SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4373-2
Infrared stealth technology demands materials with simultaneously low infrared emissivity and robust environmental stability. Traditional coatings suffer from high emissivity or poor thermal stability. Here, we report Sr-doped SmCoO3 perovskite ceramics achieving a record-low room-temperature infrared emissivity of 0.12 in the 8–14 μm atmospheric window. Systematic doping (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) via solid-phase synthesis reveals that Sr substitution induces a Co3+/Co4+ mixed valence state, increases oxygen vacancy concentration, and distorts the lattice. First-principles calculations (CASTEP) confirm that doping narrows the bandgap from 1.8 eV to 0.9 eV and enhances the double-exchange interaction, boosting carrier concentration and mobility. The optimized composition (x = 0.3) exhibits an electrical conductivity of 1.2×10^3 S/cm and a carrier density of 3.5×10^21 cm^-3, leading to strong infrared reflection. The material maintains emissivity below 0.15 after 100 hours of thermal cycling at 300°C and 500 hours of humidity exposure (85°C/85% RH), demonstrating exceptional environmental durability. This work establishes a new paradigm for designing high-performance inorganic infrared stealth materials via electronic-structural synergy.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4322-4
Ultrafast scintillators with low-nanosecond emission are essential for next-generation high-rate X-ray and particle imaging. Although Ce3+-activated scintillators inherently exhibit fast response characteristics, conventional Ce3+-doped hosts rarely achieve low-nanosecond ultrafast decay. Here, we report a high-entropy fluoride scintillator (HEFS), Ce:LaGdCaSrBaF12 (Ce:LGCSB), in the form of bulk single crystals. The severe lattice distortion arising from multi-cation disorder induces exciton localization and effectively suppresses exciton diffusion. Through the rapid relaxation of localized excitons, the high-entropy Ce:LGCSB single crystals deliver a decay time of 1.23 ns with a 94.6% fast-component contribution and without any noticeable slow component. Through first-principles calculations, spectroscopic characterization, and transient dynamics analysis, we reveal that the ultrafast response originates from accelerated Frenkel exciton (FE) recombination enabled by the high-entropy environment. This work establishes entropy-engineered fluorides as promising ultrafast scintillator platforms and proposes a general strategy for extending sluggish diffusion effects to the excitonic scale, offering new opportunities for improving scintillation timing performance.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202507059
Anaerobic digestion sludge (ADS) contains recalcitrant organic matter and exhibits poor dewaterability, posing challenges for disposal. This study evaluated the immobilization of white rot fungi (WRF) on four carriers—polyvinyl alcohol, cotton thread, wood chips, and sodium alginate—for ADS treatment. Cotton thread immobilization yielded the earliest and most sustained enzyme activity, highest biomass retention, and minimal biomass loss. WRF treatment achieved a 10.09% removal of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and significantly disrupted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), selectively degrading soluble EPS. To maintain fungal activity, periodic carrier replacement was required. Compared to the control, the experimental group showed an 8.9 mg·L−1 reduction in total protein and polysaccharide content in soluble EPS, a 27.33% decrease in capillary suction time (CST), and improved sludge dewaterability. These results demonstrate the potential of WRF for ADS treatment.
New Carbon Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(26)61103-1
Flexible pressure sensors that simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, mechanical strength, and long-term stability remain challenging, particularly for biomass-derived carbon aerogels that are intrinsically brittle and prone to structural collapse. Here, we report a bidirectionally frozen carbon aerogel reinforced with tetrapod ZnO whiskers (T-ZnOWs) for high-performance pressure sensing. The aerogel is composed of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (NCs), and T-ZnOWs, which are reorganized into a mechanically stable, parallel lamellar structure via bidirectional freezing. T-ZnOWs act as rigid interlayer pillars, bridging adjacent carbon lamellae to form a 'layer-support' structure that enables efficient directional stress transfer, suppresses interlayer slippage, and promotes cooperative deformation. The nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets introduce defect-rich conductive paths, enhancing piezoresistive response. Due to modulus mismatch between the supports and carbon layers, applied stress concentrates at layer/support interfaces, generating localized high-stress regions that amplify electrical signal changes. The aerogel is infiltrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to form a conformal elastic encapsulating layer, improving durability. The resulting sensor exhibits a high gauge factor of 34.4, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 248.41 kPa−1 over a broad pressure range (0–19 kPa), fast response (24 ms) and recovery (69 ms) times, and stable operation over 5000 loading–unloading cycles. The sensor reliably detects physiological signals and joint motions, demonstrating potential for wearable and intelligent sensing applications. This work provides a strategy to improve the mechanical reliability and sensing performance of biomass-derived carbon aerogels.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60647-0
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting offers a direct route to convert solar energy into clean hydrogen fuel. CuBi2O4, a p-type semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.5–1.8 eV, exhibits visible-light responsiveness and good stability, yet its performance is limited by high interfacial resistance and severe charge carrier recombination. This study introduces a CuO interlayer between fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and CuBi2O4 to construct CuO/CuBi2O4 photocathodes, aiming to improve interfacial charge transfer. The optimized CuO/CuBi2O4-200 photocathode achieved a photocurrent density of −1.71 mA/cm² at 0 V vs. RHE, more than 3.5 times that of bare CuBi2O4. Incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) at 365 nm reached ~13%, and the maximum applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) was 0.17%. Water splitting experiments yielded 2.05 μmol/cm² of hydrogen, significantly surpassing the unmodified photoelectrode. Mechanistic studies indicate that the CuO layer establishes favorable band alignment, promotes hole transport toward the FTO substrate, and suppresses interfacial carrier recombination. This work demonstrates a simple and efficient interfacial engineering strategy, offering insights for the design of high-performance semiconductor-based PEC photoelectrodes.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(25)60624-4
Para-xylene (PX) is a critical chemical feedstock for producing polyesters, plastics, and fibers, with China's 2024 consumption reaching 40 million tons (63% of global total) and an import dependency of 17%. Conventional naphtha-based routes face feedstock security and cost volatility, prompting interest in syngas conversion. This review systematically examines recent catalyst developments for direct syngas-to-PX-rich aromatics, focusing on three systems: Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst/zeolite coupling, methanol synthesis catalyst/zeolite synergy, and dual-engine/zeolite catalysis. Critical parameters such as active component electronic structure, promoter effects, and zeolite pore topology are analyzed to reveal governing principles of activity, selectivity, and stability. Reaction mechanisms via olefin, methanol, and dual-intermediate pathways are explored. Current bottlenecks include coordinated optimization of activity and stability, and unclear regulation of PX selectivity. Future research directions are proposed to address these challenges.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025032601
This study investigated the pollution characteristics of chlorate and perchlorate in tea from Anhui region and assessed the health risks associated with tea consumption. A total of 132 tea samples, including green tea (n=89), black tea (n=30), yellow tea (n=10), and white tea (n=3), were collected from major tea-producing areas. Chlorate and perchlorate levels were quantified using isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Chlorate was detected in 15.9% of samples, with concentrations ranging from not detected to 0.040 mg·kg−1, and no samples exceeded the regulatory limit. Perchlorate was detected in 100% of samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.011 to 1.611 mg·kg−1, and 2.3% of samples exceeded the limit. Pollution characteristics analysis revealed that perchlorate levels were significantly correlated with tea type and geographical origin, with environmental contamination in tea-growing areas being the primary determinant. A significant positive correlation was also observed between chlorate and perchlorate levels. Health risk assessments were conducted for the general tea-consuming population, sub-groups loyal to specific tea types (green and black tea), and sub-groups preferring local tea from high-pollution regions (Lu'an City and central Anhui). Assessments were based on mean and 95th percentile (P95) exposure levels. For chlorate, the maximum hazard quotient (HQ) was 0.003, far below 1, indicating negligible risk. For perchlorate, all HQ values were below 1, regardless of tea type or region, based on both mean and P95 levels, using the Chinese provisional tolerable daily intake (tTDI). However, perchlorate contamination in central Anhui, particularly Lu'an City, warrants continued monitoring due to elevated levels and occasional exceedances.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607005
To optimize municipal sludge incineration and enhance disposal efficiency, sludge from the First Sewage Treatment Plant in Chengdu was analyzed via synchronous thermal analysis (TG-DTG-DSC) in air at 20 K/min. The combustion process comprised four stages: moisture evaporation (35–150 °C), volatile combustion (150–400 °C), fixed carbon combustion (400–600 °C), and burnout (600–1000 °C). Ignition and burnout temperatures were 220.7 °C and 605.9 °C, respectively, with a comprehensive combustion characteristic index of 6.32×10⁻⁸ %²/(min²·K³), indicating good stability. Kinetic analysis using Coats-Redfern (CR) integral and Achar-Brindley-Sharp (ABS) differential methods showed deviations below 15%, confirming CR reliability. Moisture evaporation and volatile combustion followed first-order models (F1) with activation energies of 52.24 and 48.81 kJ/mol, while fixed carbon combustion and burnout followed second-order models (F2) with activation energies of 192.38 and 102.27 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH: 49.06, 43.59, 185.94, 95.00 kJ/mol; ΔS: -148.36, -211.63, -30.74, -201.38 J/mol·K; ΔG: 105.76, 176.52, 209.74, 271.04 kJ/mol) revealed negative entropy and positive Gibbs free energy across all stages, indicating external energy dependence, with the highest demand in the burnout stage. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing incineration process parameters and energy recovery.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4040-0
High-performance organic second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals face a persistent challenge: molecular designs that enhance hyperpolarizability often crystallize into centrosymmetric or nonpolar arrangements, suppressing bulk second-order response, while simultaneously reducing optical bandgaps, enforcing a trade-off between nonlinearity and transparency. We report a chirality-driven polar lattice engineering strategy that couples molecular asymmetry with directional intermolecular interactions to promote polar ordering. A binaphthyl-based chromophore (S-3) crystallizes in the polar space group P2₁, exhibiting strong second-harmonic generation (~3.53 × KDP), wide transparency (3.91 eV), phase-matchable birefringence (Δn = 0.15), high laser damage threshold (742.6 MW cm⁻²), and thermal stability up to 210 °C. Theoretical calculations reveal a 69% enhancement in first-order hyperpolarizability (β_tot) relative to the unfunctionalized derivative, with a net intramolecular electron transfer of 0.16 e⁻ from the chiral scaffold to the benzoate acceptor. Crucially, enantiomeric crystals exhibit identical NLO responses, confirming that bulk nonlinearity is governed by engineered lattice polarity, not molecular handedness. This work establishes chirality as an active tool for crystal engineering and provides a general design paradigm for high-performance organic NLO materials.