SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4320-4
Colloidal lead halide perovskite quantum dots (Pe-QDs) have achieved external quantum efficiencies exceeding 20% in red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), yet their integration into high-resolution displays is impeded by two persistent bottlenecks: the intrinsic ionic lability of Pe-QDs, which compromises structural and environmental stability, and the absence of mild, high-fidelity patterning techniques that avoid ligand detachment and surface defect formation. This work addresses both obstacles through a dual strategy. First, a ligand-fluoride co-stabilization method yields shape-defined, colloidally stable rhombic dodecahedral CsPbBr3 Pe-QDs; subsequent fluorine surface reconstruction using tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) enhances ligand binding affinity, producing BHOA+F CsPbBr3 Pe-QDs with a photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of 94.6%. Accelerated ageing, ultraviolet irradiation, and thermal cycling tests confirm improved structural and environmental stability. Second, capillary liquid-bridge confined assembly enables reproducible, scalable fabrication of pixelated Pe-QDs with in-plane long-range order, vertical confinement, and precise spatial patterning. The resulting pixelated Pe-QDs LEDs exhibit high efficiency, sufficient brightness, and long operational stability, with the approach generalizable across red, green, and blue Pe-QDs for wide color gamut displays. This combination of surface fluorination and liquid-bridge assembly represents a landmark achievement in high-resolution display technology.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4479-8
The von Neumann architecture is increasingly constrained by energy consumption and data-transfer efficiency as artificial intelligence and data-intensive applications expand. Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the human brain's information-processing mechanisms, offers an alternative paradigm. Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric materials are promising candidates due to their intrinsic non-volatility, atomic-scale thickness, ultra-low power consumption, excellent fatigue endurance, and dangling-bond-free surfaces. This review examines recent advances in 2D ferroelectric materials and associated device architectures for neuromorphic applications. It first introduces ferroelectric mechanisms and representative 2D ferroelectrics, then surveys key device architectures including ferroelectric tunnel junctions, diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic devices. Their applications in in-memory computing and in-sensor neuromorphic systems are discussed, with emphasis on artificial neural networks, spiking neural networks, reservoir computing, and neuromorphic perception for efficient information processing and intelligent sensing. The unique properties of 2D ferroelectrics enable integrated sensing, memory, and computing functionalities, demonstrating potential for future neuromorphic and brain-inspired intelligent systems.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4498-7
Two-dimensional porphyrin-based hypercrosslinked polymers (TPP-HCPs) were synthesized via room-temperature interfacial polymerization using 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin and 1,3,5-trioxane. The resulting TPP-HCPs exhibited a BET surface area of 548 m2 g-1 and a CO2 uptake of 7.97 wt% at 1 bar and 298 K. CuO/TPP-HCPs nanospheres were fabricated by thermal conversion of Cu(NO3)2·3H2O in DMF at 135 °C, using TPP-HCPs as dynamic templates. This in-situ strategy generated CuO nanoparticles within the conjugated porous matrix, facilitating electron transfer and enhancing CO2 access to catalytic centers. In CO2 electroreduction, the composite achieved a total gas Faradaic efficiency exceeding 90% at ~500 mA cm-2 (-1.4 V vs. RHE), with 40.9% for C2H4, 8.2% for CH4, 31.9% for CO, and 12.3% for H2. The catalyst maintained stability over 24 h in an H-cell. These results demonstrate that 2D conjugated polymer-templated catalysts can sustain high-rate CO2 conversion to value-added products, offering a viable route for industrial CO2 utilization.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4381-5
Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3)-based alloys remain the benchmark for low-temperature thermoelectric applications, yet their conversion efficiency is limited by the trade-off between electrical and thermal transport. This study introduces a pseudo grain boundary engineering strategy to simultaneously enhance the average figure of merit (ZT) in p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 (BST) materials. By incorporating Ag-based compounds, the carrier concentration is optimized via substitution of Ag+ ions, while the introduction of secondary phases at grain boundaries effectively suppresses lattice thermal conductivity. The approach yields a peak ZT of 1.35 at 393 K and an average ZT of 1.25 across 303–483 K, representing a significant improvement over pristine BST. Compared to prior reports, this work achieves superior average ZT while maintaining high electrical conductivity, addressing the longstanding bottleneck of thermal conductivity reduction without compromising carrier mobility. The findings underscore the efficacy of pseudo grain boundary engineering in advancing Bi2Te3-based thermoelectrics for solid-state cooling and power generation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3803-8
The molecular copolymerization of donor-acceptor (D-A) interactions has been effectively utilized to modulate the charge transfer dynamics in polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) photocatalysts. Herein, a D-A configured photocatalyst (TPCN) was constructed by copolymerizing 4,4’,4’’-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl) trianiline (TAPT) as the electron donor with triazine units (electron acceptor). The unique propeller structure of TAPT, combined with the triazine framework, expanded the π-conjugated system and induced a strong built-in electric field (BIEF) across the D-A configuration. Theoretical calculations and transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that this synergistic effect facilitated intramolecular charge separation and widened the range of light absorption, indicating accelerated charge transfer and suppressed recombination in TPCN. The optimized TPCN3 sample exhibited dramatically enhanced photocatalytic H2O2 production (1.74 mmol g−1 h−1), representing a 13.4-fold increase over pristine PCN. Additionally, the TPCN3 sample also exhibited significantly faster degradation kinetics than PCN counterpart toward various emerging contaminants. This work demonstrates a promising strategy for designing efficient metal-free photocatalysts for sustainable H2O2 production and environmental remediation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3698-5
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical bottleneck in next-generation sustainable energy systems due to its sluggish kinetics. Developing cost-effective, high-efficiency electrocatalysts requires understanding the dynamic structural evolution at electrode-electrolyte interfaces under operating conditions. In situ techniques are invaluable for identifying active centers and monitoring key intermediates. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in cutting-edge in situ methods for characterizing OER electrocatalyst structure evolution. It provides a brief overview of active motifs and robust structures using multiple in situ correlative techniques, establishing essential structure-performance relationships and updating mechanistic understanding at atomic scale under realistic conditions. Key challenges and perspectives are highlighted to promote rational design of promising electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen-associated electrocatalysis and electrosynthesis.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3706-3
Aprotic lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries are severely limited by slow cathode reaction kinetics and large polarization. Herein, we design and prepare a Mott-Schottky catalyst by uniformly embedding ultrafine Ru nanoparticles on nitrogen-doped carbon (Ru@NC) nanoflakes to accelerate oxygen redox kinetics of Li-O2 batteries. The Mott-Schottky effect of Ru@NC drives spontaneous electron rearrangement in the NC matrix and induces a strong built-in electric field at heterointerfaces, which accelerates the activation and conversion of oxygen intermediates. The obtained Ru@NC possesses rich Mott-Schottky heterointerfaces and defective carbon structures, which provide extensive adsorption and nucleation sites. More importantly, Ru@NC manifests moderate affinity for the intermediate LiO2, inducing formation of unique nanosheet-like Li2O2 with low Li2O2/cathode interfacial impedance, which further enhances oxidation kinetics. These enable the Li-O2 battery with Ru@NC to deliver a remarkably reduced polarization of 0.89 V, superior rate performance, and prolonged lifespan of over 200 cycles. This work will provide valuable guidelines for engineering advanced electrocatalysts for high-performance Li-O2 batteries and beyond.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3506-3
Metallic glasses (MGs) often suffer from sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics in neutral and alkaline media, with their catalytic performance predominantly confined to acidic environments. Herein, we reported a novel thermoplastic forming technique to fabricate a self-supported partially crystallized nanoporous Pt56.2Ni5.2Cu16.8P21.8 metallic glass (C-NPMG). The C-NPMG catalyst delivers ultralow overpotentials of 18.0 mV (0.5 M H2SO4), 42.2 mV (1 M KOH), and 88.0 mV (1 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, outperforming most state-of-the-art non-noble MGs and Pt-based benchmarks across all pH conditions. Notably, it maintains negligible performance decay for over 1000 h in alkaline electrolytes, showcasing superior stability. Experimental and computational analyses reveal that the enhanced HER activity arises from three synergistic effects: (1) the high-specific-surface-area nanoporous architecture that maximizes active site exposure; (2) the formation of crystallite-amorphous interfaces during partial crystallization, which lowers the energy barrier for H2 desorption; (3) the hierarchical super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic wettability of the C-NPMG, which optimizes mass transport and prevents electrolyte-induced corrosion. This work establishes a novel design paradigm for developing high-performance, pH-universal HER electrocatalysts by integrating structural nano-engineering and crystallite-amorphous phase synergy in metallic glass systems to overcome the trade-offs between performance and stability in electrochemical water splitting.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3672-8
Pore-tuning engineering is an effective strategy for designing catalysts for energy storage and conversion. Here, we report a rhombic dodecahedral iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon (Fe-N-C) material with hierarchical micro-mesoporous structures, synthesized using mesoporous silica as both pore template and iron source. The resulting catalyst (m-Fe/NC) exhibits significantly enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity, with half-wave potentials of 0.81 V and 0.88 V in acidic and alkaline media, respectively. When employed as a cathode in zinc-air batteries, m-Fe/NC delivers a superior specific capacity of 815 mAh g_Zn^-1 and a stable cell voltage of 1.31 V at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2. Advanced characterization and theoretical calculations reveal that the mesoporous structure not only increases active site exposure but also induces a curvature-induced strain effect on concave surfaces, which enhances intrinsic activity. This work provides insights for developing innovative nanoporous electrocatalysts.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3770-9
Intramolecular through-space charge-transfer (TSCT)-enabled thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters have shown exceptional potential for advancing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technologies, owing to their efficient utilization of triplet excitons and optimized photophysical properties. To date, the intrinsic correlation among molecular geometries, intramolecular non-covalent interactions, and photophysical properties in TSCT-TADF emitters remains unconfirmed, and this study theoretically clarifies this critical correlation. Specifically, through integrating molecular engineering, screening strategies, first-principles calculations, energy decomposition analysis, and statistical modeling, we systematically investigated 24 experimentally reported TADF molecules, and 54 newly designed structures in both solution and thin-film environments. We establish a clear geometric criterion for high-efficiency TSCT-TADF emitters: donor-acceptor (D-A) dihedral angles below 25° and interfragment distances within 4 Å—conditions validated by both theoretical predictions and experimental evidence. Based on this insight, we designed two novel molecular libraries with benzene- or carbazole-derivative bridges, using O-bridged triphenylamine (DPXZ) as the donor and quinolino[3,2,1-de]acridine-5,9-dione (QAO) as the acceptor. Our calculations confirm that sub-25° D-A dihedral angles correlate with exceptional delayed fluorescence efficiency, with predictions reaching up to 96% and an average of 70% for the new thin film systems. This study provides a rational design strategy for high-performance TSCT-TADF emitters, significantly advancing the molecular-level understanding of through-space interactions and accelerating the discovery of tailored, efficient OLED materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3708-y
Polar two-dimensional (2D) perovskites, with their excellent semiconductor properties, intrinsic anisotropy, and bulk photovoltaic effect, have emerged as promising candidates for self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetectors. However, these self-driven polarized detectors typically require fabrication along the spontaneous polarization direction to maintain device operation in the self-driven mode, which imposes additional limitations. Herein, we demonstrate multidirectional self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetection by constructing 2D perovskite-based asymmetric contact devices, Ag/2D perovskite/C. The built-in electric field, originating from the difference in work functions, acts as the driving force for the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Notably, this approach does not necessitate a specific direction, thereby enabling multidirectional self-driven photodetection. Under excitation by linearly polarized light, our devices exhibit impressive polarization-sensitive discrimination in multiple directions, achieving polarization ratios of 3.3 and 3.1 along the a and b-axes, respectively. Our work enriches the approaches enabling self-driven polarization-sensitive photodetection, free from the previous limitations.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3727-0
Lead halide perovskites are promising scintillators for X-ray imaging due to high X-ray absorption efficiency, excellent luminescence, and facile synthesis. However, their ionic nature challenges simultaneous high photoluminescence efficiency and environmental robustness. This work introduces a multilevel encapsulation strategy: CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) are sequentially coated with Cs4PbBr6, SiO2, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Cs4PbBr6 passivates surface defects, while SiO2 and PDMS provide barriers against moisture, heat, and radiation. The resulting CsPbBr3@Cs4PbBr6/SiO2/PDMS flexible films exhibit a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 85%, outstanding mechanical flexibility, and durability under stretching, bending, and compressing. Films retain emission stability under elevated temperatures, prolonged X-ray irradiation, and extended water immersion. X-ray imaging demonstrates spatial resolution of 12 lp/mm, enabling distortion-free imaging of curved objects; superior water resistance allows long-term underwater imaging. This work highlights hierarchical encapsulation in balancing luminescence efficiency and stability, offering a pathway toward practical flexible perovskite scintillators.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024112804
The rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments poses serious threats to public health and environmental safety under the 'One Health' framework. Nanoplastics (NPs), as co-occurring pollutants, can exacerbate ARG risks by promoting horizontal gene transfer (HGT), yet the influence of different functional groups on extracellular ARG (eARG) transformation remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of carboxy-modified polystyrene NPs (PS-COOH) and amino-functionalized polystyrene NPs (PS-NH2) compared to unmodified polystyrene NPs (PS) on the transformation of the extracellular resistance plasmid IE-V1955 (carrying an ampicillin resistance gene) into Escherichia coli DH5α. Results showed that PS-COOH exposure promoted plasmid transformation similarly to PS, with effects increasing over 0.1–20 mg·L−1. Low concentrations (0.1–0.5 mg·L−1) of PS-NH2 also enhanced transformation, with stronger effects than PS-COOH at equal doses, whereas high concentrations (1–20 mg·L−1) inhibited it. Mechanistically, PS-COOH (0.1–20 mg·L−1) and low PS-NH2 induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased cell membrane permeability, elevated the protein-to-polysaccharide ratio in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and promoted biofilm formation, thereby facilitating transformation. High PS-NH2 concentrations caused excessive ROS leading to cell lysis and formed aggregates with plasmids larger than membrane pores, blocking uptake. These findings provide a theoretical basis for assessing the combined environmental health risks of NPs and ARGs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3884-1
Sliding ferroelectricity arises from lateral interlayer shifts in stacked two-dimensional van der Waals materials, where relative sliding of one layer over another breaks inversion symmetry and generates switchable polarization. This novel mechanism enables intrinsically nonpolar crystals to exhibit ferroelectric behavior via specific stacking arrangements, expanding the pool of potential ferroelectrics. Distinctive features include ultralow switching barriers, exceptional endurance over millions to trillions of cycles, and ultrafast polarization reversal on sub-nanosecond timescales, surpassing conventional ferroelectrics. This review begins with theoretical models of sliding ferroelectricity, followed by experimental verification and characterization techniques. It then discusses recent advances in polarization-switching kinetics, domain wall dynamics, topological polar structures, multiple polarization states, optical probing, and active modulation strategies. Finally, challenges and future prospects for two-dimensional sliding ferroelectric materials are addressed.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3956-0
Chiral organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides (OIHMHs) are multifunctional materials with structural diversity and chiroptical properties. However, current chiral OIHMHs predominantly exhibit circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in the visible spectrum, while ultraviolet and near-infrared (NIR) CPL remains challenging. Here, we report lead-free chiral zero-dimensional (0D) OIHMHs, (R/S-DACH)2In2Br10:Sb3+/Yb3+ (DACH = 1,2-diaminocyclohexane), featuring spectrally tunable CPL emissions covering visible to NIR regions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, circular dichroism, and CPL spectroscopy revealed that robust hydrogen-bonding interactions between organic cations and inorganic emitters are crucial for chirality expression. Sb3+-doped (R/S-DACH)2In2Br10 single crystals exhibited intense broadband emission at 644 nm from the 3P1 to 1S0 transition of Sb3+, achieving a record photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 49.9% (two orders of magnitude higher than pristine crystals) and a luminescence dissymmetry factor (glum) of ±7.1×10−3. Notably, Sb3+/Yb3+ co-doped crystals simultaneously generated dual-band CPL at 644 nm (glum = ±2.1×10−2) and 994 nm (glum = ±6.8×10−3), representing an important example of NIR-CPL in OIHMHs. An LED device based on (R-DACH)2In2Br10:2.7%Sb3+ exhibited bright orange emission with a color-rendering index of 78.4 and excellent spectral and operational stabilities. These findings establish a design strategy for broadband CPL and expand applications of chiral metal halides in advanced optoelectronics.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202509049
This study systematically compared three virus enrichment and concentration methods—polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, aluminum salt coagulation, and centrifugal ultrafiltration—for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in high-turbidity, high-strength wastewater from inbound flights. The aluminum salt coagulation method exhibited the best overall performance, achieving an average recovery rate of 25.95% for SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, significantly higher than PEG precipitation (12.91%) and centrifugal ultrafiltration (0.22%) (P<0.05). Its detection limit reached 10 copies·mL⁻¹, whereas centrifugal ultrafiltration suffered severe membrane fouling, limiting detection to 1,000 copies·mL⁻¹. Considering the high pH buffering of flight wastewater, the aluminum salt method was optimized by adjusting pH to 6.00±0.4, employing rapid magnetic stirring, and reducing mixing time to 1 minute, yielding an average recovery of 27.56% (not significantly different from the original 25.95%, P>0.05). An automated enrichment device was developed based on the optimized method, reducing processing time per sample from 115 min to 60 min while maintaining comparable recovery and improved repeatability. Applied to 1,309 wastewater samples from inbound flights between January 2024 and May 2025, the average detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 was 45.45%, with trends consistent with national COVID-19 epidemiological data. The automated device demonstrates suitability for routine surveillance, providing technical support for port epidemic prevention.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025112603
The cycloaddition of carbon dioxide (CO2) to epoxides (CCE) is a 100% atom-economical transformation yielding cyclic carbonates, which are valuable chemical products. This reaction valorizes CO2 as a carbon feedstock, mitigating the greenhouse effect and aligning with carbon neutrality goals. Conventional covalent organic framework (COF) catalysts often require co-catalysts to achieve high efficiency. To address this, we designed and prepared a series of ionic COFs, denoted EB-BT(nOH), that simultaneously incorporate acid (hydroxyl), base (nitrogen), and nucleophilic bromide (Br−) functionalities. These materials efficiently catalyze the CCE reaction without any co-catalyst. Among them, EB-BT(OH) exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving a 99% yield of the target product at 120 °C and 2.0 MPa CO2 pressure. By systematically varying the hydroxyl content in the COF backbone, we investigated the critical role of hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) in the CCE reaction. This work provides new design principles for COF-based catalysts for CCE, eliminating the need for co-catalysts and enhancing process sustainability.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3851-3
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) face critical challenges from zinc anode instability, including corrosion, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), parasitic byproduct formation, and uncontrolled dendrite growth. To address these issues, we developed a multifunctional cerium-based metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF) coating for zinc anodes. The coating features an ordered porous structure and inherent properties that mitigate HER, suppress side reactions, and inhibit dendrite formation. Symmetric cells using Ce-MOF/Zn demonstrated exceptional cycling stability for over 2060 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 with a low hysteresis polarization of 26 mV. In full cells with an I2@AC cathode, the Ce-MOF/Zn||I2@AC achieved outstanding cycling stability of 28,550 cycles at 5 A g−1, with 91% capacity retention (109.6 mAh g−1). Through integrated characterization employing in-situ optical microscopy, ex-situ XRD, SEM, and DFT calculations, we elucidated the multifunctional mechanism: the Ce-MOF coating facilitates preferential (002)-oriented Zn deposition to suppress dendrites, reduces Zn2+ desolvation energy to enhance deposition kinetics, and modulates interfacial chemistry to mitigate HER and corrosion. This work establishes Ce-MOF coatings as a simple yet powerful strategy for developing high-performance zinc anodes, providing critical insights for advancing practical AZIB technologies.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3901-2
This work presents a cracked template and vacuum metal evaporation strategy for fabricating structurally randomized copper (Cu) mesh films. Regulating the internal stress distribution within the coating during template cracking enables controlled fabrication of Cu mesh films with varying discrete degrees of mesh aperture area and distinct probability distributions of metal line inclination. The influence of structural parameter randomization on properties was systematically investigated, encompassing higher-order diffraction energy homogenization, optoelectronic performance, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). Results demonstrate that increasing structural randomization effectively suppresses higher-order diffraction energy, achieving a reduction to −3.93 dB in normalized higher-order diffraction energy. Furthermore, the Cu mesh film exhibited minimal degradation on imaging system performance, with resolution decreasing only marginally from 80.6 to 71.8 lp/mm. Simultaneously, the most randomized Cu mesh film demonstrates an ultra-low sheet resistance (3.31 Ω/sq), high visible light transmittance (88.7% at 550 nm), an exceptional figure of merit (FoM=913.69), and robust EMI SE within the X-band (average SE of 33.18 dB). These findings underscore that metal mesh films incorporating structural randomization offer an effective strategy for enhancing EMI shielding in high-performance optoelectronic imaging systems.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4025-y
Gd3+-sensitized Tb3+-based glasses are high light-yield scintillators. Energy transfer sensitization between Gd3+ and Tb3+ is well-recognized. Gd3+ ions are also found to typically modulate the interionic distances of Tb3+ ions; however, the mechanism why this effect enhances the latter’s photoluminescence still remains unclear. This work focuses on Gd3+, Tb3+ co-doped La2O3-B2O3-SiO2 (LBSO), first demonstrating Tb3+ clusters via spectroscopy. LBSO’s optimal Tb3+ single-doping concentration is 37%, rising to 50% with 20% Gd3+. The LBSO:20%Gd3+,50%Tb3+ sample exhibits a 542 nm emission intensity 2.22 times that of the 37%Tb3+ single-doped sample, 38% scintillation efficiency (vs. BGO), and >20 lp mm−1 X-ray resolution. The introduction of Gd3+ increases the interionic distance between Tb3+ ions within the clusters, thereby suppressing the concentration quenching effect and enhancing the fluorescence emission. We propose this mechanism as “cluster-dispersion sensitization effect”. This effect was further confirmed in other glass systems (LBSO:Lu3+, Tb3+, LBSO:Y3+, Tb3+, Bi-based:Lu3+, Tb3+, etc.). Spectroscopic analysis shows Gd3+-Tb3+ energy transfer efficiency up to 80%. In conclusion, Gd3+ synergistically enhances Tb3+ fluorescence via both effects. These findings not only fully elucidate the sensitization mechanism of Gd3+ ions in Gd3+, Tb3+ co-doped scintillating glasses but also provide new insights for researching the manipulation of activator ion clusters in luminescent materials. In search for novel scintillators, cluster-dispersion sensitization effect may greatly improve their spatial resolution via intrinsic architectures design in glasses, ceramics, thin films, and nanoparticles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4011-7
Biomass-derived room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) carbon dots (CDs) hold great promise for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. However, achieving solid-state matrix-free long-lived CDs with time-dependent phosphorescence colors (TDPC) remains challenging due to aggregation-induced quenching. Here, solid-state matrix-free RTP phosphorus-doped CDs (P-CDs) are developed via one-step hydrothermal treatment of feather powder and phytic acid. The resulting P-CDs powder exhibits bright blue fluorescence under UV illumination and unprecedented TDPC shifting from yellow to green after UV removal, with afterglow lasting 12 s (average lifetime 1.15 s). Enhanced RTP is attributed to increased triplet-state excitons via spin-orbit coupling induced by P-doping. A dual-mode luminescent ink formulated by combining P-CDs with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is successfully applied to commercial A4 paper, showing pronounced TDPC (light-yellow to green) with improved RTP lifetime (1.31 s) after ceasing UV irradiation. The P-CDs/PVA ink demonstrates excellent anti-counterfeiting and information encryption capabilities, outstanding luminescent durability, and broad practicability on cellulosic substrates including fabric and paper. These findings provide a strategy for exploiting matrix-free solid-state RTP P-CDs with distinctive TDPC properties and offer a sustainable route to converting feather wastes into high-value materials.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025050601
China's iron and steel industry has undergone comprehensive ultra-low emission transformation, meeting stringent limits for conventional pollutants, yet the fate of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) remains unclear. This study combined field sampling and literature review to analyze PCDD/Fs emission characteristics from sintering, converter, and electric arc furnace processes before and after transformation, and calculated national emissions for 2022. Results demonstrate that ultra-low emission transformation effectively reduces PCDD/Fs emissions. Specifically, emission concentrations decreased by 86.5%, 95.1%, and 66.9% for sintering, converter, and electric arc furnace, respectively, with corresponding emission factors dropping to 0.11, 0.009, and 0.014 μg I-TEQ·t−1 product. Under the transformation scenario, total national emissions were 104 g I-TEQ (uncertainty ±26 g), a 94.9% reduction from the unreformed scenario (2049 ± 763 g I-TEQ). Congener profiles shifted from high-chlorinated dominance to low-chlorinated dominance, while toxicity equivalent distribution remained dominated by 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF (35%–56%). This study quantifies the co-benefit of PCDD/Fs reduction, providing critical data for updating China's emission inventory and formulating toxicity-oriented control policies.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4013-y
Multicolor fluorescent polymer materials (MFPMs) are of significant value in biomaterials and display technologies due to their rich color palette. Traditional construction methods rely on incorporating multiple fluorescent molecules of different colors, which introduces complexities in structural design, synthesis, purification, and practical operability. To overcome these challenges, a strategy employing a single fluorophore that exhibits multiple fluorescent colors has been developed and integrated into MFPMs. This approach has advanced fields such as information anti-counterfeiting and optoelectronic materials. This review summarizes recent developments in MFPMs based on a single fluorescent molecule, elucidates preparation methods and color conversion mechanisms, and analyzes application prospects. Key mechanisms include aggregation-induced emission (AIE), excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), and twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), which enable color tuning through environmental stimuli or assembly. The review highlights the potential of this strategy to simplify fabrication processes while achieving tunable emission colors. It provides guidance for designing novel multicolor fluorescent materials and fosters progress in fluorescent materials, polymer science, and materials science.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4060-5
Organic solar cells (OSCs) offer unique advantages for wearable electronics due to their light weight and mechanical flexibility. However, achieving both high optoelectronic performance and mechanical robustness in organic semiconductors remains challenging, compromising the efficiency and durability of stretchable OSCs. Here, we report a cross-linked conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-polyoxometalate (POM) anode interlayer (AIL), PTN-POM, constructed via strong electrostatic interactions between ammonium groups and POM. The PTN-POM film exhibits an electrical conductivity of 3.30×10−3 S/m and high stretchability, significantly outperforming the classic PEDOT:PSS AIL in mechanical strength. Binary OSCs modified with PTN-POM achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.59%, the highest reported for OSCs using a cross-linked AIL. Notably, PTN-POM enables fabrication of water-proof OSCs that show no performance degradation after underwater storage for 42 days. Furthermore, stretchable OSCs incorporating PTN-POM demonstrate enhanced mechanical robustness, retaining 81% of initial PCE under a large tensile strain of 50%. This work significantly enhances the photovoltaic, waterproof, and mechanical properties of OSCs, advancing their potential for wearable photovoltaics.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3987-x
A hierarchically porous nickel salicylate (Ni-SA) metal-organic framework (MOF) was constructed via a salicylate coordination strategy to precisely modulate the microenvironment of nickel active sites for efficient electrocatalytic glucose oxidation. The ortho-hydroxy-carboxylate chelation directs atomic-level organization of Ni2+ sites within nanobelt assemblies, maximizing active site accessibility. Robust Ni–O coordination stabilizes Ni3+ intermediates during C–H bond cleavage, leading to remarkable catalytic stability. The optimized Ni-SA-2 catalyst achieved a high sensitivity of 5.97 mA mM−1 cm−2 and a low detection limit of 0.71 μM (S/N = 3), with 85.4% current retention after 8 h continuous operation. This design paradigm demonstrates universal applicability, as evidenced by successful extension to isostructural M-SA analogs (M = Co, Fe, Cr, Mn) under identical synthetic conditions, establishing metal-salicylate frameworks as a versatile electrocatalyst platform.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4004-3
The development of efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is critical for clean energy technologies, yet conventional cobalt-based spinel catalysts often suffer from insufficient activity and structural instability under operating conditions. To address these challenges, this study proposes and constructs a cation-ordered spinel-like catalyst (HVI Metal-CoMoO4/NF). The unique crystalline framework induces significant Jahn-Teller distortion and pre-stabilizes a Co2+/Co3+ mixed-valence state at the cobalt active centers via asymmetric Co–O–Mo bridges, effectively optimizing bulk charge transport. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that its performance significantly surpasses that of benchmark materials, requiring only an overpotential of 307 mV to drive a current density of 100 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH, with a Tafel slope of 63.13 mV dec−1, maintaining stable operation for over 320 h at high current density. Crucially, our structural and in situ characterization results clearly reveal a stable and well-crystallized reconstruction behavior from the surface into the bulk of the spinel-like pre-catalyst during the OER. This work fundamentally addresses the challenges of disordered reconstruction and unstable active phases in traditional spinel catalysts, providing a paradigm for regulating the dynamic evolution of electrocatalysts through precise structural design.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4017-y
Lattice distortion via entropy engineering can significantly optimize thermoelectric performance by intensifying phonon scattering. However, excessive lattice distortion in high-entropy materials inevitably hinders carrier transport, limiting the wide-temperature average ZT (ZTave). To enhance the wide-temperature thermoelectric performance of low-cost PbS-based compounds, this work introduces moderate lattice distortion by controlling entropy around 1.0R (R is the gas constant) to balance phonon and carrier transport, alleviating restrictions on carrier mobility. Substantial Se and Te alloying in PbS induces rock-salt lattice distortion, effectively impeding phonon propagation, thus suppressing lattice thermal conductivity (κlat) from 2.41 W m−1 K−1 in PbS to 0.66 W m−1 K−1 in PbS0.5Se0.35Te0.15 at 300 K. Additionally, Cu interstitials are introduced into the lattice-distorted PbS0.5Se0.35Te0.15 to further optimize carrier density and weighted carrier mobility (μW), leading to significant improvement in μW/κlat parameter at 300–773 K. Finally, a room-temperature ZT of 0.53 and a maximum ZT of 1.44 are obtained in PbS0.5Se0.35Te0.15-1%Cu sample, contributing to an impressive ZTave of 1.08 at 300–773 K and a maximum power generation efficiency (ηmax) of 7.5%. The results outperform previously reported cost-effective PbS-based compounds and highlight the importance of lattice distortion regulation in enhancing wide-temperature thermoelectric performance.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4088-y
Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is a strong, thermally stable covalent ceramic typically regarded as brittle with limited deformability. Recent experimental and density functional theory (DFT) studies indicate that the α/β interface undergoes a β→α transformation via sliding followed by bond-switching, suggesting a pathway to achieve plasticity, but DFT's spatiotemporal reach prevents a full mechanistic picture. Here, we develop a physics-informed high-accuracy neural network interatomic potential (NNAP) model with DFT-level accuracy for phase transformations and use it to perform large-scale atomistic simulations. NNAP-guided simulations show that structural relaxation during relative sliding between α- and β-phases at the interface triggers pronounced atomic-layer rearrangements and lowers the energy barrier by nearly 60%. We further find that the ensuing phase transformation does not proceed by isolated layer-by-layer switching but instead follows in-plane nucleation and growth mediated by a bilayer cooperative mechanism, which further reduces kinetic barriers and facilitates the transformation. CI-NEB calculations reveal that the bilayer cooperative pathway has an energy barrier of 0.018 eV/Ų, lower than the independent layer-by-layer manner (0.020 eV/Ų), indicating enhanced kinetic accessibility. These results provide new atomistic insights into interface-driven phase transformations in dual-phase Si3N4 and offer guidance for designing more deformable covalent ceramics.