The strong localized charges at the center of BiX6 octahedra in bismuth-based halide perovskite restrict carrier migration, ultimately affecting photocatalytic performance. However, whether A-site cations could suppress strong localized charges at the center of BiX6 remains unexplored, primarily because they indirectly contribute to the band-edge orbitals of halide perovskite. In this work, we reported a strategy to disperse strong localized charges at the center of BiX6 through changing organic A-site cations with conjugative effect (thiazoline, thiazole, and benzothiazole) and inductive effect (benzoxazole and benzoselenazole), and delve into the impact of the strategy on materials' optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties. Increased conjugative and inductive effects were found to suppress localized charges of BiBr6 center, improving carrier separation and transport, as well as improving photocatalytic CO2 conversion efficiency. Among these designed halide perovskites, benzoselenazole ammonium functionalized BSABiBr4 exhibited the highest CO2 conversion rate (mu mol g-1 h-1) of 36.20 with high reusability and stability. This finding successfully overcomes the limitation of A-site cations to suppress localized charges at the center of octahedra for enhancing photocatalytic performance.

Amidinate ligands have been demonstrated as efficient ligand scaffolds for rare-earth metals, facilitating their role as catalysts in a variety of reactions.

Large it-conjugated system challenges the traditional notion of A-site cations non-participation in band-edge states for halide perovskites, tuning alkyl chain length to alter electrostatic interactions between the ammonium cations and octahedra, which modulates "valence band" (VB) edge states and photogenerated hole migration. However, how the conjugative and steric effects of A-site cations regulate band-edge states, particularly the photoreductive capability of photogenerated electrons at "conduction band" (CB) edge states, awaits systematic exploration. Herein, we reported a strategy for the direct regulation of band-edge states through varying A-site cations with different conjugated systems (phenyl/naphthyl). Increased conjugative effect benefits the CB edge and eliminates localized charge of BiBr6 center, while the spatially oriented 1-(2-naphthyl)meth-anamium (beta-NMA+) with minimized steric hindrance achieves deeper anchoring distance into octahedral cavity, significantly enhancing electrostatic interactions. The results reveal that beta-NMA+ functionalized perovskite (beta-NMA2BiBr5), conjugation-enhanced and low-steric-hindrance, exhibited the highest CO2 conversion efficiency which is 6.5 times higher than that of phenylmethylamium functionalized perovskite (PMA2BiBr5). This work validates a viable approach for regulating the ammonium-octahedron interaction via conjugative-steric strategy of A-site cations, significantly promoting catalytic capacity and offering a novel design pathway for efficient Bibased perovskite photocatalysts.

The photocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using water and oxygen represents an economically viable, environmentally benign, and sustainable pathway. However, single-component photo-catalysts are constrained by limited light-harvesting ranges, rapid carrier recombination, and insufficient redox capacities. In this study, the CdIn2S4/poly (barbituric acid) (CdInS/PBA) inorganic/organic S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was fabricated via ultrasonic self-assembly. The as-formed internal electric field and band bending in the prepared CdInS/PBA heterojunction not only accelerate the transfer of interface photogenerated charges, but also retain the strong reduction ability of electrons in CdIn2S4 and the strong oxidation ability of holes in PBA. In addition, the inorganic/organic composite systems can synergistically utilize the advantages of each component in photocatalytic generation of H2O2, in which the inorganic CdIn2S4 acts as a reaction site to promote the hydrophobic oxygen reduction process, while the organic PBA acts as an oxidation reaction site to promote the hydrophilic H2O oxidation process. The as-prepared CdInS/PBA heterojunction demonstrates a high H2O2 production rate under visible light irradiation that is 4.5 times and 2.4 times higher than pristine CdIn2S4 and PBA, respectively. Finally, the rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) measurements and in-situ FTIR spectroscopy verify that the H2O2 generation by CdInS/PBA heterojunction follows a two-step single-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

The development of high-performance all-organic heterojunction photocatalytic systems and the elucidation of their charge carrier excitation and interface migration dynamics have attracted significant research interest. Herein, poly (barbituric acid)/g-C3N4 (PBA/UCN) all-organic heterojunctions were prepared by exploiting multiple intermolecular interactions to induce fast interface charge-carrier transfer with a lifetime of approximately 5.05 ps, as was directly verified by in-situ Kelvin probe force microscopy and in-situ irradiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, the dynamics and lifetimes of charge carriers were studied by fitting the decay curves of excited-state absorption signals at 600 nm and ground-state bleaching signals at 495 nm obtained by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to further reveal the diffusion, relaxation, and transfer processes of PBA/UCN. The as-prepared PBA/UCN all-organic molecular heterojunction with optimal redox ability exhibits an excellent H2 evolution rate of 12.55 mmol h-1 g-1 and an apparent quantum efficiency of 17.12% at 420 +/- 15 nm. In particular, we demonstrate that PBA, which is a promising oxidizing organic semiconductor, can be coupled with various reducing organic photocatalytic materials such as poly(triazine imide), poly(heptazine imide), perylene-3,4,9,10-tetra-carboxylic acid, and covalent triazine-based frameworks to obtain a series of efficient all-organic heterojunction photocatalysts. (c) 2026, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil salinization severely constrains agricultural productivity in arid regions. This study synthesized a novel zwitterionic superabsorbent polymer (SAP), HA-g-P(AA-co-SBMA), by grafting humic acid (HA) and [2-(meth-acryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl-(3-sulphopropyl) (SBMA) onto an acrylic acid (AA) backbone. This material exhibits both water retention and salt resistance, with water absorption rates of 2698 g g(-1) in distilled water and 122 g g(-1) in 0.9% NaCl solution, while maintaining stable performance across a pH range of 4-10. Pot experiments demonstrated that as a salt barrier layer, this SAP reduced soil Na* content by 28-46%, significantly lowered electrical conductivity (EC) and pH, and increased maize (Zea mays L.) germination rates by 40-161% under 0.3-1.5% NaCl stress. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm that HA and SBMA synergistically enhance hydrophilicity and Na* adsorption capacity through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Granular SAP outperforms film-based forms by avoiding the oxygen-depletion effect. This study provides a sustainable, multifunctional material solution for saline-alkali soil remediation and crop stress resistance.

Photocatalysis holds great potential in sustainable environmental purification and carbon dioxide transformation. Nevertheless, the performance of semiconductor photocatalysts is significantly hampered by fast charge recombination. In this study, LaFeO3 nanospheres were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method and were subsequently combined with g-C3N4 nanosheets that had undergone mechanical activation and thermal condensation processes. Furthermore, Ag nanoparticles were homogeneously introduced into the composite through photodeposition and impregnation methods, to successfully construct a LaFeO3/Ag/g-C3N4 Z-scheme heterostructure. Composition, microstructure, and photoelectrochemical properties of the photocatalysts were thoroughly investigated using X-ray analysis, microscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The LaFeO3/Ag/g-C3N4 composite exhibited outstanding photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance, with CO and CH4 yields of 7.55 and 1.90 mu molg(-1)h(-1), respectively, which are 17.9 and 15.8 times higher than those of pure LaFeO3. Additionally, the composite sample with 1% Ag loading demonstrated favorable degradation kinetics for rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation, with a remarkable RhB degradation rate of 98.58% within 75 min. Finally, the reduction of CO2 to intermediate products such as *COOH was analyzed using in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (In-situ DRIFTs), and a plausible reaction pathway was proposed.

Designing acceptors with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and high crystallinity is crucial for minimizing non-radiative energy losses (ΔE3) and realizing highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we report three acceptor-donor-acceptor acceptors (GM series) featuring a novel centrally extended structure. Following the structural characteristics of GM2 and GM3, GM4 exhibits a distorted conformation of its central unit that reduces molecular packing density, leading to an enhanced PLQY. Despite its nonplanar geometry, the central unit maintains participation in efficient “C/C” molecular packings. Besides, benefiting from the brominated fused-ring structure, GM4 exhibits decreased energy disorder and enhanced crystallinity. As a result, binary OSCs leveraging GM4 demonstrate a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) and an exceptionally low ΔE3, resulting in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.5

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are large-area, high-efficiency solar energy-harvesting devices with considerable potential in building-integrated photovoltaics. Their performance is dominantly governed by the luminescent materials, which determine the light-harvesting efficiency, spectral conversion capability, and long-term operational stability of the devices. As important luminescent materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have advantages for LSC applications, including high luminescent efficiency, excellent stability, low environmental impact, and facile synthesis. Nevertheless, despite these favorable characteristics, the exploration of MOF-based luminescent materials in LSC devices remains relatively limited. In this work, a red-emitting MOF, designated as SCU-UEu-2, was synthesized with high reaction yield and good feasibility for large-scale production. Compared with Eu-based MOFs, SCU-UEu-2 shows a broader excitation range, while in contrast to quantum dots, it exhibits a narrower emission bandwidth. Moreover, the minimal spectral overlap between its absorption and emission effectively suppresses reabsorption energy losses, thereby improving LSC efficiency. The photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of the SCU-UEu-2 reaches 90.28%. As a proof of concept, an LSC device incorporating SCU-UEu-2 was fabricated and systematically evaluated. Under simulated sunlight illumination (100 mW·cm-2), the device achieved a maximum optical conversion efficiency (ηopt) of 9.9%, demonstrating strong potential of MOF-based luminescent materials for high-performance LSC applications.

Epoxy resin (EP) is the commonly used insulation for power equipment such as dry-type transformer. But the lower thermal conductivity of EP limits the internal heat dissipation in equipment. Higher temperature will affect its operational stability. Traditional method of using inorganic high thermal conductivity fillers to improve the thermal conductivity of EP will inevitably result in a decrease in its rheological property and electric breakdown strength. In this paper, two active organic small molecules, glycyryl phenyl ether (GPE) and resorcinol diglycoyl ether (RDE), were used to dilute 20 wt.% h-BN/Al2O3/EP composite. Corresponding cured composites were obtained. It was found that GPE had a better dilution effect than RDE, but RDE modified composites had better comprehensive properties. When RDE filling amount was 5 wt.%, the viscosity of the composite decreased from 13677 mPa center dot s to 4378 mPa center dot s, and the thermal conductivity and electric breakdown field reached 0.786 W/(m center dot K) and 80.94 kV/mm, respectively. RDE not only weakened the interaction forces between organic molecules and at organic/inorganic interfaces, but also kept the crosslink degree of EP at 81.27% and reduced its cross-linked grid to improve electric breakdown strength. And the thermal conductivity pathway constructed by h-BN/Al2O3 was not significantly destroyed. So the synergistic improvement of rheological, thermal conductive, and dielectric properties of the EP composites was achieved. This paper will provide a new approach for the microstructure design of high thermal conductivity EP composites, promoting the development of power equipment such as dry-type transformer towards higher voltage, larger capacity, and higher power density.

The surface freezing process is a crucial and widespread driver of water chemistry dynamics. This study investigates the hydrochemical changes during seasonal freezing in an urban river-irrigated lake system. Results demonstrate that freezing redistributes solutes, with ion concentrations in ice being significantly lower than in underlying water due to exclusion from the ice lattice. Effective segregation coefficients (Keff) and concentration factors (CF) confirm the persistent solute exclusion, which was stronger in the hydrologically quieter lake than in the river. This exclusion is primarily governed by ion-specific properties (e.g., solubility, hydration energy), while ice thickness was a secondary factor. Although the predominant Ca-Cl and Ca-HCO₃ hydrochemical facies remained unchanged, the ionic composition within ice was distinctly altered. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that mineral weathering and dissolution control solute dynamics in the river, while agricultural activities significantly influence the relatively enclosed lake. Our findings underscore that the freezing process acts as a key regulator of winter water chemistry, with important implications for water quality and ecological management in seasonally frozen basins globally.

Constructing a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the Zn anode is crucial for suppressing dendrite growth and side reactions in aqueous zinc-ion storage devices. However, current SEI engineering still lacks precise control over composition, gradient structure, dynamic interface stability construction of water-deficient solvation sheath. Here, we developed a mixed electrolyte containing N-aminocarbonylmethyl ethanesulfonic acid (ACES), which in situ forms a dynamic zwitterionic adsorption interphase (DZAI) layer. The DZAI has a gradient structure with strong Zn-based groups and a robust hydrogen bond network, leading to dendrite-free, planar Zn deposition, which is consistent with a highly uniform Zn2+ flux at the interface. In addition, the ACES molecules effectively reconfigure the primary solvation shell of Zn2+ into a water-deficient complex [Zn(H2O)2(ACES)4]2+, significantly reducing water-induced side reactions. Therefore, the Zn||Zn symmetric battery incorporating the DZAI layer achieved excellent cycling stability of over 760 h at 50 mA cm-2 and 25 mAh cm-2, with a cumulative electroplating capacity (CPC) of 19.5 Ah cm-2. The average Coulombic efficiency (CE) of the Zn||Cu battery was also as high as 99%. Moreover, the zinc-ion capacitors with the DZAI exhibited excellent rate performance and long-term durability in 10 000 cycles.

Designing acceptors with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and high crystallinity is crucial for minimizing non-radiative energy losses (Delta E3) and realizing highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we report three acceptor-donor-acceptor acceptors (GM series) featuring a novel centrally extended structure. Following the structural characteristics of GM2 and GM3, GM4 exhibits a distorted conformation of its central unit that reduces molecular packing density, leading to an enhanced PLQY. Despite its nonplanar geometry, the central unit maintains participation in efficient "C/C" molecular packings. Besides, benefiting from the brominated fused-ring structure, GM4 exhibits decreased energy disorder and enhanced crystallinity. As a result, binary OSCs leveraging GM4 demonstrate a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) and an exceptionally low Delta E3, resulting in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.5%. When incorporated as a guest acceptor into the D18:L8-BO films, GM4 optimizes the ternary film morphology, enhancing exciton generation and charge transport. Consequently, the D18:L8-BO:GM4 ternary device reached a maximum PCE of 20.2%, with simultaneous improvements in VOC, short-circuit current density, and fill factor. This study not only expands a new molecular design strategy, but also demonstrates that appropriate regulation of molecular packing density is an effective strategy for achieving a high PLQY and crystallinity.

Aqueous zinc-ion hybrid capacitors (ZIHCs) are attractive for safe and low-cost flexible energy storage, yet their deployment is hindered by Zn dendrites and water-driven corrosion/hydrogen evolution. Here, we propose a charge-dipole coupled zwitterionic hydrogel electrolyte (P(Amps-co-DMAPS), PADHE) with synergistic salt confinement and dipole-mediated ion regulation, in which the in situ confinement of Zn(OTf)2 species and the local association of N+ and OTf−, together with highly polar zwitterionic motifs, establish a self-adaptive ionic microenvironment that facilitates Zn2+-dominated transport while suppressing interfacial side reactions. PADHE is fabricated via one-step salt-in-gel photopolymerization of the anionic monomer (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, Amps) and the zwitterionic monomer ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide, DMAPS) within a covalently cross-linked network. The intrinsic -SO3− sites provide Zn2+-affinitive hopping/anchoring motifs, delivering a conductivity of 31.9 mS cm−1 and a 2.1-fold increase in the Zn2+ transference number (compared to liquid electrolyte). Under polarization, the charge-dipole-coupled ionic microenvironment promotes more homogeneous Zn2+ transport and favors compact Zn deposition with an enhanced Zn(002) texture (I002/I110 = 2.71), enabling Zn//Zn cells to cycle for more than 1800 h and maintain an average Coulombic efficiency of ∼100% in Zn//Cu cells for 1800 cycles. Furthermore, the flexible ZIHCs with PADHE retain 86% capacity after 10,000 cycles at room temperature and remain electrochemically operable from −20 to 80 °C, while enabling fast strain sensing (∼0.3 s) over a wide temperature range.

Inorganic lead halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) feature exceptional optoelectronic properties but suffer from poor stability, limiting their commercial viability. This study employs a mechanochemical synthesis route utilizing shared cesium ion to synthesize CsPbBr3 PQDs within supramolecular γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks (γ-CD-MOFs). The resulting CsPbBr3@γ-CD-MOFs achieves high photoluminescence quantum yield (73%) alongside exceptional thermal, photochemical, and environmental stabilities. Mechanistic investigations reveal synergistic augmentation effects: multianchored defect passivation via γ-CD hydroxyl groups, enhanced radiative recombination through type-I heterojunction-driven directional carrier injection, and suppression of ion migration and phase separation by MOFs' physical barriers and interfacial chemical bonds. The composite was successfully applied in white light-emitting diodes, boasting color rendering index of 90.1 and color gamut coverage of 115%. Furthermore, benefiting from the good biocompatibility imparted by γ-CD-MOFs, the composite serves as fluorescent probe for specific labeling and imaging of lysosomes in living cells. This supramolecular-MOFs strategy provides design principles for developing stable, efficient, and biologically compatible PQDs, accelerating their optoelectronic and bioimaging applications.

Spectrometers are indispensable tools for civil and military‐related optoelectronic applications. To meet the requirements of the revolutionary data/AI‐driven era, next‐generation spectrometers must not only be flexible with minimal sizes but exhibit high accuracy and resolution. In this study, a compact, high‐performance, and flexible organic spectrometer is reported, fabricated using solution processing, which employs an optical cascade architecture by integrating organic electrochromic devices and photodetectors. This organic spectrometer can not only achieve a resolution of 0.56 nm, an accuracy of 0.14 nm, and a broad detection range from 400 to 1000 nm but also realize a vital absolute spectral irradiance measurement ranging from 10 −8 to 10 −4 W cm −2 nm −1 . Additionally, its intrinsic flexibility and highly replaceable feasibility of bandgap‐tunable organic materials enable their high applicability with excellent portability and adaptability in the upcoming data/AI‐driven era or scenarios.

The development of high-performance adsorbents for the efficient removal of radioactive Technetium-99 (99TcO4- ) is critical to addressing the challenges nuclear waste contamination. However, current adsorbents still face significant limitations, including low adsorption capacity, poor stability, contamination from the adsorbent itself, and difficult handling and recycling. To overcome these challenges, this study reports the successfully preparation a waterborne polyurethane/poly(ionic liquids) (WPU/PILs) foam adsorbent for selective adsorption of 99TcO4- (ReO4- as a substitute for laboratory operation) by in-situ foaming method and its adsorption performance and underlying mechanism are comprehensively investigated. The results show that WPU/PILs-10 exhibits excellent adsorption performance with the maximum adsorption capacity of ReO4- up to 130.22 mg g-1 (theoretical saturated adsorption capacity of 1302.20 mg g-1) at pH = 7, surpassing most existing adsorbents with similar functionalities. Remarkably, WPU/PILs-10 maintains excellent recoverability and structural stability after even five adsorption-desorption cycles. Theoretical calculations and structural characterization indicate that the superior adsorption performance of WPU/PILs-10 for 99TcO4- /ReO4- is mainly attributed to the ionexchange interaction between Tf2N- in the PILs and 99TcO4- /ReO4- . This work has the dual advantages of environmental friendliness and functional enhancement, and has potential applications in the fields of nuclear waste liquid treatment and radioactive anion adsorption.

Developing adsorbents with ultrahigh adsorption capacity for phenol-containing wastewater is crucial to solving the problem of water pollution. However, the adsorbents currently used still have the disadvantages of low adsorption capacity, slow adsorption kinetics and difficulty in large-scale preparation. Herein, a facile and environmentally friendly inorganic salt (Na2CO3)-assisted modification method is employed to produce a largescale attapulgite (ATP)-based adsorbents with high adsorption efficiency for p-nitrophenol (PNP) in wastewater, and its adsorption performance and mechanism are investigated in detail. The results shown that Na2CO3-modified ATP (S-ATP-1.0) possesses excellent adsorption performance with the maximum adsorption capacity of 1467.52 mg g(-1) for PNP, which is significantly better than most previously reported adsorbents with similar functions. More excitingly, S-ATP-1.0 can maintains remarkable recyclability and structural stability even after 5 cycles. Structural characterization and theoretical calculations reveal that the excellent adsorption performance of S-ATP-1.0 for PNP is mainly attributed to the strong interaction between PNP and Na+ on the ATP surface. This work provides a new strategy for the large-scale preparation of phenolic adsorbents with low-cost and ultrahigh adsorption properties, which is expected to be practically applied in the removal of highly concentrated PNP wastewater and environmental remediation.

The newly developed dimeric acceptor CH8-10, featuring a chlorinated thiophene flexible linker, enables high-performance organic solar cells with a power conversion efficiency reaching 19.6% in ternary device architectures.

A nonfused ring electron acceptor (NFREA), designated as TT-Ph-C6, has been synthesized with the aim of enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). By integrating asymmetric phenylalkylamino side groups, TT-Ph-C6 demonstrates excellent solubility and its crystal structure exhibits compact packing structures with a three-dimensional molecular stacking network. These structural attributes markedly promote exciton diffusion and charge carrier mobility, particularly advantageous for the fabrication of thick-film devices. TT-Ph-C6-based devices have attained a PCE of 18.01% at a film thickness of 100 nm, and even at a film thickness of 300 nm, the PCE remains at 14.64%, surpassing that of devices based on 2BTh-2F. These remarkable properties position TT-Ph-C6 as a highly promising NFREA material for boosting the efficiency of OSCs.