SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3761-7
Ruthenium-based materials, including metallic Ru and RuO2, are promising electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting (EWS) due to their high activity for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their practical application is hindered by the relatively strong adsorption of reaction intermediates on Ru surfaces and the oxidative dissolution of RuO2 under operating conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress and challenges in Ru-based electrocatalysts for EWS. We first summarize the fundamentals of EWS, including reaction mechanisms and activity descriptors. Then, we detail typical synthesis methods such as hydrothermal/solvothermal syntheses, organic ligand-assisted syntheses, pyrolysis, acid etching, cation exchange, and molten salt-assisted syntheses. Subsequently, we focus on enhancement strategies, including alloying, doping, structure design, interface engineering, single-atom catalyst design, high-entropy alloy design, phase engineering, and defect engineering, with typical examples illustrating structure-property correlations. Finally, we address remaining challenges and future prospects for the development of efficient and durable Ru-based electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3903-4
Cross-wavelength near-perfect light capture technology is crucial in various fields, including spectroscopy, energy conversion, and electromagnetic control. Nevertheless, the primary challenge in broadband absorption is effectively coordinating the intrinsic response behavior of various electromagnetic waves across the nanometer-centimeter scale when interacting with matter. By adopting a multi-scale structural design strategy, the carbon-zirconium heterointerface is integrated into the macroscopic periodic unit cell (PUC) to develop an ultra-wideband light capture material. The optical coupling effect, strengthened by electronic transitions, molecular motion, and spatial scattering effects, endows ZC-PUC with exceptional light-capture performance ranging from ultraviolet to microwave frequencies. Specifically, the ZC-PUC absorber possesses a near-perfect absorption rate of 95.7% across the ultraviolet-visible-infrared spectrum (190–2500 nm), and an effective absorption coverage of 99.99% in the microwave and terahertz bands (1997.9 GHz). More importantly, the as-prepared material maintains the morphology structure and physical phase even when exposed to an alkaline or acidic environment for 365 days and simultaneously possesses stable light capture properties. The easily scalable approach retains excellent structural stability and ultra-wideband light trapping capability under extreme conditions, offering a versatile platform for the development of next-generation devices.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60681-0
The escalation of global warming and climate change necessitates the development of clean energy carriers. Hydrogen, with a high combustion value of 120 MJ/kg and net-zero carbon emissions, is a promising alternative. Catalytic methane pyrolysis offers a route to produce high-purity hydrogen and functional carbon materials simultaneously. However, challenges persist in catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposition and the efficient separation and valorization of carbon byproducts. This review systematically examines recent progress in solid and molten-medium catalysts for methane pyrolysis. It highlights strategies to enhance catalyst stability, including precise control of active sites, alloying, support optimization, and tuning the carbon-catalyst interface. The introduction of molten media catalytic systems, which feature dynamically refreshed gas-liquid interfaces, can fundamentally mitigate deactivation and facilitate continuous carbon separation. The paper discusses reaction mechanisms, catalytic performance, and control of carbon morphology, along with strategies for efficient separation and purification of carbon products in molten media. High-value applications of the produced carbon materials are also explored. The review underscores the potential of methane pyrolysis as a low-carbon technology for hydrogen production, while identifying key research directions for industrial scalability.