanol, extremely rapid response/recovery times (14/23 s), and an exceptionally low theoretical limit of detection (3.46 ppb). This comprehensively enhanced performance fundamentally originates from the vacancy-rich structure, which acts as highly active catalytic centers, significantly boosting the chemical affinity and deep oxidation capacity toward polar hydroxyl groups. This work effectively overcomes the low-sensitivity limitations of traditional perovskite sensors, providing a reliable defect-engineering paradigm for the design of advanced VOC monitoring materials.

Lithium metal batteries have garnered significant attention as promising energy storage solutions. However, their performance is often compromised by the risks associated with highly active metallic lithium, unrestricted electrode expansion, and excessive dendrites growth. Here we introduce an advanced lithiophilic anode substrate designed by chemically patterning technology for multiple security enhancements. The innovative lithiophilic array harmonizes spatial Li+ to prepare compact and reversible electrodes. The composite electrodes feature an enhanced C-F component in the solid-electrolyte interface, which protects the deposited lithium metal from unwanted side reactions, thereby stabilizing electrochemical cycling. Notably, the thermal safety can be revealed through the substrate's excellent catalytic ability to convert smoke and toxic gases during extreme thermal runaway. This work demonstrates a novel approach to integrating battery cycling stability with thermal safety, paving the way for more reliable and secure energy storage systems.

Carbons play a significant role in the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) owing to the strong interaction between carbon and loaded electroactive centers, which usually requires a high degree of graphitization and uniform heteroatom (e.g., N, S, and O)-doping on carbon. Herein, we propose a self-assembly strategy to synthesize graphene quantum dot (GQD)-based 2D textile as a substrate for metal ion loading, which was further pyrolyzed into Fe/FeOx particles covered by a nitrogen-doped carbon shell (Fe/FeOx@C). Benefiting from the periphery amino and hydroxyl groups in GQDs, the coordination of Fe with N and O in the assembly leads to the formation of metallic Fe-N and FeOx to form highly dispersed Janus Fe/FeOx particles, while the graphitic sp2 domain of GQDs improves the degree of graphitization during pyrolysis. Remarkably, the resulting Fe/FeOx@C exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance toward both the ORR and OER, with a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs. RHE and an overpotential of 350 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for the OER, which further facilitates bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis with a gap of 0.73 V between the OER potential (10 mA cm-2) and the ORR half-wave potential. This work provides new insight into the rational design of carbon substrates with high-degree graphitization and uniform heteroatom distribution for the ORR.

Alloy-type anode materials have attracted considerable attention in advanced rechargeable battery systems for exceptional theoretical capacities, yet their practical implementation has been hindered by structural degradation during repeated ion insertion/extraction. Here, utilizing in situ transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrate that few-layer bismuthene nanosheets exhibit excellent structural stability during potassium storage processes. Specifically, few-layer bismuthene nanosheets undergo reversible single-crystal structural evolution upon depotassiation, which originates from atomically coherent interfaces between the alloyed K3Bi phase and regenerated Bi domains during potassium extraction, enabling lattice-structure inheritance and facilitating continuous epitaxial growth of the two-dimensional (2D) bismuthene framework. Particularly, such crystallographic reversibility shows strong size dependence, preferentially occurring in nanostructured few-layer bismuthene. This nanoconfinement effect also triggers a distinct phase transition pathway (Bi ↔ KBi2 ↔ KBi ↔ K5Bi4 ↔ K3Bi) that diverges from bulk material behavior. Electrochemical evaluations reveal exceptional cycling stability, with few-layer bismuthene electrodes delivering high reversible capacities of 352 and 327 mAh g-1 after 1200 (2 A g-1) and 2500 (5 A g-1) cycles, respectively, while maintaining 82.1% retention under 20 A g-1 over 3100 cycles. These findings not only elucidate the critical role of nanoscale dimensions in alloying-type anode design but provide a paradigm for developing durable 2D materials-based energy storage systems.

The practical application of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for energy storage is faced with great challenges, such as poor structural stability and limited active sites. Herein, we have co-designed a three-dimensional (3D) self-assembled hexagonal zeolitic imidazolate framework-L (ZIF-L) structure with a 3D conformation that greatly reduces the self-aggregation of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. Due to the rational design of the specific morphology and atomically different coordination abilities of Ni2+ and Co2+ in the framework, the micro-nano electric field is constructed, and the structural stability and electrochemistry reaction activity of ZIF-L are obviously improved. Moreover, the consecutive hollow structure is also formed by regulating the Ni–Co ratio, which can significantly enhance the specific capacitance and cycling stability of the Ni-ZIF-L electrode through the formation of fast electrolyte ions transfer channels. Consequently, the Ni-ZIF-L-40 electrode exhibits a high specific capacity (568.9 F·g−1 at 0.5 A·g−1) and long cycle stability (89.5% retention after 5000 cycles at 5 A·g−1). In addition, the Ni-ZIF-L-40//activated carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor assembled using AC also shows an excellent cycling stability (91.1% retention after 4000 cycles at 5 A·g−1). This study may open a new window for the practical application of intrinsic MOFs-based electrodes for energy storage and conversion.

Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) compatible with silicon planar processes were fabricated using a sol-gel method, and their optical properties, with a particular emphasis on luminescence performance and bandgap engineering, were systematically investigated. Analysis of transmission spectra revealed a blue shift in the bandgap of AZO films with increasing Al doping concentration, demonstrating bandgap controllability through doping regulation. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited dual visible emission peaks at 485 (bluish-green) and 527 nm (green), where the 1 % doping concentration achieved optimal luminescence intensity by balancing defect-mediated recombination and carrier transport. Through the analysis of the PL spectra, we have identified that the visible - light emission peaks at 485 and 527 nm originate from oxygen vacancies and are attributed to the substitution of Al for Zn, respectively. Additionally, based on the PL spectra, we have determined the position of the donor energy level, which is located 1.02 eV below the bottom of the conduction band.

we have found a simple post-annealing treatment to significantly improve the yellow-green light emission intensity of ZnO thin films. Through excessive doping of silver and appropriate high-temperature annealing treatment, an enhancement of the yellow-green light emission intensity in ZnO thin films by more than 10 times is achieved. The results show that under annealing conditions above 750 degrees C, visible light luminescence exhibits significant enhancement. The presence of Ag elements on the surface of the thin film was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The interaction between Ag particles and the surface of ZnO can form localized surface plasmons, which can enhance the yellow-green light emission of ZnO. When Ag particles interact with ZnO, the generation of localized surface plasmons enhances the local electric field, which affects the movement of electrons and the generation of excited states inside the ZnO material, thereby enhancing the yellow-green light emission of ZnO.

Scintillators featuring bright and fast-response properties are essential for high-speed and dynamic X-ray imaging. Nevertheless, simultaneously possessing high light yields and fast-response remains a significant challenge for most scintillators. Herein, we propose a strategy to achieve the bright and fast-response characteristics of scintillators by leveraging the combined effects of dielectric and molecular confinement in organic–inorganic hybrid scintillators (TPA) 2 MnBr 4 . Thereinto, large tetrapropylammonium cations (TPA + ) surround [MnBr 4 ] 2− units, forming a zero-dimensional (0D) molecular confinement structure that promotes electron localization and achieves a notable light yield of 56800 photons MeV −1 . Meanwhile, the low dielectric constant of TPA + can enhance dielectric confinement of [MnBr 4 ] 2− units, mitigating exciton capture by deep defects. These synergistic effects in the scintillators lead to a large exciton binding energy of 1028.8 meV and an ultrafast response time of 500 fs. Notably, under the irradiation of X-rays, (TPA) 2 MnBr 4 exhibits an extremely low detection limit of 18.7 nGy air  s −1 and an exceptional spatial resolution of 21.0 lp mm −1 . Given the bright and fast-response features of scintillators, we demonstrate the potential applications in 3D dynamic and real-time X-ray imaging. These findings lay the groundwork for designing high-performance scintillators and open avenues for innovative applications in high-resolution and dynamic imaging.

Scintillators are the core components of real-time dynamic computed tomography (CT), and their performance directly affects the radiation dose used and the quality of the output images. Self-trapped exciton scintillators are expected to resolve the trade-off between low radiation dose rates and high spatial resolution. However, the reported self-trapped exciton scintillators lack systematic design ideas and the ambiguity of the emission mechanism limits their further application in X-ray imaging. Here, a molecular confinement strategy to reduce the electronic dimension by introducing organic molecules with large ionic radii is proposed and applied to design (TPA)2Cu2I4 with dual self-trapped excitons (D-STEs). The D-STEs originating from Jahn-Teller-like distortion due to multiple electron-phonon coupling enable (TPA)2Cu2I4 to exhibit a high PLQY of 92 %, a high light yield of 74,000 photons & sdot;MeV-1 and a low detection limit of 53.1 nGyair & sdot;s-1. In addition, the (TPA)2Cu2I4 scintillation films also display excellent imaging quality, with a spatial resolution of 14.1 lp & sdot;mm-1. Impressively, a real-time dynamic X-ray imaging system based on D-STEs scintillators is established for the first time by coupling with a thin-film transistor array, verifying its reliability in nondestructive testing scenarios. In conclusion, the D-STEs scintillators created by molecular confinement have broad commercial application prospects.