Aerospace application environment has posed great challenges to the ablation resistant silicone-rubber-based thermal protection materials, as the strength of char layer is the key factor of the ablation resistance. In the present work, through sol-gel method, vinyl-containing zirconium silicone oil (VZSO) was synthesized and introduced as the Zr-containing precursor into silicone rubber (SR) by hydrosilylation. In contrast to pure SR, the tensile strength and elongation at break increased by up to 63.83 % and 59.08 %, respectively, exhibiting obviously improved flexibility, which is beneficial for the adaptability to large load deformation. Most importantly, for thermal protective properties, mass ablation rate and charring rate decreased by up to 15.91 % and 38.21 %, respectively. During ablation, VZSO-modified SR could in-situ form tetragonal ZrO2 (t-ZrO2) to strengthen the char layer. With high-amount addition of VZSO, the stable and coherent char layer could resist the damage from inner pyrolysis gas and erosion from outer heat flux during ablation. This work proposes an effective strategy for the fabrication of high-performance silicon-rubber-based flexible ablation materials, potential to be employed as thermal protective coatings to protect spacecraft from serious service environments.

Stable and high-fidelity electrophysiological monitoring with dry epidermal electrodes remains limited by interfacial air gaps and mechanical mismatch, which induce dynamic impedance fluctuations and severe motion artifacts during skin deformation. Here, we introduce an ethanol-triggered interfacial reconstruction strategy that directly fabricates a similar to 5 & micro;m-thick conductive nanomesh onto the epidermis, seamlessly conforming to complex skin micro-textures. This interfacial reconstruction effectively eliminates trapped air gaps, reduces mechanical mismatch, and establishes a stable low-impedance bioelectronic interface (37.8 k Omega at 100 Hz). Thus, it enables high-quality electrophysiological recordings with higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to commercial gel electrodes. The resulting nanomesh electrode exhibits high breathability and conformality, robust resistance to sweat, and on-demand ethanol-assisted removability. Hence, it allows long-term, irritation-free monitoring of electrophysiological signals under dynamic deformation and wet conditions. This thin epidermal electrode provides a new pathway toward reliable acquisition of electrophysiological signals, offering broad potential for personalized health monitoring, early disease diagnosis, and next-generation brain-computer interfaces.

High-fidelity wrist pulse acquisition, essential for the early diagnosis and precise management of cardiovascular diseases, requires tactile sensors with both ultrasensitive and linear electromechanical responses. Biological Pacinian corpuscles transduce mechanical stimuli into localized strain via concentric lamellar architecture, enabling subtle and dynamic perception of pressure fluctuations. Inspired by the working mode of Pacinian corpuscles, this work presents a piezoelectric tactile sensor featuring a multilayer grooved architecture that transduces external pressure into localized in-plane strain within the piezoelectric layer, effectively enhancing dipole alignment and charge separation. Finite element simulations and experimental results confirm that the grooved architecture contributes to strain concentration, giving rise to an ultrahigh sensitivity of 185 mV·kPa- 1 and linear electromechanical response up to 300 kPa and a power density of 806 µW·cm- 2. The tactile sensor enables high-fidelity acquisition of multi-site pulse waveforms and accurate estimation of blood pressure, facilitating comprehensive cardiovascular assessment via heart rate variability and Poincare analysis. This bioinspired design offers an effective approach to overcoming the intrinsic limitations of piezoelectric materials and holds significant potential for developing high-performance piezoelectric sensors for continuous, noninvasive health monitoring.

Air-permeable and ultrathin conductive electrodes are essential for next-generation soft electronics, including breathable wearables, on-skin devices and bio-integrated electronics. However, conventional metallization strategies, such as sputtering and ink-printing, often suffer from severe vertical charge leakage due to the porous and ultrathin characteristics of nanofibrous networks, leading to device short-circuiting, operational failure and limited vertical integration. Here, we present a solvent-selective dissolution-assisted transfer printing strategy to achieve surface-confined metallization of ultrathin, lightweight, and gas-permeable nanofibrous networks, enabling lateral conductivity while maintaining vertical insulation. This transfer printing process facilitates not only the rapid formation of conductive patterns on the surface of nanofibrous networks but also mechanical reinforcement through solvent evaporation-induced interlocked fiber-fiber welding. Meanwhile, the strategy preserves the high permeability of the nanofibrous networks and imparts a unique combination of surface conductivity (2 Ω cm) and vertical insulativity (1011 Ω cm). The resulting anisotropic conductive networks enable low-voltage wearable heaters, high-sensitive pressure sensors, and ultralight temperature sensors. A pressure-temperature dual-modal sensing patch is further fabricated for intelligent grasping classification. The proposed surface-confined metallization strategy enables rapid fabrication of an anisotropic conductive network as a building block to construct air-permeable, ultrathin and lightweight wearable electronics.

Harvesting sunlight for cost-efficient and environmentally friendly electricity generation holds significant promise for advancing practical applications of self-powered systems. However, solar-driven thermoelectric generators (STEGs) continue to face the challenge of establishing a stable and substantial temperature gradient across thermoelectric modules for efficient power generation. To address this, we synthesized a photothermal organic charge-transfer (CT) cocrystal, TMPD-PMDA, via a facile solution self-assembly strategy. Strong intermolecular CT interactions endow the cocrystal with a narrow optical bandgap (0.97 eV), a broad absorption spectrum (250-1500 nm), and enhanced non-radiative decay, enabling a temperature rise of 77 degrees C under one-sun irradiation. By embedding the cocrystal into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix, we fabricated a flexible and customizable composite film (TPF), which reached 89 degrees C under 1 kW m-2 illumination. When employed as a solar absorber in an STEG, the TPF facilitates a pronounced temperature gradient, resulting in an open-circuit voltage of 195 mV, a short-circuit current of 33.5 mA, and a maximum output power density of 1.11 W m-2 under one-sun conditions. As a scalable proof of concept, an integrated TPF-based device array operated outdoors successfully enabled temperature monitoring and LED illumination. This work underscores the potential of photothermal CT cocrystals in practical solar energy harvesting and off-grid power applications.

Polymer-based composites are widely regarded as the most promising materials for energy storage applications. However, their widespread use is currently limited by relatively low energy storage density and suboptimal performance at high temperatures. In this study, a novel polyetherimide (PEI)-based multilayered composite, featuring BaTiO3 nanofibers in the intermediate layer and boron nitride nanosheets in the outer layer, was fabricated. Owing to the synergistic enhancement of polarization and breakdown strength resulting from this innovative structural design, the optimal BN/BTNFs/PEI composite demonstrated exceptional energy storage performance with 22 J/cm3, which remained stable even under high-temperature conditions.

The next-generation spacecraft will enter the atmosphere at higher reentry speeds, imposing more stringent requirements on the thermal oxidation resistance and ablation resistance of thermal protective ablative materials. A novel resin with high temperature in-situ crosslinking and self-ceramicization characteristics was successfully constructed by integrating carborane (CB) with phenolic resin (PR). The initial thermal decomposition temperature (T5%) and the charring yield at 800 degrees C (R800 degrees C) of carborane hybrid phenolic resin (CBDPR) were increased to 394.9 degrees C and 83.81 % in air. Excellent thermo-oxidative stability is the result of the combined action of multiple mechanisms such as free radical quenching, high-temperature chemical crosslinking and ceramicization. Meanwhile, the mass ablation rates (MAR) of CBDPR0.1 and CF/CBDPR0.1 were 0.058 and 0.045 g/s, which were 26.58 and 43.04 % lower than those of PR, and the linear ablation rates (LAR) were -0.003 and 0.002 mm/s. Excellent ablation performance of the resin and its composites during oxyacetylene ablation (4 MW/m2, 30 s) attributable to ceramization, graphitization and the synergistic interaction between carbon fiber and CBDPR. This research will provide some inspiration for the fabrication of advanced polymer-matrix ablative composites in the future.

To guarantee the operation reliability and longevity of spacecraft, there is an urgent need to design a multifunctional composite material that integrates both thermal protection and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption capabilities. In this work, based on the multi-scale design idea, a flexible ablative composite is designed by combining matrix modification and reinforced filler. At the macroscopic level, a phosphazene derivative containing multiple siloxyl groups serves as a crosslinking modifier to vulcanization condensation-type liquid silicone rubber (LSR). Subsequently, reinforcing fillers (SiO2 and CFs) are introduced to further enhance the mechanical strength, thermal stability, and ablation resistance of the composites. At the microscopic level, the porous char layer formed after exposure to high heat flux, the heteroatom doping introduced by the crosslinking agent, and the multi-interface heterogeneous structure constructed by CFs deposited within the LSR endowed the material with excellent EMW properties. Compared with the pure LSR, the linear ablation rate and mass ablation rate of the modified LSR decrease to 0.073 mm/s and 0.029 g/s, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum reflection loss and tensile strength of the modified LSR are improved by 209 % and 320 %, respectively. Thus, the composites exhibit promising applications in thermal protection and EMW in electronic devices.

Hydrogen-abundant ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is widely used for nuclear shielding purposes, but its low thermal conductivity (lambda) and high flammability pose a potential risk for the safe operation of nuclear units. Herein, a series of UHMWPE-based composites were prepared by loading hybrid flame-retardants consisting of ammonium polyphosphate (APP), dipentaerythritol (DPER), hindered amine flame retardant (Flamestab (R) NOR116), and nano-zirconium phosphate (ZrP). With the addition of 18.88 wt% flame retardant, the material achieves an LOI of 40% which meets the UL-94 V-0 standard. The improved fire resistance performance was also corroborated by cone calorimetry and TGA-FTIR analysis. To further enhance the heat dissipation capability, 5 wt% graphite (Gt) was introduced into the above UHNMWPE-based composite which resulted in a remarkable increase of lambda from 0.74 to 3.73 W/mK while maintaining excellent flame retardancy (LOI=39%, UL-94 V-0). Both Geant4 simulation and 60Co radiation tests demonstrated that thermally conductive and flame retardant UHMWPE-based composites maintained excellent shielding performance. This work offers a facile approach to developing UHMWPE-based shielding materials with integrated flame resistance, high lambda, and nuclear radiation protection that demonstrates promising application in nuclear sectors.

ABSTRACT High‐speed vehicles encountered severe aerodynamic heating during flight, posing significant challenges to material performance. Flexible TPM maintained structural integrity under severe thermal strain, but their ablation resistance still required improvement. Therefore, this work employed a multiphase synergistic ceramization enhancement strategy through the PDC approach by incorporating a synthesized CP into silicone rubber‐based composites to achieve in situ ceramization during ablation. By introducing Hf and Si at the molecular level, the effects of CP content on the thermal decomposition behavior, structural evolution, and ablation performance were systematically investigated. The results indicated that a moderate amount of CP increased the initial thermal decomposition temperature and promoted the formation of multiphase ceramic structures within the char layer. These in situ formed ceramic phases enhanced the density and structural stability of the char layer, thereby improving ablation performance. At a CP content of 1 phr, the MAR and LAR decreased by 9.5% and 53%, respectively. To further reveal the thermochemical evolution mechanism under extreme thermal environments, a thermal‐fluid‐ablation coupled multiphysics model was developed. The simulated surface and backside temperature profiles showed good agreement with the experimental results, and the deviations in MAR and LAR were within 10%, confirming the accuracy and reliability of the model.

Silicone-phenolic hybrids (SiPRs) exhibit intrinsic self-ceramization behavior and unparalleled thermal-oxidative resistance, which endow them with significant potential in thermal protection engineering. However, obvious phase separation limits their practical use by causing an interfacial failure. In this study, 2-allylphenol and vinyltriethoxysilane were introduced into carborane and polysiloxane, respectively, to construct an unsaturated bond-modified organic-inorganic hybrid structure. Through regulation of the allyl groups in the resin matrix and utilization of addition cross-linking reactions, the hybrid resin achieves controlled transformation from a sea-island phase separation to a homogeneous phase. Benefiting from the molecular-scale homogeneity and tailored composition, the hybrids exhibited significantly enhanced thermo-oxidative stability and ablation resistance. Compared to phenolic resin (PR), SiCBPR0.75 showed enhanced thermal stability in air atmosphere, with its initial decomposition temperature and 800 °C residual weight increasing by 147.7 °C and 42.33%, respectively. Its ablation resistance improved significantly, reducing linear (LAR) and mass ablation rates (MAR) by 17.46% and 33.33% versus PR. Importantly, the back temperature decreased significantly from 129.2 to 70.1 °C, further confirming the material's improved thermal protection capability. This study provides an effective approach for synthesizing tailored homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid materials, offering valuable insights for developing next-generation thermal protection systems with combined erosion and ablation resistance.

The amorphous char layer derived from phenolic resin (PR) exhibits insufficient resistance to thermal flow erosion, which limits its application in high-performance thermal protection systems. Therefore, a ferrocenemodified carborane phenolic resin (CBPR-Fe) with low Fe content (0.5-6 wt%o) was developed, in which the chemically incorporated ferrocene enables uniform Fe distribution within the resin and helps to enhance the graphitization degree of its char layer. Under thermal flow, the resulting Fe nanoparticles derived from ferrocene effectively catalyze the in-suit formation of various graphitic micro-nanostructures in the ablated char layer. Notably, an embedded graphite structure formed via a solid-liquid-solid mechanism at extremely low Fe content, which inhibited defect growth and improved char graphitization. Consequently, compared with BPR, the linear ablation rate, mass ablation rate, and back temperature of CBPR-Fe1%o under a heat flux of 4 MW/m2 were reduced by 72.73%, 29.27%, and 36.16%, respectively. In burn-through tests (4 MW/m2), the thickness retention rate and burn-through time were increased by 45.06% and13.71%, respectively, demonstrating superior structural integrity and durability. Such a revelation provides some inspirations in the design of PR and its derived carbon ablative materials with enhanced ablation resistance.

Long-term monitoring of electrophysiological signals is of great importance for continuous health monitoring, disease diagnosis, and intelligent human-machine interaction. However, developing a breathable and biocompatible skin-electrode interface with low interfacial impedance for long-term and motion-artifact-resistant epidermal monitoring remains a major challenge. To address this issue, we propose a bilayer design that enables functional decoupling via synergistic structural integration. An ultrathin bilayer epidermal electrode integrating an ultrathin poly(α-lipoic acid) (PLA) adhesive layer with a porous thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/AgNWs conductive fibrous network (T-AgNWs film) is fabricated via coelectrospinning and subsequent concentration-induced interfacial polymerization. The ultrathin biocompatible adhesive layer ensures stable interfacial adhesion and mechanical compliance without sacrificing the breathability and conductivity of the porous network. As a result, high-fidelity electrophysiological signals including electromyography, electrooculography, electroencephalography, and electrocardiography are acquired under dynamic conditions. Reliable muscle fatigue assessment and accurate gesture recognition are further achieved, demonstrating its potential for physiological monitoring. This work provides a new strategy for designing electrophysiological electrodes with stable, breathable, biocompatible, and low-impedance interfaces.

To improve the adaptation of thermal protection materials under hyperthermal and complex deformation, a novel type of silicone rubber (SR) fabricated by cyclolinear polysiloxane was prepared. Through hydrosilylation, specific functional groups were quantitatively introduced onto vinyl-cyclosiloxane, which was subsequently used to fabricate cyclolinear-structured SR. The mechanical properties, thermal performance and ablation resistance were then synergistically investigated. As additional crosslinking points with cyclic structure and high compatibility with SR, cyclosiloxane could beinifit the dispersion the stress to polysiloxane chains, as well as inhibit the random scission of polysiloxane chains. In particular, the introduced functional groups could promote in-situ formation of β-SiC under high temperature to strengthen the char layer. Compared to pure SR, the tensile strength and elongation-at-break of modified SR with cyclolinear polysiloxane structure were increased by up to 326.69% and 120.44%, respectively. The thermal residue under both nitrogen and air atmosphere were improved from 62.27% to 72.86% and from 25.17% to 59.27%, respectively. The ablation tests reveal the excellent anti-ablation performance of modified SR, with decreased mass ablation rate and charring rate by up to 68.35% and 63.27%, respectively. In particular, through efficient formation of free carbon, phenyl groups grafted on cyclosiloxane could improve the efficiency of the formation of β-SiC, leading to further improved heat resistance to heat flux. This work provided a new strategy to synergeticlly enhance comprehensive performance of SR, showing great potential in the field of thermal protection materials for aerospace industry.

Solar-driven power-water cogeneration is a promising solution to global energy and freshwater shortages, but organic small molecule photothermal materials suffer from narrow solar absorption and low photothermal conversion efficiency-rooted in inadequate regulation of molecular electronic structures and non-radiative relaxation pathways. Herein, a planar rigid conjugated molecule (TDT) derived from tetraamino-pbenzoquinone (TABQ) was rationally designed to optimize photothermal mechanisms. Its expanded it-conjugated system, tailored donor-acceptor-donor-acceptor (D-A-D-A) intramolecular motif, and reinforced electron delocalization collectively narrow the bandgap to 0.77 eV, enabling broad-spectrum absorption (250-1840 nm) for solar energy harvesting. Moreover, stable cationic radicals and intermolecular it-it stacking/hydrogenbonding networks promote non-radiative relaxation and enhance photostability by suppressing radiative recombination and molecular degradation. Integrating TDT with thermoelectric generators achieved efficient photo-thermal-electric conversion, delivering a maximum power output of 0.79 W m-2 under 1-sun illumination. Meanwhile, TDT-loaded hydrophilic fabric evaporator exhibited a high evaporation rate of 1.54 kg m-2 h-1 and 89% solar-to-vapor efficiency. Further integration into a cogeneration system realized simultaneous steam and power production. This work pioneers TDT's application in solar-driven cogeneration, reveals the structure-mechanism-performance relationship for organic photothermal molecules, and provides a rational design paradigm for high-efficiency clean energy conversion materials.

Reliable and accurate physiological mechanosensing requires tactile sensors that maintain linearity across ultrawide ranges, yet most reported devices saturate below 500 kPa due to strain hardening and deformation saturation of elastic microstructures. Balancing this long-standing trade-off between sensitivity and linearity demands an alternative design strategy. Here, we present a nonlinear synergistic coupling strategy that combines the strain-hardening behavior of cylindrical elastomers with the crack-propagation behavior of crack-based films. Under compression, Poisson expansion transforms vertical stress into lateral tensile strain, contributing to progressive crack evolution while avoiding strain saturation typically observed in conventional planar configurations. Finite element simulations and experimental results confirm that the matched nonlinear synergistic coupling of elastomer deformation and crack propagation. Our tactile sensor achieves a record sensitivity of 3.8 MPa-1 across a ultrawide linear range up to 4 MPa, far exceeding conventional mechanosensors. This nonlinear coupling strategy provides a route to ultrawide-linear mechanosensing, with broad potential in healthcare, biomechanics, and intelligent robotic manipulation.

Accurate monitoring biomechanical signals is critical for physiological assessment and clinical interventions, but remains challenging due to their dynamic and imperceptible characteristics. Here, inspired by the spiderweb's ability to perceive weak mechanical perturbations, we present a flextensional transduction strategy that allows piezoelectric devices to detect slight mechanical stimulus with ultrahigh sensitivity. Finite-element simulations and experimental validations demonstrate that flextensional strain amplification and dipole reorientation in amorphous PVDF domains synergistically enable a record output voltage of 161.5 V and a power density of 153.4 mu W & centerdot;cm-& sup2; under sub-Newton-level mechanical stimuli. The device allows for real-time contact force monitoring during endovascular aneurysm interventions and high-fidelity pulse waveforms acquisition for noninvasive blood pressure estimation. This bioinspired strategy establishes a universal route for transducing imperceptible biomechanical stimuli into measurable electrical signals for ultrasensitive biomedical monitoring.

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3)-based optoelectronic synapses are promising for solar-blind neuromorphic perception, yet their practical applications is currently hindered by energy consumption issues and the high fabrication temperature commonly required for crystalline devices. Herein, a room-temperature processable amorphous Ga2O3 synaptic transistor is developed to simultaneously achieve deep-ultraviolet photodetection and optoelectronic synaptic plasticity. Under 254 nm illumination, the device exhibits a photo-to-dark current ratio of 3.32 × 107, a responsivity of 8.9 × 103 A·W–1, and a detectivity of 1.96 × 1017 Jones. These key parameters are comparable to those of crystalline Ga2O3 photodetectors. The transistor further emulates essential synaptic behaviors, including short-term memory, long-term memory, paired-pulse facilitation, and learning-forgetting-relearning behaviors, together with an ultralow energy consumption of 127.42 fJ per pulse. Benefiting from the intrinsic solar-blind response and defect-assisted persistent photoconductivity of a-Ga2O3, the device enables graded UV warning perception and sensitization response emulation. In addition, the experimentally obtained synaptic dynamics are used to demonstrate the potential of the device for temporal information processing in a reservoir-computing framework. This work establishes room-temperature amorphous Ga2O3 as a promising platform for low-energy solar-blind optoelectronic synapses and bio-inspired ultraviolet perception.

The development of responsive thermal protection materials to endure an extreme thermal environment remains a critical challenge in the aerospace and fire protection sectors. Herein, expandable vermiculite (EV) and carbon fiber were employed as a thermal response filler and reinforcing filler in silicone rubbers to fabricate a thermal protection material with self-adaptiveness and thermal responsiveness under plasma ablation conditions. A sandwich-structured thermal responsive composite that integrates directional deformability with robust high-temperature resistance was proposed. The architecture was constructed by using a restriction-expansion-restriction (R-E-R) configuration, which consists of an EV-filled silicone rubber core constrained by carbon fiber-reinforced outer layers. The design enables anisotropic deformation under the influence of thermal stimuli, exhibiting substantial longitudinal expansion while maintaining a horizontal stability. Woven carbon fiber fabric was embedded to enhance directional reinforcement and guide the deformation behavior. As a result, the horizontal expansion ratio was suppressed to around 1% while the longitudinal expansion ratio reached nearly 70%. Upon exposure to a heat flux of 2 MWm-2, the composite exhibited adaptive actuation and excellent thermal insulation performance. The maximum back temperature of a 4 mm-thick sample reached 240 degrees C. These multifunctional materials offer promising solutions for self-sealing, adaptive gap-filling, and high temperature thermal insulation that exhibit promising application in the thermal protection sectors.