SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3712-2
Electrochemical potential and ion diffusion of electrode materials restrain the energy and power densities of lithium-ion batteries, and these challenges also remain in the intercalation-type Li3VO4 (LVO). In this work, the local [VO4] coordination symmetry in LVO is broken by a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies (Vö), resulting in an increased average V–O bond length and a larger ligand field splitting. These alterations reduce the energy level of the lowest unoccupied orbitals (e*) and lift the electrochemical potential, resulting in a higher voltage output. Additionally, the broken local symmetry in Vö-LVO is found to reduce the band gap and expand the ion transport channels, which favors enhancing electronic conductivity and facilitates ion diffusion, thereby improving the electrochemical kinetics in the energy storage process. The local symmetry broken sample (Vö-LVO) achieves a significantly improved capacity of 532 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g in comparison with 394 mAh/g of pristine LVO, and long cycling stability with retained capacity of 398 mAh/g at 1 A/g over 500 cycles compared with 236 mAh/g of the pristine LVO. The fundamental understanding paves the way to exploit high-performance electrodes via ligand field engineering for next-generation rechargeable batteries.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3822-y
Precise control over supramolecular chirality and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is achieved through fluorene-content engineering of alkylated fluorene-quinoxaline copolymers. By systematically varying the fluorene ratio, three polymers (F8QX, F8QX-II, F8QX-III) are synthesized and co-assembled with a chiral inducer (R/S-5011). Thermal annealing induces highly ordered, crosslinked superstructures with strong chiroptical activity, where the dissymmetry factor (g_lum) decreases with increasing fluorene content. The optimal system, (F8QX)0.7-(R/S-5011)0.3, achieves a high |g_lum| of 0.52. Structural analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that lower fluorene ratios facilitate tighter π–π stacking and more efficient chirality amplification. This system further serves as an excellent host for a narrowband multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter (DBN-ICZ) via Förster resonance energy transfer, yielding ternary co-assemblies with narrowband green emission (FWHM = 25 nm) and strong CPL with g_lum of 0.43. Circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) based on (F8QX)0.7-(R/S-5011)0.3-(DBN-ICZ)0.005 exhibit yellow circularly polarized electroluminescence with |g_EL| value of 0.12. This work provides a comprehensive strategy integrating molecular design, hierarchical assembly, and energy transfer toward high-performance chiral optoelectronic materials.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60678-0
Improper disposal of plastic waste represents both the loss of valuable resources and significant environmental threat. This study investigates the thermal liquefaction of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using low-pressure superheated methanol. It systematically evaluates the effects of reaction temperature and the ratio of reactant to methanol on liquefaction efficiency and product characteristics. Results indicate that complete conversion of HDPE can be achieved in low-pressure superheated methanol (<0.5 MPa) at a minimum external heating temperature of 260 °C. Under this condition, oil yield reached 77.1% with alkanes comprising 62.3% of the product alongside minor oxygenated compounds. As temperature increased, the average carbon number of hydrocarbons gradually decreased. Below 260 °C, HDPE conversion decreased significantly, and products were primarily waxy. At 290 °C, the proportion of gasoline-like fractions (C6–C12) increased markedly from 16.6% to 80.9%. Furthermore, reactant ratio plays a critical regulatory role; extremes in ratio—either too high or too low—diminish heat transfer efficiency and reduce conversion. Mechanistically, liquefaction primarily involved cleavage of secondary C−C bonds, where resulting oligomers further cracked into free radicals to form diverse hydrocarbons through secondary reactions. This work demonstrates that low-pressure superheated methanol liquefaction is a mild, efficient, and pretreatment-free method to upcycle polyethylene into valuable fuels. Optimizing these process parameters can pave the way for industrial application, aiding in both plastic pollution management and sustainable resource recovery.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607023
The rapid population growth and accelerating urban development have made the comprehensive utilization of municipal sludge (MS) an urgent challenge. MS contains substantial organic matter and essential nutrients for crop growth, making it a promising soil amendment for the ecological restoration of mine waste rock. However, research evaluating the impact of MS application on soil health and ecological safety from a soil microbiology perspective remains understudied. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of MS and composted municipal sludge (CMS) on the ecological restoration of mine waste rock soil through pot experiments. High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to analyze changes in soil microbial community structure and diversity. Finally, network analysis and correlation heatmaps were utilized to elucidate the microbial driving mechanisms. The results indicated that after MS and CMS application, organic matter content increased from 20.38 g/kg (Level 3) to 38.52 g/kg (Level 2). The levels of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium rose from Level 4, 6, 2, to Level 1, 4, 1, respectively. Fresh weight, aboveground height, root length, and stem diameter of ryegrass all increased significantly. Venn diagram and heatmap analyses indicated that lower application rates (<1.5 kg/m²) enhanced microbial community richness and diversity. This study confirms municipal sludge as an effective amendment for mine waste rock soil. It is recommended to limit application rates below 1.5 kg/m² in practical mine ecological restoration projects, with particular attention to long-term dynamics of heavy metals and salinity to ensure safe and sustainable land reuse.