The vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) offer safety, stability, and efficiency advantages, making it well-suited for power system stabilization and long-term energy storage applications. However, the graphite felt (GF) electrodes commonly employed in VRFB suffer from poor electrochemical kinetics and slow mass transfer rates with the electrolyte, which can limit the battery's overall energy storage efficiency. To address this issue, CeO2 N-doped carbon (CeO2-NC) in situ modified GF electrode is prepared by high-temperature carbonization using nitro-modified cerium organic frameworks (Ce-UiO-66-NO2) as a precursor. It demonstrates the high catalytic activity, attributed to its large specific surface area that provides abundant reaction sites for both positive and negative redox reactions. Incorporating CeO2 and N doping effectively enhances the number of sites, thereby accelerating the reaction process. When assembled into a VRFB, the modified battery achieved an 8.4 % increase in energy efficiency compared to the unmodified battery at a current density of 200 mA cm(-2).

All-solid-state Na-O2 batteries (ASSNBs) are promising next-generation energy storage systems, but their practical application is hindered by insufficient catalytic activity and poor air stability of conventional cathode materials. Herein, we design a two-dimensional oxide catalyst, Cu1.5ZnAl0.5Ce5ZrOx (CZACZ), via a multicomponent cation mixing strategy. The catalyst exhibits intrinsic lattice distortion and multi-component synergy, significantly enhancing oxygen electrocatalytic activity. To fully exploit these attributes, an integrated composite cathode is constructed by co-sintering CZACZ with the Na3.2Zr2Si2PO12 (NZSP) electrolyte. This architecture ensures intimate interfacial contact and establishes continuous triple-phase boundaries, enabling efficient transport of Na+, electrons, and O2. The resulting ASSNBs with designed CZACZ catalyst deliver a high specific capacity of 8126 mAh g-1, excellent rate capability, and stable room-temperature cycling performance. This work demonstrates that multi-component oxide design is an effective strategy for enhancing ASSNB performance by overcoming the main limitations of solid oxide electrochemical systems through rational material and structural design.

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have been widely studied due to their high energy density; however, the practical implementation of LMBs is limited by issues of uncontrolled dendrite growth, continuous electrolyte decomposition, and poor Coulombic efficiency (CE). Highly concentrated electrolytes (HCEs) have emerged as a promising approach to addressing the above issues. In this work, we propose a new HCE system based on a single carbonate solvent of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methyl carbonate (FEMC) with a high concentration of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI). The resulting electrolytes exhibit enhanced anodic stability and improved compatibility with lithium metal anodes and high-voltage cathodes. The optimized 4 M LiFSI–FEMC HCE achieved the highest CE for Li plating/stripping in Li/Cu cell and lowest overpotential in Li/Li symmetric cells, outperforming both low-concentration FEMC and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC)-based electrolytes. In full-cell configurations with LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) cathodes, the HCE demonstrates stable cycling with minimal capacity fade over 250 cycles. Importantly, the HCE enables stable operation of 4.6 V high-voltage NCM811/Li cells for more than 120 cycles with a high-capacity retention of 88.61%. Post-mortem analysis revealed a more uniform and compact solid electrolyte interphase and a thinner cathode electrolyte interphase, contributing to the enhanced cycling performance.

While conductive organohydrogels hold great promise for wearable electronics, achieving the simultaneous optimization of mechanical robustness, multifunctionality, and long-term durability remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a hierarchical design procedure for fabricating nanofiber-reinforced composite organohydrogels (COH) through physical cross-linking and multiple non-covalent interactions. In this approach, carbon nanotube (CNT)-decorated thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber membranes are embedded within a PVA/glycerol matrix to construct a sandwiched architecture, effectively preventing conductive nano-filler aggregation typically observed in conventional composite gels. This unique structural design promotes synergistic energy dissipation mechanisms, significantly enhancing mechanical performance. As a result, the composite exhibits a high tensile strength of 2.77 f 0.40 MPa, a large fracture strain of 616 f 23 %, a toughness of 8.60 f 0.73 MJ & sdot;m-3, and a fracture energy of 7.39 f 0.64 kJ & sdot;m-2. Moreover, the COH maintains stable electrical conductivity, outstanding anti-freezing properties, and high strain-sensing sensitivity, with a GF of 1.21 over 0-250 % strain and 4.20 over 250-300 %. This study offers a versatile strategy for engineering mechanically adaptive and multifunctional conductive hydrogels, paving the way for next-generation flexible electronics and personalized healthcare monitoring technologies.

While zinc-ion batteries present notable advantages like fundamental safety, ecological benignity, plentiful raw materials, and substantial theoretical capacity at the zinc anode, their long-term cyclability is profoundly limited. The primary obstacle lies in the inadequate stability at the zinc/electrolyte interface, which easily provokes parasitic reactions including hydrogen evolution and corrosion, as well as unrestrained zinc dendrite formation. Constructing the all-solid-state or quasi-solid-state interfacial layer has become one of the effective strategies for regulating the zinc anode interface and improving the overall performance of the battery. Studies have shown that all-solid-state or quasi-solid-state interfacial engineering on the surface of zinc anodes can significantly suppress interfacial side reactions, effectively regulate the transport kinetics of Zn2+ induce uniform zinc ion deposition, and inhibit dendrite growth. This review systematically summarizes research progress on all-solid-state and quasi-solid-state interfaces in the field of zinc-ion battery interface regulation. It focuses on the design strategies, performance optimization approaches, and mechanisms of action for all-solid-state and quasi-solid-state protective layers on zinc anodes, as well as for all-solid-state and quasi-solid-state electrolyte interface materials. The aim is to provide reference ideas for the development of novel electrolytes and interface layers.

The multiquadric radial basis function (MQ-RBF) is widely used in scattered data interpolation and other fields owing to its high interpolation accuracy and broad applicability. However, its interpolation performance is highly dependent on the selection of shape parameters, whereas traditional methods including trial-and-error and optimization algorithms, often suffer from high computational complexity, limited robustness, and poor adaptability. Based on the radial basis function (RBF) interpolation error theory, this study explores the nonlinear coupling relationship between the geometric features of the target function and shape parameters, and proposes a deep learning-based multi-scale dual-branch fusion network with a convolutional neural network and an attention mechanism (MSAF-Net). The model extracts geometric features, enhances their nonlinear representations, captures the global morphological laws and local fine-scale information of the function, and realizes the direct prediction of the shape parameter through feature fusion. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MSAF-Net significantly outperforms comparative models including Stacking, MLP-XGBoost, RF and other baseline methods. It achieves a coefficient of determination ( R2 )of 0.8887, a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.1422, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.3771, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.1400, and a relative predictive deviation (RPD) of 2.997, with superior prediction accuracy and interpolation stability. This method overcomes the limitations of traditional parameter selection strategies, provides a new scheme for the adaptive selection of one-dimensional MQ-RBF shape parameters, and offers a valuable reference for the parameter optimization of similar radial basis functions.

The development of advanced layered nickel-rich cathodes is crucial for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, current mainstream nickel-rich cathodes still suffer from severe structural strain and sluggish ionic kinetics during cycling, which limits their practical application. To address this, we synthesized a low-strain, high-rate NCM cathode, Li(Ni0.83Co0.12Mn0.05)0.975Fe0.01Ti0.01Al0.005O2 (HE-TFA), using a high-entropy doping strategy. Cationic high-entropy doping can induce structural disorder in the transition metal (TM) layer. The synergistic effects of multiple elements contribute to enhanced structural stability and reduced phase transition stress between H2 and H3 phases in the HE-TFA cathode, thereby effectively mitigating mechanical degradation and minimizing oxygen loss. Furthermore, the synergistic effect between elements optimizes material kinetics by broadening Li+ diffusion channels and reducing migration energy barriers. Consequently, HE-TFA cathode exhibits superior electrochemical performance, achieving a capacity retention rate improved to 91.48 % after 100 cycles at 1 C between 2.8 V and 4.3 V, and a discharge specific capacity of 150.1 mAh/g at 5 C. This study provides a foundation for the construction of long-cycle, high-rate nickel-rich ternary cathode materials.

The increase in sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industry production pose significant threats to the environment and human health. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop reliable and highly sensitive analytical methods for the real-time detection of SOx gases. Although there are many methods for determination of SO2 gas, this review specifically focuses on the electrochemical SO2 sensors based on solid electrolytes and summarizes their classification, structural characteristics, sensing mechanisms, solid electrolytes and electrode materials besides their sensing performance. Despite advancements in the performance of existing solid electrolyte-based SOx sensors, there remains considerable room for improvement in terms of sensitivity, detection range, selectivity and long-term stability. Future progress in SOx sensors based on solid electrolytes will likely hinge on the development of novel sensing materials, the exploration of more appropriate sensor structures and ongoing innovations in sensor operational modes.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) hold great promise for sustainable energy storage, yet their practical viability is constrained by Zn dendrites and water-induced parasitic reactions. However, conventional additives generally address only one of these issues and lack dynamic interfacial regulation, failing to achieve the long-term stability of the Zn anode. Herein, we introduce a transformative-type additive Cu-EDTA that dynamically evolves into two functional cooperative species: a CuZn5 alloy and Zn-EDTA adsorbates. The electrochemically formed CuZn5 alloy induces the growth of the Zn(101) texture, thus suppressing Zn dendrites. The spontaneously formed Zn-EDTA adsorbates construct a poor water, which can effectively exclude H2O from the electrode/electrolyte interface, preventing the adverse water-parasitic reactions. In the Zn//Zn symmetrical batteries, the Cu-EDTA additive realizes an ultralong cycling stability over 10,000 h at 2 mA cm(-2)/1 mAh cm(-2). An ultrahigh reversibility with an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.96% is achieved in the Zn//Cu asymmetrical battery. The Zn//MnO2 cell retains stable operation over 10,000 cycles at 5 A g(-1). This work gives a simple transformative additive paradigm for the comprehensive solution of stabilizing the Zn anodes in the practical development of AZIBs.

All-solid-state Na-air batteries (ASSNBs) are promising next-generation energy storage systems, but their practical application is hindered by insufficient catalytic activity and poor air stability of conventional cathode materials. Herein, we design a two-dimensional oxide catalyst, Cu1.5ZnAl0.5Ce5ZrOx (CZACZ), inspired by the high-entropy concept. The catalyst exhibits intrinsic lattice distortion and multi-component synergy, significantly enhancing oxygen electrocatalytic activity. To fully exploit these attributes, an integrated composite cathode is constructed by co-sintering CZACZ with the Na3.2Zr2Si2PO12 (NZSP) electrolyte. This architecture ensures intimate interfacial contact and establishes continuous triple-phase boundaries, enabling efficient transport of Na+, electrons, and O2. The resulting ASSNBs with designed CZACZ catalyst deliver a high specific capacity of 8126 mAh g-1, excellent rate capability (0.14 V increase when current density quadruples from 100 to 1600 mAh g-1), and stable room-temperature cycling over 80 h with a low overpotential. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of high‐entropy oxide design in improving the performance of ASSNBs, with the key lying in overcoming the main limitations in solid oxide electrochemical systems through rational material and structural design.

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance that requires precise monitoring at trace levels in the atmosphere. This paper reports a high-performance mixed potential sensor based on yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte and BaSnO3 sensing electrode (SE) for ppb-level N2O detection. By introducing a carbon pore-forming agent to regulate the electrode microstructure, a porous mixed conductor BaSnO3-SE was successfully fabricated and the sensor performance is significantly enhanced due to extending the triple phase boundary (TPB) length and promoting N2O gas diffusion. The experimental results show that compared with BaSnO3-SE without carbon additive, the introduction of 10 wt.% carbon into BaSnO3-SE leads to the sensitivity increase of the sensor from 29.9 mV/decade to 57.3 mV/decade, while making the detection limit lower from 100 ppb to 25 ppb at 225 degrees C. In addition, the sensor maintains excellent stability over 30 days, exhibits excellent selectivity for common interfering gases and has a predictable oxygen partial pressure dependence. However, humidity greatly interferences the sensor response, which is attributed to higher adsorption energy of H2O relative to N2O by DFT calculations. The mixed potential response mechanism of the sensor was rigorously confirmed by combining the Tafel curve analysis and mixed potential theoretical derivation. This study proposes a simple and effective electrode structure optimization strategy, which provides an important theoretical and experimental basis for the design of high-precision N2O sensors.

High-quality CoWO4 sensing electrodes (SE) were synthesized via a facile and green molten salt method to develop high-performance NH3 sensors. XRD, SEM, and TEM were employed to systematically characterize the phase composition and morphology of the products obtained under various synthesis conditions. The superior sensing performance of the CoWO4-SE (prepared at 350 degrees C for 60 min) was maintained throughout the 250-450 degrees C operating range. Specifically, at an optimal temperature of 300 degrees C, the sensor exhibited a high response of -66.5 mV to 100 ppm NH3, a sensitivity of -47 mV/decade, and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 5 ppm. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited strong performance in terms of repeatability and selectivity for common interfering gases. Electrochemical analyses, such as polarization and Tafel measurements, confirmed that the mixed potential theory operated in the sensing mechanism.

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO3RR) presents a promising approach for sustainable NH3 synthesis and wastewater treatment. However, its efficiency in neutral media is hindered by sluggish reaction kinetics and competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. Here, a strategy to construct a highly active Cu0/Cuδ+ interface via oxygen-vacancy-triggered local amorphization was proposed, by which the Ov-CuxO/NF catalyst was obtained. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that this interfacial architecture optimizes the electronic distribution, modulates the built-in electric field to stabilize the active Cuδ+, synergistically enhancing NO3- adsorption and activation while facilitating H2O dissociation to provide *H. Moreover, Cuδ+ associated with oxygen vacancies facilitate a dual-spillover effect of *NO2- and *H between Cu0 and Cu+ sites. Consequently, Ov-CuxO/NF achieves exceptional NO3RR performance in neutral media, with a NH3 FE of 98.5% at -0.6 V vs. RHE, a yield rate of 15.66 mg·h-1·cm-2, and stable operation over 21 cycles. The catalyst also demonstrates robust applicability in simulated wastewater treatment, catalyst regeneration, electrode upscaling, solar energy application and the further conversion of produced NH3 into high-purity struvite. This work highlights defect engineering and interface design as effective strategies for developing efficient and stable copper-based NO3RR catalysts.

Enhancing the response signal contributes to efficient and reliable application of electrochemical NH3 sensors for atmospheric monitoring, industrial exhaust emissions control and lesion screening. However, the scarcity of ways to design sensing electrodes (SE) with high electrochemical activity limits the signal enhancement of electrochemical NH3 sensors. Therefore, a simple and universal method of introducing heterojunctions on SEs to enhance the response signal of electrochemical NH3 sensor is proposed. The phase separation of BiVO4 is triggered by Yb doping, and thus the Bi1-nYbnVO4-Bi2O3 heterojunctions are in situ formed on the host materials. Compared to the pristine BiVO4 SE, the Bi1-nYbnVO4-Bi2O3 heterogeneous electrode exhibits an enhancement of 57 % in the response signal to 300 ppm NH3 at 500 degrees C, with the corresponding phase angle (theta) response of 27.5 degrees. The particular band structure of heterojunction and the size effect of formed Bi2O3 nanoparticles result in the enhanced adsorption of NH3 on the Bi1-nYbnVO4-Bi2O3 SE, which thereby enhances the response signal of sensor. The design of heterojunctions on SEs provides a simple and effective way to improve the sensing performance of electrochemical gas sensors.

ABSTRACT Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs) are a vibrant subset of photonic materials exhibiting extraordinarily mechanochromic properties that make them an ideal platform for the development of displays, sensing, anti‐counterfeiting, and camouflage technologies. In recent years, researchers have increasingly extended the structure and morphology of CLCEs to uncover their fascinating functionalities and promising applications. In this review, the historical development of CLCEs is retrospect, recent advances in the preparation methods are highlighted, and the well‐ordered CLCEs with extended functionality are introduced. Within this scope, we highlight the unique advantages of CLCEs and present recent progress in expanding their structural, morphological, and functional versatility. We conclude with an outlook on current challenges and near‐term application opportunities.

Developing high-performance proton-conducting electrolytes is critical for sensors used in in-situ H2 detection in Al or Mg alloy melts. Herein, a Yb/F co-doping strategy was applied to La0.9Sr0.1YO3-δ. The optimized La0.9Sr0.1Y0.85Yb0.15O3-δF0.025 achieved a relative density of 98.70% after sintering at 1500 °C and a conductivity of 1.50 × 10−3 S∙cm−1 at 700 °C in humid air, nearly three times higher than the pristine La0.9Sr0.1YO3-δ, with excellent intrinsic chemical stability due to low alkaline-earth content. A limiting-current H2 sensor was fabricated using this dense electrolyte and a porous diffusion barrier. Under inert atmosphere with a polarization voltage of 0.6 V at 350–800 °C, the sensor exhibited fast, stable, and reversible responses to 0.5–80% H2, a sensitivity of 17.58 μA∙percent−1 at 800 °C, and a response time of 14 s to 40% H2. Interference from CO2, CO, CH4, and NH3 caused signal variations below 8.06%. The sensor also showed excellent long-term stability and reproducibility.

Conductive hydrogels with strong adhesion and antibacterial activity have demonstrated great potential for tissue regeneration applications. In this paper, polypyrrole-doped polydopamine (PDA@PPy) nanocomposites were encapsulated in a polymer hydrogel prepared using quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS) and aldehyde dextran (ODex), yielding composite hydrogels (QOP). The QOP hydrogels were formed from the pre-solutions within 30 s, and Schiff-base bonds were observed in the polymer network, as verified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The fabricated QOP hydrogels displayed a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous microstructure, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed microtomography (Micro-CT) analyses. With increasing PDA@PPy nanocomposite content, the conductivity of QOP hydrogels increased. Furthermore, the QOP hydrogels exhibited good self-healing abilities and strong adhesion to the surfaces of different materials and organs, including rubber, plastic, glass, metal, heart, pancreas, lung, kidney, stomach, liver, and human skin. The −2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid ammonium salt (ABTS) free-radical scavenging rates of over 80% by QOP hydrogels confirmed their excellent antioxidant ability. In addition, the QOP hydrogels demonstrated effective antibacterial activity against the typical bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli, Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, Gram-positive). The QOP hydrogels also performed excellent cytocompatibility and good cell migration ability, confirmed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) approach, fluorescent staining, and cell scratch assay. The available data provide a facile strategy for fabricating a hydrogel bio-adhesive with good antioxidant and potential antibacterial activity for biomedical applications.

ABSTRACT Iron‐based redox flow batteries (IRFBs) are compelling candidates for cost‐effective grid‐scale energy storage, benefiting from high safety, low cost, and the natural abundance of iron‐based active species. However, heterogeneous interface instability, side reactions, and kinetic deactivation lead to capacity decay and energy efficiency reduction, which limits the long‐term cycle stability of IRFBs. Chelation compensation is employed to regulate metal‐ion redox species through multidentate ligand design. Their coordination environment, solvation structure, and interfacial reactivity are thereby optimized, leading to improved energy efficiency and cycling stability. This review summarizes the major degradation mechanisms of IRFBs and highlights recent progress in chelation‐modified systems constructed with representative chelating functional groups. Particular attention is given to the influence of chelation on heterogeneous interface instability, side reactions, and reaction kinetics. Finally, current challenges and future directions in ligand design, electrolyte compatibility, mechanistic understanding, and practical implementation are discussed, offering guidance for the development of high‐performance chelation‐modified IRFBs for large‐scale energy storage.

The stable Zn metal anode is pivotal for advancing aqueous Zn-ion batteries, yet it remains challenged by rampant dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions. Herein, the spinel structured ZnV2O4 with moderate oxygen vacancies serves as an ion-sieve interphase on the Zn anode, whose superior selectivity of tunnel size enables a high ionic conductivity up to 10.56 mS & centerdot;cm-1. The surface oxygen vacancies can promote the strong adsorption towards Zn ions and subsequent desolvation. The moderate oxygen vacancy content preserves the inner integrality of connectivity tunnels for ZnV2O4 interphase facilitating the rapid ion transport kinetics. COMSOL simulation and density functional theory (DFT) calculation conjointly confirm the higher Zn2+ flux and the accelerated desolvation kinetics. Consequently, equipped with ZnV2O4@Zn anode, the symmetric cell delivers an ultra-stable cycling lifespan exceeding 3700 h at 4 mA & centerdot;cm-2/1 mAh & centerdot;cm-2. Even at the condition of 8 mA & centerdot;cm-2/1 mAh & centerdot;cm-2, the symmetric cell maintains a stable cycling for over 900 h. This work underscores the critical factor of the compatibility of oxygen vacancy and ion sieve tunnel geometry, thereby paving a promising avenue for constructing durable aqueous Zn-ion batteries.