SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4273-3
Freestanding membranes have driven a profound evolution of strain engineering by fundamentally overcoming the substrate clamping effect. This structural degree of freedom enables the introduction of spatially complex, reversible, and giant strain fields into the membranes via mechanical manipulations such as stretching, bending, and interfacial twisting, ultimately facilitating the modulation of diverse physical properties. This review systematically discusses recent experimental and theoretical advances in the field, highlighting the modulation of physical properties via uniaxial/biaxial strain, strain gradients, and oxide twist. These mechanical strain strategies substantially broaden the range of achievable material properties, furthermore provide fundamentally new pathways for realizing unconventional mechanical behaviors, inducing emergent polar topological structures, and exploring correlated electronic states. Finally, this review summarizes current methodologies for implementing emergent strain engineering of oxide membranes, delves into the profound impacts of spatially complex strain on the fundamental physical properties of freestanding oxides, and offers a forward-looking perspective on the tremendous opportunities and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4369-1
Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage due to sodium's abundance and low cost. Among cathode materials, polyanionic compounds like Na3V2(PO4)2O2F (NVPOF) offer high energy density and dual voltage plateaus at ~3.6 and 4.0 V, but suffer from low electronic conductivity and sluggish Na+ diffusion. Here, we report a dual-modulation strategy combining high-valence Nb5+ doping and polydopamine-derived carbon coating to synthesize Na3V1.94Nb0.06(PO4)2O2F-C (NVPOF-Nb-C) via a hydrothermal route. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement confirm that Nb5+ doping induces slight lattice expansion without altering the tetragonal I4/mmm framework. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Nb5+ doping optimizes the crystal structure and reduces the Na+ diffusion barrier, while the uniform carbon coating enhances electron transport. Consequently, NVPOF-Nb-C exhibits remarkably improved electrochemical performance, including high reversible capacity, excellent rate capability, and ultralong cycling stability. In a full cell with hard carbon anode, it delivers a high energy density of 487.2 Wh kg−1 at 1C and retains 91.51% capacity after 3000 cycles at 20C. This work provides a synergistic strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of polyanionic cathodes for practical SIB applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3746-x
The polyanionic compound Na3V2(PO4)2O2F (NVPOF) possesses a stable three-dimensional framework, high theoretical specific capacity, and favorable operating voltage, yet its sluggish Na+ diffusion kinetics and low electronic conductivity impede industrial application. This study proposes a dual regulation strategy combining carbon coating and heat treatment temperature to synergistically enhance crystallinity and electrochemical performance. NVPOF@C-400 and NVPOF@C-600 were synthesized via in-situ dopamine hydrochloride coating followed by heat treatment at 400 °C and 600 °C, respectively. Carbon coating at 600 °C significantly improved crystallinity and increased electronic conductivity by three orders of magnitude through the carbon layer's conductive network. The ~4.5 nm carbon layer effectively suppressed abnormal grain growth and secondary crystallization aggregation at high temperatures, maintaining uniform particle size of approximately 0.36 μm, which shortens Na+ diffusion pathways and prevents ion transport obstruction. Consequently, NVPOF@C-600 delivered a high discharge capacity of 102.5 mAh g−1 at 20 C and retained 96.5% capacity after 10,000 cycles. In a full-cell configuration with hard carbon (HC), NVPOF@C-600//HC achieved an impressive 89.3% capacity retention after 9,000 cycles. This work provides critical insights for practical implementation of high-performance NVPOF cathodes in sodium-ion batteries.
The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.225204
Cobalt-doped silica aerogel (Co@Si-A) catalysts were synthesized via a one-step sol-gel method and applied for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to degrade tetracycline (TC). The catalyst with 25 wt% cobalt doping (25Co@Si-A) exhibited superior catalytic performance, achieving 98.97% TC degradation within 30 min under specified conditions (TC 10 mg/L, 100 mL). Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis revealed a high specific surface area and well-developed porous architecture with nano-confined spaces. The 25Co@Si-A/PMS system demonstrated outstanding adaptability across a broad pH range (5–9), maintaining >95% degradation efficiency, and showed strong resistance to sulfate and nitrate ions. In real water matrices, degradation efficiency remained around 80%. After five consecutive cycles, the system retained 82.33% degradation efficiency, with cobalt ion leaching of only 23.7 μg/L in the first cycle, indicating excellent stability. Mechanistic studies using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), radical quenching, and probe compound tests confirmed a synergistic radical and non-radical pathway. The primary reactive species were sulfate radicals (SO4•−), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and singlet oxygen (1O2), with contributions of 58.53%, 9.79%, and 31.68%, respectively. Electrochemical tests indicated that 25Co@Si-A exhibited superior charge transfer compared to Co3O4, attributed to the nano-confined effect of the silica aerogel, which enhanced Co(II)/Co(III) redox cycling and PMS activation. This research provides a promising strategy for utilizing silica aerogel-based catalysts in advanced oxidation processes for water treatment.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3830-6
Controlled fabrication of artificial multiple-stranded helices is central to deciphering chirality complexity and hierarchical self-assembly processes. Inspired by biological helical nanostructures, we designed a twisted figure-of-eight chiral macrocycle (M1) from pyrene and benzene diimide subcomponents to direct hierarchical assembly of double- and quadruple-stranded superhelices. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that M1 undergoes charge-transfer and CH···π interactions-driven helical wrapping, forming right-handed (P) single strands that intertwine into quadruple π-helical superstructures. Crucially, the macrocycle's adaptive cavity and interstitial voids could bind electron-deficient naphthalene diimide (NDI) guests through charge transfer interactions, triggering transformation to left-handed (M) double helices. This structural shift induces helicity inversion and optical anisotropy changes, demonstrating a rare case of crystalline-state multiple-helix conversion with supramolecular chirality inversion. This work establishes a template-free methodology for synthesizing multiple-stranded π-helices and controlling their transformations through supramolecular engineering.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606010
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a critical factor controlling endogenous phosphorus (P) migration in eutrophic waters. Existing oxygenation technologies suffer from high energy consumption and sediment disturbance, necessitating low-disturbance, pH-stable strategies that avoid additional nitrogen and P loads. This study evaluated an oxygen-loaded porous material (OLPM) for inhibiting sediment P release using laboratory microcosms with natural eutrophic water samples. DO microprofiles across the sediment-water interface (SWI) were measured with microelectrodes; diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) resolved Fe, S, and P distributions; and sequential extraction quantified sediment P fractions. Results showed that OLPM coverage increased surface sediment DO concentration by 6.58-fold and DO penetration depth by 1.33-fold (16.8 mm). Overlying water total phosphorus (TP) decreased by 93.79%, and sediment interstitial phosphate (PO4-P) decreased by up to 45.75%. The SWI TP exchange flux reversed from +0.0068 mg/(m2·d) to -0.014 mg/(m2·d), shifting the system from a P source to a P sink. Sediment P fractionation revealed a 5.22% increase in stable Res-P and a 4.48% decrease in labile NaHCO3-P. Mechanistically, OLPM enhanced iron oxidation (Fe2+ reduced by 59.62%) and suppressed sulfate reduction (S2- homogenized at low levels), promoting P immobilization via Fe-S coupling. The material effectively inhibits endogenous P release through interfacial DO regulation without altering pH, offering a promising approach for eutrophication management.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4010-4
Liver fibrosis, a critical pathological consequence of chronic liver injury, remains a therapeutic challenge due to its complex mechanisms and limited effectiveness of conventional treatments. Recent advancements in two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, such as graphene derivatives, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNSs), MXenes, and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have created novel opportunities for antifibrotic therapy. These materials exhibit exceptional physicochemical properties, including ultrahigh surface area, tunable surface chemistry, biocompatibility, and photothermal/electrochemical functionalities, enabling multifaceted interventions in fibrosis progression. The core therapeutic strategies mainly involve modulating hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation, inhibiting excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and alleviating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. However, 2D nanomaterials still face great challenges, such as long-term biosafety, precise functionalization for tissue-specific targeting, and scalable synthetic methods. This review systematically summarizes the recent breakthroughs in anti-fibrosis strategies based on 2D nanomaterials, elucidates their potential mechanisms of action, and explores the prospects for clinical translation of these nanoplatforms. Serving as a nexus between materials science and hepatology, 2D nanomaterials offer revolutionary prospects for precision medicine applications in hepatic fibrosis management.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3995-6
The deployment of single-site metal catalytic nodes into zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) offers vast advantages in catalytic recyclability, product separation, and mechanistic analysis, underscoring their paramount significance in heterogeneous catalysis. Nonetheless, their occupation within pores/channels usually diminishes mass transfer and catalytic efficiency during reactions such as the hydroboration of carbonyl compounds, especially for bulkier substrates. To address this issue, three microporous single-site Ti(IV) embedded Zr-MOFs with sequentially extended ligand arms are novelly synthesized to enable precise pore modulation ranging from 9.04, 10.12, to 11.18 Å. The catalytic performance is investigated using eight carbonyl compounds of varying sizes and four additional larger-scale substrates, which demonstrates that the catalytic efficiency is increased through pore size regulation, yet still away from optimal catalytic performance. Then a further strategy was shifted to the linker installation of linear dicarboxylate ligands chelated single-site Ti(IV) within coordination-unsaturated windows of mesoporous Zr-MOFs, and the result elucidates that the obtained catalyst exhibits superior catalytic efficiency (all exceeding 90%) while preserving the inherent mesoporosity of Zr-MOFs with a pore size of approximately 21.73 Å. We believe this research provides critical guidance for future research on structural design and catalytic optimization of MOFs, opening new avenues in heterogeneous catalysis.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3978-0
All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) are promising for flexible and wearable electronics due to their excellent stability and mechanical stretchability. However, achieving high performance remains challenging due to difficulties in controlling the morphology of polymer blend films. In this study, a novel polymer donor, PBDTF-DTP, incorporating a weak electron-withdrawing yet large-dipole-moment dithienylphthalimide (DTP-2T) unit, was rationally designed and synthesized for ternary all-PSCs. Introducing PBDTF-DTP as a guest donor enables complementary light absorption and deepens the highest occupied molecular orbital level, simultaneously improving short-circuit current density (J_SC) and open-circuit voltage (V_OC). The large dipole moment of DTP-2T increases the dielectric constant, suppressing non-radiative energy loss and further boosting V_OC. Notably, PBDTF-DTP exhibits a relatively higher molecular electrostatic potential than the host donor, effectively tuning compatibility with both polymer donor and acceptor, regulating blend morphology, and promoting formation of a nanoscale fibrillar network. This optimized morphology facilitates efficient charge generation and transport while suppressing charge recombination. Consequently, ternary all-PSCs based on PM6:PBDTF-DTP:PYIT achieve a synergistic enhancement in J_SC, V_OC, and fill factor, yielding a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 18.01%, significantly higher than that of binary PM6:PYIT devices (15.51%). This study demonstrates that combining electrostatic potential optimization with a ternary strategy provides an effective approach to regulate morphology and achieve high-efficiency all-PSCs.