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.
Nano Research Energy•2026•DOI: 10.26599/NRE.2025.9120181
Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SLMBs) demand quasi-solid polymer electrolytes (QSSPEs) that simultaneously deliver high ionic conductivity, interfacial stability, and oxidative resistance. This study reports a QSSPE membrane (MP46) formulated with MG30:LiTFSI:succinonitrile at a 10:4:6 weight ratio, exhibiting a wide electrochemical window of 5.1 V. Complementary infrared spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy reveal a hierarchical ionic conductive network consisting of sphere-like nanostructures embedded within microphase-segregated architectures. This morphology enhances lithium-ion transport while preserving mechanical integrity. The strong interfacial adhesion between MP46 and lithium metal enables stable lithium plating and stripping for over 800 h at 0.2 mA·cm–2, effectively mitigating dendrite formation. When paired with LiFePO4 and LiCoO2 cathodes, MP46 sustains prolonged cycling, retaining 80.1% capacity after 1400 cycles at 2 C and 92.1% after 200 cycles at 4.5 V, respectively. Pouch-type cells further demonstrate mechanical flexibility and operational safety under deformation. These results establish MP46 as a viable candidate for stable high-energy-density SLMBs, offering fundamental insights into the design of next-generation polymer electrolytes.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3803-8
The molecular copolymerization of donor-acceptor (D-A) interactions has been effectively utilized to modulate the charge transfer dynamics in polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) photocatalysts. Herein, a D-A configured photocatalyst (TPCN) was constructed by copolymerizing 4,4’,4’’-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl) trianiline (TAPT) as the electron donor with triazine units (electron acceptor). The unique propeller structure of TAPT, combined with the triazine framework, expanded the π-conjugated system and induced a strong built-in electric field (BIEF) across the D-A configuration. Theoretical calculations and transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that this synergistic effect facilitated intramolecular charge separation and widened the range of light absorption, indicating accelerated charge transfer and suppressed recombination in TPCN. The optimized TPCN3 sample exhibited dramatically enhanced photocatalytic H2O2 production (1.74 mmol g−1 h−1), representing a 13.4-fold increase over pristine PCN. Additionally, the TPCN3 sample also exhibited significantly faster degradation kinetics than PCN counterpart toward various emerging contaminants. This work demonstrates a promising strategy for designing efficient metal-free photocatalysts for sustainable H2O2 production and environmental remediation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3845-9
The controlled regulation of molecular folding provides a fundamental pathway for constructing adaptive chiral materials with tunable optical and structural properties. This review summarizes recent progress in folding-mediated chirality control across four interrelated domains: stimuli-responsive regulation, host-guest and coordination interactions, halogen-bond driven modulation, and structural adaptability. Stimuli such as solvent polarity, temperature, pH, and light can reversibly reshape intramolecular hydrogen-bond networks to trigger chiroptical switching. Host-guest and coordination assemblies further enable cooperative chirality transfer through multicomponent interactions, while halogen bonding offers directional and programmable control over molecular helicity. Finally, intrinsic structural adaptability—integrating ferrocenyl frameworks, peptide folding, and diastereomeric design—demonstrates that molecular architecture itself can encode responsive behavior. By comparing these diverse yet convergent strategies, this review highlights the underlying principles of folding-regulated chirality and outlines future directions toward intelligent, multifunctional, and hierarchically organized chiral systems.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202509019
To enhance the electricity generation and decolorization efficiency of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for azo dye wastewater, this study introduced pomelo peel biochar as anode material and flavonoid-rich Chinese herbal medicines as electron mediators (EMs) into microbial fuel cells (MFCs). The anodes were prepared by chemical activation with KOH, ZnCl2, and H3BO3, followed by polypyrrole (PPy) modification. Among the modified anodes, PPy-PPCH3BO3-CC exhibited the best electrochemical performance. The EMs were derived from aqueous extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis (Huangqin), Ginkgo biloba leaves, and Pueraria lobata (Gegen). The extract from Scutellaria baicalensis showed the highest electron transfer capability. In the MFC system equipped with the optimal anode and Scutellaria baicalensis extract, the maximum output voltage reached (587±10) mV, power density increased to 423.12 mW·m−2, Coulombic efficiency was (57.85±1.06)%, COD removal efficiency was (77.45±0.92)%, charge transfer resistance (Rct) decreased to 7.15 Ω, and methyl orange decolorization rate reached (95.86±1.12)%. These results were significantly superior to the control group, demonstrating that natural source materials can effectively enhance the performance of BES for methyl orange wastewater treatment.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025040708
Bisphenol S (BPS), a substitute for bisphenol A (BPA), is widely used in food packaging, plastics, and dental fillings. BPS enters and accumulates in the human body via respiratory, digestive, and dermal routes, posing increasing health risks. Epidemiological and animal studies link BPS exposure to metabolic disorders. This review systematically summarizes BPS pollution status and its mechanisms in obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and immune system disorders. BPS detection rates reach 78.5% in food samples (up to 67.1 μg·kg−1) and 81.67% in fish (up to 65.31 μg·kg−1). In indoor dust, BPS levels reach 26.6 μg·g−1, with adult daily exposure estimated at 0.78 ng·kg−1 in China. Mechanistically, BPS disrupts lipid and glucose metabolism, induces oxidative stress and inflammation, and alters nuclear receptor signaling. The review highlights the need for molecular target identification and metabolic network interaction studies to develop intervention strategies.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607017
Distillers' grains, the largest organic solid waste stream in the brewing industry, require efficient low-carbon valorization to support China's Dual Carbon Goals. This study employs life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify CO2 emissions and carbon reduction benefits of two mainstream routes: pyrolysis to biochar and fermentation to organic fertilizer. Based on public process data, the total life-cycle CO2 emission for biochar production from 1 t of distillers' grains is 250.02 kg, with a carbon sequestration reduction of 120.29 kg, demonstrating superior long-term carbon fixation. In contrast, organic fertilizer production emits 536.14 kg CO2 per ton, achieving a carbon reduction of only 86.22 kg, indicating inferior mitigation performance. Techno-economic analysis reveals net profits of 471.97 CNY/t for biochar and 822.27 CNY/t for organic fertilizer, showing that the organic fertilizer route offers higher profitability. Both pathways effectively reduce CO2 emissions, with biochar prioritizing environmental sustainability and organic fertilizer excelling economically. This study provides data-driven insights for selecting organic solid waste recycling strategies, promoting low-carbon technologies, and establishing circular economy models in the brewing industry.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4107-x
Aqueous fiber zinc-iodine batteries (FZIBs) with four-electron redox exhibit inherent safety and high energy density for wearable electronics. Nevertheless, their practical implementations are hindered by unsatisfactory cycling stability and low realistic energy density, mainly caused by severe H2O-induced nucleophilic attack toward iodine species and poor zinc anode reversibility. Here, we report a quaternary ammonium-mediated coordination strategy to simultaneously address the irreversible cathode/anode redox behavior and thus promote the electrochemical performance of four-electron FZIBs. The cationic choline ion (Ch+) induces complexation with ICl2− via electrostatic interaction, homogenizing the electron cloud density and suppressing irreversible hydrolysis of I+ species, enabling a reversible near-theoretical high capacity of 418.3 mAh g−1. Meanwhile, preferentially adsorbed Ch+ on the zinc anode surface creates positively charged shielding layers, mitigating the tip effect caused by localized electric field and achieving robust zinc stripping/plating. The enhanced cathode/anode reversibility and improved interfacial stability enable stable FZIBs operation for over 20,000 cycles at 20.0 A g−1. Moreover, successful integration of FZIBs into electronic textiles with glucose and cardiac rhythm sensors demonstrates great potential for next-generation wearable electronics.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4012-4
Stimuli-responsive fluorescent hydrogels, owing to their tunable optical properties and unique smart response characteristics, have significant potential in encryption applications and information security. However, most current systems are limited to single-stimulus responsiveness and lack the capability for programmable information erasure or multi-modal dynamic synergy. Hence, we propose a multi-stimuli-responsive phase-change hydrogel incorporating aggregation-induced emission hydrophobic carbon dots (AIE-HCDs) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-cellulose network, demonstrating dynamic fluorescence chromism under various external triggers. The hydrogel exhibits solvent-exchange-triggered fluorescence color changes from blue to red, enabled by the concentration modulation of AIE-HCDs through the exchange between PEG and water. Additionally, the temperature-induced phase transition of PEG from crystalline to molten state modulates the aggregation and dispersion of AIE-HCDs, thereby enabling dynamic fluorescence color changes. The phase transition further confers excellent shape-memory behavior and adjustable mechanical properties, with the tensile modulus varying from 6.28 MPa in the molten state to 36.23 MPa in the crystalline state, while maintaining high transparency (~88% in the molten state). By utilizing micro-contact printing and the multi-stimulus response, an encryption platform enables information to be hidden, selectively read under sequential stimuli (thermal, UV, and solvent), and completely erased upon demand. This strategy demonstrates significant potential for advancing high-level information encryption and anti-counterfeiting technologies.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025051502
Contamination of indoor air with illicit drugs poses a serious threat to public health and safety. Accurate and precise methods for monitoring these drugs are crucial for combating drug production, trafficking, and abuse, as well as reducing the risk of occupational exposure in law enforcement and healthcare workers. Current on-site rapid detection techniques for drugs in indoor air primarily include ion mobility spectrometry and electronic nose technology. Chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques are often used in the laboratory. Monitored drug types include heroin, amphetamine-type stimulants, cannabis, cocaine, synthetic cannabinoids, and fentanyl analogs, with concentration ranges ranging from a few ng·m−3 to several hundred µg·m−3. Drug concentrations are influenced by factors such as the drug type, methods involved in production and abuse, intensities of human activity, and ventilation conditions. While it has been demonstrated that long-term exposure to drug-contaminated environments may cause persistent physical discomfort, the specific mechanisms underlying health risks require further investigation. This paper reviews the sources of illicit drugs in indoor air, their detection methods, and typical application scenarios. It also analyzes the shortcomings of existing studies and proposes future research directions. The aim is to provide technical references for the monitoring of drugs in indoor air environments.