SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4277-1
Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials hold promise for next-generation spintronics, yet most exhibit Curie temperatures (Tc) far below room temperature, limiting practical applications. Here, we report the realization of room-temperature ferromagnetism in CuCrSe2 nanosheets via controlled anion removal achieved by post-synthetic vacuum annealing. Raw CuCrSe2 shows a low Tc of ~120 K, whereas annealed CuCrSe2 (A-CuCrSe2) nanosheets exhibit robust ferromagnetic ordering above 300 K. Structural and compositional analyses, including transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, confirm that A-CuCrSe2 retains the original layered crystal structure with an estimated Se vacancy concentration of approximately 10%. Magnetic measurements reveal room-temperature ferromagnetism in exfoliated nanosheets, corroborated by magnetic imaging and electric transport measurements. Anomalous Hall effect (AHE) measurements uncover the coexistence of two ferromagnetic phases within the same sample: one with low Tc (~120 K) and another with high Tc (>300 K), indicating spatially heterogeneous magnetic ordering driven by anion removal distribution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate the microscopic mechanism, suggesting that Se vacancies modulate the magnetic exchange interactions, enhancing Tc. This work demonstrates that anion modulation is an effective intrinsic strategy to achieve room-temperature ferromagnetism in 2D materials, potentially advancing spintronic applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4122-5
The 2026 Emerging Investigator Issue of Science China Materials showcases the work of 41 early-career scientists across diverse fields including rechargeable batteries, optoelectronic materials, structural materials, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, ferroelectric materials, and thermoelectric materials. This editorial highlights key contributions: Yuxin Tang et al. review ionic liquids for lithium batteries; Fei Xu et al. achieve 99.9% average Coulombic efficiency over 3500 cycles in Zn half-cells using an ultrathin polydimethylsiloxane interphase; Linfeng Hu et al. report Te vacancy-rich Bi2Te3 nanosheets enhancing zinc ion storage; Ying Zhang et al. convert chlorinated plastic waste into high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes. In optoelectronics, Kai Li et al. develop a TADF-Cu(I) complex for red OLEDs with maximum EQE of 25.9% and negligible roll-off; Zhongyan Huang et al. achieve deep-blue MR-TADF emitters with EQE up to 34.4%. Electronic materials advances include flexible neuromorphic electronics and printed flexible electronics. Structural materials research includes high-entropy carbides with oxidation resistance at 2500°C, precipitation-hardened medium-entropy alloys, and biomimetic composites. The issue also covers photocatalytic hydrogenation and CO2 reduction. This collection underscores the vitality and breadth of materials science research, addressing critical challenges in energy, electronics, and structural applications.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025011804
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) are persistent organic pollutants whose isomers exhibit distinct environmental behaviors, bioaccumulation potentials, and toxic effects due to structural variations. Accurate identification of PFCA isomers is critical for risk assessment and pollution control, yet existing detection methods predominantly rely on standard references, posing challenges for precise analysis of isomers with subtle structural differences. Single-molecule electrochemical sensing via nanopores offers a standard-free approach by correlating molecular volume with current blockade, but its capability to distinguish PFCA isomers remained unverified. This study targeted three sets of PFCA isomers: 4,5,5-trifluoropent-4-enoic acid vs. 4,4,4-trifluoro-3-methylbut-2-enoic acid; 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-methylpropanoic acid vs. 4,4,4-trifluorobutanoic acid; and 2-(trifluoromethoxy)acetic acid, 3,3,3-trifluorolactic acid, and (2R)-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxypropanoic acid. By engineering nanopore interfaces (WT, R220N, R220Q Aerolysin) and extracting multi-dimensional characteristic parameters, the method achieved near 100% accuracy in identifying all seven isomers. Feature selection further enabled high classification accuracy with low data volumes, laying the foundation for rapid single-molecule detection of PFAS and other emerging contaminants.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025040202
Halophenols are highly toxic disinfection byproducts and common taste-and-odor pollutants in drinking water. In this study, a palladium catalyst confined within the pores of UiO-66 (Pd@UiO-66) was prepared via a double-solvent method and applied for the catalytic hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). A surface-supported catalyst (Pd/UiO-66) was synthesized by deposition-precipitation as a benchmark. Comprehensive characterization using ICP-OES, XRD, TEM, EDX mapping, XPS, and in situ CO-IR revealed that Pd@UiO-66 exhibited smaller Pd particle sizes, higher Pd dispersion, and a greater proportion of cationic Pd species (Pdn+) compared to Pd/UiO-66. These features enhanced the activation and cleavage of the C–Cl bond. Catalytic tests demonstrated that Pd@UiO-66 achieved >90% removal of 4-CP within 15 minutes, with phenol as the sole degradation product, showing significantly lower predicted toxicity (ECOSAR) than the parent compound. The kinetics followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. Pd@UiO-66 exhibited 2.1 times higher initial activity and 1.2 times higher turnover frequency than Pd/UiO-66. Moreover, the pore confinement effect imparted high stability, with no significant loss in initial activity (within 10%) after five reaction cycles. These results highlight the potential of confined Pd catalysts for efficient removal of halophenolic odorants from water.