SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4500-8
Electroreduction of CO2 to ethylene offers a promising route for renewable electricity storage, yet achieving high ethylene selectivity at industrial current densities remains challenging due to the large energy barrier for C–C coupling. Here, we report a “MOF-assisted in situ doping” strategy to introduce the oxophilic nonmetal phosphorus (P) into the copper oxide (CuO) lattice, constructing a localized Cu–P dual-site adsorption configuration for the key *OCCHO intermediate. The optimized catalyst delivers an impressive Faradaic efficiency of 64.6% for ethylene with a partial current density of 646 mA cm-2. Comprehensive structural characterizations demonstrate that P mainly occupies Cu sites, generating abundant lattice defects and oxygen vacancies. In situ synchrotron infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that P doping modulates the electronic structure of Cu, optimizes the binding energies of *CO and *CHO, and stabilizes *OCCHO via P–O/Cu–C dual-site adsorption, thereby significantly lowering the asymmetric C-C coupling energy barrier to 0.74 eV. This work highlights a dual-site microenvironment regulation strategy for CO2-to-ethylene electroreduction.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3848-7
Conventional heterogeneous photocatalysts often suffer from insufficient light absorption, rapid charge recombination, and a lack of specific reactive sites for efficient photocatalytic oxidation. To overcome these limitations, we propose a molecular polarization engineering approach utilizing structurally well-defined donor (D)-acceptor (A) covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs). The construction of dipole-induced built-in electric fields within the D-A-structured CTFs enables enhanced exciton dissociation and facilitates directional charge transfer. Specifically, the asymmetric A1-D-A2 moiety enhances molecular polarization in the dual-acceptor system CTF-TBT (A1-D-A2), enabling efficient charge separation through multiple electron-withdrawing units. This structural design promotes directional electron transfer toward the secondary acceptor (benzothiazole, A2), while simultaneously concentrating holes on the donor unit. Consequently, the A2 moiety acts as a site for efficient O2 activation via electron accumulation, whereas the highly oxidized donor unit provides strongly positive holes (h+) that facilitate substrate oxidation. Experimental and DFT calculation results confirm that CTF-TBT demonstrates highly enhanced photocatalytic oxidation performance, which can be attributed to its multi-channel charge separation mechanism and spatially separated redox-active sites. This study highlights the effectiveness of molecular dipole engineering in designing heterogeneous photocatalysts with controlled charge transfer pathways and improved redox capabilities. The proposed design principles provide a universal approach for promoting solar-driven chemical synthesis applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3623-y
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are an advanced technology for full-color displays, yet the low efficiency of blue OLEDs remains a critical bottleneck. Here, we report a new strategy to design robust Pt(II) emitters with enhanced molecular rigidity and increased locally excited character. The resulting Pt(II) emitter exhibits an extremely narrow emission spectrum peaking at 458.6 nm with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 16.0 nm and a small Huang-Rhys factor of 0.278, together with a high photoluminescence quantum efficiency of 95%. When doped into an OLED, the device emits at 464 nm with high color purity (FWHM = 19 nm) and achieves high external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 32.6%, 29.4%, and 26.9% at luminances of 123, 1000, and 5000 cd/m2, respectively. Notably, the device attains a record-high maximum brightness of 84,895 cd/m2 among reported deep-blue OLEDs with Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) y-coordinate < 0.15. This work demonstrates one of the highest-performing deep-blue OLEDs reported to date, addressing the dual challenges of efficiency and brightness in this spectral region.
New Carbon Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(26)61071-2
Aqueous zinc-ion capacitors (ZICs) are promising energy storage systems due to their high specific capacity and superior reliability. Heteroatom-doped carbon materials have been shown to substantially increase the capacitance of ZICs, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this work, coal-based activated carbon was functionalized with both boron (B) and nitrogen (N) to serve as the cathode material in ZICs. The optimized material, designated CAC-120, exhibits a high specific capacity of 371.4 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 and retains 74% of its initial capacity after 10,000 cycles. Electrochemical analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that pyridinic N plays a crucial role in enhancing Zn2+ storage, demonstrating superior electrochemical reversibility. Furthermore, an assembled aqueous ZIC using the CAC-120 cathode achieves a high reversible capacity of 90.8 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and exceptional long-term stability over 17,000 cycles. This work provides valuable insight into the design of high-capacity and ultrafast pseudocapacitive carbon cathodes for ZICs, highlighting the synergistic effects of pore structure engineering and heteroatom doping.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(25)60610-4
In this study, melamine and cyanuric acid were used as precursors to form supramolecular crystals via hydrogen-bond-assisted self-assembly followed by hydrothermal treatment. Subsequent high-temperature calcination yielded a novel brush-like three-dimensional carbon nitride. The brush-like 3D architecture was found to expose more accessible active sites, markedly accelerate electron transfer, and suppress the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. The resulting superoxide (O2•−) and hydroxyl (•OH) radicals generated via electron reduction were identified as the key reactive species in the photocatalytic process. Moreover, the surface of the brush-like structure is enriched with nitrogen vacancies, which enhance the catalyst’s ability to harvest visible light. The photocatalytic performance of the brush-like CNS-650 catalyst was evaluated for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. Under red-light irradiation (660 nm), its degradation rate was 7.4 times higher than that of bulk CN. This work provides valuable insights into the design and application of efficient metal-free 3D photocatalysts.
The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.225191
Mg3Sb2-based materials, featuring a unique layered crystal structure, exhibit a favorable combination of low thermal conductivity, high Seebeck coefficient, and decent carrier mobility, establishing them among the most promising mid-temperature thermoelectric systems under active investigation. However, p-type Mg3Sb2 derivatives demonstrate a comparatively lower thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) compared to their n-type counterparts. Enhancing the zT performance of p-type Mg3Sb2 is therefore essential for the development of high-efficiency thermoelectric devices based on this material system. This review systematically summarizes the critical factors governing the thermal transport properties of p-type Mg3Sb2, including intrinsic characteristics such as chemical bonding and crystal structure, as well as extrinsic parameters such as carrier concentration, mobility, point defects, microstructure, and temperature dependence effects. Furthermore, it highlights recent advances in strategies designed to optimize thermal conductivity (κ) and improve zT, mainly including point defect engineering (such as Mg-site doping, Sb-site doping, dual-site co-doping, as well as doping-assisted composite modification), low-dimensional and nanostructural design, and advanced preparation technologies. Experimental studies demonstrate that these targeted strategies, particularly the synergistic introduction of multi-scale defects, can effectively suppress phonon propagation and significantly reduce lattice thermal conductivity (κL). Consequently, substantial improvements in the overall zT of p-type Mg3Sb2-based materials have been realized, providing a robust scientific and technical foundation for accelerating the practical application of Mg3Sb2-based thermoelectric devices.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202511020
With the increasing number of oil pipelines crossing rivers, the potential risks of oil leakage and surface spreading to river ecosystems and water environments are becoming more severe. Scenario-based simulation of oil spill diffusion is a prerequisite for effective interception point placement and leakage risk prevention. Numerous factors influence oil spill diffusion, including environmental conditions, river hydrology, and accessibility of emergency resources. This study integrates these factors and multiple dynamic processes to design eight typical scenarios for oil spill diffusion simulation, considering emergency resource locations, river hydrological regimes, and leakage modes. A case study is conducted on an oil pipeline crossing a river in northwest China. Results indicate that the diffusion distance and affected area are primarily controlled by water conditions and emergency resource accessibility. In emergency management, the efficiency of maintenance and repair resources during high-water months should be prioritized. Mechanistically, external forces such as hydraulic and wind forces have a greater influence on diffusion distance, surpassing internal forces like gravity, viscosity, and surface tension within a short time. For river crossings near emergency resources, internal force effects should be considered in oil spill diffusion simulations. When emergency resource arrival times are long, the diffusion distance based on Fay's theory is relatively small and can be neglected in engineering practice. This study provides a computational basis and methodological reference for risk assessment and emergency response to potential oil spills from pipelines crossing rivers, enhancing the scientific and effective nature of risk prevention and emergency handling.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60639-1
Ni/Al2O3 is regarded as one of the most promising catalysts for industrial CO2 methanation, yet it suffers from inadequate low-temperature activity and thermal sintering. To address these challenges, an Ni/CaO-ZrO2-Al2O3 catalyst with high low-temperature activity and robust high-temperature sintering resistance was developed by introducing Ca and Zr promoters. Under reaction conditions of 250 °C and a space velocity of 30000 mL/(g·h), the catalyst achieved a CO2 conversion of 96% and a methane space-time yield of 257.5 mmol/(g·h). In a 200 h aging test at 600 °C, the Ca-Zr dual-promoted catalyst exhibited a smaller increase in Ni particle size and less activity loss compared to the Ca-promoted counterpart. Characterization revealed that Ca and Zr promoters not only improve Ni dispersion but also enhance surface basicity, contributing to excellent low-temperature activity. Furthermore, Zr suppresses the transformation of Ca species into CaCO3 via solid-phase reaction under operating conditions, thereby inhibiting Ni sintering and ensuring high-temperature stability. This work provides a novel promoter design strategy for developing high-performance Ni-based catalysts for CO2 methanation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3998-8
Constitutional isomerism in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has emerged as a powerful strategy to tailor material properties for photocatalytic applications. Here, we report the design and synthesis of two isomeric multicomponent COFs (MC-COFs) via Schiff-base condensation followed by Povarov reaction, converting imine linkages into quinoline structures. These isomeric MC-COFs exhibit opposing C=N bond orientations and distinct phenyl group alignments within the COF pores, leading to different torsion angles in the COF layers. Structural analyses reveal that enhanced planarity promotes π-π stacking and electron delocalization, resulting in favorable band structures and reduced exciton binding energies. Consequently, the optimized COF achieves a superior hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production rate of 3128 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation. This work underscores the critical influence of structural isomerism on the photocatalytic efficiency of MC-COFs and provides insights for rational design of high-performance COF-based photocatalysts.