SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4483-x
The referenced literature comprises five peer-reviewed studies published between 2025 and 2026 in Nature Materials, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Nature Communications, and Science China Materials. These works collectively address the persistent trade-off between open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) in organic photovoltaics (OPVs). Tao et al. (Nat Mater, 2026) demonstrate that narrow-bandgap nonfullerene acceptors engineered to exhibit low energetic disorder achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 21%, primarily by suppressing non-radiative recombination losses. Westbrook et al. (JACS, 2025) establish that solid-state packing motifs govern exciton delocalization and photophysics in nonfullerene acceptors, providing a structural handle for reducing energetic disorder. Jiang et al. (Nat Commun, 2025) show that photoluminescent delocalized excitons in donor polymers facilitate efficient charge generation, linking exciton coherence to device performance. Zhang et al. (Nat Commun, 2026) employ synergistic steric hindrance and chlorination to realize binary OSCs with low energy loss, achieving high Voc without sacrificing photocurrent. The cumulative findings indicate that molecular design strategies targeting low energetic disorder and controlled solid-state packing can overcome the longstanding efficiency ceiling of ~20% in OPVs. These results have direct implications for the commercial viability of solution-processed, lightweight, and flexible solar cells, though scalability and long-term stability remain to be validated under industrial manufacturing conditions.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3531-2
Antifogging coatings are critical for transparent optical components, yet existing solutions struggle to balance durability and energy efficiency. We present a scalable printing technology for fabricating uniform nanoparticle (NP) coatings with an Au@SiO2 core-shell architecture. The Au core provides efficient photothermal conversion, while the SiO2 shell ensures robust interfacial adhesion to diverse substrates and imparts hydrophilicity. Leveraging these properties, the coatings suppress moisture condensation upon light exposure. The coatings exhibit exceptional mechanical stability, retaining antifogging performance after soaking in water for 1 week or wiping with a glass cloth over 100 times. This work offers a sustainable, energy-efficient solution for long-term antifogging applications, with potential in optical devices, automotive glass, and medical instruments. Our approach provides a scalable platform for functional NP coatings and opens new avenues for next-generation antifogging materials.
The Chinese Journal of Process Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12034/j.issn.1009-606X.225184
Thermal power units have long dominated China's energy structure due to the low cost of coal and their role in ensuring grid stability. However, under the dual pressures of climate change and national carbon peaking/neutrality goals, the environmental impact of their 'three wastes' has become critical, necessitating energy-saving retrofits. This review systematically examines mainstream energy-saving technologies for thermal power units, including boiler combustion optimization, heating surface cleaning, turbine flow path upgrades, waste heat recovery and cascade utilization, and cold-end system optimization. Using coal consumption rate as the core economic index, the study integrates case studies and operational data from typical domestic and international units to evaluate the latest progress, practical effects, advantages, and limitations of each technology. Results indicate that these technologies significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. For instance, boiler combustion optimization based on support vector machines and neural networks enhances thermal efficiency and reduces NOx emissions. Turbine flow path modifications, from full three-dimensional CFD optimization to advanced blades and combined steam seals, yield notable gains in cylinder efficiency and heat rate reduction. Low-temperature economizers reduce coal consumption and auxiliary power/water use in dust removal and desulfurization systems. Heat pump applications include absorption, compression, and hybrid types. In cold-end optimization, data-driven predictive maintenance and real-time performance tuning of condensers achieve nearly 50% energy savings in circulating water pumps and an average coal consumption reduction of 2-3 g/(kW·h). Despite these advances, gaps remain in multi-objective optimization robustness, intelligent diagnosis, and advanced materials. Future research should focus on deep reinforcement learning for adaptive control, sensor networks for real-time diagnostics and predictive maintenance, and high-temperature corrosion-resistant materials for heat exchangers, while balancing initial investment and maintenance costs.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202508081
Traditional soil thermal remediation requires high temperatures (>300 °C), which can damage soil structure, increase energy consumption, and elevate carbon emissions. This study developed a Cu–CeOx/TiO2 trimetallic catalyst to enable low-temperature thermal remediation of naphthalene-contaminated soil. Using nano-TiO2 as a support, catalysts with varying Cu/Ce ratios were prepared via impregnation-calcination. Material characterization (XRD, TEM, XPS, etc.) revealed that Cu and Ce incorporation induced crystal defects in TiO2, enhancing lattice oxygen activity and electron mobility, thereby generating more oxygen vacancies and hydroxyl radicals. Performance evaluation using a TGA-GC-FTIR-MS platform showed that the catalyst with Cu:Ce = 1:1 achieved the best remediation efficiency, reducing the thermal remediation temperature from 250 °C to 211.5 °C and increasing the removal rate by an average of 19.49% compared to the non-catalyst group at the same temperature. The catalyst facilitated stepwise degradation of naphthalene into smaller organic molecules (alcohols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes) and ultimately into H2O and CO2. This work demonstrates that Cu–CeOx/TiO2 significantly lowers the energy demand of thermal remediation, offering a promising approach for low-carbon remediation of organic-contaminated soils.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3986-2
Organic/molecular ferroelectrics exhibiting spontaneous polarization have attracted increasing attention due to their flexibility, light weight, low-temperature processability, environmental friendliness, and biocompatibility. Among them, organic donor-acceptor cocrystals, self-assembled from two or more components, offer new insights into ferroelectricity. This review systematically examines recent progress in organic donor-acceptor cocrystal ferroelectrics, focusing on microscopic origins of ferroelectricity, structure modulation strategies, and underlying mechanisms. Ferroelectric origin mechanisms, including intermolecular charge transfer, proton transfer, and order-disorder transitions, are analyzed in detail. Structure-property relationships in crystal engineering are summarized, and recent advances in theoretical simulations, experimental characterization techniques, and practical applications are introduced. Finally, current challenges and future research perspectives are outlined. The review highlights that weak intermolecular interactions often lead to low Curie temperatures (Tc), limiting practical applications. Strategies to enhance Tc involve introducing stronger molecular interactions to increase transition energy barriers. Notably, room-temperature ferroelectricity in organic cocrystals has been achieved, as demonstrated by Wiscons et al. (Angew Chem Int Ed, 2018, 57: 9044–9047). The review underscores the potential of organic cocrystal ferroelectrics for flexible and wearable electronics, while addressing the need for higher Tc and robust switching performance.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4184-6
The industrial production of ε-caprolactam, the essential precursor for nylon-6, is a cornerstone of the modern polymer industry. Historically, this process evolved from energy-intensive non-catalytic routes to the more atom-economical ammoximation of cyclohexanone over titanosilicate catalysts using H2O2 as a green oxidant. Despite this progress, the reliance on concentrated H2O2 presents a significant sustainability bottleneck, as its commercial production via the anthraquinone process is energy-intensive, waste-prone, and involves hazardous transportation. A more sustainable ideal reaction involves the direct use of H2 and O2 to generate active oxygen species in situ. However, implementing this bifunctional route has long been thwarted by high noble metal loadings, poor H2 efficiency due to the rapid decomposition of intermediate H2O2, and the inherent instability of catalysts in the alkaline aqueous media required for ammoximation. In the January 2026 issue of Nature Catalysis, Wu and colleagues report a breakthrough by engineering a titanium-mordenite-confined, low-loaded Pd catalyst (0.055 wt% Pd@A-Ti-MOR-R) that achieves exceptional efficiency and industrial-grade longevity for direct ammoximation in water. The researchers proposed a “structured” solution to spatial confinement by utilizing an acid-treated Ti-MOR (A-Ti-MOR) featuring specific Ti-OH defect sites adjacent to silanol nests. These defects act as precise anchors to stabilize subnanometric Pd2 clusters, ensuring that the Pd and Ti active sites remain in “atomic proximity” within the 8-ring side pockets of the zeolite. This atomic-level configuration was rigorously verified using spherical-aberration-corrected annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF-STEM), which identifies bright contrasts from subnanometric Pd clusters with diameters below 0.5 nm near the framework pores. Furthermore, Pd K-edge extended X-ray-absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) analysis confirms the formation of Pd–O–Ti bridges through the identification of a specific scattering path at 3.67 Å, proving that the Pd clusters are chemically bonded to the framework Ti sites.