SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3630-2
This study demonstrates a dual-interface engineering approach for performance enhancement in perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. By applying ethylenediamine dihydroiodide (EDAI2) to simultaneously modify both top and bottom interfaces of wide-bandgap perovskite layers, we achieve synergistic defect suppression and charge transport optimization. Time-resolved photoluminescence characterization reveals extended carrier lifetimes and improved spatial homogeneity in dual-modified perovskite films. The optimized single-junction wide-bandgap (>1.66 eV) perovskite solar cells attain a champion efficiency of 22.75% with enhanced operational stability. Implemented in perovskite-silicon tandem configuration, the devices achieve over 31% power conversion efficiency, validating the effectiveness of organic ligand-mediated dual-interface engineering in regulating carrier dynamics and advancing perovskite-based tandem photovoltaics.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.3724/2097-213X.2025.JFCT.0029
Pingshuo coal ash, characterized by high silicon-aluminum content (Si+Al >85%) and low Si/Al ratio (<1.5), exhibits ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) exceeding 1550 °C, rendering it unsuitable for entrained-flow gasifiers. This study investigates the effect of calcium-sodium composite flux on ash fusibility and mineral transformation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FactSage thermodynamic simulations were employed to analyze mineral evolution, while molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed the underlying melting mechanism. Results show that adding 20% composite flux (CaO/Na2O) lowers AFTs more effectively than equivalent additions of CaO or Na2O alone, indicating a synergistic effect. At a CaO/Na2O ratio of 3:7, the flow temperatures (FT) of two Pingshuo coal ashes decreased to 1377 °C and 1279 °C, respectively. The composite flux promotes reactions between quartz and Na2O/CaO, forming low-melting-point minerals such as nepheline, albite, and gehlenite, while inhibiting mullite formation. Additionally, Na+ disrupts the silicate network, inducing Ca2+ to preferentially coordinate with [AlO4]5- tetrahedra, further breaking Si-O-Si bonds. MD simulations show that atomic diffusion, quantified by mean square displacement (MSD), is significantly enhanced below 1600 K with composite flux addition compared to single fluxes. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for optimizing flux formulations to enable efficient gasification of high-AFT coals.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60762-1
The CO2 dry reforming of methane (DRM) is pivotal for CO2 utilization within the dual-carbon framework, offering advantages in carbon reduction and value-added chemical production. However, shaped catalysts suitable for industrial-scale DRM remain limited. This work constructs a monolithic catalyst using honeycomb cordierite as the structural support, systematically investigating the effects of organic and inorganic binders on coating structure and catalytic performance. Comparative studies reveal that the active coating fabricated with inorganic aluminum sol exhibits a continuous uniform morphology and excellent adhesion strength. During high-temperature calcination, elemental diffusion within Al2O3 networks bridges the cordierite surface with active catalyst particles, forming a (Ni-Mg)AlxO4 composite structure. This creates robust metal-support interactions between active sites and the residual alumina matrix. The interconnected mesoporous framework provides superior pore confinement, contributing to strong coating adhesion, enhanced activity, and improved resistance to carbon deposition in the monolithic m-NCM-Al-sol catalyst. In contrast, coatings derived from inorganic silica sol suffer from detachment and activity loss due to heterogeneous surface structures and poor adhesion. Organic binders demonstrate inferior performance in macroscopic coating uniformity, adhesion strength, mesoporous confinement, and localized electronic effects, resulting in the poorest catalytic performance. By optimizing aluminum sol coating parameters—binder content, active component dosage, and coating cycles—a synergistic balance between coating thickness and mass transfer is achieved. The optimized catalyst demonstrates excellent DRM performance, providing insights for constructing high-performance shaped catalysts with cordierite coatings.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4029-4
Chemical sensing technology is pivotal in modern industry and daily life, with sensor performance critically reliant on nanomaterials. While sensors based on traditional nanomaterials, such as inorganic semiconductors and organic conductive polymers, have achieved commercialization, they face persistent challenges. As an emerging subclass, conductive metal-organic frameworks (c-MOFs) not only inherit the core advantages of traditional MOFs—high specific surface area, porosity, and tunable composition/structure—but also offer adjustable electrical conductivity, rendering them ideal for sensing applications. This review systematically elucidates the construction and properties of c-MOFs across microscopic crystalline and macroscopic micro-nano structural scales. Special emphasis is placed on the structural design and regulation of c-MOFs for analytical sensing, and the intrinsic structure-performance relationship is clarified to achieve higher sensitivity, selectivity, response speed, and long-term stability, as well as other performance metrics. Finally, we comprehensively summarize the typical applications of c-MOFs-based sensors, covering environmental and safety monitoring, photoelectric detection, and health monitoring and diagnosis. At the same time, the key challenges existing in this field, such as the controllable preparation of high-quality single-crystal materials, the theoretical analysis of intrinsic electrically conductive mechanisms, and the balance between macroscopic material stability and the processing performance of devices, were evaluated. The future research directions should focus on developing new ligands and metal combinations to optimize the band structure, deepening the exploration of the mechanisms of emerging physical effects such as piezoelectricity, and promoting the integration and application of materials in practical scenarios such as flexible electronics and wearable devices.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3513-6
Perovskite lasers suffer from pump-density-induced wavelength shifts, limiting their use in interferometry and quantum information systems. This study demonstrates a wavelength-stable laser using mixed-phase MAPbI3 nanoplatelets. At 293 K, the tetragonal phase exhibits a blueshift of ~0.4 nm μJ⁻¹ cm² with increasing pump density, while at 80 K, the orthorhombic phase shows a redshift of ~1 nm μJ⁻¹ cm². By stabilizing the nanoplatelets in a mixed orthorhombic-tetragonal phase at 163 K, the pump-induced wavelength shifts are completely suppressed. The lasing threshold decreases from 18.4 μJ cm⁻² at room temperature to 4.5 μJ cm⁻² at 163 K. Finite element simulations confirm the opposite shift directions: tetragonal phase resonance shifts from 780.86 nm at 296.62 K to 779.66 nm with a 10.70 K temperature rise, while orthorhombic phase shifts from 794.78 nm to 796.50 nm with a 1.69 μJ cm⁻² pump increase. The thermo-optic coefficient is estimated at 7.5 × 10⁻⁴ K⁻¹. This mixed-phase engineering strategy offers a viable route to pump-insensitive wavelength stability in micro/nano lasers.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3544-x
Transparent superhydrophobic coatings must reconcile subwavelength optical clarity with mechanical robustness, a trade-off that has stalled commercial deployment. This work integrates precision-engineered subwavelength nano-cone arrays, a UV-curable polyurethane (Norland Optical Adhesive, NOA) matrix, and a low-friction perfluoropolyether (PFPE) monolayer. Fabricated via nanosphere lithography and nanoimprinting, the coating achieves a static water contact angle of 165°, sliding angle of 2°, 92% visible-light transmittance, 3% reflection reduction, and haze as low as 0.4%. Durability is quantified under harsh conditions: 18,000 abrasion cycles at 20 kPa, 24-hour high-speed water jetting at 2 bar, and 45 tape-peeling tests, with superhydrophobicity retained. Finite element analysis attributes stress concentration mitigation to the nano-cone geometry, while NOA’s balanced mechanical properties enhance durability. The coating’s high flexibility ensures conformal coverage on curved substrates. This scalable approach overcomes the durability–transparency trade-off, enabling self-cleaning optics, solar panels, and flexible electronics.