SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4236-8
Electrochemical nitrate reduction (NO3RR) to ammonia offers a sustainable route for nitrogen recovery from wastewater, yet its efficiency is constrained by complex multi-step proton-electron transfers and competitive hydrogen evolution. Here, we report a series of binary cobalt-copper phosphates with precisely tuned Co/Cu ratios, revealing a volcano-type relationship between composition and catalytic activity. The optimized Co0.5Cu1.5(OH)PO4 catalyst, supported on a Ni3Co1OxHy/Ni foam substrate, achieves a Faradaic efficiency of 99.0% for ammonia at a high current density of 200 mA cm−2 in 1 M nitrate electrolyte, with a production rate of 9.18 mg h−1 cm−2 and sustained stability over 200 hours. In-situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations elucidate a tandem mechanism: Co sites promote water dissociation to generate active hydrogen (H*), while adjacent Cu sites facilitate nitrate adsorption and subsequent hydrogenation steps. This synergistic division of labor lowers the energy barrier for the rate-determining step, effectively suppressing HER and enhancing intrinsic kinetics. The work demonstrates that precise atomic-ratio engineering in dual-site transition metal phosphates provides a viable strategy to overcome activity-selectivity trade-offs in electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia conversion.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3780-3
Real-time health monitoring and ongoing evaluation of physiological conditions are becoming increasingly vital for the advancement of future medical diagnostics and personalized healthcare solutions. Given that certain illnesses necessitate prompt and accessible detection methods, wearable chemical sensors have garnered considerable interest for their capability to monitor health through physiological signals and chemical indicators. This review delivers a thorough examination of recent developments in four primary categories of wearable chemical sensors: biosensors, humidity sensors, gas sensors, and ion sensors. We explore the representative materials, device structures, operating mechanisms, and various application scenarios for each type of sensor. By investigating the latest innovations in these technologies, we aim to provide a detailed overview of the current research landscape, highlight existing challenges, and present potential future directions of wearable chemical sensors in healthcare monitoring.
New Carbon Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(26)61102-X
Silicon-carbon composites prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are promising anode materials for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, the influence of the pore structure of the porous carbon (PC) carrier on silicon deposition behavior, and the impact of surface silicon on cycling stability, remain unclear. This study systematically investigates these effects using nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Porous carbons with varying pore architectures were synthesized by adjusting KOH activator ratios. Results show that increased micropore volume facilitates higher silicon mass loading, but also elevates the content of surface floating silicon due to greater silane exposure. Moderately increasing mesopores in high-microporosity carbon promotes deeper silicon deposition, reducing surface floating silicon. Excessive surface floating silicon hinders lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, leading to accumulation of active lithium, accelerated SEI growth, and electrode degradation. Electrochemical testing reveals that the optimized silicon-carbon composite maintains a high specific capacity of 693.1 mAh/g after 150 cycles at 0.5 C (900 mA/g). This work provides new insights into the development and failure mechanisms of CVD-derived silicon-carbon composite anodes, emphasizing the critical role of pore structure in mitigating surface silicon and enhancing cycling stability.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202510089
Microplastics (MPs) are frequently detected in various water bodies, posing increasing environmental risks. This study synthesized magnetic Fe3O4@MIL-100(Fe) microspheres via an in-situ one-step hydrothermal method and investigated their adsorption removal mechanisms for polystyrene (PS) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics. The composite exhibited a core-shell structure with a high specific surface area of 848.6 m2·g−1. Adsorption kinetics showed that PLA followed a pseudo-second-order model, while PS fitted both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. Equilibrium data for both MPs were well described by the Freundlich isotherm. Removal efficiencies for PLA and PS increased from 58.18% and 49.66% to 98.90% and 98.58%, respectively, as pH decreased, and from 64.24% and 21.58% to 97.05% and 94.63% with increasing ionic strength. The removal mechanism involved synergistic physical-chemical interactions: hydrogen bonding dominated for PLA, with some complexation, while π–π interactions and hydrogen bonding were primary for PS. The material demonstrated excellent reusability over multiple cycles. These findings highlight the potential of Fe3O4@MIL-100(Fe) for efficient removal of MPs from water, offering a novel approach for controlling emerging contaminants.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3820-5
Two novel N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based ligands featuring rigid boron-oxygen (BO) fused-ring units, named Bpmi and Bpmb, and the two corresponding homoleptic meridianal iridium complexes, namely mer-Ir(Bpmi)3 and mer-Ir(Bpmb)3, were designed and synthesized. Single-crystal structures revealed a meridional coordination geometry for both complexes. Shorter Ir–C carbene bond lengths and rigid planar BO-fused ring units contribute to enhanced stability. Both complexes exhibit efficient green phosphorescence (λem = 536/521 nm in toluene, ΦPL > 78%) with short lifetimes (τ = 846/1083 ns), leading to high radiative rate constants (Kr = 10.04 × 10^5 and 7.29 × 10^5 s−1, respectively). Theoretical calculations indicate significantly increased metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) character (21.69% for mer-Ir(Bpmi)3; 17.30% for mer-Ir(Bpmb)3) compared to reference complexes (13.01% for mer-Ir(pmi)3; 15.99% for mer-Ir(pmb)3). Both complexes exhibit exceptional thermal stability with decomposition temperatures of 491°C (mer-Ir(Bpmi)3) and 540°C (mer-Ir(Bpmb)3). OLED devices using mer-Ir(Bpmb)3 and mer-Ir(Bpmi)3 as emitters demonstrate maximum external quantum efficiencies of 20.0% and 15.6%, respectively. This research pioneers boron-fused ring-containing NHCs and their phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes, establishing a novel design strategy for high-performance NHC-based OLED phosphorescent emitters.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4073-2
Precise control of molecular orientation in nonfullerene acceptors is crucial yet challenging for achieving both high efficiency and long-term stability in organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, we report a molecular dimerization strategy to regulate orientation and charge-transport anisotropy in ambipolar M-series acceptors. Using the edge-on-oriented small-molecule acceptor MC16 as a model, dimerization into DMC16 effectively suppresses over-aggregation and molecular diffusion while inducing a predominant face-on packing orientation. This orientation transition reverses the transport anisotropy from lateral to vertical directions, enabling balanced ambipolar charge transport and efficient carrier extraction. Consequently, DMC16-based OSCs exhibit a markedly enhanced power conversion efficiency together with outstanding thermal stability, retaining 94% of the initial efficiency after 1800 h at 85 °C and 74% after an additional 1000 h at 120 °C. When introduced as a third component in PM6:M36 ternary blends, DMC16 further optimizes blend morphology and stability, delivering an efficiency of 19.04% and over 15% in 10.15 cm2 modules. These results demonstrate that dimerization-induced molecular orientation control provides an effective pathway to simultaneously enhance efficiency, stability, and scalability in OSCs.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4123-0
Aqueous aluminum-ion batteries (AAIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to safety, sustainability, and theoretical high capacity. However, sluggish electron/ion transport in conventional cathodes limits rate capability. Here, we first propose high-entropy engineering of metal oxides (HEOs) as cathodes in AAIBs, leveraging the 'cocktail effect' and abundant electron transport pathways to enhance rate-capacity. Atomic-level interactions between different metal atoms broaden the d-band with reduced electronic level degeneracy, facilitating rapid electron transport, achieving one of the best rate capabilities (119.4 mAh g−1 at 10.0 A g−1) among metal-oxide cathodes. The disordered layered oxides formed with a high-entropy framework alleviate electrostatic repulsion between aluminum ions and the fixed lattice, mitigating structural degradation and imparting excellent cycling stability (over 95.1 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 2.0 A g−1). The optimized HEO-Cr cathode (Fe0.6Co0.6Ni0.6Mn0.6Cr0.6O4) exhibits outstanding rate performance and cycling stability. DFT simulations and electrochemical tests reveal that multi-transition metal incorporation, bandgap narrowing, and unique lattice structure drastically enhance electron transport efficiency. The layered phase formed after cycling, based on a high-entropy framework, overcomes challenges from high charge density aluminum ions, significantly enhancing cycling stability. This work paves the way for high-performance AAIBs and other aqueous multivalent metal ion batteries by rationally designing high-entropy engineering.