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.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202506064
To address the challenges of high salinity, recalcitrance, limited mass transfer, and coating detachment in traditional anodes for textile wastewater treatment, a porous RuO2@r-TiO2 nanotube array (NTA) anode was fabricated via anodic oxidation, electrochemical reduction, and thermal decomposition. A flow-through electrochemical oxidation system was constructed using this anode and a graphite felt cathode. The material's morphology and physicochemical properties were characterized by SEM, XRD, and XPS. Congo red (CR) was used as a model pollutant to evaluate degradation performance under various conditions. Optimal conditions were identified as current density 5 mA·cm−2, permeate flux 480 L·(m2·h)−1, initial CR concentration 0.15 mmol·L−1, and NaCl concentration 75 mmol·L−1. Under these conditions, the system achieved 91% decolorization within 20 min and 82% mineralization within 60 min. Mass transfer tests showed a rate constant of 2.23×10−4 m·s−1 in flow-through mode, three times higher than conventional mode, with active chlorine and H2O2 production increased by 32.8% and 66.7%, respectively. Radical quenching experiments indicated that singlet oxygen (1O2) was the primary reactive species. The degradation mechanism was proposed based on quenching and UV spectral analysis. The system achieved >90% decolorization for five typical dye pollutants with an energy consumption of only 0.16 kWh·m−3. Cyclic voltammetry confirmed long-term stability. These findings provide theoretical support for applying electrochemical advanced oxidation to high-salinity textile wastewater.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202606003
Membrane separation technology, offering high separation efficiency, low energy consumption, and operational flexibility, is promising for lithium recovery. However, selective lithium extraction from complex matrices such as salt lake brines and battery leachates remains challenging. Traditional membrane development relies on empirical trial-and-error, suffering from low efficiency and the permeability-selectivity trade-off. This review systematically delineates machine learning (ML)-based frameworks for membrane material development, including high-throughput rational screening, inverse design of synthesis protocols, and high-fidelity performance prediction. We elucidate how advanced ML algorithms decipher structure-activity relationships at the molecular level, enabling breakthroughs in performance ceilings and guiding bottom-up fabrication of next-generation membranes. Critical challenges are assessed: scarcity of high-quality standardized datasets, limited model interpretability, and poor generalizability to industrial scales. Future directions emphasize physics-informed hybrid models, open-source global databases, and full-process system optimization to bridge laboratory innovation and industrial deployment.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202607020
Kitchen waste (KW) and excess sludge (ES) are urban biowastes with resource recovery potential, commonly treated via anaerobic digestion (AD) for methane production. However, KW mono-digestion suffers from acidification, while ES yields low methane. This study employed semi-continuous reactors to simulate practical AD, co-digesting KW and ES at a 4:1 volatile solids ratio with biochar addition (0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 g/L). The optimal biochar dosage was 2.5 g/L, achieving cumulative biogas and methane volumes of 17.53 L and 11.63 L, respectively, representing 42.10% and 39.47% increases over the biochar-free control, and 34.45% and 43.30% enhancements relative to thermally hydrolyzed sludge. The methanogenic lag phase decreased from (5.65±0.11) d to (4.33±0.12) d. Process stability improved, with average volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during stable operation dropping from 1708 mg/L to 1033 mg/L. Microbial analysis revealed enhanced diversity and enrichment of Synergistetes and Syntrophomonas, indicating direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) promotion. Biochar at low concentrations enhances AD by immobilizing microbes and facilitating electron transfer, while high concentrations (10 g/L) may inhibit methanogenesis due to fatty acid degradation blockage, yet total methane production remained above control. These findings demonstrate that biochar addition at 2.5 g/L effectively enhances methane production and process stability in KW-ES co-digestion.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4079-4
Utilization of ultrahigh-nickel LiNi_xCo_yMn_1-x-yO_2 (NCM) (x > 0.97) in Li-ion batteries can distinctively boost energy density through enhanced discharge capacity. However, capacity and thermal stability deteriorate as Ni content approaches the limit. Here, we propose a facile strategy by introducing high-valence tungsten (W) into ultrahigh-nickel polycrystalline LiNi_0.98Co_0.01Mn_0.01O_2 (PCNCM98). W-doped PCNCM98 (W-PCNCM98) exhibits refined, compactly stacked primary particles, whereas PCNCM98 shows equiaxial, non-uniform larger particles. The refined microstructure enhances mechanical strength: average particle hardness of W-PCNCM98 is 104 MPa, 1.5 times higher than PCNCM98 (68 MPa). This improved mechanical property suppresses lattice volume changes and relieves microcrack formation from H2–H3 phase transition. Consequently, cycling performance in pouch-type full cells is significantly enhanced, with capacity retention of 73% after 2000 cycles at 1 C and 25 °C, 54% higher than PCNCM98. Enhanced structural stability and strong electron affinity of W6+ also improve thermal stability: exothermic peak for W-PCNCM98 is postponed to 203 °C with heat generation of 1287 J g−1, versus 190 °C and 1528 J g−1 for PCNCM98. This high-valent doping strategy stabilizes ultrahigh-nickel NCM cathodes, accelerating large-scale EV applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3355-0
Dense, non-porous pure platinum electrodes in conductivity sensors suffer from bubble accumulation and surface contamination, limiting sensitivity and stability for precise marine ion detection. This study introduces a combined ultrasonic and pulse electrodeposition technique to fabricate a cauliflower-like platinum black (CF-Pt-black) layer on bare platinum substrates. The resulting electrode exhibits superhydrophilicity with a contact angle of 34.52°, a 0.7-fold reduction in impedance, and a 3.54-fold increase in charge storage capacity compared to bare Pt. Mechanical and electrochemical stability are excellent. When integrated into marine conductivity sensors, the Pt black-modified electrodes improve accuracy from 0.0025 to 0.0012 mS/cm and reduce response time by 160 s. These enhancements stem from the increased surface area and active sites provided by the porous, cauliflower-like morphology, which facilitates electrolyte adsorption and ion transfer while minimizing contaminant adhesion. The findings position CF-Pt-black as a superior candidate for high-precision ion detection, biosensing, and neural recording applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3322-5
The scaling of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology nodes using conventional semiconductors is decelerating due to short-channel effects and tunneling limitations. Reconfigurable devices based on ambipolar two-dimensional (2D) materials offer a pathway to extend functionality without physical scaling. This review examines the fundamental properties, preparation methods, and recent applications of ambipolar 2D materials in reconfigurable field-effect diodes, logic circuits, and neuromorphic devices. Key experimental demonstrations include reconfigurable photo-induced doping in van der Waals semiconductors (Nat Electron, 2020), anti-ambipolar transport in GeAs/SnS2 heterojunctions (Appl Phys Lett, 2024), and non-volatile neuromorphic photovoltaics (Nat Nanotechnol, 2023). Multi-valued logic transistors utilizing negative differential resistance (Adv Mater, 2022) and ZnO composite nanolayers with mobility edge quantization (Nat Commun, 2019) achieve multi-state operation. Large-scale integration remains challenged by material uniformity and device-to-device variability. The review analyzes these bottlenecks and provides prospects for future development, emphasizing the need for stable doping, scalable synthesis, and circuit-level design co-optimization to realize high-density, multifunctional computing architectures.