SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4473-9
Selective ion separation is critical for resource recovery, water treatment, lithium extraction from salt lakes, and nuclear waste management, yet the differences in size, solvation structure, and coordination behavior among ions are often minimal, and separation is further complicated by valence, interfacial charge, and competing ions. Nanoporous materials with tunable sub-nanometer channels and chemically active interfaces can regulate ion entry, solvation reorganization, interfacial partitioning, intrapore migration, and release. This review examines three mechanistic categories—size and solvation sieving, chemical recognition, and dynamic gating—from the perspective of confined transport and ion–pore interactions, and compares their roles and coupling in systems of monovalent–monovalent, divalent–divalent, heterovalent, and chemically similar multivalent ions. We further distinguish selective adsorption, membrane enrichment, and transmembrane transport, and discuss how selectivity definitions, ion flux, feed composition, driving force, and operating time affect performance evaluation. Current research faces three major challenges: lack of comparability of performance data across different test conditions, insufficient direct evidence of ion solvation, site occupancy, and migration under operating conditions, and the complexity of feed streams. By adopting a sequential ion transport process as a unified conceptual framework, this review systematically compares separation mechanisms across diverse nanoporous materials, including MOFs, COFs, zeolites, 2D materials, microporous polymer membranes, ion-exchange membranes, biomimetic nanochannels, organic–inorganic composites, functionalized porous carbons, and biochars. This transport-process-oriented framework provides a general and mechanistic perspective for understanding and comparing selective ion separation across diverse nanoporous platforms.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4359-0
Organic solar cells (OSCs) require cathode interlayers (CILs) that combine high charge transport, defect passivation, and thickness insensitivity for scalable manufacturing. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel A-D-A-A'-type polymer, PDPP2F-NDI-N, via the green and efficient direct arylation polymerization (DArP) method. The multiple electron-deficient units in the backbone confer strong electron-withdrawing character, effective work function modulation, enhanced built-in potential, high crystallinity, and ordered molecular packing. PDPP2F-NDI-N exhibits a high electron mobility of 1.01 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and electrical conductivity of 3.13 × 10⁻³ S m⁻¹, facilitating efficient charge extraction and transport. Its interfacial modification capability suppresses interfacial defects and reduces non-radiative recombination losses. In ternary OSCs, PDPP2F-NDI-N achieves a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.44%, with outstanding thickness insensitivity retaining 92.8% of peak PCE at a 30 nm CIL thickness, and a T80 lifetime exceeding 1700 hours under photo-thermal aging. This work demonstrates that poly(A-D-A-alt-A') backbone design combined with DArP synthesis provides an effective strategy for developing high-performance, thickness-insensitive, and stable polymeric CILs, advancing efficient, stable, and scalable OSC applications.
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.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(25)60607-4
The methanation of biomass gasification syngas (H2/CO = 3:1) was investigated over Ni/Al2O3 monolithic catalysts supported on cordierite, with a nominal Ni loading of 15 wt%. Catalysts were modified by treatment with 10% NaOH solution for 1 h and 2 h. Physicochemical properties were characterized by BET, TEM, H2-TPR, XRD, CO2-TPD, and TG. Results showed that the 2 h modification (15%Ni/Al2O3-2h) increased specific surface area, enhanced catalytic activity, and increased alkaline site density compared to the unmodified catalyst. Under optimized conditions (H2/CO volume ratio 3:1, space velocity 10000 mL/(g·h), temperature 400 °C), the 15%Ni/Al2O3-2h catalyst achieved a CO conversion of 97% and CH4 selectivity of 100%. Stability tests over 2 h showed that the CO conversion remained stable at approximately 98%, indicating excellent catalytic stability. The study demonstrates that alkali modification with 10% NaOH for 2 h significantly improves both the methanation performance and stability of Ni/Al2O3 monolithic catalysts, offering a promising route for synthetic natural gas production from biomass.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025010306
Sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) has attracted increasing attention due to its low cost, no need for external carbon sources, and low sludge production. This review systematically examines the reaction principles and key material elements of various electron donors for SAD, including elemental sulfur, sulfide, thiosulfate, and iron sulfide. It discusses recent research progress on different SAD processes and the influence of environmental factors. A comparative analysis between heterotrophic denitrification and SAD highlights SAD's advantages in reaction rate, secondary pollution, and cost-effectiveness, underscoring its promising application prospects. Notably, iron sulfide-based autotrophic denitrification maintains stable pH and produces fewer by-products (e.g., sulfate, nitrous oxide). When developed into an aggregate sulfur concrete system, it can purify nitrogen and phosphorus from secondary effluent standards to Class IV surface water standards within a hydraulic retention time of only 0.5–2 hours, addressing the contradiction between SAD reaction rate and engineering demands. This enables efficient simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal, making it viable for groundwater remediation, advanced wastewater treatment, eutrophication control, and deep nitrogen removal. The national 'Dual Carbon Strategy' (carbon neutrality and peak) positions SAD as a promising method for wastewater treatment plants to meet increasingly stringent nitrogen and phosphorus discharge standards.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2026012605
Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) are widely used, leading to environmental contamination and human exposure. However, studies on their effects on adipocyte differentiation and underlying mechanisms, particularly for emerging SPAs, are limited. This study evaluated the impacts of 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP) and three novel antioxidants (AO 3114, AO 1135, AO 702) on adipogenesis using the mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation model. Lipid staining, triglyceride measurement, differentiation-related gene expression analysis, and transcriptomic approaches were employed. All four SPAs significantly promoted differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells into mature adipocytes and upregulated expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Pparγ) and mature adipocyte marker genes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differential effects on gene transcription during early differentiation. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that these SPAs promoted adipogenesis by enhancing energy metabolism and protein synthesis, as well as regulating PPAR and other signaling pathways. In conclusion, the tested SPAs promote adipogenesis and disrupt lipid metabolism through distinct mechanisms, suggesting long-term exposure may cause metabolic disorder risks and pose a public health threat.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608006
Organic waste is a potential phosphorus reservoir, and understanding the dynamics of available phosphorus (AP) during its resource utilization is critical for efficient phosphorus recovery. Composting, a key route for organic waste valorization, involves complex transformations of phosphorus alongside organic matter degradation and humification. However, the long duration and high cost of composting experiments, coupled with multifactorial influences, hinder efficient elucidation of AP dynamics via conventional methods. This study compiled data from 33 publications, constructing a dataset of 647 samples. Data preprocessing included iterative imputation, one-hot encoding, and standardization. A stacking ensemble learning model was developed to predict AP generation during composting. The optimal ensemble comprised XGBoost and SVR as base learners and ElasticNet as the meta-learner, achieving R² values of 0.954 and 0.928 on training and test sets, respectively, with low overall error. SHAP analysis revealed that key factors influencing AP content, in descending order of importance, were feedstock type, bulking agent type, turning interval, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and C/N ratio. Notably, livestock manure as feedstock and straw-based bulking agents contributed positively to AP predictions. Partial dependence plots indicated that lower pH and C/N ratios generally favored AP accumulation throughout composting. During the initial stage, higher moisture content and lower EC enhanced AP; in the thermophilic phase, higher temperatures corresponded to higher AP; and during cooling and maturation, maintaining moisture below 48% and C/N below 14, while extending composting beyond 43 days, promoted AP accumulation. This study demonstrates accurate AP prediction via stacking ensemble learning and identifies critical factors, offering support for optimizing phosphorus management in composting engineering.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3996-x
Bioadhesives that rapidly and reliably seal wet tissues remain a formidable challenge due to the trade-off between mechanical compliance and swelling-induced instability in physiological environments. To address this limitation, we report a hydrophobic effect-mediated bioadhesive, consisting of methacrylated phenylalanine hyaluronic acid (HA) adhesive (MPAH), which integrates ultrafast photo-crosslinking with strong tissue adhesion and low swelling. Through the synergistic incorporation of hydrophobic phenylalanine groups and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters, MPAH forms gelation within 2 s under UV irradiation, significantly outperforming commercial fibrin glues. The adhesive shows a lap shear strength of ~35 kPa on wet porcine casings, an extensibility exceeding 60%, and a compressive strength of ~475 kPa. In contrast to conventional HA hydrogels and commercial fibrin glues, MPAH maintains a low equilibrium swelling ratio below 30% in PBS over 16 days. This behavior is attributed to hydrophobic interactions and π-π stacking within the network, effectively preventing tissue compression and interfacial detachment. In rat wound models of linear incision and full-thickness skin defects, MPAH demonstrated rapid sealing, reduced inflammation, and accelerated re-epithelialization compared to fibrin glue and sutures, highlighting its potential as an effective bioadhesive for wound closure and soft tissue repair.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60717-7
Alkali lignin, a high-volume byproduct from pulp and paper manufacturing and biomass refining, is a promising feedstock for aromatic hydrocarbon production in liquid fuels due to its high energy density and abundant aromatic moieties. However, its highly cross-linked polymeric structure hinders efficient valorization. This work investigates catalytic conversion of alkali lignin into bio-oil under in situ H2 supply from formic acid. A series of Ni-Mo/h-BN bimetallic catalysts with varied metal ratios were synthesized by impregnation and characterized by XPS, XRD, and other techniques. The effects of reaction parameters on H2 production via aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of formic acid were evaluated. Optimal H2 yield was achieved at a formic acid-to-water molar ratio of 1:10 and a Ni/Mo atomic ratio of 3:1. H2 yield increased monotonically with temperature from 220 to 280 °C, reaching a maximum of 38.48 mmol. Subsequently, influences of reaction temperature and residence time on bio-oil production were examined. The highest heavy bio-oil yield (18.93%) and maximum relative content of aromatic hydrocarbons (13.81%) were both achieved at 280 °C. Prolonged reaction time reduced heavy bio-oil yield and aromatic hydrocarbon abundance while favoring furan derivatives. This work demonstrates good synergy between in situ hydrogen generation from formic acid and lignin hydrogenation in the temperature range 240–280 °C.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3480-1
Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) offers a sustainable route for wastewater denitrification and decentralized ammonia synthesis, but its practical deployment is constrained by sluggish reaction kinetics and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Monometallic Cu electrocatalysts, despite favorable nitrate adsorption and tunable electronic structure, exhibit weak H* adsorption, limiting the hydrogen radical-mediated pathway that suppresses HER at low overpotentials. Here, highly dispersed Cu/WO3 heterojunctions supported on carbon fiber were synthesized via carbothermal shock reduction, which reaches ultra-high temperatures within seconds and prevents active-site accumulation. The optimal Cu/WO3 heterojunction achieves an ammonia yield rate of 158.66 μmol h−1 cm−2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 98.27%. Electron paramagnetic resonance and density functional theory calculations reveal a synergistic mechanism: Cu sites preferentially adsorb NO3−, while adjacent WO3 sites accelerate water dissociation to generate hydrogen radicals (H*), which drive the continuous hydrogenation of nitrate to ammonia. This spatial separation of functions promotes the H*-mediated pathway and suppresses HER. The work establishes a heterojunction design strategy for non-precious-metal NRA electrocatalysts, enabling high-rate, high-selectivity ammonia production under mild conditions.