SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4267-y
The synthesis of two-dimensional MBenes from MAB-phase ceramics is impeded by uncontrolled etching kinetics that compromise structural integrity and yield. This study introduces a vacuum molten salt strategy to regulate space-charge accumulation during the selective removal of Al from Mo2AlB2, producing honeycomb-like architectures. The vacuum environment suppresses oxidative side reactions and modulates ionic transport, enabling precise control over etching depth and morphology. The resulting Mo2AlB2 exhibits exceptional electromagnetic wave absorption, with a minimum reflection loss of -56.3 dB at 2.4 mm and an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.8 GHz. These metrics surpass conventional etching-derived MBenes by a factor of 2.5 in attenuation capacity. The space-charge-regulated mechanism is elucidated through in situ spectroscopic and computational analyses, revealing that vacancy-induced charge redistribution governs the etching front propagation. This work establishes a scalable route for high-purity MBenes with tailored porosity, addressing critical bottlenecks in energy absorption and catalytic applications. The vacuum molten salt approach eliminates the need for hazardous HF, offering a safer and more environmentally benign pathway for industrial translation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4365-2
The intrinsic trade-off between sensitivity and linear range in piezoresistive tactile sensors has constrained their adoption in high-fidelity flexible electronics. This study introduces a layer-by-layer gradient conductivity (LGC) architecture that decouples these competing metrics. Through sequential deposition of conductive layers with decreasing filler content, the LGC resistive layer establishes a monotonic resistance–pressure relationship. The optimized LGC0.4@3 sensor achieves a record sensitivity of 0.4 kPa⁻¹ and a linear range extending to 300 kPa, as evidenced by relative electrical response measurements (Figure 1d). Dynamic monitoring of ground slope changes and convexity/concavity features (Figure 1e,f) confirms real-time operational stability. The gradient design mitigates percolation saturation, enabling linear output across three orders of magnitude. This advance addresses a critical bottleneck in tactile sensing, offering a scalable pathway for robotic proprioception and wearable health monitors. The fabrication protocol is compatible with roll-to-roll processing, with potential for cost parity against commercial capacitive sensors. Industrial translation requires further validation under cyclic loading and environmental aging, but the demonstrated metrics position LGC sensors as a viable alternative for applications demanding both high sensitivity and broad dynamic range.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4298-x
Conventional electrochemical artificial muscles rely on liquid electrolytes, which suffer from poor encapsulation processability, high leakage risks, and inadequate biocompatibility, limiting their application in bionic medicine, wearable exoskeletons, and humanoid robots. To address these bottlenecks, we fabricated a polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylic acid (PVA-PAA) double-network hydrogel electrolyte and integrated it with twisted carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns via ultraviolet curing, constructing an all-solid-state artificial muscle unit. The unit maintained structural integrity and actuation performance after mechanical deformation treatments such as weaving and knotting. Experimentally, it achieved a maximum contractile stroke of 16% at −1 to 1.8 V and generated an isometric force of approximately 500 mN at −1 to 2 V. The solid-state artificial muscles exhibited excellent mechanical properties, compact size, and high flexibility, offering new opportunities for applications in bionic medical devices and intelligent robots.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3700-7
Photocatalytic synthesis has been considered a promising technology for solar-to-chemicals conversion. Here, a series of novel photocatalysts was synthesized by decorating uranyl sites on imine-based covalent organic frameworks (i-COF) and proved functioning for the uniformly boosted H2O2 production by 1.6–10.1 folds compared with the bare i-COFs in a wide pH range from 2 to 11. Typically, an optimal H2O2 production rate of 1435.9 μmol g−1 h−1, i.e., 28.72 mmol g(U)−1 h−1, was realized over uranyl decorated TTa-COFs under visible light. Systematic investigations reveal that the universally and remarkably promoted performance is attributed to the outstanding electron-transfer ability, accelerated activation of molecular oxygen and favored formation of ·O2− and *OOH as the key intermediate by virtue of the decorated uranyl ions; thus the two-step single-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for H2O2 photo-generation is significantly facilitated. This work paves a new way for the uranyl-decorated COFs as a novel photocatalyst and provides in-depth insight to the reaction mechanism for photocatalytic H2O2 production.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3707-8
Wound infection is a major cause of death during the wound healing process. Improperly dressed wounds can lead to secondary injury, prolonging healing time and increasing infection risk. Here, we propose an antibacterial slippery dressing through molecular engineering of copper ions. The oil layer forms a barrier to reduce clot adhesion to the wound site and prevent environmental contamination. Single-cell level detection indicates that secreted copper ions induce bacterial death not only by disrupting membrane integrity but also by relying on the production of reactive oxygen species. Further membrane depolarization and adenosine triphosphate production blockage result in the aggregation of important proteins in various biological processes, such as metabolic homeostasis, ultimately leading to bacterial death. The animal model confirms that our dressing accelerates wound healing by promoting the growth of granulation tissue and collagen deposition. Our dressing demonstrates significant clinical implications for the design of next-generation therapeutic applications.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024110202
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an environmentally friendly biochemical technology for waste treatment and renewable energy production, yet its methane conversion efficiency remains suboptimal. This study employed flux balance analysis (FBA) to determine the optimal temperature for methane production in AD, and subsequently regulated key flexible nodes in the metabolic pathway to maximize methane flux. At the optimal temperature of 40 °C, up-regulating the acetyl-CoA flexible node increased methane flux by 48.5%, while up-regulating the acetate node increased it by 36.6%. The higher improvement via acetyl-CoA regulation is attributed to the fact that 40 °C is unfavorable for hydrogen-producing acetogenic bacteria, making acetyl-CoA the critical control point. These findings demonstrate that flexible node regulation can overcome the limitations of temperature optimization alone. The FBA methodology provides a reliable, cost-effective approach for optimizing target product yields in AD and other fermentation systems, requiring only input and output measurements to resolve intermediate metabolic fluxes.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604024
To enhance sludge dewatering efficiency, an MnFe2O4/BC/PMS system was constructed for sludge disintegration. Single-factor and multi-factor experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of MnFe2O4/BC (MFB) dosage, PMS dosage, and reaction time on sludge dewatering performance, establishing the optimal process parameters and the primary-secondary relationships among environmental factors. Active species identification in the MnFe2O4/BC/PMS system revealed the main free radicals responsible for sludge disintegration and the primary pathways of EPS breakdown. Results showed that the influence order of environmental factors on sludge moisture content (Wc) and total organic carbon (TOC) was MFB > PMS > reaction time, while the interaction effects followed MFB-PMS > PMS-reaction time > MFB-reaction time. Optimal dewatering occurred at MFB dosage of 132.99 mg/g DS, PMS dosage of 421.80 mg/g DS, and 18 min reaction time, achieving Wc of 45.8% and TOC of 489.2 mg/L. The ·OH and SO4−· radicals released from MnFe2O4/BC-activated PMS oxidized protein main chains, causing peptide chain breakage. This primarily reduced protein content in sludge from 174.6 mg/L to 75.7 mg/L, with TB-EPS protein content decreasing from 91.8 mg/L to 36.3 mg/L, thereby reducing EPS hydrophilicity and improving sludge dewatering efficiency.
New Carbon Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(26)61093-1
Advanced catalyst structures with good active site accessibility and strong metal-support interactions are crucial for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysis. A hierarchically porous Pt catalyst supported on honeycomb-like nitrogen-doped carbon (Pt/HNC-400, where 400 denotes the optimal dosage (mg) of the sacrificial SiO2 hard template used during synthesis) was fabricated by combining template-assisted pyrolysis and alcohol reduction. The fabrication involves the template-assisted pyrolysis of ZIF-67 (which provides the N-dopant through its 2-methylimidazole ligand) followed by HF etching to completely remove the SiO2, yielding a 3D interconnected porous carbon support. Compared to a commercial Pt/C, it had an exceptional ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.901 V (41 mV higher), a mass activity at 0.9 V that was 15.3 times higher, and significantly improved durability (a half-wave potential decay of 25 mV vs. 80 mV after 10,000 accelerated durability tests (ADTs)). Mechanistic investigations showed that this superior performance is due to the combined effects of the 3D porous structure, ultrafine Pt nanoparticles with strong metal-support interactions, and in-situ formed Co-Nx moieties from the pyrolysis of precursor ZIF-67. After 10,000 ADTs it was shown to have excellent structural integrity, retaining 87.4% of its initial electrochemically active surface area (102.7 m2 g−1). This study may assist the development of new high-performance ORR catalysts.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202510028
This study investigates the aging mechanism of polystyrene microplastics (PS MPs) induced by ultraviolet (UV)-activated potassium persulfate (KPS) and its influence on the adsorption of norfloxacin (NOR). Results show that aged PS exhibited yellowing, increased surface roughness and specific surface area, enhanced oxygen-containing functional groups, and elevated negative surface charge, along with the generation of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs). Compared with UV alone, UV+KPS induced more pronounced aging due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (O2·−). Adsorption kinetics and isotherm data revealed that UV+KPS-aged PS significantly enhanced NOR adsorption, with a maximum adsorption capacity of (2.539±0.032) mg·g−1, which was 4.20 times higher than that of pristine PS. The adsorption mechanism was governed by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and pore filling. Solution pH modulated the electrostatic interactions by affecting NOR speciation and PS surface charge, thereby influencing NOR adsorption. This study systematically reveals the accelerated aging of coexisting MPs and EPFRs generation during UV+KPS treatment, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of MPs environmental behavior and potential ecological risks.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606015
This study evaluated the sustainability and tissue-specific mechanisms of corn stover as a solid-phase carbon source for nitrate removal from groundwater. Cyclic heterotrophic denitrification experiments were conducted using leaf, stem pith, stem bark, stem node, husk, and mixed tissues as carbon sources. Denitrification efficiency, sustainability, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release, carbon utilization efficiency, intermediate accumulation, and environmental parameters were systematically assessed. Kinetic modeling, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to elucidate regulatory mechanisms. Results demonstrated that mixed tissues and husk achieved the highest denitrification efficiency, with nitrate removal rates consistently above 98% across four repeated cycles. Total nitrogen removal reached 39.30 mg/g for mixed tissues and 39.95 mg/g for husk, while byproduct concentrations (NO2-N and NH4-N) remained below 2 mg/L. DOC release profiles indicated stable carbon release and high carbon utilization efficiency (203.99 mg TN/g organic carbon for mixed tissues; 182.41 mg/g for husk). Correlation and SEM analyses revealed that carbon source type indirectly governed total nitrogen removal by modulating DOC release, which subsequently influenced pH, electrical conductivity, and nitrogen transformation pathways. Significant differences among tissues were observed in denitrification efficiency, carbon utilization, and micro-environmental regulation. Mixed tissues and husk emerged as superior carbon sources due to their combined efficiency and stability. However, husk released odorous compounds during operation, posing sensory challenges for practical application. The findings support the potential of corn stover tissues as cost-effective carbon sources for in-situ groundwater nitrate remediation, though further optimization is required for field-scale implementation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3810-y
Amorphous metal-organic frameworks (aMOFs), with abundant defects and unsaturated coordination sites, are ideal precursors for investigating electrocatalytic reconstruction mechanisms. However, systematic understanding of how different modulation strategies affect reconstruction pathways and final active species remains lacking. Here, an amorphous MOF constructed from 3,4,9,10-pyrene-tetracarboxylic acid (PTA) serves as a controllable precursor to compare doping and alloying effects on structural reconstruction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Doping promotes preferential reconstruction into Fe-rich (oxy)hydroxides with more exposed active sites, whereas alloying yields Fe-Co mixed (oxy)hydroxides with limited site exposure. The doped system FeCo0.05-PTA exhibits outstanding OER activity in alkaline conditions, with overpotentials of 208 and 248 mV at 50 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, and a low Tafel slope of 36.2 mV dec−1. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) captures the OOH* intermediate, confirming the adsorbate evolution mechanism. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the doped system has the lowest free-energy barrier (ΔG = 0.59 eV) at the rate-determining step. This study underscores the decisive role of precursor design, elucidates distinct effects of doping and alloying on reconstruction pathways and final properties of amorphous MOF-derived (oxy)hydroxides, and provides insights for designing related electrocatalysts.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4074-6
Achieving carbon neutralization relies heavily on green hydrogen and electrochemical carbon-nitrogen cycles. However, the complexity of these systems and the cost of traditional Edisonian trial-and-error methods hinder rapid progress. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool, enabling high-throughput data processing and dynamic adaptation. This review surveys the landscape of AI-driven electrochemistry, bridging the gap from atomic-scale design to industrial-scale implementation. Specifically, we focus on three areas: atomic structure-function decoding, fully automated “self-driving” laboratories, and macro-scale simulations for device durability. Furthermore, we elucidate the critical challenges in integrating AI with materials science. By mapping current trends and future directions, this work aims to unlock the full transformative potential of AI in next-generation energy storage and conversion.