The direct conversion of abundant methane into valuable products represents a promising strategy for constructing new chemical synthesis networks. However, conventional thermocatalysis often suffers from moderate selectivity and stability due to the harsh reaction conditions required for methane activation, while photocatalysis typically exhibits low conversion rates owing to intrinsic limitations such as charge recombination and poor mass transfer. Photo-thermo synergistic catalysis has emerged as a next-generation approach that integrates photo and thermal energy inputs, leveraging photons to overcome activation barriers and phonons to accelerate bulk/surface kinetics, thereby addressing the limitations of single-energy systems. In this review, we clarify the advantages and limitations of dual-energy versus single-energy approaches, explain four distinct synergistic modes between photo and thermo, and summarise recent strategies for methane valorisation into a range of valuable products. We also discuss the roles of photon and phonon in modulating reaction kinetics and product selectivity. Finally, we propose insights into current challenges and potential solutions, including scientific performance evaluation, expansion of product scope, development of dual-energy in-situ characterisation techniques, photo-thermo reactor design, and AI-driven catalyst discovery.

Using renewable biomass to synthesize valuable chemicals can reduce fossil fuel dependence and achieve carbon neutrality. Here, for the first time an infrared light-driven catalyst, Cu/Fe2O3, was designed to convert bioethanol to valuable acetaldehyde, accompanied by green hydrogen as a by-product, under both indoor IR light and natural sunlight. It achieves an initial acetaldehyde yield of 237 mmol g-1 h-1 under indoor IR irradiation and 205 mmol g-1 h-1 under real sunlight, with exceptional selectivity (97.7%) and nearly stoichiometric H2 byproduct production. Notably, the turnover number and initial turnover frequency surpass those of IR-driven systems by at least one order of magnitude and perform competitively with leading energy-intensive UV-vis-driven and thermocatalytic ethanol conversion processes operated up to 573 K. This high performance is attributed to: i) the construction of an efficient IR photons-to-phonons energy conversion channel within the ps timescale to drive localized thermocatalysis; and ii) the synergistic effect on the in situ formed of Cu/Fe2O3 interface, where Fe3+ sites promote dissociative ethanol adsorption, and Cu0 sites facilitates C─H bond cleavage.

Flexible fabric sensors hold enormous potential in the field of wearable flexible electronics owing to their inherent advantages of excellent motion adaptability, superior wearing comfort, and feasible functional integration. However, the application of fabric-based sensors in high-temperature environments remains a formidable challenge. In this study, a flame-retardant and heat-resistant core-shell triboelectric nanogenerator (CS-TENG) yarn, composed of an aramid yarn outer layer, a polyimide (PI) nanofiber inner layer, and a stainless steel fiber core layer, was successfully fabricated via conjugated electrospinning and winding technology. Subsequently, the CS-TENG fibers were woven into fabric sensors with various structures through different weaving methods, and their comprehensive performances were systematically compared. Among them, the 3D CS-TENG fabric sensor with a lock stitch structure prepared by knitting exhibited outstanding mechanical properties, flame retardancy, and high-temperature sensing stability due to its unique structural design. Specifically, this sensor achieved an elastic deformation of 160.7% in the weft direction, prevented combustibles from being ignited by flame within 60 s, and retained a peak open-circuit voltage of 24.7% at 200 degrees C compared with that at room temperature, demonstrating tremendous application potential in high-temperature environments. Furthermore, as a self-powered wearable sensor, the CS-TENG fabric sensor can be utilized for analyzing human motion states and monitoring personnel safety conditions. The CS-TENG fabric sensor prepared in this work features a unique fiber and fabric architecture, along with excellent wearability and reliable operability under high-temperature conditions. This research provides a novel strategy for the development of self-powered wearable sensing devices suitable for extreme environments.

Abstract The increased demand for rare earth elements (REE) associated with the global transition to low-carbon energy systems requires the development of new exploration tools. Lichens, symbiotic associations of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, represent promising biological indicators in mineral exploration owing to their visibility, substrate specificity, and environmental resilience. Through detailed field mapping and preliminary geochemical investigations in the Bayan Obo deposit, we identified that the lichen Xanthoria elegans selectively grows on REE-enriched carbonatites. This lichen contains exceptionally high REE concentrations (ΣREE = 3,500–17,000 ppm), which correlate closely with the REE contents of its substrates. It also exhibits Sr and Pb isotope compositions indistinguishable from those of its host carbonatites. The strong spatial and chemical affinity of X. elegans for carbonatites, combined with its scarcity on other lithologies, supports it as a reliable and effective field indicator in this region and its potential in analogous environments elsewhere. When integrated with remote-sensing techniques, this new biological proxy could offer a rapid, low-cost, and environmentally friendly means to detect REE-bearing carbonatites, offering a valuable complement to traditional exploration strategies.

Anthropogenic methane emissions from landfill sites and coal mines with low local concentrations (<5000 ppm) are a critical factor in climate change, and the conversion of such low concentrations of methane has been widely regarded as a thorny issue in catalysis while being pivotal for a sustainable society. Conventional catalytic methane combustion requires high temperatures (>400 °C) and is particularly inefficient at rather low concentrations (<1000 ppm). Herein, Pt/CeO2 {111} nanocrystals assisted by photon-phonon codriven catalysis overcome these challenges. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopies confirm that CeO2 {111} efficiently harvests photons and promotes charge separation, while phonons promote the detrapping process and improve the initial charge separation, further enhancing the active charge populations. Meanwhile, Pt works as an efficient electron acceptor, enabling photohole oxidation of methane at the picosecond time scale and accelerating oxygen reduction reactions. All these results lead to a low light-off temperature T80 of 98 °C and a one-pass methane combustion efficiency of 95% with CO2 selectivity of near 100% at 200 °C, together with an apparent quantum efficiency of 36.5% and long-term stability over 100 h in the presence of even rather low methane concentrations of 500 ppm. These findings establish a scalable strategy for the efficient abatement of low-concentration methane emissions under mild conditions.

Direct selective conversion of methane under mild conditions remains a challenge. Photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) offers a sustainable route to value-added hydrocarbons and hydrogen yet suffers from intrinsic trade-offs between activity, selectivity, and stability. Here, we report a charge-polarized Pt-Au nanoalloy on TiO2 that enables synergistic C2+ and H-2 production in a continuous-flow photoreactor. The optimized Pt-Au/TiO2 exhibits C2+ and H-2 yield rates of 22.3 +/- 0.1 mu mol h(-1) (1115 +/- 5 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)) and 21.2 +/- 0.1 mu mol h(-1) (1060 +/- 5 mu mol g(-1) h(-1)), respectively, with a C2+ selectivity of 99.0 +/- 0.4% and stability over 210 h under light irradiation. The catalyst delivers an optimal balance of high product yields, near-quantitative C2+ selectivity, and stability under mild conditions, outperforming reported photocatalytic NOCM systems. In situ studies reveal that light-induced carriers partition at the bimetallic interface, where electrons preferentially localize on Pt sites and holes on Au sites, thereby establishing a Lewis acid-base-like, charge-polarized heterointerface. Au sites preferentially mediate *CH3 adsorption and selective C-C coupling, while Pt sites facilitate H-2 evolution; the Pt-Au alloy synergy underpins C-C bond formation. This dual-site strategy harmonizes catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability, offering a generalizable approach for next-generation photocatalysts aimed at methane valorization.

Light-driven dry reforming of methane (DRM) offers a promising route for syngas synthesis while simultaneously mitigating greenhouse gas emissions of CO2 and CH4. However, the attractive mild-temperature operating window imposes kinetic constraints on C─H/C═O activation and promotes thermodynamic tendencies for coke formation, resulting in limited efficiency and stability. Herein, manganese oxide (MnOx) is employed as a multifunctional support to integrate the classic Rh catalytic center, establishing a new benchmark photothermo catalyst for DRM. The system achieves record-high syngas production rates (H2: 948 mmol g-1 h-1; CO: 992 mmol g-1 h-1) without external heating, alongside exceptional long-term stability (∼500 h). These production rates and stability also surpass conventional thermocatalysts in similar temperature ranges, with stability exceeding most thermocatalysts by an order of magnitude. Under a separate low-conversion, high-gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) protocol, a light-to-chemical efficiency (29.5%) can also be reached. MnOx functions as a broadband light harvester, generating a localized thermal field at the micrometre-scale via an efficient photon-to-phonon pathway to facilitate C─H bond activation on Rh. Concurrently, its active lattice oxygen enables a dynamic OL-OV cycle for timely removal of C* intermediates and C═O activation. This work underscores the critical role of support engineering in advancing light-driven DRM.

Dynamic cross-linking has provided versatile and affordable solutions for the design of strong and recyclable elastomers. However, because of their complex recycling process and low cross-linking bond energy, few types of them were commercialized. Inspired by the Ziegler-Natta catalytic mechanism, the authors report a facile approach for the design of recyclable and strong elastomers by using cation-alkene complexes as the stimuli-reversible and high-energy cross-linking points. These supramolecular cross-linked elastomers are a class of infusible and insoluble soft polymers with unprecedented tensile strength and ductility. The energetic cross-linking points can be local and, overall, can be reversibly released and reconstructed by facile manipulation, conferring these elastomers with multiple stimuli-responsive functions, such as recyclability, self-healing, and adhesion properties, as well as can be used as new wear-resistant materials.

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes exhibit promising potential in nanofiltration due to their controllable transport channel size and low transport resistance of water molecules, resulting in exceptional water permeability. However, the trade-off between water flux and rejection ratio stemming from tightly packed interlayers poses a challenge to the application of GO membranes in nanofiltration. To overcome this trade-off, a practical method is urgently needed to regulate the interlayer space of GO membranes. In this study, a macrocyclic molecule with a rigid porous structure, cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]), has been introduced to enlarge and precisely adjust the interlayer distance of GO membranes, effectively addressing the trade-off dilemma. The interlayer distance can be precisely adjusted within a range of 0.46 to 1.35 nm, making it suitable for the removal of small organic molecules from wastewater. Through the optimization of GO and CB[6] quantities, the GO membrane containing 20 mu g GO and 49.9 wt% CB[6] (CB6GO-4) demonstrates a high pure water flux (PWF) exceeding 171.3 L m-2h- 1 bar- 1, more than 5.9 times higher than a pure GO membrane (28.8 L m-2h- 1 bar- 1), alongside a dye rejection ratio over 92 %, indicating the promising potential of CB[6]-intercalated GO membranes in removing organics from industrial saline wastewater.

Thermosets present significant recycling challenges due to irreversible chemical crosslinking, resulting in resource waste and environmental pollution. This paper introduces a new strategy for designing thermosets with excellent recycling properties driven by Bio-Tailoring technology, achieving amazing green sustainable development. These thermosets are a class of infusible and insoluble polymers owing to chemical crosslinking. The indole groups in the cross-linked network can be accurately identified and tailored by microorganisms, giving rise to the cross-linked network being tailored into new linear polymers and small molecule segments, named the Bio-Tailoring technology. Linear polymers can be used as a new plastic packaging material that involves high transparency and appreciable mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the cross-linked small molecule moiety is a fluorescent functional unit with a unique push-pull electronic structure that leads to color-changing under external stimulation and can be applied to anti-counterfeiting. Overall, this strategy provides an innovative solution for the sustainable recycling of thermosets and opens a new path for the environmental transformation of the plastics industry.

Carbonatites and associated alkali fluids are vital for the enrichment of rare earth elements (REE). However, genesis of the Bayan Obo REE deposit remains debated after a century of exploration and study, mainly due to an apparent conflict between the Mesoproterozoic carbonatites dated at -1.3 Ga and a dominant Paleozoic REE mineralization age peaking at -0.43 Ga, and the inability of two commonly assumed ore-forming fluids (i.e., subduction-derived fluids and metamorphic fluids) to mobilize/transport REE. Here we address this paradox by conducting petrographic, Hf concentration and oxygen isotope studies using zircon grains from Bayan Obo carbonatites dated at -1.32 Ga and -0.43 Ga (Li et al., 2025, Science Advances). Zircons from the Mesoproterozoic carbonatites are weakly zoned with a mean delta 18O value of 4.9 +/- 0.4 %o (2SD), while intensively altered zircons from a coeval carbonatite dike bear chaotic textures with an elevated delta 18O value of 7.0 +/- 0.9 %o (2SD). Zircons from the Paleozoic carbonatites exhibit extreme delta 18O variability ranging from 5 %o to 11 %o, which is correlated with zircon HfO2 concentrations (1.6-4.7 wt%) and the compositional transition of hosting carbonatites from Ca-rich to Mg-rich. We infer that these zircons were crystallized from highly fractionated carbonatitic melts. For the Paleozoic carbonatites, the presence of alkali- and REE-rich brines/fluids is evidenced by abundant riebeckite and monazite inclusions hosted in zircon rims. In line with the fenite alteration zones associated with the Paleozoic carbonatites, and the dominant mineralization age of -0.43 Ga, our results highlight that alkali brines/fluids derived from the Paleozoic carbonatites are critical for generating the world's largest REE deposit.

Compared with pure polymeric and inorganic membranes, fillers incorporated hybrid membranes, also known as mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), offer enhanced gas separation capabilities by synergizing the advantageous properties of both matrices and filler materials. In this study, we report the development of a fully organic MMM system composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and monodisperse hollow polystyrene (HPS) particles, designed for efficient CO2/CH4 separation. The HPS particles were synthesized via template polymerization, followed by selective template removal to yield uniform, cross-linked spheres with an average diameter of 354 nm. In the pure gas permeation test, compared with neat PDMS membrane, the PDMS/HPS MMM containing 4 wt% HPS particles demonstrated a 259 % increase in CO2 permeability and a 37 % improvement in the ideal CO2/CH4 selectivity. For the CO2/CH4 mixture separation performance test, the MMM demonstrated up to 3.4 times higher CO2 permeability than neat PDMS membranes, with a slight increase in selectivity. The improved performance of gas separation can be attributed to the distinctive hollow structure of the HPS particles, which contributes additional free volume to the membranes, along with the beneficial interface observed between PDMS and HPS particles. These performance enhancements, combined with the use of low-cost, easy solvent-free membrane fabrication and fully organic materials, demonstrate the potential of this approach for industrial gas separation applications such as natural gas purification.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2), functioning as an inorganic photocatalyst, often encounters aggregation issues and lacks sufficient pollutant enrichment, leading to reduced photocatalytic performance. To address these challenges, by employing cation-π interaction, titanium ions (Ti4+) were effectively driven and induced to disperse uniformly around the indole ring plane of the indole-based porous polymer (PTIMK), which served as a carrier. Subsequently, through an in-situ reaction, a titanium dioxide/indole-based porous composite material (PTIMK/TiO2-C) with exceptional TiO2 dispersion was prepared. Utilizing trinitrotoluene (TNT) as a model pollutant, a pronounced synergistic effect between the photocatalysis of TiO2 and the adsorption of PTIMK was observed, highlighting the outstanding capability of PTIMK/TiO2-C in degrading TNT-containing wastewater. Specifically, TiO2 catalyzed the degradation of TNT and the aromatic intermediates generated during this process, while PTIMK adsorbed TNT and these aromatic molecules. Notably, the adsorbed TNT, its degraded aromatic molecules, and TiO2 were concentrated around the indole groups of PTIMK, effectively shortening the diffusion distance between the adsorbed pollutants and TiO2 and enhancing the degradation efficiency of PTIMK/ TiO2-C. The composite achieved purification of a 50 mg/L TNT solution within 1.16 h and reduced the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the TNT solution to 18 mg/L within 6.50 h, meeting the national Class III water standard. Furthermore, PTIMK/ TiO2-C demonstrated notable effectiveness in degrading various other organic pollutant-containing wastewaters including methylene blue (a dye), acetylsalicylic acid (a pharmaceutical ingredient), and trichlorophenol (a phenolic compound). This work not only provides an effective method for preparing porous composite materials with uniform TiO2 dispersion but also introduces a novel strategy combining the photocatalytic capability of TiO2 with the adsorption capacity of a porous polymer for the degradation of wastewaters containing organic pollutants.

The efficient strategy for improving SO2 resistance and catalytic activity is structural modification. Herein, the CuFeAlOx catalysts with different structures, including one-dimensionally disordered mesoporous nanoparticles structure (CuFeAl-N), one-dimensionally ordered mesoporous nanoparticles structure (CuFeAl-C), three-dimensionally ordered porous honeycomb-like structure (CuFeAl-P) and three-dimensionally ordered porous flower-like structures (CuFeAl-CP), were synthesized via a template method to investigate structure effect on activity and sulfur resistance of the catalyst for simultaneously removing NO and Hg0 at wide temperature. The results showed that the various surface characteristics resulted in distinct behaviours with regards to SO2 tolerance. CuFeAl-CP and CuFeAl-C exhibits excellent SO2 resistance, but CuFeAl-N catalyst presents poor SO2 resistance. The CuFeAl-CP with the flower-like structure possesses large specific surface area, which can expose more active sites and exhibited highly dispersed active component. More importantly, it reacts with SO2 to generate reactive sulfate providing additional acid sites, which significantly promotes high-temperature catalytic performance. One-dimensionally ordered mesoporous and three-dimensionally ordered porous effectively facilitates mass transfer of reactants and ammonium sulphate decomposition, thereby inhibiting surface sulfation and ammonium sulfate species deposition. This work lays the foundation for developing highly efficient SCR catalysts that are tolerant to SO2.

Conversion of CO 2 into high value chemicals presents a promising pathway for CO 2 mitigation and utilisation. The direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from CO 2 and methanol is one of such carbon‐neutral pathways. However, thermal catalytic processes for direct dimethyl carbonate synthesis have reached a performance bottleneck at elevated temperatures. This work explores the synergy of photon and thermal energy to enhance the dimethyl carbonate production rate to 30 mmol/g/h, together with 100% selectivity, thanks to a defect‐modified and noble‐metal free cerium oxide catalyst. Fundamentally, it is found that the defects in cerium oxide can provide energy levels that enable IR light absorption and generate holes with a moderate oxidation potential, so avoiding the unfavorable overoxidation pathway and enhancing the production rate of dimethyl carbonate. The thermal energy has been proved to remarkably facilitate the relaxation of IR‐induced charge carriers and to enhance the dimethyl carbonate formation process. This work introduces a strategy of IR photons and thermo co‐driven catalysis and achieves a breakthrough in dimethyl carbonate formation.

Nanofillers play a crucial role in designing high-strength polymer materials but contribute less to extensibility and often complicate processing. This paper presents a new strategy for developing polymer composites with outstanding tensile strength, extensibility, and processability, driven by the slip-transfer effect of cation-pi interactions between nanofillers and polymer chains. These composites belong to a class of fusible, stiff polymers with excellent mechanical properties. The indole groups on the polymer chains can slip over the K+-functionalized fillers due to dynamic interactions, characterized by the continuous dissociation and reconstruction of cation-pi interactions between the indole groups and K+ under an external force. This mechanism imparts exceptional extensibility to the polymer composites. Additionally, the slip-transfer effect enhances the processability of these composites.

The eight-armed star copolymer of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-based poly[(n-butyl acrylate)-co-1-(2(((2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl)carbamoyl)oxy)ethyl)-1 '-methyl-viologen hexafluorophosphate] [POSS-P(BA-co-VAP)8] containing a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) core and 8 arms of viologen based ionic P(BA-co-VAP) is prepared for carbon dioxide (CO2) separation. In the eight-armed star copolymer, the POSS segment affords great convenience for synthesis of eight-armed star copolymer via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and helps to improve the mechanical strength of the polymer membrane. The poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) segment is hydrophobic and has a low glass transition temperature (Tg), which helps to form star copolymer nano-assemblies and also helps to form membrane at room temperature. The ionic poly [1-(2-(((2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl)carbamoyl)oxy)ethyl)-1 '-methyl-viologen hexafluorophosphate] (PVAP) segment is crucial to form nano-assemblies and reversibly adsorb and desorb CO2 and to improve CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 permselectivity. By casting the star copolymer nano-assemblies, porous membrane with pore size around 0.2-3.9 mu m is prepared, and the prepared membrane exhibits a CO2 permeability of 636.3 Barrer and a CO2/CH4 permselectivity of 22.9, which is competitive to the previously reported polymer membranes.

Methyl formate (MF), as an important precursor to numerous commercially significant compounds (e.g. dimethyl carbonate, methyl acetate, and ethyl glycol etc), is typically synthesised via the condensation reaction or carbonylation of methanol, requiring relatively high-value precursors (e.g. formic acid or dry CO) while with a low conversion or selectivity. Herein, palladium (Pd) and gold (Au) modified TiO2 (P25) was designed to use a very low-cost precursor methanol with the assistance of CO2 to synthesise MF under ambient conditions. Remarkably, a high conversion of methanol (98.1 %) and selectivity to MF (94.9 %) have been achieved under an optimised reaction condition using methanol as the major reactant. In this system, Au significantly enhances charge separation and transfer, and then Pd serves as a final hole acceptor, facilitating the oxidation of methanol to MF by PdAu-modified P25. This synergy boosts the MF formation rate by 15 times compared to single-metalmodified P25 under identical reaction conditions. Further studies reveal that formaldehyde is a pivotal intermediate in the formation of MF and employing CO2 as a reaction moderator inhibits the methanol over oxidation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are significant environmental contaminants with considerable health risks, emphasizing the need for effective monitoring and identification. On-site detection of PAHs using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) remains challenging due to their weak adsorption on substrates and potential interference from the substrates themselves. To address these challenges, we developed hollow raspberry-like plasmonic nanoaggregates made of functionalized-polystyrene hollow microspheres (HM) decorated with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). These nanoaggregates feature a hydrophobic inner cavity that effectively enriches PAHs, improving detection sensitivity. Through enhanced plasmonic coupling by carefully controlling Au NPs coverage on polystyrene (PS) surfaces, functionalizing the amino groups on the microsphere surface, and fine-tuning the Au NP to PS ratio, our method achieved detection limits of 4 x 10-8 M for pyrene, 6 x 10-7 M for fluorene, and 4 x 10-7 M for benzo[a]anthracene. Moreover, this approach was effectively utilized for detecting PAHs in both Yellow River water and tap water. This study highlights the capabilities of hollow raspberry-like plasmonic nanoaggregates for qualitative and quantitative analysis of PAHs, thereby broadening the use of advanced nanomaterials in monitoring environmental water quality.