SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4262-7
The escalating demands of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural computing necessitate multifunctional optoelectronic devices capable of integrating sensing, memory, and processing. Two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) offer unique advantages, yet their practical deployment is hindered by complex architectures and inefficient mode-switching. Here, we demonstrate a MoTe2/SnS2 anti-ambipolar heterojunction device enabling single-gate reconfiguration among frequency doubling, broadband photodetection, and neuromorphic computing. The device exhibits a peak-to-valley ratio (PVR) of 465, ensuring efficient frequency doubling. As a photodetector, it operates across an exceptionally broad spectral range of 520–2200 nm, with outstanding responsivity and detectivity. Furthermore, the device emulates complete synaptic behaviors, including short-term plasticity (STP), long-term plasticity (LTP), and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). Integrated into a reservoir computing (RC) system trained on a vehicle motion dataset, it achieves a directional recognition accuracy of 98.7%. This work establishes a paradigm for multifunctional integration and low-power neuromorphic computing, advancing next-generation intelligent optoelectronic systems.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3857-1
High-Be Cu-Be alloys exhibit dendritic segregation and brittle β/γ phases, complicating processing and applications. This study investigates the influence of cooling path on eutectoid transformation, microstructure, and mechanical properties in Cu-2.8Be and Cu-3.8Be alloys. A two-step homogenization treatment effectively eliminates segregation and suppresses the formation of harmful acicular phases. Diffusion-kinetic and thermodynamic analyses demonstrate that both the initial temperature and cooling rate determine eutectoid morphology and extent. Crystallographic and Eshelby-based analyses reveal that the β → γ transformation involves an isotropic contraction of ~3.9%, producing much lower strain energy than the anisotropic β → α transformation (~28.5% expansion and ~9.2% contraction), thus explaining the preferential nucleation of γ. Rapid cooling promotes incomplete eutectoid decomposition along grain boundaries, forming fine α/γ lamellae with interlamellar spacing down to ~7 nm. Lattice strain analysis confirms considerable distortions at α/γ interfaces (ε_xx = 0.0167, ε_yy = 0.0095). The mechanical incompatibility and high internal strain at these interfaces cause stress concentration and crack initiation. This work establishes a process-microstructure-property-mechanism framework essential for controlling the performance of high-Be Cu-Be alloys.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3779-1
Comprehensive mechanical properties, including hardness (H), elastic modulus (E), fracture toughness (KC), and wear resistance, are essential for oxide ceramics used in demanding environments. This work employs nanoindentation to evaluate these properties for RE3TaO7 (RE=La, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Lu) and identifies the optimal calculation method for KC in brittle oxide ceramics. The ratio of indentation crack length to half-diagonal (l/α) is a key parameter: Eq. (3) is suitable when l/α < 1, while Eq. (4) applies when l/α > 1. The indentation energy method is invalid for brittle ceramics due to crack formation at high loads. RE3TaO7 oxides exhibit H of 5.8–14.9 GPa, E of 127.5–247.8 GPa, and KC of 1.0–2.0 MPa·m1/2, surpassing RE2Zr2O7 (KC 1.0–1.5 MPa·m1/2). Wear resistance, indicated by MDP, ranges from 0.55 to 0.67, outperforming RE2Zr2O7. The superior fracture toughness is attributed to weberite structure with crack deflection and tortuous propagation, contrasted with pyrochlore's straight cracks. These findings provide accurate nanoindentation-based methods for assessing mechanical properties of brittle oxide ceramics, facilitating material discovery and optimization for thermal barrier coatings and other high-temperature applications.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605020
To address the high CO2 emission proportion in the industrial sector, distillers' grain waste was converted into biochar for CO2 adsorption from flue gas. Raw biochar suffers from weak pore adsorption and poor selectivity at elevated temperatures. This study employed ash self-templating and particle self-assembly to create hierarchical pores and simultaneously load amine groups onto distillers' grains-derived biochar, yielding amine-functionalized hierarchical porous carbon spheres. The amine loading significantly increased, providing more CO2 adsorption sites, while retaining macroporosity (total pore volume 0.0030–0.0066 cm3/g after amine loading), which enhanced morphological stability and CO2 mass transfer. The optimal sample, 0.2PW-K-CNF-PEI, exhibited a CO2 adsorption capacity of 1.03 mmol/g at 100 °C, a CO2 diffusion coefficient of 0.0495 min−1, and a selective adsorption capacity of 44 mg/g at 80 °C. This work offers a solution for valorizing distillers' grain by-products and capturing CO2 from low-temperature flue gas.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3837-1
The escalating energy crisis and environmental pollution necessitate sustainable catalytic technologies. Piezo-photocatalysis, coupling light and mechanical energy via the piezoelectric effect, has emerged as a promising platform for energy conversion and environmental remediation. This review systematically summarizes recent progress in g-C3N4-based piezo-photocatalysis, addressing the intrinsic limitations of pristine g-C3N4, including weak piezoelectric response, poor low-frequency mechanical response, rapid carrier recombination, and insufficient mechanical stability. Modification strategies such as heterojunction construction, morphology engineering, and element doping are detailed, emphasizing their roles in amplifying internal electric fields and promoting charge separation. The review highlights applications in H2 evolution, H2O2 generation, pollutant degradation, and CO2 photoreduction. Despite achievements, challenges remain in mechanistic understanding and performance optimization. This review provides guidance for rational design of g-C3N4-based piezo-photocatalytic systems, accelerating their deployment in sustainable technologies.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202511054
A novel S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst, Bi6O5(OH)3(NO3)5·3H2O/BiOBr0.8I0.2 (BON@BI), was synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method using Bi6O5(OH)3(NO3)5·3H2O (BON), KBr, and KI as precursors. The mass ratio of BON to BiOBr0.8I0.2 (BI) was optimized, revealing that the 20% BON@BI composite (BON@BIOPT) exhibited the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity. Under 30 min of visible-light irradiation, BON@BIOPT achieved a 99.8% degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB), approximately twice that of pristine BI (52.2%). The composite displayed a rod-like morphology with uniform nanosheets, and its specific surface area increased from 32.54 m²·g⁻¹ (BI) to 44.7 m²·g⁻¹. The absorption edge red-shifted from 560 nm (BI) to 580 nm, narrowing the bandgap from 2.55 eV to 2.43 eV. The S-scheme heterojunction formed between BON and BI generates an internal electric field that effectively suppresses recombination of strongly reducing photogenerated electrons and strongly oxidizing holes, with superoxide radicals (O₂•⁻) and holes (h⁺) identified as the primary reactive species. BON@BIOPT exhibited excellent stability, retaining 88.6% degradation efficiency after seven consecutive cycles. It also demonstrated robust environmental adaptability, maintaining 85–98% degradation efficiency under various pH conditions and in the presence of interfering anions. The degradation pathway of RhB involves N-de-ethylation, cleavage of the conjugated chromophore, and deamination, ultimately mineralizing into low-molecular-weight organics, inorganic salts, CO₂, and H₂O. These results underscore the potential of BON@BIOPT for practical remediation of organic pollutants in water.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4055-6
The global pursuit of clean energy and environmental remediation has intensified research into solar-driven photocatalysis, with g-C3N4 emerging as a leading metal-free polymer semiconductor. Between 2020 and 2025, significant advances have been achieved in overcoming the inherent limitations of pristine g-C3N4, such as restricted light absorption (wavelengths <460 nm), rapid charge recombination, and insufficient active sites, through sophisticated modification strategies. This period has witnessed the refined development of elemental doping, defect engineering, heterostructure construction, and cocatalyst loading, each playing a critical role in enhancing optical properties, charge separation efficiency, and surface reactivity. Contemporary research increasingly focuses on band structure precision engineering, interfacial charge transfer pathways, and defect-mediated catalytic mechanisms. These developments are underpinned by advanced characterization techniques, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance. Looking forward, emerging trends such as AI-guided material design, atomic-scale defect control, and operando analysis are shaping the next generation of high-efficiency g-C3N4 photocatalysts, offering a promising outlook for their application in sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation.