Canonical nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) naturally store genetic information with high density and programmability, making them promising candidates for molecular data storage. However, their susceptibility to degradation under harsh conditions, such as extreme pH, nuclease activity, and chemical attack, limits practical applications. In contrast, non-canonical nucleic acids (ncNAs) with natural or synthetic structural modifications exhibit enhanced stability and unique functional potential. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental properties of ncNAs, evaluates their suitability for molecular data storage, and discusses how their distinctive advantages may overcome the intrinsic limitations of canonical nucleic acids while addressing challenges in next-generation storage systems.

The investigation on exploring the asymmetric central core-linked perylene diimide (PDI) dimeric acceptors is still insufficient. To this end, the conjugation-extended 6-(thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-yl)benzo[b]thiophene (TT-BTh) core was explored in this study, and two asymmetric PDI dimers, T-BTh-(PDI-HD)2 and TT-BTh-(PDI-HD)2, were developed using 6-(thien-2-yl)benzo[b]thiophene (T-BTh) and TT-BTh as the central linkages, respectively, and two imide-position 2-hexyldecyl (HD) substituted PDI-HD units as double flanks to probe into the role of different conjugation lengths. When the central asymmetric linker was extended from T-BTh to TT-BTh, it was observed that the thermal stability dropped, absorption was weakened, molecular aggregation and stacking were enhanced, a better solution-state photo-stability was achieved, ELUMO was slightly lowered and the dihedral angle was significantly decreased from 87.70° to 27.05° between two PDI-HD sub-planes. Furthermore, extending the conjugation length from T-BTh to TT-BTh resulted in a 0.03 V reduction in VOC from 0.81 V to 0.78 V, a 26.59% reduction in JSC from 7.56 mA cm-2 to 5.55 mA cm-2, a 10.65% increase in FF from 47.33% to 52.37%, and a 21.53% decrease in PCE from 2.88% to 2.26%. The decrease in PCE was mainly due to the slightly lowered ELUMO, weakened absorption, and decreased electron mobility originating from the reduced miscibility and rough surface morphology. Interestingly, the asymmetric T-BTh-(PDI-HD)2 afforded 0.02-0.03 V increased VOC, 2.07%-10.58% elevated FF and thus 11.63%-58.24% elevated PCE in comparison with the symmetric core-linked T-(PDI-HD)2 and 2T-(PDI-HD)2. This finding indicated that constructing asymmetric T-BTh linking cores is an efficient method for adjusting the molecular geometry and optoelectronic properties, thereby improving the photovoltaic efficiency. However, it is necessary to be cautious while further prolonging the conjugation length of the central linker in the asymmetric PDI dimeric acceptors.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are capable of improving the quality of perovskites and passivating defects, but their inhomogeneous layer formation hinders molecular connectivity and charge transport. To address these issues, a heteroarene molecule (benzo[c][1,2,5]oxadiazoe-5-boronic acid, BBOA) is chosen to form a co-assembled (Co-SAM) layer with MeO-2PACz to increase the coverage and reduce inherent defects of the Co-SAM layer on NiOx through pi-pi stacking interactions. Meanwhile, BBOA can form Pb-O bonds and O-H & ctdot;I- hydrogen bonds with the defects from the perovskite. Besides, the strong electron-withdrawing oxadiazole functionality deepens the molecular energy levels and redistributes the electronic environment, thereby optimizing the energy level alignment and charge extraction at the interface. As a result, the BBOA-modified perovskite solar cells achieved a champion efficiency of 25.08%, which is superior to that of the NiOx/MeO-2PACz-based device (23.62%), and maintained 93.4% and 87.4% of its initial performance after 1200 hours at 25 degrees C and after 672 hours at 65 degrees C, respectively, under an N2 atmosphere during continuous operation without encapsulation.

Conversion-type batteries with high energy storage efficiencies are crucial to minimize the energy loss during energy storage. However, current conversion-type batteries generally show relatively low energy storage efficiencies of (59-95)% with large charge-discharge overpotentials of 200-1500 mV. Here we report a rechargeable battery with a maximum energy storage efficiency of 99.5% and a small overpotential of 9 mV, based on a S-Cl synergistic chemistry with fast reaction kinetics. We verify that the in situ formed Cl2 during charging can trigger highly efficient SO2/SO2Cl2 conversion with a maximum current density of 400 mA/cm2, which is one to three orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art conversion-type batteries. In addition, the high energy storage efficiencies of (93 - 97)% have been validated under a variety of harsh yet practical conditions, e.g., at a low temperature of - 20 °C and a high areal capacity of 13.5 mAh/cm2. We further demonstrate their potential applications by producing a 250 mAh pouch cell, an on-chip microbattery, and a wearable fiber battery, which exhibit high electrochemical properties and practicability.

ABSTRACT Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) are attractive for low‐temperature energy storage because of their low cost and abundant resources. However, their low‐temperature performance still suffers from capacity decay, severe polarization, poor cycle stability, and increased sodium‐plating risk. Existing reviews have mainly discussed this issue from the perspectives of electrolyte systems or electrode materials. In contrast, this review summarizes recent advances in low‐temperature SIBs from interfacial and bulk perspectives. At the interface, the main limitations include deteriorated electrolyte transport, strengthened Na + desolvation barriers, solvation structure instability, and parasitic side reactions. In the bulk, sluggish solid‐state diffusion, stress accumulation, structural degradation, and sluggish phase transition kinetics further restrict electrochemical performance. On this basis, representative strategies are discussed from both perspectives, including solvation regulation, electrolyte optimization, additive design, artificial solid electrolyte interphase, surface coatings, lattice doping, pore‐structure engineering, nanostructuring, and diffusion‐path optimization. Their advantages and limitations are also highlighted. This review provides ideas for understanding the origins of low‐temperature performance limitations and for guiding the design of low‐temperature SIBs.

Microbatteries are critical power sources for integrated circuits, wearable electronics, implantable medical devices, and microrobots. However, their practical applications have been limited by conventional bottom-up assembly methods, which suffer from low production efficiency, poor uniformity, and inferior electrochemical performance. Here we report a top-down stack-punching approach for high-throughput production of microbatteries. Through the integration of an initially anode-free design with an interpenetrating positive electrode|electrolyte fusion layer, we construct robust electrode|electrolyte interfaces to withstand the mechanical stress induced by the high-speed punching process, with a high production rate of 1800 units per hour. The resulting microbatteries are highly uniform in both physical dimensions and electrochemical performance, achieving a maximum volumetric energy density of 1306 mWh cm-3, highly competitive among state-of-the-art microbattery technologies. As a proof-of-concept, these microbatteries are integrated with miniature sensors for continuous health monitoring and mounted onto ants and bees to potentially develop biohybrid microsystems for ecological and geological data collection. Overall, our stack-punching approach offers a promising tool for the large-scale manufacture of high-performance microbatteries, facilitating their translation into next-generation electronic devices and systems.

Solar thermal energy storage based on phase change materials (PCMs) provides a compact, near-isothermal pathway toward decarbonizing thermal energy supplies. However, the intrinsic recession of the solid-liquid interface away from the irradiated surface leads to gradually increasing thermal resistance and decaying charging rate with time. To address this challenge, we demonstrate that anchoring the phase change interface achieves rapid, efficient, and continuous solar thermal charging. This is enabled by dynamically circulating photothermal core-shell composite phase change particles (CPCPs) to continuously renew the irradiated surface. Scalable CPCPs, fabricated via extrusion-spheronization, consist of a MnFe2O4 photothermal shell and an MgO/h-BN/NaCl-KCl core integrating broadband photon absorption with high thermal conductivity within a single particle. The MnFe2O4 shell delivers a solar-weighted absorptance of 91.1%, facilitated by near-surface photon confinement and internal multiple scattering. Within the core, a percolated MgO skeleton combined with in-plane h-BN phonon transport pathways forms a hierarchical ceramic network. The interfacial phonon-spectrum overlap in this structure reduces Kapitza resistance, elevating the effective thermal conductivity to 6.84 W m-1 K-1, while maintaining a high energy storage density of 844.7 kJ kg-1. By matching the incident solar flux with particle stream mass flow rates, the system attains a charging power of 0.54 kW under 1.08 kW solar input. This yields a solar thermal storage efficiency of 49.7%, a 26-fold improvement over conventional diffusion-limited approaches (1.9%). This work introduces a paradigm shift from the conventional diffusion-limited "material-static, interface-retreating" mode to "material-moving, interface-anchoring" mode, leading to rapid, efficient, and continuous solar thermal energy storage.

Electrochemical lithium (Li)-mediated nitrogen (N2) reduction could enable production of ammonia (NH3) at ambient temperatures and pressures, offering a route to reduce carbon emissions in the chemical sector. However, NH3 productivity is often limited by sluggish Li-ion desolvation and diffusion at the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Here, we present a concerted desolvation:diffusion layered SEI architecture that provides abundant Li-ion flux for efficient N2 conversion toward NH3 production at high current densities. The SEI comprises stacked inorganic layers with low ion-binding affinity and high ion-conductivity functionalities that increase Li-ion flux by two orders of magnitude. This design strategy achieved N2 electroreduction in a 2 M lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate electrolyte with a Faradaic efficiency of 98% and an energy efficiency of 21% for NH3 production at 100 milliamperes per square centimeter (mA cm-2). The system sustained an 80% Faradaic efficiency over 40 hours, after which performance declined.

A graph is ISK_4-free if it contains no induced subdivision of K_4. Lévêque et al. [J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 102 (2012) 924–947] conjectured that all ISK_4-free graphs are 4-colorable. Chen et al. [J. Graph Theory 96 (2021) 554–577] proved that {ISK_4, diamond, bowtie}-free graphs are 4-colorable and asked whether such graphs are 3-colorable, where a diamond is K_4 minus one edge and a bowtie consists of two triangles sharing a vertex. In this paper, we characterize the structures of {ISK_4, diamond, bowtie}-free graphs and prove that such graphs are 3-colorable, which answers a question of Chen et al. [J. Graph Theory 96 (2021) 554–577] affirmatively and extends a result of Chudnovsky et al. [J. Graph Theory 92 (2019) 67–95]. Furthermore, our structural theorem yields a polynomial-time algorithm for decomposing {ISK_4, diamond, bowtie}-free graphs, and consequently a polynomial-time algorithm for coloring this class of graphs.

The giant polyoxomolybdate [(NH4)42[ $${\text{Mo}}_{72}^{{\rm{VI}}}{\text{Mo}}_{60}^{{\rm{V}}}$$ O372(CH3COO)30(H2O)72] {Mo132} has been little used for optoelectronic device applications. In this paper we demonstrate that thin films of {Mo132} and surfactant-encapsulated {Mo132}, namely {Mo132}-tetraoctyl ammonium (TOA) can, respectively, upshift and downshift the work functions of a variety of electrode materials, including Al, Ag and ITO, by forming suitable interface dipoles. {Mo132}-TOA used as a cathode interlayer (CIL) yields a power conversion efficiency of 18% for poly[(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)-4-fluorothiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene))-alt-(5,5-(1’,3’-di-2-thienyl-5’,7’-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1’,2’-c:4’,5’-c’]dithiophene-4,8-dione))] : 2,2’-((2Z,2’Z)-((12,13-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,9-(2-butyloctyl)-12,13-dihydro-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-e]thieno[2”,3’‘:4’,5’]thieno[2’,3’:4,5]pyrrolo[3,2-g]thieno[2’,3’:4,5]thieno[3,2-b]indole-2,10-diyl)bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-2,1-diylidene)) dimalononitrile (PM6 : L8-BO) based organic solar cells (OSCs) and a current efficiency of 15.24 cd/A in Super Yellow based polymer light-emitting diodes. In addition, OSCs using both {Mo132} as anode interlayer (AIL) and {Mo132}-TOA as CIL provide improved stability relative to reference devices with traditional PEDOT:PSS as AIL and poly(9,9-bis(3’-(N,N-dimethyl)-N-ethylammoinium-propyl-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene))dibromide (PFN-Br) as CIL. {Mo132} thereby serves as an effective bifunctional interlayer material to optimize organic optoelectronic device performance, enhancing power conversion and light emission efficiencies and increasing lifetime.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries offer a sustainable energy storage solution to conventional lithium (Li)-based systems1-3, owing to the high element abundances and theoretical electrochemical performance4,5. However, their practical applications have been severely hindered by the low discharge voltages and the need for largely excessive Na metal anode6-8. Here we report a 3.6 V class Na-S battery featuring a high-valence sulfur/sulfur tetrachloride (S/SCl4) cathode chemistry and anode-free configuration. We show that sodium dicyanamide (NaDCA) can simultaneously unlock reversible S/SCl4 conversion and Na plating/stripping in a non-flammable chloroaluminate electrolyte. This design enables the maximum energy and power densities of 1,198 Wh kg-1 and 23,773 W kg-1, respectively, calculated on the basis of the total electrode mass including both the cathode and the anode. Also, we demonstrate facilitated S/SCl4 conversion by incorporating a bismuth-coordinated covalent organic framework (Bi-COF) catalyst (8 wt% loading) into the S cathode, which realizes an impressive discharge capacity of 1,206 mAh g(sulfur+catalyst)-1, contributing to a maximum energy density of 2,021 Wh kg-1 calculated on the basis of the total electrode mass. With an estimated cost of US$5.03 per kWh and excellent scalability, our anode-free Na-S battery shows promise in grid energy storage and wearable electronics.

A hole is an induced cycle of length at least four, and an even hole is a hole of even length. A cap is obtained from a hole by adding a vertex adjacent to exactly two consecutive vertices of the hole. Chen, Xu, and Xu proved that every {cap,even hole}-free graph G satisfies χ(G)≤⌈5/4ω(G)⌉, and improved this bound to χ(G)≤⌈7/6ω(G)⌉ when 5-holes are also excluded. They asked whether, for every integer q≥3, every {cap,even hole}-free graph G with no odd hole of length at most 2q-1 satisfies χ(G)≤⌈2q+1/2qω(G)⌉. We answer this question affirmatively and show that the bound is sharp for every q≥3.

Nikiforov conjectured that, for every fixed k≥2 and all sufficiently large n, the unique n-vertex C_2k+2-free graph with maximum adjacency spectral radius is S^+_n,k, where S_n,k=K_k∨K_n-k and S^+_n,k is obtained from S_n,k by adding one edge inside the independent part. Cioabă, Desai and Tait proved this conjecture for n≥ k^O(k). Later, Li and Ning raised the problem of determining the optimal exponent γ=γ(k) such that the same conclusion holds for n≥ Ω(k^γ(k)). We prove a stronger uniform theorem for Nikiforov's matrices A_α(G)=αD(G)+(1-α)A(G). More precisely, for every ε>0 there are constants C_ε and k_ε such that for all 0≤1-ε, k≥ k_ε and n≥ C_εk, every n-vertex C_2k+2-free graph G satisfies ρ_α(G)_α(S^+_n,k), with equality if and only if G≅ S^+_n,k. In particular, the case when α=0 answers the problem of Li and Ning in the linear range, and the A_α-spectral even-cycle threshold is linear in k, uniformly for all α bounded away from 1. Our proof introduces a weighted rooted Erdős–Gallai type path lemma, which may be of independent interest in Perron-vector methods for spectral extremal graph problems. The same method also yields asymptotically tight A_α-spectral bounds for two local forbidden-subgraph families, namely (K_1∨ P_ℓ)-free graphs and F_s-free graphs, where F_s denotes the friendship graph.

Fullerene network is an emergent two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotrope in which C60 molecules are covalently bonded to form a quasi-hexagonal pattern (qHP). The intermolecular covalent bonding significantly reshapes the intrinsic electronic structure of the C60 units, leading to enhanced structural stability and electrochemical activity. Herein, we report unconventional high-density Na-ion storage and electrocatalytic conversion properties of fullerene networks (qHP-C60) driven by their covalent quasi-hexagonal topology. As an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, the covalent framework facilitates intermolecular charge transfer and creates favorable sites for Na+ adsorption, delivering a maximum reversible capacity of 279 mAh g-1 at 25 mA g-1. In addition, the interconnected and curved C60 subunits induce inhomogeneous electron distribution, accelerating the reaction kinetics of NaCl/Cl2 conversion in sodium-chlorine batteries. This enables a high current density (15,000 mA g-1 versus 1,000-1,500 mA g-1) at a significantly reduced catalyst loading amount (5 wt % versus 60-80 wt %) compared to benchmark catalysts. Our study provides insights into the covalent structural engineering of carbon materials for high-performance energy applications.

Semiquantitative PFAS estimates can support local screening, but their use across new PFAS structures, sample matrices, or analytical platforms requires direct validation. This need is acute in quantitative nontarget analysis (qNTA), where PFAS diversity far exceeds the availability of authentic and isotopically labelled standards. Ionization-efficiency/response-factor (IE/RF)-based approaches help bridge this standards gap, yet existing reviews have rarely linked validation design to the concentration-use claims it can support. We therefore propose a dimension-aware L0-L4 evidence-to-claim framework that evaluates structural, matrix, and platform transfer independently and records transfer outcome separately from validation scope. We applied the framework to 83 study/workflow settings from 52 articles. Across these settings, 77 supported only local or same-context use (L0), while only six supported matrix and/or platform transfer (L2, L3, or L2+L3); none supported structural transfer (L1) or fully integrated deployment (L4). Even where point performance was reported, empirical coverage, explicit applicability-domain/out-of-domain (AD/OOD) handling, and predefined action rules were rare, limiting confidence in use beyond the tested context. By showing whether the available evidence supports the intended comparison, the framework distinguishes defensible use from cases requiring recalibration and re-evaluation, a narrower claim, or withholding. It thereby makes clear which qNTA results can inform cross-matrix monitoring, interlaboratory comparison, or risk prioritization and which should not.

Nikiforov's well-known spectral Turán inequality for walks states that, for every graph G with clique number ω(G), λ^r(G)≤ w_r(G)(1-1/ω(G)), where λ(G) is the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of G, and w_r(G) is the number of walks with r vertices in G. For r=1, this is Wilf's inequality; for r=2, it gives Nikiforov's spectral Turán theorem. Recently, Liu and Ning proved local versions of these two inequalities, strengthening both Wilf's inequality and Nikiforov's spectral Turán theorem. It is natural to ask whether Nikiforov's spectral Turán inequality for walks also admits a local strengthening. Motivated by this question, Kannan, Kumar, and Pragada conjectured the vertex-local bound λ^r(G)≤∑_v∈ V(G) w_r(v)(1-1/c_G(v)), where w_r(v) denotes the number of walks with r vertices starting at v, and c_G(v) is the maximum order of a clique containing v. This conjecture is important because it gives the most natural local form of Nikiforov's spectral Turán inequality for walks. In this paper, we confirm this conjecture. More precisely, for r≥ 2, we prove the stronger edge-local inequality λ^r(G) ≤∑_uv∈ E(G)c_G(uv)-1/c_G(uv)(w_r-1(u)+w_r-1(v)), where c_G(uv) is the maximum order of a clique containing the edge uv. Our result implies Nikiforov's spectral Turán inequality for walks and unifies several local spectral extremal results of Liu and Ning. We also determine all extremal graphs for both the edge-local and vertex-local inequalities. The main new ingredient is a Markov-chain estimate whose transition matrix is constructed from a Perron vector of A(G); this estimate carries the local edge coefficient through walks of arbitrary length.

Classical Markovnikov addition provides an atom-efficient blueprint for alkene hydrofunctionalization, but its reliance on electrophilic activation excludes strongly basic nucleophiles. Here we overcome this constraint by transiently amplifying alkene polarity. 15 Sequential reduction, selective protonation, and oxidation switch the alkene framework from nucleophilic to electrophilic, enabling Markovnikov C–N bond formation without sustained electrophilic activation. The reaction engages diverse primary and secondary alkyl amines and is amenable to chromatography-free preparative synthesis and downstream bond editing. Mechanistic experiments and calculations support this alkene-centered polarity switch.

Aircraft icing prediction is crucial for aerodynamic design and airworthiness assessment. Traditional physics-based models struggle with complex multi-physical processes, while existing AI methods (function-based characterization or direct image learning) face issues like multi-valued mapping, high data dependency, or lack of physical interpretability. This study proposes a deep learning framework based on point set displacement description, transforming the icing process into airfoil boundary point movements. PCA dimensionality reduction mitigates the curse of dimensionality while retaining physical meaning. A neural network is used to map environmental parameters to low-dimensional principal components. Comparative analysis shows the 64 & times; 64 network achieves optimal fitting; 2000 samples reproduce complex ice shapes, and 800 low samples characterize simple ones. Balancing efficiency, accuracy, and interpretability with reduced data dependency, this method provides a new approach for rapid engineering icing prediction.