SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4494-9
Superionic conductors exhibit high cation mobility arising from weak binding and continuous transport pathways, atomistically characterized by extensive structural disorder and partial occupancy akin to amorphization. This disorder, whether confined to a cation sublattice or extended to full amorphization, strongly impedes lattice thermal transport, rendering these materials intrinsically ideal thermal insulators. This work investigates Ag26I18W4O16, a superionic conductor tunable from fully amorphous to single-crystalline states, as a model system to probe the impact of disorder and amorphization on thermal transport. Extensive Ag+ disorder, in both crystalline and amorphous phases, reduces thermal conductivity to approximately the theoretical lower bound of 0.16 W/m-K with virtually no temperature dependence, while concurrently achieving the lowest mean sound velocity ever recorded for a dense solid. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of synchrotron X-ray total scattering data indicates that short-range disorder (< 5 Å), rather than long-range periodicity, governs thermal insulation performance in both phases. These findings suggest a design strategy reconciling structural stability with glass-like thermal insulation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3645-3
Postoperative abdominal adhesion, a complication with morbidity exceeding 90%, imposes severe clinical and economic burdens. Existing bioadhesive barriers often exhibit unreliable adhesion to the slippery abdominal wall, risk mispositioning, and neglect frictional stimuli and inflammation. Inspired by the lubricated peritoneum, we developed a programmable adhesive dual-layer Janus patch (DJP) barrier integrating a lubricated layer and an adhesive matrix. DJP achieves rapid, noncovalent interfacial adhesion, subsequently enhanced 2.81-fold via covalent interactions, enabling repositioning within a short time window to improve surgical fault tolerance. The micron-scale poly(sulfobetaine methacrylamide) brush on the DJP surface provides hydration lubrication with a low coefficient of friction (0.06), mimicking peritoneal lubrication and reducing frictional damage to injured tissue. The catechol-containing copolymer confers antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, confirmed in vitro. In a rat model, DJP adhering to the injured site significantly reduced collagen deposition between the abdominal wall and cecum, preventing adhesion and promoting tissue healing compared to commercial barriers. This work provides a guiding reference for developing antiadhesive biomaterials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3708-y
Polar two-dimensional (2D) perovskites, with their excellent semiconductor properties, intrinsic anisotropy, and bulk photovoltaic effect, have emerged as promising candidates for self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetectors. However, these self-driven polarized detectors typically require fabrication along the spontaneous polarization direction to maintain device operation in the self-driven mode, which imposes additional limitations. Herein, we demonstrate multidirectional self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetection by constructing 2D perovskite-based asymmetric contact devices, Ag/2D perovskite/C. The built-in electric field, originating from the difference in work functions, acts as the driving force for the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Notably, this approach does not necessitate a specific direction, thereby enabling multidirectional self-driven photodetection. Under excitation by linearly polarized light, our devices exhibit impressive polarization-sensitive discrimination in multiple directions, achieving polarization ratios of 3.3 and 3.1 along the a and b-axes, respectively. Our work enriches the approaches enabling self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetection, free from the previous limitations.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3697-8
Multi-site coupling is a promising strategy for developing highly efficient and CO-resistant hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, designing multifunctional synergistic schemes for single-atom sites remains a significant challenge. Herein, we propose a dual-template-confined oxophilic engineering strategy to construct well-dispersed iridium-nickel (IrNi) atomic dimers adjacent to IrNi nanoclusters on porous nitrogen-doped carbon (IrNi Dimer/NC1.8-PNC). The paired IrNi dimer features an asymmetric Ir-N3 configuration coordinated with heteroatomic Ni-N3O via an N-bridge. Remarkably, IrNi Dimer/NC1.8-PNC exhibits a ~23-fold enhancement in mass activity (4.36 A mg−1 Ir at 20 mV) and 5-fold longer stability compared to benchmarking Pt/C toward HOR, while achieving a high rated power density of 1.18 W cm−2 in PEMFC anode applications. Furthermore, IrNi Dimer/NC1.8-PNC demonstrates superior CO tolerance over monometallic Ir and Pt/C in both half-cell and full-cell devices. Combined experimental and density functional theory studies reveal that oxophilic Ni modulates the electronic environment of Ir through alloying and dimer interactions, thereby enhancing HOR activity. Importantly, the asymmetric IrNi dimer enables efficient CO* and OH* co-adsorption while facilitating CO2* desorption, synergistically mitigating CO poisoning and improving atom utilization efficiency. This work provides a design strategy and fundamental insights for multi-site synergistic catalysts in PEMFC anodes.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3931-6
Detection of circularly polarized light (CPL) is crucial for advancing next-generation chiral optoelectronic applications, where a large photocurrent dissymmetry factor (g_Iph) is essential for accurate polarization discrimination. Chiral hybrid perovskites (CHPs) have emerged as promising CPL-active materials owing to their intrinsic spin-orbit coupling and chiroptical properties. However, an intrinsic conflict between g_Iph and photocurrent response remains a major bottleneck in current CHP-based devices. Low-dimensional CHPs typically suffer from limited carrier mobility, while multilayered structures improve carrier transport but generally reduce the chiral component, thereby reducing chiroptical activity and g_Iph. Herein, we report a Cs-based multilayered chiral-polar perovskite, (R-β-MPA)PACsPb2Br7 (1R, MPA=methylphenethylammonium, PA=propylammonium). The distinctive chiral-polar photovoltaic effect in 1R benefits spin-selective carrier separation and collection, and the resulting device achieves self-powered CPL detection with a high g_Iph of 0.5 and maintains excellent polarization selectivity even at ultralow light intensities of 62 nW cm−2. Meanwhile, the multilayered framework enables high responsivity of 71 mA W−1 and detectivity of 6×10^12 Jones (1 Jones = 1 cm Hz^(1/2) W−1) even at zero bias. This work provides a rational design strategy to achieve chiral optoelectronic materials with a high dissymmetry factor and photocurrent response.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3806-0
Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) faces critical limitations from inefficient sonosensitizers and the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, which curtail reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Here, we report a dual enzyme-mimicking sonosensitizer, termed sonozyme, engineered by integrating platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) with a tailored covalent organic framework (Y-COF). The spatially separated donor-acceptor architecture optimizes the band position of Y-COF, conferring intrinsic sonodynamic activity. Pt NPs further enhance ultrasound-triggered ROS generation by promoting exciton separation and transfer. Notably, sonozyme exhibits catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) mimetic activities, converting endogenous H2O2 into O2 and ·OH, thereby alleviating hypoxia and augmenting oxidative stress. In vitro assays demonstrated significantly enhanced ROS production and cancer cell death under ultrasound irradiation. In vivo studies confirmed that sonozyme effectively suppresses tumor progression without observable systemic toxicity. This work presents a paradigm for designing high-performance multifunctional sonosensitizers, offering a promising strategy for cancer therapy.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3862-x
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is indispensable for next-generation electronics and quantum technologies, yet controlled synthesis of isotopically engineered hBN with macroscopic scalability and atomic-level precision remains challenging. Here, we present a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method using elemental boron (B) and nitrogen (N) precursors to achieve wafer-scale growth and precise isotopic control of hBN films. High-quality hBN films are synthesized on Cu substrates via optimized B evaporation and N2 plasma activation. The growth mechanism involves an oxygen-mediated pathway for B transport and a layer-by-layer (Frank-van der Merwe) mode for multilayer formation. By employing isotopically enriched B powders (10B and 11B) and N2 gases (14N2 and 15N2), we demonstrate tunable isotopic compositions with phonon mode shifts quantitatively matching harmonic oscillator predictions. Furthermore, we realize unprecedented in-plane h10BN-h11BN heterostructures through dynamic B source switching during growth. This PECVD strategy establishes a transformative synthesis platform merging industrial-scale production capacity with atomic-scale isotopic precision, enabling new opportunities to engineer thermal transport, optical response, and quantum coherence in two-dimensional materials.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60645-7
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from diverse sources severely impact atmospheric environment and human health. Manganese (Mn)-based catalysts, with exceptional structural diversity and abundant redox versatility, are widely used in catalytic combustion of VOCs. This review summarizes the catalytic performance of various Mn-based catalysts, emphasizing preparation strategies for high-performance materials and systematically analyzing how active site construction influences VOC combustion. Catalytic oxidation mechanisms are expounded in detail. Key aspects include MnOx polymorphs, doping with alkali metals (e.g., K+), transition metal composites (Co, Cu), and noble metal loading (Pt, Pd, Au). Performance metrics such as T90 values, oxygen vacancy concentrations, and specific surface areas are discussed. The review provides insights into deactivation mechanisms and anti-poisoning strategies, offering practical guidance for VOC pollution remediation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3967-x
Metal-halide perovskites exhibit exceptional optical gain, narrow emission linewidths, and high emission efficiency, positioning them as promising candidates for next-generation lasers. Thermal evaporation, a mature semiconductor fabrication technique, offers scalability, yet monitoring phase distribution during deposition remains challenging. This study systematically investigates and regulates thermally evaporated FAxCs0.8PbBr3 perovskite films by tuning formamidinium (FA) content to optimize phase distribution. At intermediate FA content, films achieve a balanced distribution of n=2 to n=5 quantum-well phases, facilitating ultrafast carrier transfer (<0.31 ps) and suppressing nonradiative recombination. FA+ actively incorporates as an A-site cation, promoting ordered crystallization and reducing defect densities. The optimized films exhibit a net modal gain of 1041 cm−1 and a gain lifetime of 129 ps. Benefiting from efficient internal scattering, the threshold for cavity-free random lasing is reduced to below 5 μJ/cm2 at room temperature. The low spatial coherence of random lasing enables speckle-free imaging with a speckle contrast as low as 0.011 and improved contrast-to-noise ratios across all spatial frequencies. This work provides a scalable strategy for perovskite composition-phase engineering, advancing speckle-free laser imaging systems compatible with semiconductor-grade, large-area manufacturing.