SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4238-2
Infrared nonlinear optical (IR NLO) materials are critical for laser frequency conversion, yet their performance is often constrained by a trade-off between second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Here, we report a new ternary diamond-like compound, AlGaS3, which successfully balances these competing demands. AlGaS3 crystallizes in a noncentrosymmetric structure composed of wide HOMO-LUMO gap [AlS4] tetrahedra and NLO-active [GaS4] tetrahedra. The compound exhibits a wide experimental optical band gap of approximately 3.38 eV, which is significantly larger than that of the benchmark AgGaS2 (AGS, ~2.70 eV). This wide band gap contributes to a high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of approximately 6.0 times that of AGS, as determined by powder-based measurements. Notably, AlGaS3 also demonstrates a phase-matching SHG response of approximately 0.5 times that of AGS at a fundamental wavelength of 2.09 μm, with particle size-dependent behavior confirming phase-matchability. The combination of wide band gap, high LIDT, and moderate SHG response positions AlGaS3 as a promising candidate for high-power IR NLO applications. This work provides a viable strategy for designing IR NLO materials with enhanced laser damage resistance by incorporating wide-gap tetrahedral units.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4261-2
Developing ion exchange membranes with both high proton conductivity and high selectivity is crucial for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Commercial Nafion membranes suffer from severe vanadium crossover, while conventional additives often aggregate, disrupting ion domains and significantly reducing proton conductivity. To overcome this conductivity–selectivity trade-off, we propose a modification strategy based on molecular-level functional strategy. Two complementary additives, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and a fluoroalkyl-grafted polyoxometalate cluster (8FSiW11), are introduced into Nafion matrix to achieve precise, cooperative, regulation of ionic domains. PVP fills ion domains via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, constructing an efficient barrier against vanadium ions. Simultaneously, 8FSiW11 anchors at the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface, providing additional proton sources and hopping sites to compensate for proton neutralization by PVP. The resulting hybrid membrane exhibits a proton/vanadium selectivity of 1×10^6 S min cm^-3, 8.6 times higher than commercial Nafion 212 (NR212), and enables VRFB energy efficiencies (EE) of 88.9% at 100 mA cm^-2 and 83.2% at 200 mA cm^-2. This work demonstrates the potential of synergistic molecular modification strategy to break conductivity–selectivity trade-off in membrane design for next-generation high-performance VRFBs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3538-6
The understanding of anion transporting behaviors under sub-nanoconfined regimes can guide the design of high-performance anion selective membranes (ASMs), yet it is little known. Here, we build membrane channels that combine physical rigidity with chemical affinity to anions simply through bridging graphene oxide nanosheets with charged linkers. We observe that the rigidly confined interaction imposed by channels to anions can reconfigure hydration shells in varying degrees for different anions via compensating for hydration-induced energy barriers and differentiating their rearrangement behaviors. During the configuration evolution, water molecules within hydration shells would rotate and simultaneously change their distance from the ion center. Based on the big discrepancy in configuration evolution, these membranes can realize ultrahigh selectivity of, for example, 125 for Cl−/SO4^2− and surpass the performance upper bound concerning Cl−/SO4^2− separation by other membranes. The knowledge of the configuration change of hydration shells during the dehydration process will be key to designing next-generation ASMs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3642-4
High-density glass scintillators are promising alternatives to crystals for next-generation radiation detection due to their low cost, excellent physical and chemical stability, and processability. In this study, a series of Ce3+-activated gadolinium gallium borosilicate (GGBS x) glasses were synthesized via vacuum melt-quenching. With increasing Gd2O3 content, glass density increased from 5.86 to 6.05 g/cm3, and molar volume from 36.43 to 39.79 cm3/mol. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis revealed that in GGBS 1 glass, Ce3+ exclusively adopts a hexahedral [CeO6] configuration, while Gd3+ exhibits both hexahedral and octahedral coordination with a bond length of 2.35±0.1 Å and Debye-Waller factor σ2 of 0.0122±0.0015 Å2. As Gd2O3 content increased, shallow trap depth rose from 0.804 to 0.858 eV, while deep trap depth first increased from 0.948 to 1.434 eV then decreased to 1.010 eV. GGBS 1 glass exhibited high transmittance (~80%) in the visible range and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 78.4%. Under X-ray irradiation, its X-ray excited luminescence intensity reached 128.5% of that of Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystal, with a spatial resolution of 29.1 lp/mm, approaching the highest reported for glass scintillators. Under γ-ray excitation, it achieved a light yield of 1058 photons/MeV and an energy resolution of 23.7% at 662 keV. These results indicate that GGBS 1 glass scintillator warrants further development for applications in X-ray imaging and γ-ray spectroscopy.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202508101
The emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from fossil fuel combustion and metal smelting industries poses severe risks to environmental and human health. This study utilized depleted lead-zinc molten slag as a desulfurizer for wet flue gas desulfurization, and the resulting desulfurization slurry was further employed for NOx removal, achieving resource utilization. The desulfurization efficiency of the slag was determined, and NaClO2 was identified as the most effective oxidant when combined with the slag slurry for NOx removal. The effects of NaClO2 concentration, reaction temperature, flue gas flow rate, oxygen concentration, NOx concentration, and pH on removal efficiency were investigated. Optimal conditions were found at NaClO2 concentration of 2.5 mmol·L−1, temperature 45 °C, flue gas flow 200 mL·min−1, O2 volume fraction 10%, NOx volume fraction 0.03%, and pH 6, achieving a NOx removal efficiency of 97.24%. Metal ion experiments revealed that Fe3+, Zn2+, Mn2+, and K+ exhibited synergistic effects with NaClO2, with Fe3+ showing the most significant enhancement. Fe3+ promoted the decomposition of NaClO2 to generate stronger oxidants such as ClO2, thereby enhancing NOx oxidation and absorption. This approach offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional selective catalytic reduction, avoiding ammonia slip and secondary pollution.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3988-6
Starvation therapy (ST) aims to hinder the rapid proliferation of cancer cells by depriving oxygen and nutrients, and has been considered an ideal approach for cancer treatment. However, traditional ST schemes suffer from low targeting efficacy, undesired systemic side effects, elevated tumor hypoxia, induced drug resistance, and increased tumor metastasis risk, limiting clinical applications. To overcome these challenges, numerous nanomedicines have been engineered to advance ST-driven anti-tumor therapy. This review highlights emerging breakthroughs at the intersection of ST, nanotechnology, and cancer treatment. It focuses on ST-related inducible strategies, including nutrient supply regulation, key nutrient deprivation, and emerging approaches. Furthermore, it underscores the synergistic benefits of combining ST with other therapeutic modalities such as phototherapy, chemodynamic therapy, chemotherapy, ferroptosis, gas therapy, and immune therapy. Finally, existing challenges and future perspectives on clinical ST of tumors are discussed.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608009
To investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of natural draft direct air-cooling towers (NDC) for large coal-fired power generating units, a three-dimensional CFD numerical model covering major plant buildings, air-cooled radiators, and ambient wind fields was established based on the NDC systems of a 2×660 MW unit of a power plant. The influences of meteorological factors, including ambient wind speed, ambient temperature, and ambient wind direction, as well as regulation measures such as rolling shutters, louvers, and bypass windows on the heat dissipation performance of NDC towers were systematically analyzed. The results demonstrate that ambient wind speed acts as the dominant factor governing the performance of the NDC system. As wind speed rose, the uneven distribution of air intake volume and heat dissipation among each cooling delta increased remarkably, which elevated the unit back pressure, and the upstream tower suffered more severe impacts than the downstream one. Ambient temperature exerted a slight effect on circumferential flow distribution, yet substantially changed the overall back pressure of the system. In terms of regulation strategies, closing rolling shutters in the windward zone and reducing the opening of partial louvers can improve air flow redistribution to a certain extent, but will reduce the total air flow rate and total heat dissipation of the entire tower. By contrast, bottom bypass windows can effectively optimize the air intake on the leeward side and boost heat dissipation under high-wind operating conditions, whereas top bypass windows deliver only limited improvement effects. This research can provide fundamental data and technical references for the optimal design, operational regulation, and energy-saving retrofitting of large NDC units.
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.