SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4476-1
Self-sustained oscillation in soft actuators enables autonomous, untethered robotic locomotion, yet existing light-driven systems suffer from low oscillation frequencies, rapid photothermal degradation, and reliance on external controllers. This work presents a bat-inspired soft robot that converts continuous near-infrared (NIR) irradiation into sustained rotational motion via a coiled MXene-based liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuator. The actuator integrates Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets as photothermal converters within an LCE matrix, achieving a photothermal conversion efficiency of 78.3% and a steady-state temperature of 142 °C under 1.5 W cm−2 NIR (808 nm). The coil geometry induces a self-shadowing effect that generates periodic light exposure, producing autonomous oscillation at 2.7 Hz with an amplitude of 45°. The robot demonstrates a rotational speed of 120 rpm and a specific power density of 3.2 W kg−1, outperforming previously reported light-driven oscillators by a factor of 2.5. Under continuous operation for 10,000 cycles, the actuator retains 92% of its initial oscillation amplitude, with a degradation rate of 0.008% per cycle. The bat-inspired wing morphology enables directional rotation and obstacle avoidance in confined spaces. This platform eliminates the need for external modulation, offering a scalable route to autonomous soft robotics for inspection, environmental monitoring, and micro-manipulation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3605-0
Nickel oxide (NiOx) is widely used as a hole transport material in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, its practical application is limited by low intrinsic conductivity and insufficient hole extraction ability, leading to significant interfacial defects that reduce device efficiency and stability. To overcome these issues, two isomeric small organic molecules, 2,6-NOT and 1,5-NOT, were developed and introduced to modify NiOx. These isomers share the same structure but differ in the substitution positions of functional groups, resulting in distinct molecular planarity. Experimental results demonstrate that 1,5-NOT, featuring extended conjugation and enhanced planarity, more effectively enhances the hole extraction/transport capabilities and conductivity of NiOx compared to 2,6-NOT. The NiOx/1,5-NOT-based device achieves a remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.20%, along with excellent long-term stability, surpassing the NiOx control device (18.12%) and the 2,6-NOT-based device (21.87%). These findings indicate that modifying NiOx with small organic molecules significantly improves charge transport performance, and increasing molecular planarity is particularly beneficial for enhancing hole transport and reducing defect density, thereby increasing both efficiency and stability. This work provides a new strategy for NiOx modification via small organic molecules, offering a promising route to high-performance inverted PSCs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3647-4
Chromium oxides (CrOx) and fluorinated graphite (CFx) are two typical cathode materials for lithium primary batteries. The former possesses the highest theoretical energy density but suffers from low practical capacity and inferior rate capability; the latter has the highest theoretical discharge capacity but fails to support fast discharge. Combining the merits of both cathodes via a composite design is desirable, yet the electrochemical performance of such composites remains unsatisfactory. In this work, we identified that by regulating the overlapped discharge potential of these two cathodes, fluorine atoms migrate from CFx to CrOx, leading to a homogeneous distribution of LiF and improved ionic and electronic conductivity, ultimately enhancing high-rate discharge performance. Benefiting from this synergetic effect, the CrOx/10%eCFx composite exhibits a considerably high energy density of 496.59 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 49.7 kW kg−1 (50 C), far superior to pure CrOx and CFx electrodes. We believe that the high-performance CrOx/eCFx composite cathode will justify its practical application in revitalizing advanced lithium primary batteries.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3919-0
Nuclear energy is critical for sustainable economic development and achieving carbon neutrality. With only about 6.14 million tons of terrestrial uranium, sufficient for ~70 years of global nuclear power plant operation, the recovery of uranium from seawater and spent fuel is essential for long-term nuclear fuel supply. The ocean contains approximately 4.5 billion tons of uranium, which could sustain nuclear power for ~2000 years if efficiently extracted. However, seawater uranium extraction faces significant challenges due to the extremely low uranium concentration (~3.3 ppb), high concentrations of competing ions, natural organic matter, and marine biofouling. This perspective reviews representative laboratory advances, including sulfonated covalent organic frameworks (S-COF) achieving a sorption capacity of 31.5 mg/(g·day) with high selectivity, amidoxime-based organic cages with a capacity of 11.97 mg/g over 30 days, and a micro-redox reactor strategy that continuously regenerates binding sites. Electrochemical methods have also shown promise for converting soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) oxides. Despite these advances, the transition from laboratory powders to durable marine materials remains problematic. Key gaps include the need for antibacterial properties, mechanical stability under wave action, cost competitiveness with terrestrial mining, and environmental safety of nanomaterials. Artificial intelligence (AI) is proposed to accelerate the design of high-performance, stable materials. This perspective emphasizes the necessity for interdisciplinary research to bridge the gap between bench-scale innovations and practical ocean deployment.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3899-9
Metal halide hybrids have emerged as a highly promising class of optoelectronic materials owing to their rich chemical and electronic diversity, high luminescence efficiency, and tunable photophysical properties. Incorporating chirality into these systems imparts pronounced circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity, creating new opportunities for advanced smart optoelectronic and spintronic applications. Although numerous reviews have been dedicated to CPL-active perovskites, their non-perovskite ionic counterparts have yet to be systematically and comprehensively reviewed. Given the rapid advancements in this burgeoning field, such a work is both timely and crucial to chart its future course. This review summarizes recent progress in non-perovskite ionic metal halide hybrids exhibiting CPL emission, highlighting four aspects: (1) the intrinsic correlations among different characterization techniques; (2) the strategic advantages of these materials for CPL applications; (3) methodologies for enhancing their CPL performance; (4) the prerequisites and mechanisms underlying CPL generation in achiral metal halide hybrids. Finally, we discuss their emerging applications in light-emitting devices, information encryption, anti-counterfeiting technologies, and scintillators, and provide perspectives on the remaining challenges and future directions in this rapidly evolving field.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3898-7
Platinum (Pt) is the benchmark catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in acidic electrolytes, but its performance in alkaline media is limited by excessively strong hydrogen binding energy (HBE). Here, we report oxygen-modified ultrasmall RuCu nanocrystals (RuCu/C-200) as an efficient catalyst for both alkaline HER and HOR. The RuCu/C-200 catalyst exhibits excellent HER activity with an overpotential of 9 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 19.7 mV dec−1. For HOR, it achieves a 4.2-fold higher exchange current density than the unannealed sample. Mechanistic studies reveal that the optimized HBE, hydroxyl binding energy (OHBE), and strongly hydrogen-bonded interfacial water, induced by oxygen modification, are the intrinsic determinants of the improved catalytic activity. This work underscores the potential of combining nanoscale structural design with oxygen modification to develop high-performance Ru-based electrocatalysts for both alkaline HER and HOR.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3808-x
The uncontrollable Zn dendrites and serious parasitic side reactions of the zinc anode severely impede the practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. In this work, a unique strategy of multipoint solvate coordination center is proposed, which anchors Zn2+ and H2O with complex sites to establish an intermolecular connection within the asymmetric solvation structure. A hydrated deep eutectic electrolyte based on multi-site methylurea (MU) with Janus properties is developed, in which Zn2+ and H2O interact with MU through Lewis acid-base and hydrogen bonding interaction, and the regulated asymmetric solvation configuration can guide the (002)-ordered Zn deposition. Simultaneously, a small amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mw=20000) can facilitate homogenous (002) Zn deposition by suppressing Zn2+ transfer kinetics. Benefiting from the rationally regulated solvation structure and PEG molecules adsorbed onto Zn anodes, the side reactions and Zn dendrites are significantly inhibited. As a result, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell delivers outstanding cycling performance over 3900 h (1 mA cm−2, 0.5 mA h cm−2). In addition, the Zn||V2O5 battery maintains 79.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1. The results suggest a promising oriented regulation strategy for sustainable aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3852-9
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density are essential for electric vehicles and energy storage, but their adoption is hindered by safety and longevity trade-offs. Electrolyte engineering is critical to address these challenges. Weakly solvating electrolytes enhance anode interphase stability and safety by promoting ion association and reducing flammable solvents, yet they exacerbate thermal runaway due to ion association lowering the energy barrier for exothermic anion decomposition. Lu and coworkers demonstrated that pronounced ion association reduces the onset temperature of exothermic reactions by approximately 94 °C across over 20 electrolyte systems. To mitigate this, a solvent-relay strategy was developed: a temperature-sensitive 'passing solvent' promotes ion association at ambient temperature, forming a robust SEI and enhancing cycle life, while a temperature-insensitive 'receiving solvent' accepts Li+ at elevated temperatures, promoting dissociation and suppressing exothermic reactions. This design was validated in a 4.5-V graphite-NCM811 pouch cell (1.1 Ah), which delivered 1,000 cycles at 0.45 C, retaining ~81.9% capacity over 4,100 hours. The solvent-relay approach decouples SEI formation from thermal stability, offering a pathway to safe, long-life high-energy LIBs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3971-6
Photocatalytic reduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) is a pivotal technology for uranium remediation and resource recovery. However, conventional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) suffer from short-range electron transport, leading to rapid electron-hole recombination and limited efficiency. Here, we report the rational design of anthraquinone-based COFs with donor-acceptor (D-A) architectures, employing 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol (TP) as the donor and 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone (1,4-DQ) or 1,5-diaminoanthraquinone (1,5-DQ) as the acceptor. By varying the connection mode of the building units, the electron transfer distance is systematically extended, effectively suppressing charge recombination. Among the synthesized COFs, ECUT-COF-152 exhibits optimal photocatalytic activity under visible light, achieving 100% U(VI) removal with a maximum reduction capacity of 1950 mg g−1. This work demonstrates that precise tuning of the D-A structure and electron transfer pathways is an effective strategy to enhance the photocatalytic performance of COFs for uranium reduction, offering insights for the design of efficient materials for nuclear waste treatment.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4100-9
Shape memory droplet manipulation platforms have attracted significant attention due to their programmable droplet control capabilities. Current research primarily focuses on superhydrophobic surfaces and slippery lubricant-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS); however, these approaches suffer from vulnerable surface micro/nanostructures and loss of lubricant oils. Here, we report a shape memory quasi-liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) brush surface that overcomes these limitations. The surface is fabricated by introducing a SiO2 layer as a 'bridge' on a shape memory epoxy substrate, providing abundant functional groups for grafting PDMS brushes. By precisely controlling the SiO2 layer thickness and grafting conditions, the surface exhibits good shape memory properties and low adhesion to diverse liquids with varying surface tensions. Reversible anisotropic/isotropic droplet sliding control for both water and organic droplets is demonstrated through dynamic introduction/removal of groove structures, proving excellent droplet manipulation based on the combination of shape memory and low adhesion of PDMS brushes. Furthermore, the material can be applied as a functional coating on diverse substrates to impart anti-fouling and self-cleaning properties. This work introduces a nanoscale SiO2 layer as a 'bridge', offering a strategy to graft PDMS brushes onto polymer surfaces. Given the advantages of quasi-liquid PDMS brushes and programmable controllability of shape memory polymers, this work provides fresh ideas for developing droplet manipulation platforms.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4104-4
Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising adsorbents for gas adsorption and separation, yet identifying optimal structures among their vast design space requires efficient high-throughput screening. Conventional machine-learning predictors rely heavily on specific gas-related features, which are time-consuming and limit scalability, leading to inefficiency and labor-intensive processes. Here, we propose COFAP, a universal COFs adsorption prediction framework that extracts multi-modal structural and chemical features via deep learning and fuses these complementary features through a cross-modal attention mechanism. Without relying on explicit gas-specific thermodynamic descriptors, COFAP achieves state-of-the-art prediction performance on the hypoCOFs dataset under the conditions investigated, outperforming existing approaches. Based on COFAP, we found that high-performing COFs for gas separation concentrate within a narrow range of pore size and surface area. A weight-adjustable prioritization scheme is also developed to enable flexible, application-specific ranking of candidate COFs. Superior efficiency and accuracy render COFAP directly deployable in crystalline porous materials.