Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica•2026•DOI: 10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.202608_9664
Conventional state-of-health (SOH) estimation algorithms for lithium-ion batteries fail to extract requisite features when cells operate under random partial charge-discharge cycling, a condition prevalent in grid-scale energy storage. This study proposes an estimation framework predicated on segmenting the initial charging voltage. Capacity increment (IC) curves are analyzed to extract features corresponding to the initial charge voltage point. Random forest and a composite index determine the optimal feature set and cardinality, which subsequently define the segmentation intervals for the initial charging voltage. Within each interval, interval-specific features are employed for SOH estimation. To address the data scarcity that impedes model training for operational batteries, a transfer learning strategy is implemented. A sample-based transfer method, TrAdaBoost.R2, improved by dynamic time warping (DTW), estimates battery state. DTW computes similarity between source and target domain features, and this similarity is integrated into the weight update mechanism of TrAdaBoost.R2, enhancing convergence and computational speed while preserving accuracy. Validation against NASA and XJTU datasets demonstrates the method's efficacy. In simulation experiment 2, the improved TrAdaBoost.R2 achieves a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.009, outperforming classical TrAdaBoost (0.022), Transfer Stacking (0.018), and Two-stage TrAdaBoost (0.021). The proposed approach offers a robust solution for SOH estimation under partial charging conditions with limited target-domain data.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4480-1
Ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) incorporating a structurally compatible guest acceptor (C7-Cl) into the PM6:BTP-eC9 host system are demonstrated. The low Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between host and guest acceptors facilitates intimate mixing, optimizing molecular packing and energy-level alignment. High-sensitivity sEQE and EQEEL analyses reveal a reduced non-radiative energy loss (KE3) of 0.216 eV in the ternary device. Consequently, the optimized ternary OSC achieves a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.02% and an improved T80 operational lifetime of 1065 h. This work establishes a feasible strategy via structurally compatible guest doping to simultaneously optimize vertical phase separation and suppress non-radiative loss, providing a facile and effective route toward high-performance and stable OSCs.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(25)60616-5
CuZnAl (CZA) is a classic industrial catalyst for methanol synthesis from syngas, but its catalytic performance for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol is suboptimal. The catalytic mechanism of Cu species in CZA remains challenging. This study systematically investigates the valence state changes of active Cu species in CZA catalysts and their influence on catalytic performance by modifying catalysts with varying amounts of electron donor K, thereby identifying the catalytic function of Cu species with different valence states. H2-TPR, XPS, and HR-TEM characterizations reveal that highly dispersed K species supported on CZA catalysts inhibit the reduction of CuO, resulting in a small amount of Cu2O active species being produced under reaction conditions, thus causing a decrease in catalytic activity. Furthermore, XRD and Cu LMM spectra show that the proportion of Cu0 in K-modified CZA catalysts increases with K loading, but a higher proportion of Cu0 species on the surface obviously promotes the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. According to the results of in situ infrared spectroscopy, CZA catalyst follows the reaction pathway mediated by HCOO* in the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4068-2
Eutectic high-entropy alloys (EHEAs) combine multi-principal-element compositions with regular lamellar microstructures, offering exceptional high-temperature stability and mechanical properties. However, conventional casting yields random solidification microstructures and inhomogeneous phase distributions, constraining strength-ductility synergy. This study employs directional solidification (DS) on Al19Fe20Co20Ni41 EHEA to achieve precise microstructural control, constructing a multi-level lamellar architecture with a herringbone-like alternating arrangement. This tailored microstructure refines interlamellar spacing, eliminates detrimental isolated B2 phases, and promotes slip continuity at interfaces, enhancing coordinated dislocation motion and uniform distribution across multiple slip systems. Consequently, the DS EHEA exhibits superior mechanical properties compared to most reported thermomechanically processed and directionally solidified HEAs. Micro-mechanistic analysis reveals that homogenized geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density, interface-assisted crack deflection, and multi-stage strain-hardening from sequential dislocation activation collectively contribute to outstanding strength-ductility synergy. This work demonstrates that programming solidification paths enables design of unique multi-level lamellar architectures, serving as intrinsic microstructural composites that optimize dislocation management and crack propagation, offering a novel paradigm for developing ultra-robust EHEAs for extreme service environments.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3330-2
Traditional cloth diapers rely on the water retention capacity of absorbent cores to deter leaks, often overlooking the top sheet, which can lead to reverse osmosis of absorbed urine. Janus membranes, known for their liquid diode effect, present an ideal material for the top sheet of cloth diapers. However, the widespread application of Janus membranes in cloth diapers faces challenges such as failure to meet anti-backflow requirements, limited biocompatibility, and insufficient antimicrobial properties. Here, a multifunctional Janus fabric for the top sheet of cloth diapers is developed through the synergistic combination of gradient wettability and nanoparticle functionality. The modulable gradient wettability provides unidirectional liquid transport with a high rectification ratio, which is essential for preventing liquid backflow. Consequently, prototype cloth diapers incorporating Janus fabrics as the top sheet outperform commercial products in wetback resistance. Functionalized silver nanoparticles not only provide the necessary micro-nano hierarchical structure for gradient wettability but also endow Janus fabrics with excellent chemical antibacterial properties. The integration of dryness derived from the excellent unidirectional transport performance and antibacterial properties effectively prevents bacterial growth on cloth diapers. Additionally, the Janus fabrics exhibit excellent washability and biocompatibility, further enhancing their potential applications in reusable cloth diapers.
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/s40843-025-3593-5
Organic ultrathin crystals, comprising monolayers or a few molecular layers, exhibit outstanding optoelectronic properties and have shown great promise for constructing advanced functional neuromorphic devices. However, scalable growth of high-quality organic ultrathin crystals and their seamless concurrent integration with charge trapping layers for multi-mode neuromorphic devices, that required in future high-density neuromorphic integration, remain challenging. Here, we present a scalable one-step fabrication strategy based on solution shearing, where spontaneous vertical phase separation of a small-molecule/polymer (Ph-BTBT-10/PS) blend enables the simultaneous formation of high-quality ultrathin Ph-BTBT-10 crystals and an electret PS charge-trapping layer. The PS electret layer serves a dual function: it facilitates the formation of ultrathin, highly ordered Ph-BTBT-10 crystals; meanwhile, its gate-tunable electron-trapping capability enables dynamic switching between photo-switching and photo-synaptic modes within a single device. As a photodetector, the device exhibits exceptional performance, including a responsivity of 4.7 × 10^4 A/W, specific detectivity of 2.2 × 10^17 Jones, and photosensitivity of 1.5 × 10^8. Under negative gate bias, light-triggered switching behavior enables logic gate demonstration, while under positive gate modulation, photonic synaptic behavior successfully emulates key biological functions, including excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), short-term plasticity (STP) to long-term plasticity (LTP) transition, dynamic learning-forgetting processes, and image processing. Moreover, the system exhibits excellent compatibility with low-voltage flexible substrates and further demonstrates its application in low-consumption flexible neuromorphic devices. This work provides a scalable route toward high-performance, multifunctional neuromorphic optoelectronics based on organic ultrathin crystals, and advances the integration of flexible electronics and brain-inspired computing.
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.