SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3710-y
Layered transition metal oxide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) suffer from Jahn–Teller distortion of MnO6, Na+/vacancy ordering, and irreversible lattice oxygen loss, causing capacity fading and voltage decay. Here, we report a P2-type material, Na0.67Ni0.3Mn0.6Li0.09Sn0.01O2 (NNMO-Li0.09Sn0.01), co-doped with closed-shell Li+ and Sn4+ ions. Li+ increases the Mn4+/Mn3+ ratio, mitigating Jahn–Teller distortion, and disrupts Ni/Mn ordering, suppressing Na+/vacancy ordering. Sn4+ forms stronger Sn–O bonds (548 kJ mol−1), enhancing bonding between transition metal ions and oxygen, reducing oxygen loss. NNMO-Li0.09Sn0.01 delivers a specific capacity of 90.3 mAh g−1 with 62.9% capacity retention after 50 cycles at 0.1 C (1 C = 200 mA g−1), and 90.3% voltage retention. This closed-shell substitution strategy offers a viable approach for enhancing structural stability of wide-voltage layered oxide cathodes.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3723-4
Molecular hydrogen has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent in respiratory medicine owing to its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Its visibility during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak demonstrated its potential, but the significance of hydrogen therapy extends far beyond a single infection. This review examines pathological features shared across respiratory diseases, with emphasis on viral infections exemplified by SARS-CoV-2, and summarizes advances in hydrogen administration, its biological effects and therapeutic mechanisms. Particular consideration is given to biomaterial-assisted delivery strategies that enable sustained and targeted release in the lung. Clinical studies, including examples from COVID-19, provide evidence for the therapeutic potential of molecular hydrogen and its capacity to support recovery in respiratory diseases. Established administration routes such as inhalation, hydrogen-rich water and hydrogen-enriched saline have been evaluated in both preclinical and clinical settings, while emerging biomaterials provide platforms for controlled release and pulmonary targeting. Future development of hydrogen therapy in respiratory medicine is discussed, with particular focus on optimizing delivery strategies, establishing dose-effect relationships and strengthening long-term clinical evaluation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4014-3
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) methods, including photothermal and photochemical approaches, are promising for flexible electronics yet face distinct limitations. Photothermal methods often produce graphene with uncontrolled structural and functional properties, while photochemical methods are restricted to a narrow range of precursors. To address these limitations, we propose a pressure-driven LIG (P-LIG) method that uses transient laser-generated pressure fields as an additional control parameter to improve graphene quality. An integrated framework combining ultrafast pump–probe interferometric imaging, large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) was developed to investigate this approach. Time-resolved measurements reveal the generation of transient pressure fields during femtosecond laser irradiation of polyimide films, confirming pressure as an intrinsic feature of the process. MD simulations under controlled pressure conditions demonstrate that pressure promotes the nucleation and stacking of graphene layers, resulting in more continuous and planar graphitic networks. XAI analysis quantitatively identifies the important contributions of pressure. These results confirm that the transient pressure introduced by the P-LIG method plays a key role in promoting more ordered, continuous, and planar graphene networks, and enhancing structural integrity and material quality beyond traditional methods. This provides a practical pathway for improving the performance and reliability of LIG-based flexible electronic devices.