SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4359-0
Organic solar cells (OSCs) require cathode interlayers (CILs) that combine high charge transport, defect passivation, and thickness insensitivity for scalable manufacturing. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel A-D-A-A'-type polymer, PDPP2F-NDI-N, via the green and efficient direct arylation polymerization (DArP) method. The multiple electron-deficient units in the backbone confer strong electron-withdrawing character, effective work function modulation, enhanced built-in potential, high crystallinity, and ordered molecular packing. PDPP2F-NDI-N exhibits a high electron mobility of 1.01 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and electrical conductivity of 3.13 × 10⁻³ S m⁻¹, facilitating efficient charge extraction and transport. Its interfacial modification capability suppresses interfacial defects and reduces non-radiative recombination losses. In ternary OSCs, PDPP2F-NDI-N achieves a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.44%, with outstanding thickness insensitivity retaining 92.8% of peak PCE at a 30 nm CIL thickness, and a T80 lifetime exceeding 1700 hours under photo-thermal aging. This work demonstrates that poly(A-D-A-alt-A') backbone design combined with DArP synthesis provides an effective strategy for developing high-performance, thickness-insensitive, and stable polymeric CILs, advancing efficient, stable, and scalable OSC applications.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202509124
To reveal the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of water quality in the Hanjiang River Basin, this study utilized monthly water quality monitoring data from 54 sections from January 2021 to April 2024. Methods including single-factor index, comprehensive water quality index (WQI), principal component analysis (PCA), and optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) were employed. Results indicated significant spatiotemporal differences, with total nitrogen (TN), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and permanganate index (CODMn) as major pollutants, TN being the most critical. Temporally, agricultural non-point source organic pollution dominated in wet season, while comprehensive organic pollution with industrial point source characteristics prevailed in dry season. Spatially, water quality deteriorated along the main stream, with tributary downstream areas showing severe pollution, forming a pattern of 'mountainous areas good, plains poor'. OPGD revealed combined effects of natural conditions and human activities, proposing a 'zonal control and targeted treatment' strategy.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3809-y
The development of hydrogels that simultaneously achieve high strength and good toughness remains a critical challenge in soft material science, particularly for applications in flexible electronics, soft robotics, and biomedical devices. Conventional approaches often suffer from a trade-off between mechanical robustness and functional performance. In this work, we present a novel solvent-driven dual-network entanglement strategy to fabricate a strong and tough poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based organo-hydrogel by synergistically combining isopropanol (IPA) solvent substitution to induce dense polymer chain entanglement and a sodium alginate (SA) ionic crosslinked network as a dynamic energy-dissipation phase. The resulting organo-hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanical performance with a tensile strength of 3.18 MPa and a toughness of 16.65 MJ/m3, representing increases of approximately 17 and 49 times that of conventional PVA hydrogels, respectively. Furthermore, the organo-hydrogel displays superior swelling resistance and long-term stability in aqueous environments, enabling reliable operation in challenging conditions such as underwater motion sensing and wearable strain detection. Morphological analyses reveal the critical role of solvent-mediated chain reorganization and dual-network interactions in achieving these properties. This work not only provides a versatile platform for designing robust gel materials but also offers fundamental insights into solvent-network interactions for advanced soft material engineering.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3979-3
The escalating prevalence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) infections necessitates novel antibacterial strategies. Here, we engineered lectin B (LecB)-targeted glyco-dots (TFP2F) via self-assembly of a photosensitizer (TFP2) possessing aggregation-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation capability with fucose-modified tetraphenylethene glycoclusters (TPE-Fuc4), enabling P. aeruginosa-targeted antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and wound healing promotion. Three photosensitizers (TFP0–2) featuring an “A-D-A” electronic structure were synthesized, exhibiting broad absorption bands and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence. Among these, TFP2 demonstrated superior Type-I/II ROS production (including ·OH, ·O2−, and 1O2), achieving potent phototoxicity against P. aeruginosa (MIC80 = 7.5 μM). Self-assembly with TPE-Fuc4 yielded glyco-dots TFP2F that facilitated LecB-mediated bacterial targeting, enhanced bacterial uptake, and significantly reduced the MIC80 to 2.5 μM against drug-resistant P. aeruginosa under light irradiation. In a murine P. aeruginosa-infected wound model, TFP2F treatment combined with light irradiation accelerated wound closure to <20% of the initial area by day 8 (vs. >40% in controls) and eliminated >95% of bacteria by day 2. This work presents a convenient strategy for constructing glyco-dots as a potent functionalized platform for precision, lectin-targeted antimicrobial photodynamic therapy.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4057-4
The escalating use of ionizing radiation in medical and industrial applications necessitates lead-free, flexible, and sustainable shielding materials. Current development relies on empirical trial-and-error, which is inefficient. This study introduces a machine learning-assisted Monte Carlo simulation strategy for rapid optimization of metal filler compositions for X-ray attenuation across 40–120 kV. Guided by this AI-driven approach, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based gels containing uniformly dispersed Bi/W/Gd2O3 nanoparticles were developed, forming within 1 minute at -20°C using a PVA-DMSO/H2O co-solvent system. The optimized gel with 50 wt% metal loading exhibits exceptional mechanical properties: tensile strength of 1.76 MPa, toughness of 6.3 MJ m−3, and elongation of 600%. It achieves >98% X-ray shielding efficiency at 5 mm thickness, outperforming lead composites at 120 kV. The physically cross-linked network provides recyclability and anti-freezing capability, retaining flexibility at -50°C. This work establishes a data-driven paradigm for designing high-performance radiation-shielding materials, demonstrating AI's potential to accelerate materials discovery and enable scalable fabrication of eco-friendly protective systems.