SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4488-x
Thermochromic smart windows based on hydrogels suffer from inevitable freezing at subzero temperatures and dehydration at elevated temperatures, severely limiting their year-round applicability. This study reports a hydrogel-derived liquid (HDL) smart window that circumvents these limitations through a solvent-exchange strategy. The HDL is synthesized by polymerizing a hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) network in a water-glycerol binary solvent, followed by complete removal of the water phase via vacuum-assisted evaporation. The resulting anhydrous liquid exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 32 °C, with a solar modulation ability (ΔTsol) of 63.2% and a luminous transmittance (Tlum) of 88.1% in the clear state. Critically, the HDL remains optically switchable after 1000 hours at -40 °C and 1000 hours at 80 °C, with no observable phase separation or freezing. The smart window prototype demonstrates a 12.3% reduction in indoor cooling energy consumption in a simulated tropical climate and a 9.8% reduction in heating energy in a cold climate, compared to a commercial low-E glass. The liquid-state formulation enables facile large-area fabrication via roll-to-roll processing, with a demonstrated 30 cm × 30 cm prototype retaining 95% of the initial ΔTsol after 500 bending cycles. This work establishes a viable pathway for all-climate energy-efficient building envelopes.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3682-6
Metal single-atoms with optimized coordination structure on highly accessible substrate can maximize the metal utilization efficiency along with enhancing catalytic activities. Herein, axial nitrogen-coordinated Fe-N5 sites on N-doped carbon (denoted as FeN5@N-C) hollow microplates are fabricated via a unique Fe3+-chelated polydopamine assisted hollowing strategy using ZIF-L microplates as multifunctional templates. Due to the powerful chelating and adhesive ability of polydopamine, this hollow-carbon strategy can be extended to fabricate single-atom Fe-N-C hollow structures with different shapes and encapsulate other transition-metal single atoms (Ni, Co, Mn, and Cu) into the N-doped carbon hollow microplates. The FeN5@N-C hollow microplates exhibit outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) capability with an impressive half-wave potential of 0.93 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode and high stability, which can serve as air-cathode catalysts for high-performance Zn-air batteries with high peak power density of 225.3 mW cm−2 and stable cyclability of up to 400 h. Comprehensive analysis and theoretical calculations elucidate that axial nitrogen coordination in Fe-N5 catalytic sites, unlike the planar Fe-N4 configuration, can compete well with the bonding of OH* through additional 3d-2p orbital hybridization, thereby giving moderate bonding strength to enhance the ORR activity.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3603-2
Conventional glass fiber/epoxy (GF/EP) composites, while structurally competent, are hindered by poor interlaminar toughness, low thermal conductivity, and electromagnetic transparency. This study transforms GF/EP composites into advanced structural multifunctional materials by embedding Ti3C2Tx MXene/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) aerogels (TPA) as integral interlayers. Hybrid composites with tailored architectures—aligned (GFAM_A) and random (GFAM_R) TPA/GF/EP laminates—were fabricated via unidirectional and isotropic freeze-casting, respectively. The integrated aerogel phase promotes crack deflection and distributed energy dissipation, leading to notable enhancements in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fracture toughness. The continuous Ti3C2Tx MXene network within the aerogel creates efficient through-thickness thermal conduction pathways and imparts strong microwave absorption properties. Notably, GFAM_A achieves simultaneous increases of approximately 52% in ILSS, 78% in toughness, and 42% in thermal conductivity, along with effective microwave absorption: a minimum reflection loss of −23.47 dB and a maximum effective bandwidth of 2.70 GHz. This study demonstrates that precision aerogel engineering provides a powerful strategy for upgrading conventional glass fiber composites into advanced multifunctional structural materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3707-8
Wound infection is a major cause of death during the wound healing process. Improperly dressed wounds can lead to secondary injury, prolonging healing time and increasing infection risk. Here, we propose an antibacterial slippery dressing through molecular engineering of copper ions. The oil layer forms a barrier to reduce clot adhesion to the wound site and prevent environmental contamination. Single-cell level detection indicates that secreted copper ions induce bacterial death not only by disrupting membrane integrity but also by relying on the production of reactive oxygen species. Further membrane depolarization and adenosine triphosphate production blockage result in the aggregation of important proteins in various biological processes, such as metabolic homeostasis, ultimately leading to bacterial death. The animal model confirms that our dressing accelerates wound healing by promoting the growth of granulation tissue and collagen deposition. Our dressing demonstrates significant clinical implications for the design of next-generation therapeutic applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3747-3
Thermochromic soft materials are flexible functional materials that adaptively tune optical properties (transmittance, reflectance, or scattering) with temperature for thermal modulation. Herein, a laminated thermochromic gel (DEE-DA) is synthesized by encapsulating a thermochromic hydrogel (DA) between two hydrophobic ionogels (DEE) in a stacked configuration. The synergy of multiple dynamic bonds endows the DEE-DA gel with exceptional mechanical properties and remarkable self-healing capability (98.8% at 30 °C). More importantly, attributed to the temperature-responsive reversible cleavage and recombination of hydrogen bonds and borate ester bonds, DEE-DA gel demonstrates tunable transmittance with a light modulation efficiency of 85.45%. In response to the various external conditions, the gel can auto-adjust the optical properties to avoid sun irradiation or heat loss. Accordingly, the gel enables efficient dual-mode thermal modulation across a broad temperature range to realize thermal management. The research proposes gel thermochromism and laminated durability enhancement for adaptive materials in smart buildings and wearables.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024122001
Biomass is the only renewable carbon resource with huge reserves and wide sources, and it is green and environmentally friendly. Under the background of 'dual carbon', the clean and efficient utilization of biomass has received increasing attention. Preparation of biochar from biomass is one of the main methods to use biomass efficiently. Biochar surfaces possess porous and aromatic structures, which exhibit good fixation effects on heavy metals in wastewater. However, biochar has shortcomings such as difficulty in recovery and non-reusability. The introduction of iron into biochar can not only enrich surface functional groups, develop pore structure, and increase specific surface area, but also endow magnetic properties, facilitating solid-liquid separation after adsorption. This paper reviews the preparation methods of iron-based magnetic biochar (MBC-Fe), summarizes the effects of different iron sources on its characteristics, and illustrates the adsorption performance and mechanisms of MBC-Fe for typical heavy metals in water. Finally, applications of MBC-Fe in the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater are concluded, and future utilization potential in other fields is proposed. The review highlights that MBC-Fe exhibits high adsorption capacities, e.g., for Pb(II) and Cd(II), with rapid kinetics and easy separation, making it a promising adsorbent for wastewater treatment.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.0000/202604-1
An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 11 organic ultraviolet absorbents (OUVs) in coral tissues using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Target analytes included benzophenones (BP, BP-2, BP-3, BP-8) and other common UV filters. Sample pretreatment and chromatographic conditions were systematically optimized. Coral tissue samples were extracted by combined vortexing and ultrasonication, separated on a CAPCELL PAK MG C18 column using a mobile phase of methanol-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution under gradient elution, and determined by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with internal standard quantification. Method validation demonstrated good linearity for all target compounds over the range of 0.1–500 μg·L−1 (R2 > 0.990), with method detection limits ranging from 0.020 to 0.133 ng·g−1. The mean recoveries at low, medium, and high spiking levels ranged from 60.5% to 120.3%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.6%–10.7%. The method offers advantages of simple pretreatment, good repeatability, and high accuracy, making it suitable for high-throughput determination of OUVs in complex biological matrices such as corals. The method was applied to analyze 89 coral samples collected from Xidao Island, Sanya, and five target OUVs were detected in the samples. This method provides reliable technical support for elucidating the accumulation characteristics of OUVs in corals and assessing their potential ecological risks.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202508036
To address the issues of insufficient carbon sources and low denitrification efficiency in rural domestic wastewater, this study developed and optimized a composite slow-release carbon source using corncob, rice husk, reed straw, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and sodium alginate (SA). The preparation conditions and raw material ratios were systematically optimized using Plackett-Burman (PB) design, response surface methodology (Box-Behnken design, BBD), and mixture-optimal design (MOD). The denitrification performance was evaluated through carbon release characteristics and denitrification experiments. The optimal preparation conditions were determined as PVA 8.64 g, SA 2.41 g, rice husk 3.82 g, corncob 4.47 g, reed straw 6.06 g, freezing time 19.11 h, and crosslinking time 12 h. The 7-day cumulative carbon release was (43.38 ± 1.3) mg·(g·h)−1. The release process followed first-order kinetics, Higuchi, Ritger-Peppas, and Weibull models, indicating that carbon release is controlled by multiple mechanisms including diffusion and skeleton erosion, ensuring stable slow-release characteristics. In denitrification experiments with influent NO3−-N concentration of 50 mg·L−1, the composite carbon source (RCR-PVA-SA) achieved a maximum NO3−-N removal rate of 90.8% after 10 days of operation, with a removal rate of 0.079 mg·(g·h)−1. Under dynamic conditions with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 h, the average removal rate remained at 87.9%, demonstrating efficient and stable denitrification performance under both static and dynamic conditions. This research provides a reference for the preparation of natural slow-release carbon sources and the resource utilization of agricultural waste.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025012302
Phosphorus (P) loss from paddy fields contributes to eutrophication in Chaohu Lake. This study evaluated the effects of novel fertilizers and P reduction on P loss and rice yield. Seven treatments were established: no P (CK), rice-specific fertilizer (ZYF), slow-release blended fertilizer (SRF), Xinjutian compound fertilizer (XJT), enhanced loss-controlled fertilizer (CRF), CRF with 10% P reduction (CRF-10P%), and CRF with 30% P reduction (CRF-30P%). Results showed that novel fertilizers and P reduction significantly reduced concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), dissolved phosphorus (DP), and particulate phosphorus (PP) in surface water and leachate. The first 5 days after basal fertilization and heavy rainfall were high-risk periods for P loss. Rainfall increased TP concentrations by 417.74%–432.86% and 94.85%–351.35% in surface water and leachate, respectively; DP increased by 120.80%–322.44%, and PP by 280.66%–501.77% and 80.23%–297.55%. Compared with ZYF, SRF, XJT, and CRF reduced TP loss by 15.43%–33.95%, with SRF showing the lowest loss. Under P reduction, CRF-10P% and CRF-30P% reduced TP loss by 31.48% and 37.04%, respectively, with CRF-30P% achieving the lowest loss. Notably, CRF-10P% increased rice yield by 22.37% relative to ZYF, indicating that moderate P reduction with enhanced loss-controlled fertilizer can maintain or increase yield while reducing environmental risk. The study concludes that CRF-10P% offers a promising strategy for sustainable rice production in the Chaohu Lake watershed.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3812-5
Anaerobic bacterial infections, prevalent in oxygen-deprived tissues, are recalcitrant to conventional antibiotics due to slow bacterial metabolism and the generation of nutrient-rich niches that foster polymicrobial biofilms. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a skin commensal, exemplifies this challenge, causing acne vulgaris and implant-associated infections, with rising antibiotic resistance. This study introduces an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), WRK (sequence: WRKFRRFKFRW-NH2), which induces endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in anaerobic bacteria, exploiting their inherent low ROS tolerance. WRK exhibited potent antibacterial activity, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4 μg mL−1 against planktonic P. acnes and a minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) of 64 μg mL−1. To enable dermal delivery, WRK was encapsulated in layered dissolving microneedles (MNs), which demonstrated adequate mechanical strength for skin penetration. In a mouse back acne model, AMP MNs significantly reduced P. acnes infection and inflammation, outperforming commercial clindamycin gel. Histological analysis confirmed reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue hyperplasia in the AMP MN group. This strategy offers a promising approach for treating anaerobic infections without promoting drug resistance, addressing a critical unmet need in clinical dermatology and implant surgery.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3918-x
Electrochemical seawater electrolysis powered by renewable energy is a highly promising route toward sustainable hydrogen production, mitigating both energy shortages and carbon emissions. However, chloride-induced corrosion and competitive chlorine evolution reactions lead to metal site dissolution, severely impairing durability, especially at industrial-level current densities. Here, we report a nitrite-incorporated cobalt-iron layered double hydroxide (CoFe-NO2−-LDH) electrocatalyst that exhibits exceptional activity and stability for seawater splitting. The nitrite anion acts as an electronic pump: it accepts electrons to facilitate the formation of high-valence Fe species essential for initial OER activation, and donates electrons under high potential to suppress oxidative dissolution. Moreover, the negatively charged nitrite generates an electrostatic repulsion field that effectively repels chloride ions, protecting metal active sites from corrosion and segregation. The in situ characterization confirms that nitrite doping weakens the Fe–O covalency, which suppresses lattice oxygen participation and promotes a stable adsorbate-evolving mechanism, consequently leading to significantly enhanced operational stability. When used as an anode, the CoFe-NO2−-LDH catalyst achieves over 1000 h of stable operation at 1000 mA cm−2 in seawater electrolysis, demonstrating great potential for practical applications.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60710-4
Lignin pyrolysis is a promising route for sustainable production of high-value phenolic chemicals, yet the intricate radical reaction network remains a major bottleneck to optimizing product selectivity. This work constructs a standardized DFT computational database that systematically describes the fast pyrolysis of vanillyl alcohol at 823.15 K. The database features three key components: primary reaction pathways, thermodynamic energy barriers, and atomic-level electronic fingerprints. The dataset covers primary reaction pathways, secondary rearrangements, and both global and local reactivity indices of key intermediates. Notably, it innovatively integrates electronic-structure fingerprints, filling the gap in reaction-network–electronic-property correlation data. Standardized computational workflows and rigorous quality control ensure accuracy, consistency, and reproducibility. The public release of this dataset provides a reliable theoretical benchmark for mechanistic studies of lignin pyrolysis and offers foundational data support for rational design of new catalysts and refinement of reaction kinetic models. Ultimately, this database not only provides an important reference for data-driven catalyst development but also lays a theoretical foundation for precise regulation of lignin depolymerization.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025051404
Rubber additives, such as 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG) and p-phenylenediamine antioxidants (PPDs), are widely used in the rubber industry and have been increasingly detected in aquatic environments. This study investigated the distribution characteristics and potential sources of seven typical rubber additives (DPG, 6PPD, IPPD, DPPD, CPPD, DNPD, and 77PD) and the transformation product 6PPD-Q in surface water of the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River, China. A total of 29 sampling sites were analyzed. Total concentrations of the target compounds ranged from 205 to 5400 ng·L−1, with a mean of (820±1100) ng·L−1. DPG was the dominant compound in both dissolved and particle phases, accounting for (99±1.9)% and (66±13)% of the total concentrations, respectively. Source analysis indicated that aquaculture, vessel navigation, agricultural runoff, and wastewater treatment plant discharges likely influence the occurrence of rubber additives in this river section. Risk quotient (RQ) assessment revealed that 6PPD-Q posed high ecological risk at all sampling sites (RQ > 1), while DPG exhibited moderate to high risk at most sites (RQ > 0.1). In contrast, 6PPD, IPPD, CPPD, and DPPD showed low ecological risk. These findings highlight the need for heightened attention to the ecological risks posed by 6PPD-Q and DPG in the Pearl River Basin and provide scientific data for pollution prevention and risk management.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4031-6
Organic fluorophores operating in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm) window are highly attractive for cancer phototheranostics. Yet, the advancement of aza-BODIPY-based NIR-II dyes remains challenging due to their limited spectral tunability and diminished fluorescence quantum yields (FLQY) under physiological conditions. Herein, we propose a rational donor-acceptor (D-A) molecular engineering strategy to construct an aza-BODIPY fluorophore, TPACN, featuring intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)-enhanced NIR-II emission and balanced photothermal performance. By introducing electron-rich triphenylamine (TPA) donors and peripheral cyano (–CN) acceptors, the optimized D-A coupling significantly strengthened the ICT effect, leading to broadened NIR absorption, a markedly red-shifted fluorescence peak at 1086 nm, and an exceptional fluorescence quantum yield of 1.55% in dichloromethane (DCM). When encapsulated in F127, TPACN nanoparticles (TPACN NPs) maintained a high aqueous FLQY of 0.20%, accompanied by a notable photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of 39% under 808 nm irradiation. The sterically twisted TPA units effectively alleviated aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) and fine-tuned the excited-state energy dissipation pathways, realizing a synergistic balance between radiative (fluorescence) and non-radiative (heat) relaxation. Benefiting from these optimized photophysical properties, TPACN NPs achieved high-resolution NIR-I photoacoustic and NIR-II fluorescence dual-modal imaging, enabling accurate tumor visualization and efficient photothermal ablation in vivo. This work introduces a general design paradigm that exploits ICT modulation and steric engineering to overcome the intrinsic fluorescence bottleneck of aza-BODIPY systems, offering new molecular insights for the advancement of high-performance NIR-II dyes for precision phototheranostics.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(26)60663-9
The catalytic hydrogenation of biomass-derived dimethyl succinate (DMS) to 1,4-butanediol (BDO) is a pivotal route for producing high-value C4 chemicals in green chemistry. Cu/SiO2 catalysts are known for high selectivity in hydrogenating ester groups, with performance correlated to copper species microstructure. Although calcination critically defines this active structure, systematic influence of calcination atmosphere remains underexplored. Here, Cu/SiO2 catalysts were prepared via urea-assisted hydrothermal method and calcined under different atmospheres to elucidate effects on physicochemical properties and hydrogenation performance. Comprehensive characterization (N2 physisorption, FT-IR, H2-TPR, XRD, TEM, N2O pulse chemisorption, XPS, NH3-TPD) revealed that calcination atmosphere profoundly alters metal-support interaction, regulating dispersion and chemical state of copper species. Specifically, air calcination promoted stronger metal-support interaction, enhancing copper dispersion and increasing proportion of key active Cu+ species. Consequently, air-calcined catalyst achieved 92.37% DMS conversion and 64.15% BDO yield under optimized conditions (210 °C, 5.0 MPa, WHSV 0.6 h−1, H2/DMS molar ratio 100). This work underscores calcination atmosphere engineering as potent strategy for optimizing metal-support interactions in heterogeneous catalysts for efficient hydrogenation.