SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4279-0
Inkjet printing has emerged as a viable additive manufacturing route for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), offering drop-on-demand patterning, high material utilization, and compatibility with large-area flexible substrates. This review critically examines the formulation science, printhead physics, and drying kinetics that govern the quality of inkjet-printed organic layers. We analyze the rheological window required for stable jetting, typically 1–20 mPa·s viscosity and 25–45 mN/m surface tension, and the dimensionless Ohnesorge number (0.1 < Z < 1) that defines satellite-free droplet formation. The coffee-ring effect, driven by capillary flow and solvent evaporation gradients, remains the dominant failure mode for pixel non-uniformity; binary solvent systems and substrate temperature control (40–60 °C) mitigate this. We survey recent progress in printed hole-transport, emissive, and electron-transport layers, with particular attention to cross-linkable hole-transport materials that resist interlayer dissolution. Device performance metrics from printed OLEDs now reach external quantum efficiencies of 15–20% for fluorescent emitters and >25% for phosphorescent systems, with operating lifetimes (T95) exceeding 1,000 hours at 1,000 cd/m². We identify remaining bottlenecks: nozzle clogging from aggregated nanoparticles, film thickness variation across large panels, and the absence of standardized ink formulations. The review concludes with a roadmap for industrial adoption, emphasizing in-line metrology and closed-loop process control as prerequisites for yield parity with vacuum-deposited OLEDs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3694-3
Lithium metal anodes (LMAs) are among the most promising candidates for next-generation batteries with high energy density. However, their practical application is hindered by persistent challenges such as dendritic lithium growth, unstable solid electrolyte interphases (SEI), and poor Coulombic efficiency. Surface coating has emerged as a viable solution to address these limitations. In particular, atomic and molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) techniques offer unparalleled control over the fabrication of ultrathin, conformal coatings, making them especially suitable for stabilizing LMA interfaces. This review comprehensively summarizes recent progress in applying ALD and MLD methodologies to construct durable artificial interphases on LMAs. We discuss the underlying mechanisms through which these coatings inhibit dendrite formation, improve interfacial integrity, and facilitate uniform lithium-ion transport. The roles of inorganic ALD coatings, organic MLD coatings, and their organic–inorganic hybrids are systematically examined, with a focus on their chemical composition, deposition behavior, and electrochemical characteristics. Moreover, we highlight the enhanced performance achieved through the integration of ALD/MLD-engineered interfaces in full-cell systems. The review concludes with a discussion of current challenges and potential research avenues aimed at advancing the rational development of effective LMA protection strategies. Overall, this work offers valuable insights into the role of interfacial engineering via ALD and MLD in enabling the practical deployment of lithium metal batteries.
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.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202512072
Drainage pipeline defect detection predominantly relies on closed-circuit television (CCTV) inspection, which is labor-intensive, inefficient, and prone to missed detections. Although deep learning-based object detection has been applied, it suffers from low precision, recall, and speed in practical scenarios. This study proposes an engineering-oriented detection scheme achieving high recall and low miss rates. The annotation phase employs a cross-frame strategy combining manual labeling of first and last frames with interpolation and tracking-based refinement. Data preprocessing introduces perceptual hashing to identify similar images, enhancing training efficiency. For detection, a Faster R-CNN model is enhanced with Focal Loss to focus on hard examples, defect classification and grading, and a dynamic threshold strategy to improve recall. Validated on 5,068.72 m of real pipeline data, the method achieves a recall rate exceeding 98% across 16 defect categories, a miss rate of only 2% for grade 4 defects, and a 425% improvement in per-segment detection efficiency compared to manual screening. These results demonstrate the method's effectiveness in balancing recall, miss rate, and speed for engineering deployment.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202508052
To improve the performance of pre-dust collectors in biomass boiler flue gas purification systems, a novel channel-steel baffle-type pre-dust collector was proposed to address the low collection efficiency of conventional designs. A gas-solid two-phase flow model was developed within the MP-PIC (multiphase particle-in-cell) framework and validated against physical experiments. The model simulated gas-particle motion inside the collector, systematically investigating the effects of structural modifications, flue gas conditions, and dust properties on collection efficiency and pressure drop. Results indicate that adding a flow baffle in the ash hopper and adopting an upper-inlet flue duct enhance collection efficiency with negligible impact on pressure drop. Flue gas velocity significantly influences performance: increasing velocity reduces efficiency while raising pressure drop; an optimal design velocity of 1.0–2.0 m·s−1 is recommended. Elevated flue gas temperature slightly decreases both efficiency and pressure drop, with minimal impact over a range of tens of degrees Celsius. Higher dust density and larger particle size improve collection efficiency and reduce pressure drop, whereas higher dust concentration increases both efficiency and pressure drop. The study elucidates the mechanisms by which structural and operational parameters affect pre-dust collector performance, providing theoretical guidance for designing low-resistance, high-efficiency collectors for biomass boilers.
The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.225195
The separation of multicomponent azeotropic mixtures remains a persistent challenge in industrial wastewater treatment due to complex phase equilibrium behavior involving minimum/maximum boiling azeotropes and liquid-liquid phase separation. Pharmaceutical wastewater often contains a ternary mixture of acetonitrile, n-propanol, and water, which exhibits significant non-ideality and multiple azeotropic points, including binary azeotropes for acetonitrile-water, n-propanol-water, and acetonitrile-n-propanol pairs, as well as a ternary azeotrope. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation encompassing thermodynamic modeling, solvent screening, process design, and multi-objective optimization. A reliable thermodynamic framework was established using an activity coefficient model (NRTL), validated against experimental data. Systematic analysis of vapor-liquid equilibrium diagrams identified ethylene glycol as the optimal extractant due to its superior selectivity. Three distinct separation processes were developed: a conventional three-column distillation sequence (TCED), a four-column pre-concentration extractive distillation configuration (FCED), and an innovative three-column integrated pre-concentration extractive distillation system incorporating a thermally coupled column (TCED-IDC). Multi-objective optimization using the improved nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) targeted total annualized cost (TAC), CO2 emissions (ECO2), and thermodynamic efficiency (η), subject to stringent purity constraints (≥99.9 wt% for products and ≥99.99 wt% for extractant recycle). The integrated three-column configuration achieved 41.2% lower TAC, 50.4% lower CO2 emissions, and 102% higher thermodynamic efficiency compared to the conventional TCED process. This integrated pre-concentration extractive distillation process is established as an industrially viable, energy-efficient solution for acetonitrile-n-propanol-water separation, aligning with green chemistry principles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3750-6
SnSe is a promising thermoelectric material for medium-temperature applications due to its ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. However, the poor electrical conductivity of n-type polycrystalline SnSe significantly hinders its practical application. Here, we propose a dual-functional strategy employing InBr3 doping to synergistically enhance electrical transport while suppressing lattice thermal conductivity. For the first time, we demonstrate the successful construction of a Br-enriched conductive network within the SnSe matrix. The incorporation of In3+ and Br− introduces high-density charge carriers, while Br forms percolative conductive networks, resulting in a remarkable enhancement of carrier mobility to ~20.64 cm2 V−1 s−1. Simultaneously, the lattice thermal conductivity is substantially reduced to ~0.25 W m−1 K−1 through the formation of multi-scale defects, including dislocations and Br-rich nanowires, which effectively enhance phonon scattering. As a result, we achieve a peak figure of merit of ZT ~1.41 at 823 K, with an average figure of merit of ~0.42 over the temperature range of 323–823 K. This work provides a universal paradigm for decoupling electron-phonon interactions in thermoelectric materials, offering new insights for the optimization of thermoelectric performance.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017
Distillers' grains, the largest organic solid waste stream in the brewing industry, require efficient low-carbon valorization to support China's Dual Carbon Goals. This study employs life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify CO2 emissions and carbon reduction benefits of two mainstream routes: pyrolysis to biochar and fermentation to organic fertilizer. Based on public process data, the total life-cycle CO2 emission for biochar production from 1 t of distillers' grains is 250.02 kg, with a carbon sequestration reduction of 120.29 kg, demonstrating superior long-term carbon fixation. In contrast, organic fertilizer production emits 536.14 kg CO2 per ton, achieving a carbon reduction of only 86.22 kg, indicating inferior mitigation performance. Techno-economic analysis reveals net profits of 471.97 CNY/t for biochar and 822.27 CNY/t for organic fertilizer, showing that the organic fertilizer route offers higher profitability. Both pathways effectively reduce CO2 emissions, with biochar prioritizing environmental sustainability and organic fertilizer excelling economically. This study provides data-driven insights for selecting organic solid waste recycling strategies, promoting low-carbon technologies, and establishing circular economy models in the brewing industry.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3948-7
High-performance thermoelectric materials are typically narrow-band gap semiconductors. Here, by decoupling charge and heat transport in BaZrS3 with a band gap of about 1.9 eV, we made the emerging chalcogenide perovskite a high-performance thermoelectric material with only earth-abundant elements. Our first-principles calculations indicate that the high ionicity of BaZrS3 renders the electrons to propagate mainly through the Zr-4d orbitals, so that isovalent alloying Se on S sites minimally affects its charge transport while effectively suppressing lattice thermal conductivity. Using a flux-assisted solid-state method, we synthesized single-phase BaZrS3(1−x)Se3x samples with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25. As an indicator of decoupled charge and heat transport, the electron mobility is found barely degraded with increasing Se content, while the thermal conductivity is significantly reduced from 2.07 to 0.99 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature. This results in a record-high ZT of 0.81 at 750 K, a value never achieved for materials with band gaps greater than 1.5 eV, and the highest among all perovskite materials. Our work not only underscores the potential of wide band gap semiconductors as high-performance thermoelectric materials, but also demonstrates the strategy of decoupling the charge and heat transport for enhancing their thermoelectric performance.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60690-1
Methane cracking driven by electric power holds significant promise in the context of the rapid development of renewable energy. The effects of carrier gas ratio, input power, and inlet gas flow rate on CH4 cracking performance were systematically investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The variation of temperature distribution and reaction energy intensity were also examined. The experimental results indicate that CH4 conversion and gaseous product formation are promoted by increasing the DBD input power or decreasing the inlet gas flow rate. At an input power of 90 W and an inlet gas flow rate of 200 mL/min, the single-pass CH4 conversion reaches 46.6%, with an H2 yield of 23.3%, demonstrating that CH4 cracking is governed by electron induced reactions. While the Joule heating from the inner and outer electrodes is relatively limited. The reaction energy intensity increases as the CH4 conversion decreases. When the inlet gas flow rate increases from 200 to 800 mL/min, the energy intensity rises by approximately 2.8 times, indicating that higher inlet gas flow rates enhance the convective heat transfer and shorten the gas residence time, thereby suppressing deep CH4 cracking. Moreover, BOLSIG+ calculations further reveal that CH4 activation is dominated by electron induced vibrational excitation, in which stepwise energy accumulation drives C–H bond dissociation. The energy transfer and species transformation pathways of overall CH4 cracking process, which comprises electron energy injection, vibrational excitation, stepwise dissociation, radical chain extension, and final product formation, can be summarized into three stages, i.e. methane activation, radical evolution, and product formation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4126-0
Flexible X-ray detectors are constrained by the difficulty of producing semiconductor films that simultaneously exhibit uniform morphology, high crystallinity, and mechanical robustness. Here, we introduce a hydrogen-bond engineered supramolecular (HBES) strategy to overcome these limitations in supramolecular bismuth halide clusters (PDBiI5). By incorporating polyacrylic acid (PAA), a dynamic supramolecular network is formed that suppresses the coffee-ring effect during ultrasonic spray-coating via increased solution viscosity and controlled kinetic balance between solvent evaporation and solute diffusion. The HBES approach also modulates crystallization kinetics, extending crystal growth time from 23 to 41 s, yielding densely packed films with enhanced crystallinity and reduced defect states. These improvements lead to superior charge transport: a hole mobility of 2.16 cm2 V−1 s−1 and a mobility-lifetime product of 9.1 × 10−4 cm2 V−1. The resulting X-ray detectors achieve a record sensitivity of 19,009 μC Gyair−1 cm−2 and an ultralow detection limit of 3.35 nGyair s−1, with excellent operational and environmental stability. Leveraging the mechanical robustness from the supramolecular network, we demonstrate the first direct-type flexible X-ray imager, retaining 85% performance after 1000 bending cycles. This imager overcomes geometric distortion and vignetting, maintaining 85% edge photocurrent versus 58% for rigid detectors, enabling clear imaging of curved objects. This work establishes a versatile supramolecular engineering paradigm for high-performance flexible X-ray detection and imaging.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3577-4
Broad-absorbing materials, characterized by tunable absorption across ultraviolet to mid-infrared spectral regions, have emerged as a crucial class of optoelectronic materials. Significant advances have been achieved in organic and inorganic materials; however, current enhancement strategies remain largely platform-specific and are not guided by a unified physical framework. To address this gap, this review introduces a three-factor physical model grounded in the theory of transition probability, thereby providing a consistent theoretical basis for understanding how electronic transitions are modulated across orbital, vibrational, and spin dimensions. Structure-mechanism-performance relationships are systematically examined in classic material platforms. In addition, the contributions of external-field enhancement mechanisms, such as plasmonic resonance, to spectral broadening and local-field enhancement are discussed. Based on clear mechanistic insight and targeted materials design, recent advances in integrating broad-absorbing materials into broadband photodetectors are highlighted, emphasizing their practical relevance. The review examines the three core challenges and mechanism-driven design strategies for high-performance broadband optoelectronic systems, providing an instructive outlook for future advancements.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3563-0
Organic cocrystals have become increasingly prevalent in various research domains owing to simple preparation, cost-effectiveness, and highly tunable properties. Strong charge transfer (CT) interactions in cocrystals render them promising candidates for high-efficiency photothermal conversion materials. However, the majority of reported organic photothermal cocrystals exhibit planar and rigid π-conjugated structures, which restrict molecular vibrations while simultaneously impeding non-radiative dissipation processes—ultimately hindering the enhancement of photothermal conversion performance. Herein, we design a novel non-planar photothermal NMTQ cocrystal, which shows a broadband absorption range of 220–2000 nm and high photothermal conversion efficiencies from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR)-II region. Quantum chemical calculations demonstrate that the distorted butterfly-like conformation in NMTQ is conducive to non-radiative transitions via higher non-adiabatic couplings (NACs) and lower spatial overlap integral (Sr). An interfacial solar evaporation system was constructed using NMTQ cocrystals, achieving an evaporation rate of 2.158 kg m−2 h−1 with 94.96% solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency under 1 Sun irradiation. The photothermal platform demonstrated simultaneous contaminant removal functionality, establishing a sustainable strategy for clean water production through rational photothermal material design.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3489-5
Artificial synaptic devices for neuromorphic computing must reduce energy consumption to approach biological femtojoule levels. This work reports a SiC/SiO2@Ag nanowire network (NWN) device that emulates both ultraviolet visual and electrical synaptic functions under biased electric field and zero-bias photoexcitation. The NWN architecture and Ag nanoparticle-induced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enable substantial synaptic responses at ultra-low currents. The device achieves energy consumption of 0.471–0.218 pJ per synaptic event, significantly lower than conventional artificial synapses. In a musical classification task using a spiking neural network with hardware-implemented spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), the system reaches >95% accuracy within 20 training epochs, surpassing software-based STDP and backpropagation after 10 epochs. The SiC NWN structure ensures robust synaptic performance and high precision. These results demonstrate a scalable, energy-efficient hardware foundation for neuromorphic music information processing, with potential for spiking neural networks that mimic biological operational principles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3501-0
Achieving optimal electromagnetic properties in composites requires fine-tuning of microstructure and composition, presenting both practical value and fundamental challenges. Through precisely controlled carbonization of polymer-coated Fe3O4@SiO2 assembled units, this work elucidates the phase transition-mediated enhancement of electromagnetic wave absorption properties. Raspberry-like C/Fe3O4@SiO2@DC magnetic microspheres are fabricated through a multi-step process involving bubble-assisted hydrothermal growth, silica coating, phosphonitrile polymerization, resin encapsulation, and controlled carbonization. The controlled carbonization temperature-mediated phase transformation from Fe3O4 to Fe2SiO4 within the microspheres serves to fine-tune both electromagnetic parameters and impedance matching behavior. The C/Fe3O4@Fe2SiO4@DC microspheres carbonized at 700°C exhibit exceptional electromagnetic wave absorption performance, attributed to: (i) the heterogeneous interfaces between dual-phase components, and (ii) the synergistic dielectric-magnetic loss mechanism. The optimized composite demonstrates exceptional microwave absorption performance, achieving a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −17.86 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.03 GHz (11.5–17.5 GHz) at an optimal thickness of 2.2 mm. The synergistic combination of tailored composition, optimized interfaces, and controlled defects enables unprecedented EM wave attenuation, providing a blueprint for high-efficiency broadband electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3511-7
The scalable deployment of MXene-based electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields is constrained by the low yield of delaminated MXenes and the discarding of MXene sediment (MS) by-products, which constitute 80–90 wt.% of synthesized material. This study repurposes MS, comprising incompletely etched MAX phase and multilayer MXenes, into multifunctional nanocomposite films with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) via aqueous casting. The 80 wt.% MS/CNF film achieves an X-band EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 52.3 dB at 0.57 mm thickness, with tunable SE exceeding 53.9 dB at 0.50 mm across X-, Ku-, K-, and Ka-bands. The film exhibits a photothermal response reaching 100 °C within 80 s under 100 mW/cm² irradiation, alongside mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity. By valorizing an industrial waste stream, this approach addresses the cost-ineffectiveness and limited utilization efficiency of MXenes, offering a scalable route for wearable electronics, EMI shielding, and thermal therapy. The findings establish a precedent for waste-to-resource engineering in 2D material composites, with direct implications for reducing precursor costs and enabling high-performance, sustainable shielding solutions.