SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4271-5
Photocatalytic functional coatings are at a pivotal juncture where the primary research focus must transition from intrinsic material activity to a unified framework centered on surface serviceability. Surface serviceability encompasses the ability of a coating to maintain catalytic activity, interfacial integrity, multifunctional performance, safety, and manufacturability under specific service environments over its operational lifetime. Over the past three decades, photocatalytic surfaces have demonstrated potential for degrading organic pollutants, maintaining surface cleanliness, and enabling air purification, with applications in buildings, glass, highways, and infrastructure. However, high intrinsic activity alone does not guarantee stable long-term performance when the photocatalyst is immobilized as a substrate-integrated film. Performance is governed by coupled factors including interfacial adhesion, film structure, environmental aging, and functional durability. Current challenges extend beyond catalytic activity to include long-term deactivation, coating-substrate interfacial stability, trade-offs among multiple functions, adequacy of evaluation methods, and scalability of fabrication. These issues form a progressive service chain: design determines catalyst exposure and adhesion; environmental stresses induce functional or structural failure; multifunctional integration may compromise one function for another. Therefore, application-oriented evaluation is essential. This perspective advocates for a paradigm shift toward service-oriented design, requiring establishment of service-relevant evaluation protocols and development of scalable, repairable fabrication routes. Such efforts will enable photocatalytic coatings to evolve from high-activity laboratory materials into engineering surfaces that are verifiable, comparable, manufacturable, and durable in real-world applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3807-8
Electrocatalytic co-reduction of CO2 and nitrate offers a sustainable route for urea synthesis, valorizing nitrogenous waste and CO2. However, achieving high-performance urea electrosynthesis under ambient conditions remains challenging due to the need for simultaneous activation of CO2 and efficient H2O dissociation to supply active *H for *NOx hydrogenation, ultimately forming key C- and N-containing intermediates for C–N coupling. Here, we report a bifunctional Pd-single-atom-modified Cu (Pd1Cu) nanorod catalyst that synergistically promotes adsorption and stepwise activation of CO2 and H2O, steering the reaction pathway toward selective urea synthesis. Integrating experimental evidence, in situ spectroscopy, and computational analyses, we disclose that atomically dispersed Pd sites kinetically favor co-generation of *CO and *NH2 via H2O dissociation-driven proton transfer, forming an optimal intermediate balance. The dual metal active sites enhance C–N coupling via combined electronic and geometric effects, substantially lowering the reaction energy barrier and improving selectivity. This work provides a rational design strategy for advanced multifunctional catalysts for urea electrosynthesis, contributing to carbon neutrality and waste nitrogen valorization.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3815-0
The development of bifunctional electrocatalysts capable of integrating biomass-derived platform molecule oxidation with organic reduction offers a promising strategy for simultaneously enhancing energy efficiency and generating high-value chemicals. However, designing catalysts that exhibit both high activity and stability in integrated systems remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report a self-supported electrode composed of nitrogen-doped carbonized wood (NCW) supported NiCo nanosheets (NiCo 0.3/NCW) that enables the electrocatalytic 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation to produce 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and the nitrobenzene reduction to yield aniline in an integrated electrochemical cell. The NiCo 0.3/NCW electrode achieves the production of FDCA and aniline at a low cell voltage of 1.7 V, with ~99% anodic and ~92% cathodic Faradaic efficiencies, respectively. Experimental characterizations disclose that the hierarchical porous NCW architecture promotes the dispersion of active sites, while nitrogen doping strengthens metal–support interactions. In-situ spectroscopic experiments combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that cobalt incorporation tunes the electronic structure of nickel, thus optimizing substrate and intermediate adsorption, and lowering energy barriers. These effects ultimately enhance the performance of the natural wood-derived catalyst in integrated biomass valorization and selective organic electrosynthesis.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5813(25)60630-X
Chemical looping methane steam reforming (CL-MSR) enables sequential production of high-selectivity syngas and high-purity hydrogen via redox cycling, yet single iron-based oxygen carriers suffer from poor cycling stability, low reactivity, and sintering. This study modified Fe2O3/Al2O3 oxygen carriers with Cu, La, and Ce additives via dip-coating, and systematically characterized their physicochemical properties, reactivity, and hydrogen production performance. Results showed that spinel-phase CuFe2O4 exhibited higher reactivity than perovskite LaFeO3 and CeO2, promoting deeper reduction of Fe2O3. Fe58Cu2Al achieved an oxygen storage capacity of 6.5 mmol/g. During CH4 reaction, Fe58Cu2Al exhibited the highest oxygen loss of 12.1 g/100 g oxygen carrier, with syngas yield of 5.15 mmol/g—1.33 and 1.59 times that of Fe60Al. In hydrogen production, the 2% Cu-modified carrier yielded 5.13 mmol/g H2, 1.51 times that of pristine Fe60Al, with purity exceeding 98%. After ten cycles, H2 yield remained at 3.61 mmol/g, surpassing the single-cycle output of pristine Fe60Al (3.39 mmol/g), demonstrating superior dispersion and coking resistance. The study establishes Cu modification as an effective strategy to enhance reactivity and cyclic stability of iron-based oxygen carriers for CL-MSR hydrogen production.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4003-7
The escalating electromagnetic (EM) pollution necessitates the development of high-performance microwave absorbers (MAs) with integrated functionalities. However, it is still a difficult problem to integrate more related high performances into the designed MAs. Herein, a sustainable strategy was reported for fabricating three-dimensional (3D) porous magnetic Ni@C-anchored carbon foams (Ni@C/CFs) with abundant heterointerfaces and magnetic Ni@C nanoparticles using 3D porous chitosan foams and Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid chelate (Ni-NAC) as precursors. The modulation of carbonization temperature and concentration of Ni-NAC solution contributed to the tunable carbon graphitization, Ni crystallinity and magnetic Ni@C nanoparticles loading, which effectively improved their EM properties and EM wave absorption performances (EMWAPs). The optimized 3D porous magnetic Ni@C/CFs not only exhibited exceptional EMWAPs with a minimum reflection loss (RL min) of −27.58 dB and an ultra-wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 7.20 GHz, but also presented efficient thermal insulation and strong antibacterial activity (>95% inhibition against E. coli), which mainly originated from their excellent magnetic-dielectric synergies and unique 3D hierarchical porous structures. Consequently, this work delivers a coherent design strategy for next-generation multifunctional absorbers with potential applications in EM protection, thermal management, and adaptive stealth technologies.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4150-2
Bacterial infection and irregular wound morphology are major challenges in clinical wound management. Injectable hydrogels can conform to irregular wound geometries but often lack antimicrobial activity. Here, we report an injectable hydrogel (HPAu gel) formed by sequentially mixing phenylboronic acid-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-PBA) and chloroauric acid under alkaline conditions. The gel's internal multiple crosslinks enable uniform encapsulation of in situ-generated gold nanoparticles. Hydrogen bonds and phenylboronic acid ester bonds confer self-healing, injectability, and adhesion, allowing effective sealing of irregular cavities. In vitro, the hydrogel exhibits long-lasting photothermal stability and eliminates multiple bacterial strains. In a mouse dorsal full-thickness infected wound model, HPAu gel under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation eradicated Staphylococcus aureus, reduced inflammation (TNF-α fluorescence area significantly lower; IL-10 area 12.88‰ vs <2‰ in Blank), promoted vascular regeneration (CD31 and α-SMA expression increased), and accelerated wound healing. This work presents a promising strategy for treating irregular infected wounds.