Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is an important carbon resource and chemical feedstock. However, its stable C-H bonds make methane difficult to activate under mild conditions, while conventional high-temperature processes are often associated with high energy consumption and carbon emissions. Therefore, methane conversion under mild conditions has attracted increasing attention. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in solar-driven methane upgrading, including the principles of methane conversion, catalyst design, reaction systems, and representative conversion pathways. Moreover, the feasibility of methane-involved C-N coupling reactions for the synthesis of high-value nitrogen-containing compounds is highlighted. The application of advanced techniques, including in situ characterization and data-driven methods, in mechanism studies and catalyst screening is also discussed. Finally, future perspectives for mild methane conversion and C-N product synthesis are presented.

Ti3C2Tx MXene is promising for energy storage due to its 2D layered structure and large interlayer spacing. However, it suffers from limited capacity, severe sheet restacking, and detrimental surface-F groups that exacerbate side reactions, leading to poor rate performance and cycling stability. Herein, we employ surface chemical engineering to replace surface-F with-OH groups on Ti3C2Tx MXene, effectively suppressing interfacial side reactions, lowering interfacial impedance, and enhancing Li+ transport. Furthermore, the hydrolysis reaction and self-assembly anchor SnO2 clusters (CLs) onto the Ti3C2 MXene interface, inhibiting nanosheet restacking, maintaining Li+ diffusion channels and active sites while contributing to capacity. With these synergistic effects, the prepared SnO2 CLs/MXene heterostructure delivers a high reversible capacity of 914.5 mAh g(-1) negligible capacity decay observed at 100 mA g(-1) over 500 cycles. at 0.05 A g(-1), 476.3 mAh g(-1) at 2 A g(-1), and retains 88.6% capacity after 500 cycles at 2 A g(-1), with negligible capacity decay observed at 100 mA g(-1) over 500 cycles.

Direct coupling of insoluble and chemically inert gases under ambient conditions to produce customized products is a grand challenge. Here, we report a fibrous photoelectrode that enables continuous ambient-condition coupling of methane and nitrogen into tailored C–N chemicals. Each translucent nanofiber contains a liquid-like gallium species for ultrafast electron transport and controlled oxygen delivery, while its porous liquid-sealed sheath significantly enhances gas storage and diffusion. Configured as a roll-type flow reactor, this semi-transparent electrode achieves a methane conversion rate of 71.1 mmol/g/h (100% C2+ selectivity in liquid products) and a nitrogen fixation rate of 12.5 mmol/g/h (99.3% nitrate selectivity in liquid products), maintaining stable operation for over 200 h. The system further enables direct CH4–N2 coupling to yield high-value nitromethane and 3-nitropropionic acid, highlighting scalable potential for solar-driven carbon-nitrogen cycles.

Supported noble-metal catalysts often suffer from nanoparticle sintering, resulting in rapid deactivation under high-temperature conditions. We report hierarchically porous spinel type high-entropy oxide (S-HEO) nanofibers, (CrMnFeCoMg)3O4, as robust supports for Pt nanoparticles. The porous structure (38.5 m2/g) endows thermal stability, preserving porosity after 880 degrees C calcination. The porous Pt/S-HEO-50 0 exhibits exceptional sinter-resistance. Under 500 degrees C calcination, Pt exhibits only a 0.2 nm growth increment, owing to the physical confinement and strong metal-support interactions. For Pt/S-HEO-50 0, the T50 (50 % conversion temperature) for CO oxidation was merely 9 degrees C higher than that without calcination, with 100 % conversion retained over 100 h of steady-state operation. These findings position porous spinel HEO nanofibers as a versatile platform for designing sinter-resistant noble-metal catalysts in high-temperature applications. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials can effectively utilize triplet excitons, but the development of red TADF molecules has lagged due to a high nonradiative decay rate governed by the energy gap law and solid-state emission quenching. This study presents a novel A-D-pi-D-A-type molecular design strategy, where a phenyl ring serves as the pi-bridge and multiple NAI-DMAC units are attached at different positions. Three red emitters, DNAI-pPh, DNAI-mPh, and TNAI-mPh, were synthesized, featuring linear, Vshaped and shamrock-shaped donor architectures, respectively. In the monomolecular state, the emission of DNAI-pPh, DNAI-mPh, and TNAI-mPh gradually blue-shifts (617 nm, 609 nm, and 605 nm) and their non-radiative decay rates decrease progressively (1.61 x 106 s-1, 8.46 x 105 s-1, and 6.46 x 105 s-1), governed by differences in conjugation extent and intramolecular steric hindrance caused by distinct donor configurations. However, in the aggregated state, TNAI-mPh exhibits a pronounced red-shift but suffers from aggregation-induced quenching. In contrast, DNAI-mPh effectively combines high luminescence efficiency with a red-shifted emission wavelength. When doped into a dendritic host material as the emissive layer in solution-processed OLEDs, devices based on DNAI-mPh and TNAI-mPh achieved optimal external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 6.4 % and 5.7 %, respectively, along with identical peak electroluminescence at 628 nm at a doping concentration of 10 wt%.

ABSTRACT Although the T‐Nb 2 O 5 provides spacious pathways for Li‐ion diffusion, it is prone to structural instability, arising from anisotropic stress accumulation and interlayer glide. Herein, we demonstrate that anchoring planar BO 3 3− polyanion groups into the T‐Nb 2 O 5 interlayer serves as an effective structural stabilizer. This strategy alleviates anisotropic stress during (de)lithiation, thereby inhibiting interlayer glide and significantly suppressing the rapid capacity decay typically observed in early cycles. Nb 1.94 (BO 3 ) 0.1 O 4.7 (T‐NBO‐BO 3 ) delivers the high‐rate capacity (309.4 mAh g −1 at 0.05 A g −1 , 117.8 mAh g −1 at 5 A g −1 ) and cycling stability (negligible capacity loss during the initial 160 cycles and low capacity loss of 0.007% every cycle at 1 A g −1 ) at 25°C. Notably, it also exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance at −20°C (94.4 mAh g −1 at 2 A g −1 , low capacity loss of 0.018% per cycle at 1 A g −1 ).

Solution-processed multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) face inherent tradeoffs between rigid planar structures for narrowband emission and solubilizing modifications for processability. Herein, two emitters featuring dual BCz-BN architectures, BN-Ph-BN and BN-2MePh-BN, were developed via bridge unit engineering. Compared to BCz-BN and BN-Ph-BN (phenyl bridge), BN-2MePh-BN incorporating the dimethylbenzene bridge unit exhibits improved solubility alongside the narrowest full width at half maximum (FWHM = 21 nm). For BN-2MePh-BN, the weak C-H & sdot;& sdot;& sdot;pi noncovalent interactions between the methyl groups and the adjacent BCz-BN plane effectively restrict the rotation of the terminal BCz-BN units. This constraint results in a small reorganization energy (0.158) and a low root-mean-square deviation (0.21 & Aring;), leading to narrowed emission, while simultaneously enhancing the linear planarity of BN-2MePh-BN. The improved planarity induces a progressive increase in the horizontal dipole ratio from 67.5% (near-isotropic) for BCz-BN to 68% for BN-Ph-BN and 71% for BN-2MePh-BN. The solution-processed device based on BN-2MePh-BN achieved a narrower emission with a FWHM of 35 nm and a higher maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 23.6%, outperforming the devices based on BN-Ph-BN (51 nm/13.5%) and BCz-BN (FWHM/EQEmax: 36 nm/14.7%).

LiFePO4 (LFP)-based lithium (Li)-ion batteries are extensively used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. However, the one-dimensional Li-ion diffusion channel and poor electronic conductivity limit its fast-charging and low-temperature performance. Herein, we introduce an ionotronic (ion/electron) synergetic strategy to overcome these limitations. Specifically, polyanion lattice engineering is developed by the planar triangle BO33- substitution on tetrahedron PO43-, thereby opening ion-diffusion pathways in the LFP structure. Furthermore, the incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) significantly enhances the electronic conductivity of LiFe(PO4)(0.98)(BO3)(0.02) (LFP-BO3). With these synergistic effects, the optimized LFP-BO3/10%MWCNTs exhibits ultrahigh rate capacity (75.3 mAh g(-1) at 50 C) and long cycle stability (94.7% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 10 C) at 25 degrees C. Moreover, LFP-BO3/10%MWCNTs also delivers excellent low-temperature performance, achieving a discharge capacity of 41.3 mAh g(-1) at 40 C and high capacity retention at -20 degrees C.

As promising candidates for two-dimensional (2D) magnetic semiconductors, layered transition metal halides (TMHs) have attracted increasing interest due to their diverse insulating bandgaps and magnetic properties. Here, we report the epitaxial growth of atomically thin MnBr2 films on Au(111) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals the initial formation of different buffering layers with distinct atomic structures on the Au(111) surface, followed by the subsequent growth of MnBr2 layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms that Mn atoms are in different coordination environments in the buffering layers (MnBrx, x < 2) from MnBr2 crystals. The electronic properties of MnBr2 thin films with different thicknesses are investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, showing that the electronic band structures are nearly independent of the thickness and the Au(111) substrate. This study provides a better insight into the growth behavior and interfacial properties of 2D layered TMHs on metal substrates.

Cation vacancies play a critical role in modulating the intrinsic properties and charge transfer processes of heterojunction photocatalysts. In this study, a heterojunction material containing bismuth vacancies (VBi), referred to as VBi-Bi2MoO6/NH2-MIL-68 (In)-50 (BBNM-50), was successfully synthesized. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the introduction of VBi modified the surface active sites and optimized the interfacial electronic structure, thereby significantly enhancing the photocatalytic performance of the heterojunction. The presence of VBi increased the tetracycline (TC) degradation rate of Bi2MoO6/NH2-MIL-68(In)-50 (BNM-50) from 0.0310 min-1 to 0.0537 min-1. The selective degradation efficiency toward different antibiotics in this oxidative system was influenced by the LUMO-HOMO band gap, the varying reactivity of center dot O2-, and adsorption capacity. Experimental validation through quenching tests and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) confirmed the dominant roles of h+ and center dot O2-. Combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the results provided conclusive evidence for the formation of an S-type charge transfer mechanism. BBNM-50 also exhibited strong environmental stability, and its microsphere-based flow-through reactor bed enabled continuous and efficient TC removal under natural sunlight. Finally, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and algal toxicity assays demonstrated that the system effectively degraded TC and reduced its toxicity.

Sintering of metals is a primary cause of catalyst deactivation. This work presents a dynamic confinement strategy to stabilize ultrafine Pt nanoparticles (<3 nm) on porous Fe2O3, achieving sinter-resistance up to 850 °C. In situ transmission electron microscopy and artificial neural network (ANN) analyses confirm that the nanoparticles retain mobility and catalytic activity while resisting coalescence and ripening. The ANN model quantitatively predicts size evolution across different surface environments. During exothermic reactions, localized heating can accelerate sintering, yet this system exhibits complete CO conversion at 150 °C even after aging at 500 °C, maintaining activity for over 600 h. Stability tests at elevated space velocities further demonstrate robustness. This work provides fundamental insights into antisintering mechanisms and guides the design of thermally stable nanocatalysts.

Blue constitutes one of the three primary colors essential for full-color emission, rendering efficient and stable blue emitters indispensable for high-color-purity organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Aza-borondiquinomethene (aza-BODIQU) complexes are known to exhibit exceptionally narrow 0-0 emission as highperformance blue fluorescent emitters; however, their color purity is compromised by prominent 0-1 vibronic peaks. Herein, three aza-BODIQU derivatives Ph-BF, 3Ph-BF, and 4Ph-BF are designed to achieve narrowband emission by incorporating non-emissive steric hindrance groups, which effectively attenuate emission sideband and mitigate aggregation-induced spectral redshift and broadening. In solution, these emitters deliver emission peaks at 462, 463, 461 nm with full widths at half maximum (FWHM) as narrow as 12 nm and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of 0.91, 0.92 and 0.94. In both non-sensitized and sensitized doped films, progressively bulkier substituents enhance resistance to concentration quenching, yielding markedly reduced redshifts at elevated doping concentrations. Leveraging dendritic thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) sensitization, the resulting devices exhibit narrowband electroluminescence. With increasing steric bulk of the modifying groups, electroluminescence FWHM progressively narrows to 50, 46, and 22 nm, respectively. Correspondingly, maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax) reach 0.7 %, 1.8 %, and 2.1 %, accompanied by peak power efficiencies of 0.7, 2.4, and 2.8 lm W- 1 and current efficiencies of 2.2, 5.8, and 6.8 cd A-1.

High entropy oxides (HEOs) are gaining rapid attention due to densely distributed active centers, tunable surface areas, robust lattices, flexible geometries and self-balanced electronic states. These features give them activity and durability that single- or binary-metal oxides rarely match in thermal, electro- and photo- catalysis. We systematically examine four entropy-driven effects, namely high-entropy stabilization, severe lattice distortion, sluggish diffusion and cocktail-like multi-element synergy, all of which govern phase formation, defect chemistry and functional performance. By simultaneously optimizing the surface area, lattice robustness and scalable processing, we outline how porous architectures, low-temperature integrity, phase control and high-throughput manufacturing are merged into a single framework. Complex disordered structures of HEOs challenge traditional characterization, demanding advanced methods. In situ vibrational spectroscopy, operando X-ray characterization, DFT and artificial-intelligence converge to resolve the dynamic structure-property relationships that underpin HEO catalysis. We hope this review sparks wider interest in high-entropy oxides and accelerates their path from laboratory curiosity to industrial catalysts.

Photoelectrodes play a critical role in photoelectrochemical (PEC) reactions. However, the sluggish mass/electron transfer kinetics at the triphasic interface and inherent structural rigid features significantly limit their practical and scalable applications. In this work, we used the confinement effect of nanofibers to uniformly nucleate and grow leaf-like α-Fe2O3 nanoarrays on the surface of flexible, porous carbon textile-based photoelectrodes by a mild hydrothermal method. This strategy significantly enhances the bubble desorption while maintaining a high density of electrochemically active sites for electrolyte infiltration. This new PEC photoanode structure exhibits a current density of 0.4 mA cm-2 under visible-light irradiation, which is 8 times higher than that of α-Fe2O3 arrays on traditional F-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass. The α-Fe2O3@oxidized carbon cloth also demonstrates excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity in the PEC system, with an overpotential of 193 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a low Tafel slope of 42 mV dec-1, and an oxygen production rate of 1.76 mmol g-1 h-1. Moreover, the flexible, free-standing PEC photoanode can withstand extreme working conditions such as folding and twisting, and can be designed into various shapes to expose a larger active surface. This work demonstrates a new photoanode strategy that solves the problems of slow triphasic interface mass transfer and rigidity, and provides great prospects for portable and wearable PEC devices.

Un-uniform deposition of Li-ions promotes the formation of lithium dendrites, which leads to safety issues and limits the development of Li-ions batteries (LIBs). Regulating Li-ions flux is a significant way to address this issue. Herein, we achieve uniform deposition of Li-ions by filling the solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Subsequently, by coupling the Li-ions deposition model and the phase field model in COMSOL Multiphysics, we found that the morphologies of MOFs have a significant effect on the uniformity of Li-ions deposition. MOFs with a high specific surface area and small size significantly enhance the uniformity of Li-ions deposition, effectively inhibiting dendrite growth. This study offers valuable insights into the design of advanced SSEs incorporating MOFs, contributing to the development of high-performance and safe LIBs.

Plants' transpiration, driven by solar energy to flow water and ions, provides an inspiring blueprint for self-powered systems that will revolutionize our interaction with environment and sustain human life. However, mimicking plant transpiration and osmosis in artificial materials remains a major challenge. Here, we present a wearable solar fluidic system that harnesses human sweat to enable self-sufficient freshwater production, energy supply, and information exchange. By designing a photothermal fabric that can generate a temperature gradient between skin and environment, sweat evaporation and ion flow can drive to provide sustained electrical power without external energy input. In outdoor wearing tests, these fluidic fabrics can produce fresh water of 24.2 liters per kilogram and deliver 8.50 volts of power, ultimately powering a Mars rover wirelessly. Our approach provides an emerging pathway toward self-sufficient, portable ecosystems capable of sustaining human life and communication, with the potential to advance wearable technology, fluid engineering, and human exploration.

The advancement of intelligent ecosystems depends upon not only technological innovation but also a multidimensional understanding of material-world interactions. This theoretical transformation prompts increasing demands for multifunctional materials exhibiting hierarchical organization across multiple length scales. Inorganic nanofibers demonstrate potential in bridging the gap between microscale and macroscale through their three-dimensional architectures. However, their inherent brittleness, primarily resulting from inferior structural integrity poses, significantly limits their current applications. This critical limitation highlights the urgent necessity for developing fabrication strategies that simultaneously enhance the mechanical flexibility and robustness, ensuring reliable performance under extreme operational conditions. This comprehensive review systematically examines brittle mechanism fracture through multiscale analysis including molecular, nanoscale, and microscale dimensions. It presents innovative methodologies integrating simulation-guided structural design with advanced in situ characterization techniques capable of real-time monitoring under a practical stress-strain process. Furthermore, the discussion progresses to address contemporary challenges and emergent solutions in oxide nanofiber engineering, providing strategic insights for developing mechanically robust flexible systems with stable functional properties. Ultimately, this review examines the potential of inorganic nanofibers to overcome the limitations of nano powder materials and achieve their promising real-world applications.

This study employs numerical techniques to investigate the motion characteristics of red blood cells (RBCs) and drug carriers (DCs) within microvessels. A coupled model of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and immersed boundary method (IBM) is proposed to investigate the migration of particles in blood flow. The lattice Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (LBGK) model is utilized to simulate the flow dynamics of blood. While the IBM is employed to simulate the motion of particles, using a membrane model based on the finite element method. The present model was validated and demonstrated good agreements with previous theoretical and numerical results. Our study mainly examines the impact of the Reynolds number, DC size, and stiffness. Results suggest that these factors would influence particles’ equilibrium regions, motion stability and interactions between RBCs and DCs. Within a certain range, under a higher Reynolds number, the motion of DCs remains stable and DCs can swiftly attain their equilibrium states. DCs with smaller sizes and softer stiffness demonstrate a relatively stable motion state and their interactions with RBCs are weakened. The findings would offer novel perspectives on drug transport mechanisms and the impact of drug release, providing valuable guidance for the design of DCs.

The flexible electrochromic supercapacitor (ECS) is one of the most promising dual-functional optoelectronic devices. Developing a flexible, robust, extensive, and multifunctional electrode material is a substantial challenge. Herein, novel bifunctional cellulose nanofibers-silver nanowires/tungsten trioxide (CNFs-Ag NWs/WO3) transparent films via vacuum filtration and electrochemical deposition are successfully fabricated for the first time. This study demonstrates an ITO-free electrode suitable for electrochromic and energy storage applications. The prepared transparent films exhibit excellent electrochromic supercapacitive properties and cycle stability. A fast response time (tc/tb 1.7/2.2 s) is also shown when the transparent film switches among colorless, blue, and dark blue. The specific capacitance of the CNFs-Ag NWs/WO3 film reaches 111.6 mF cm-2 at a current density of 2 mA cm-2. Additionally, a paper-based transparent electrochromic supercapacitor (TSC) with an area capacity of 11.48 mF cm-2 is achieved, allowing visual monitoring of its energy status through color changes. The transparent conductive film developed in this study has better performance than traditional flexible ITO and addresses the critical issue of poor adhesion between functional materials and ITO. In conclusion, this layer-by-layer self-assembly technique offers a straightforward approach to the creation of next-generation intelligent materials and paves the way for the development of smart display technologies.