SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4299-9
A dual-doping strategy incorporating boron (B) and sulfur (S) into graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was employed to engineer band structures and construct an S-scheme homojunction (BSCN) for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution. The BSCN catalyst exhibited an interwoven architecture of porous nanotubes and nanosheets, providing a large specific surface area and abundant active sites. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed an S-scheme charge transfer mechanism at the BCN/SCN interface, driven by a built-in electric field that facilitates efficient spatial separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Photoelectrochemical measurements confirmed improved light harvesting and charge separation. DFT simulations indicated near-thermoneutral hydrogen adsorption free energy (ΔGH* = 0.12 eV) at S-doped sites, favorable for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. The optimized BSCN achieved an exceptional H2 evolution rate of 14.409 mmol g−1 h−1, approximately 75-fold and 3.4-fold higher than pristine BCN and SCN, respectively. This work establishes a rational doping-mediated approach for designing high-efficiency g-C3N4 homojunctions and provides mechanistic insights into S-scheme charge transfer for solar-driven H2 production.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3657-9
Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs) have achieved power conversion efficiencies (PCE) up to 34.9%, surpassing the Shockley-Queisser limit of single-junction devices. The interconnection layer (ICL) critically bridges top and bottom subcells, enabling charge carrier recombination. Conventional indium oxide (In2O3)-based TCOs suffer from high-energy ion bombardment during sputtering, damaging amorphous silicon subcells and reducing open-circuit voltage (VOC) and fill factor (FF). Additionally, indium scarcity and cost necessitate indium-free alternatives. Here, we introduce a highly degenerate indium-free samarium-doped cadmium oxide (CdO:Sm) TCO as the ICL for perovskite/SHJ TSCs, deposited via low-damage reactive plasma deposition (RPD). The ultrathin CdO:Sm film (~3 nm) exhibits average transmittance of 85% (400–1200 nm) and 90% (800–1200 nm), enabling efficient near-infrared absorption in the bottom subcell. High doping concentration and mobility ensure excellent electrical conductivity. The low work function (4.04 eV) of CdO:Sm facilitates carrier tunneling and efficient recombination. Devices employing CdO:Sm ICL achieved approximately 1% higher efficiency compared to those with indium-based TCO ICLs. Detailed characterization including contact resistivity (1.68 mΩ cm2), conductive atomic force microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and photoluminescence quenching confirm enhanced carrier transport and extraction. This work demonstrates a viable indium-free ICL for high-efficiency perovskite/SHJ TSCs, addressing both performance and sustainability challenges.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3487-x
Continuous carbon fiber-reinforced ZrB2-SiC ceramic matrix composites are promising thermal protection materials for hypersonic vehicles and reusable spacecraft. Although injection-assisted vacuum impregnation (IVI) offers advantages such as shorter processing cycles, lower costs, and reduced fiber damage compared to conventional methods, phenolic/acetone-based IVI systems yield composites (designated as CPS) with limited ceramic contents. To address this, an aqueous slurry-based IVI approach was developed, producing composites designated as CHS. After a single IVI cycle, CHS achieved a ZrB2 phase volume fraction of 25 vol.%, 47% higher than CPS, while reducing processing time by 49%. After chemical vapor infiltration, CVI-CHS composite exhibited a room-temperature compressive strength of 106.78±10.53 MPa, representing a 28% improvement over CVI-CPS. Crack propagation analysis revealed discontinuous zigzag patterns under compression, dominated by fiber bridging and pull-out energy dissipation mechanisms. Flexural results revealed both composites retain considerable strength (111.15±12.46 and 83.15±12.03 MPa) along with low flexural modulus (13.00±2.41 and 13.52±6.99 GPa) and high strain tolerance (1.32%±0.018% and 1.07%±0.34%). It is attributed to the anisotropy of fiber preforms and the elastic modulus mismatch among different phases, which hindered effective constraint of fibers by the matrix and, in turn, facilitated mitigation of stress concentration. Additionally, CVI-CPS demonstrated superior X-band electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding (34–36 dB) compared to CVI-CHS (22–27 dB), resulting from synergistic effects between pyrolitic and deposited carbon in the matrix of the former. Both composites showed enhanced EMI shielding efficiency with increasing temperature up to 600°C. This eco-friendly aqueous IVI strategy enables high-performance, cost-effective thermal protection materials with higher ceramic loading and tunable multifunctional properties.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3964-5
The escalating demand for personalized thermal-moisture comfort, coupled with the high energy consumption of conventional heating and cooling systems and the imperative for low-carbon energy conservation, has driven the development of shape memory smart fabrics that respond to environmental changes. However, existing shape memory thermal-moisture management fabrics suffer from excessively high response temperatures, inadequate response performance, and suboptimal thermal-moisture management. In this work, a dual-network shape memory polymer (SMP) was synthesized, and its shape memory transition temperature was tuned to align with the human thermal comfort range. The polymer was processed into fibers and subsequently into twisted-coiled artificial muscles to enhance reversible strain. Woven with wool into a plain fabric, the resulting textile exhibits adaptive thermal-moisture management, achieving a warp reversible strain of up to 17.5%. At elevated temperatures, the fabric contracts, exhibiting an air permeability of 1546 mm/s and thermal conductivity of 0.0518 W/(m·K); at lower temperatures, it elongates, with air permeability of 1322 mm/s and thermal conductivity of 0.0426 W/(m·K), thereby realizing 'warm when cool and cool when hot' functionality. Compared with commercial wool fabrics, this smart fabric lowers the skin microenvironment temperature by 1.5 °C and offers an energy savings potential of approximately 222.58 MJ/m² per year in capital cities such as Beijing. This work provides a novel technical pathway and design approach for future personalized comfort and low-carbon, energy-saving textiles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4044-3
Efficient sequestration of radioactive iodine species (I2, CH3I, I3−) is vital for nuclear safety and environmental protection. However, developing multifunctional adsorbents that remain effective under diverse conditions remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report two functionalized PD-COFs (PD-WS and PD-WY) with moderate crystallinity, outstanding thermal stability, and robust chemical resistance. They exhibit superior adsorption performance in both gas and liquid phases. Specifically, at 75°C, PD-WY achieves capacities of 4.88 g g−1 for I2, 1.55 g g−1 for CH3I, and 5.55 g g−1 for the I2/CH3I mixture, while high capacities are also retained at room temperature. In solution, PD-WY adsorbs up to 3.56 g g−1 of I3− in water and 2.00 g g−1 of iodine in cyclohexane. These COFs display rapid kinetics (K80% = 3.25 g g−1 h−1 for I2 and 7.89 g g−1 h−1 for I3−) and excellent selectivity. Mechanistic studies indicated that the excellent iodine affinity of PD-COFs arises from their rich electronic structures, abundant active sites, and charge transfer interactions. These findings position PD-COFs as highly promising adsorbents for nuclear waste treatment and environmental remediation.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3954-9
Tin (Sn)-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs) are a leading candidate for next-generation photovoltaics due to their ideal optical bandgap, high carrier mobility, and excellent light absorption, yet their performance lags behind lead-based counterparts. The primary limitations include the inherent oxidation sensitivity of Sn2+ and rapid crystallization kinetics, as well as the reliance on fullerene-based electron transport layers (ETLs) such as ICBA and PCBM, which suffer from low electron mobility, weak interfacial interaction, high synthesis costs, and poor stability against moisture and light. These drawbacks impede charge extraction and transport, exacerbating interfacial non-radiative recombination. To address this, Liang and coworkers designed a novel series of non-fullerene polymer ETLs based on fluorinated tri-receptor polymers (P1, P2, and P3), featuring simplified synthesis, low cost, and strong structural tunability. Among these, P3-based devices achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.06% on 0.04 cm2 cells and maintained high performance on 1 cm2 cells, demonstrating significant breakthroughs in efficiency, stability, and large-area scaling. The non-fullerene ETLs exhibit enhanced electron mobility, improved energy-level alignment, and stronger interaction with the perovskite interface, effectively suppressing non-radiative recombination. This work provides a promising strategy to replace fullerene-based ETLs, advancing the commercial viability of TPSCs.