Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605022
Carbide slag (CS), an alkaline industrial solid waste from acetylene production in the chlor-alkali industry, poses severe ecological risks due to long-term stockpiling. This review systematically examines CO2 mineralization pathways and applications of CS, leveraging its high reactivity dominated by Ca(OH)2. Direct gas-solid and liquid-solid carbonation mechanisms, alongside indirect ammonium salt cyclic leaching-carbonation, are elaborated. Process optimization via parameter regulation, amino acid modification, and multi-solid waste coordination significantly enhances reaction efficiency and product performance, enabling controlled synthesis of high-value calcium carbonate. Environmental and economic analyses confirm that CS mineralization achieves CO2 fixation with good economic feasibility, simultaneously addressing solid waste resource utilization and carbon emission reduction. Derived lightweight fillers and low-carbon cementitious materials exhibit both environmental and economic potential, providing theoretical and application support for a 'waste-to-waste' carbon reduction technology system.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3976-x
The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in bilayer nickelate La3Ni2O7−δ (La-327) under high pressure and in thin films at ambient pressure has opened new avenues in superconductivity research. However, La-327 exhibits a narrow phase stability range, leading to stacking faults that suppress bulk superconductivity. Chemical substitutions, particularly at the A-site with smaller rare-earth ions, have been shown to enhance phase purity and reduce stacking faults, while also increasing the orthorhombic distortion and chemical pressure. In this work, we apply the high-entropy (HE) strategy to stabilize the 327 phase with reduced average A-site ionic radius (rA). We successfully synthesized medium-entropy La1.2Pr0.6Nd0.6Sm0.6Ni2O7−δ (ME-327) and high-entropy La0.67Pr0.67Nd0.67Sm0.33Eu0.33Gd0.33Ni2O7−δ (HE-327) polycrystalline samples. These compositions satisfy medium- and high-entropy criteria, with rA values of 1.181 Å and 1.164 Å, respectively. The samples are phase-pure and homogeneous. HE-327 exhibits the lowest cell volume, largest orthorhombicity, and shortest interlayer Ni-Ni distance among reported bilayer nickelates. Physical property measurements reveal low electrical conductivity and a high density-wave (DW) transition temperature. Under high pressure, HE-327 shows a resistivity anomaly at 103 K under 31 GPa, suggesting a possible superconducting transition. Extrapolation indicates that Tc under high pressure exceeds 100 K for HE-327, correlating with reduced rA and enhanced interlayer coupling. Our results demonstrate the ionic size effect and the effectiveness of the HE approach in stabilizing bilayer nickelates, providing a new avenue for developing superconducting materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3964-5
The escalating demand for personalized thermal-moisture comfort, coupled with the high energy consumption of conventional heating and cooling systems and the imperative for low-carbon energy conservation, has driven the development of shape memory smart fabrics that respond to environmental changes. However, existing shape memory thermal-moisture management fabrics suffer from excessively high response temperatures, inadequate response performance, and suboptimal thermal-moisture management. In this work, a dual-network shape memory polymer (SMP) was synthesized, and its shape memory transition temperature was tuned to align with the human thermal comfort range. The polymer was processed into fibers and subsequently into twisted-coiled artificial muscles to enhance reversible strain. Woven with wool into a plain fabric, the resulting textile exhibits adaptive thermal-moisture management, achieving a warp reversible strain of up to 17.5%. At elevated temperatures, the fabric contracts, exhibiting an air permeability of 1546 mm/s and thermal conductivity of 0.0518 W/(m·K); at lower temperatures, it elongates, with air permeability of 1322 mm/s and thermal conductivity of 0.0426 W/(m·K), thereby realizing 'warm when cool and cool when hot' functionality. Compared with commercial wool fabrics, this smart fabric lowers the skin microenvironment temperature by 1.5 °C and offers an energy savings potential of approximately 222.58 MJ/m² per year in capital cities such as Beijing. This work provides a novel technical pathway and design approach for future personalized comfort and low-carbon, energy-saving textiles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4147-9
Fiber-shaped zinc-air batteries (FZABs) with aqueous electrolytes combine intrinsic safety, high energy density (1086 Wh kg−1), and environmental compatibility, making them attractive for wearable applications. However, free water in the electrolyte induces severe anode degradation while being a critical reactant for cathode redox, presenting a dilemma between anode stability and cathode functionality. The semi-open structure of FZABs allows airborne water to permeate and migrate to the anode, causing interfacial instability, while high surface area accelerates solvent evaporation, leading to increased internal resistance and salt crystallization. Consequently, typical cycle life is limited to <50 h. To overcome these challenges, we report a polymer electrolyte that captures atmospheric water as a solvent through the semi-open structure, achieved by introducing acetamide (AA), identified via unsupervised clustering algorithms, into the poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene)/zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (PVDF-HFP/Zn(OTf)2) system. AA incorporation preserves solvent-retention capability while reconstructing the Zn2+ coordination structure, promoting salt dissociation and polymer-segment mobility. Low adsorption energy of AA on zinc surfaces suppresses parasitic reactions from ambient moisture, and preferential adsorption across zinc crystal planes directs Zn2+ deposition along the (002) face, leading to uniform plating morphology. The exogenous aqueous polymer electrolyte exhibits superior mechanical properties, enabling stable output even after compression by a 1.7-t vehicle. As proof-of-concept, FZABs integrated with fiber solar cells and sensors in clothing enabled real-time health monitoring and sustainable energy utilization, demonstrating promising practical applications.