Dual-gradient metal layer for practicalizing high-energy lithium batteries.

Pairing high-energy nickel-rich cathodes with current collectors as anodes presents a compelling strategy to significantly boost the specific energy of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, driving progress toward a transportation revolution. However, the limited active lithium inventory sourced by the cathodes tend to be rapidly consumed by irreversible Li plating/stripping and interfacial side reactions. To address these limitations, we propose a dual-gradient metal layer as an innovative solution to mitigate active Li loss by promoting uniform Li deposition and in situ formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase.

Finite-time scaling beyond the Kibble-Zurek prerequisite in Dirac systems.

The conventional Kibble-Zurek mechanism and the finite-time scaling provide universal descriptions of the driven critical dynamics from gapped initial states based on the adiabatic-impulse scenario. Here we investigate the driven critical dynamics in two-dimensional Dirac systems, which harbor semimetal and Mott insulator phases separated by the quantum critical point triggered by the interplay between fluctuations of gapless Dirac fermions and order parameter bosons. We find that despite the existence of the gapless initial phase, the driven dynamics can still be captured by the finite-time scaling form.

Topological Insulators Boost Ultralow-Power Neuromorphic Spintronics: Advancing Handwritten Digit Recognition with High SOT Efficiency.

Neuromorphic spintronics devices driven by spin-orbit torque (SOT) offer advantages in integration density, durability, and scalability for high-performance artificial intelligence systems. However, the development of ultralow-power neuromorphic computing is hindered by the low SOT efficiency ( < 1) in conventional heavy metals. In this work, we demonstrate low-power artificial synapses and neuron devices that simultaneously achieve long-term potentiation/depression and excitatory/inhibitory postsynaptic potential processes with an ultralow activation current density of 1.

Isoliquiritigenin Promotes the Repair of High Uric Acid-Induced Vascular Injuries.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a chronic metabolic disease mainly stemming from purine metabolism disorders and strongly correlated with cardiovascular diseases, gout, chronic kidney disease, and other diseases. Elevated levels of uric acid (UA) in serum will lead to vascular endothelial cell injuries directly, subsequently impairing normal functions of human blood vessels. Therefore, investigating endothelial cell injuries resulting from HUA and corresponding drug screening for its treatment are of great significance in the prevention and treatment of vascular diseases.

Energy harvesting from clothing.

Seeking new energy sources, especially those with less environmental impact, has been a consistent effort in the field of energy harvesting. In this work, we present an innovative energy harvesting technique for collecting energy from clothing. In this convenient but powerful method, electrical energy is generated by simply sliding a zein film assembly on the surface of clothes by constructing zein/cloth direct current (DC) triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs).

Achieving Significant Multilevel Modulation in Superior-quality Organic Spin Valve.

Organic semiconductors, characterized by their exceptionally long spin relaxation times (≈ms) and unique spinterface effects, are considered game-changers in spintronics. However, achieving high-performance and wide-range tunable magnetoresistance (MR) in organic spintronic devices remains challenging, severely limiting the development of organic spintronics. This work combines straintronic multiferroic heterostructures with organic spin valve (OSV) to develop a three-terminal OSV device with a gate structure.

Digital droplet RT-LAMP increases speed of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA detection.

Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) remains one of the most reliable methods for pathogen identification. However, conventional bulk NAATs may not be sufficiently fast or sensitive enough for the detection of clinically-relevant pathogens in point-of-care testing. Here, we have developed a digital droplet RT-LAMP (ddRT-LAMP) assay that rapidly and quantitatively detects the SARS-CoV-2 viral E gene in microfluidic drops.

Generation of out-of-plane polarized spin current by non-uniform oxygen octahedral tilt/rotation.

The free-field switching of the perpendicular magnetization by the out-of-plane polarized spin current induced spin-orbit torque makes it a promising technology for developing high-density memory and logic devices. The materials intrinsically with low symmetry are generally utilized to generate the spin current with out-of-plane spin polarization. However, the generation of the out-of-plane polarized spin current by engineering the symmetry of materials has not yet been reported.

Thermoelectric Performance in Triplet-Ground-State Polymer Intrinsically Boosted by Enhanced Proquinoidal Characteristic.

Over the past decade, polymer thermoelectric materials featuring flexibility, lightness, and bio-friendliness have been paid increasing attention as promising candidates for waste heat recovery and energy generation. For a long time, the dominant approach to optimizing the thermoelectric performance of most organic materials is chemical doping, which, however, is not always ideal for practical applications due to its tendency to involve intricate processing procedure and trigger material and device instability. Currently, the pursuit of single-component neutral thermoelectric materials without exogenous doping presents a compelling alternative.

Multi-Component Lithiophilic Alloy Film Modified Cu Current Collector for Long-Life Lithium Metal Batteries by a Novel FCVA Co-Deposition System.

Surface modification of Cu current collectors (CCs) is proven to be an effective method for protecting lithium metal anodes. However, few studies have focused on the quality and efficiency of modification layers. Herein, a novel home-made filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA) co-deposition system with high modification efficiency, good repeatability and environmental friendliness is proposed to realize the wide range regulation of film composition, structure and performance.

Constructing Fully-Active and Ultra-Active Sites in High-Entropy Alloy Nanoclusters for Hydrazine Oxidation-Assisted Electrolytic Hydrogen Production.

The development of sufficiently high-efficiency systems and effective catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen production is of great significance but challenging. Here, high-entropy alloy nanoclusters (HEANCs) with full-active sites and super-active sites are innovatively constructed for hydrazine oxidation-assisted electrolytic hydrogen production. The HEANCs show an average size of only seven atomic layers (1.

Defective ZnInS Nanosheets for Visible-Light and Sacrificial-Agent-Free HO Photosynthesis via O/HO Redox.

HO photosynthesis has attracted great interest in harvesting and converting solar energy to chemical energy. Nevertheless, the high-efficiency process of HO photosynthesis is driven by the low HO productivity due to the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, especially in the absence of a sacrificial agent. In this work, we demonstrate that ultrathin ZnInS nanosheets with S vacancies (S-ZIS) can serve as highly efficient catalysts for HO photosynthesis via O/HO redox.

Unraveling the Solvent Effect on Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Formation for Sodium Metal Batteries.

Ether-based electrolytes are considered as an ideal electrolyte system for sodium metal batteries (SMBs) due to their superior compatibility with the sodium metal anode (SMA). However, the selection principle of ether solvents and the impact on solid electrolyte interphase formation are still unclear. Herein, we systematically compare the chain ether-based electrolyte and understand the relationship between the solvation structure and the interphasial properties.

Synergetic Sn Incorporation-Zn Substitution in Copper-Based Sulfides Enabling Superior Na-Ion Storage.

Transition-metal sulfides have been regarded as perspective anode candidates for high-energy Na-ion batteries. Their application, however, is precluded severely by either low charge storage or huge volumetric change along with sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, an effective synergetic Sn incorporation-Zn substitution strategy is proposed based on copper-based sulfides.

Engineering Structurally Ordered High-Entropy Intermetallic Nanoparticles with High-Activity Facets for Oxygen Reduction in Practical Fuel Cells.

High-entropy solid-solution alloys have generated significant interest in energy conversion technologies. However, structurally ordered high-entropy intermetallic (HEI) nanoparticles (NPs) have been rarely reported in electrocatalysis applications. Here, we demonstrate structurally ordered PtIrFeCoCu HEI (PIFCC-HEI) NPs with extremely superior performance for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and H/O fuel cells.

Reconstruction of the alveolar-capillary barrier in vitro based on a photo-responsive stretchable Janus membrane.

The lung is the respiratory organ of the human body, and the alveoli are the most basic functional units of the lung. Herein, a photo-responsive stretchable Janus membrane was proposed for the reconstruction of the alveolar-capillary barrier in vitro. This Janus membrane was fabricated by photocrosslinking methylacrylamide gelatin (Gelma) hydrogel and N-isoacrylamide (NIPAM) hydrogel mixed with graphene oxide (GO).

Functional biomaterials for osteoarthritis treatment: From research to application.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease that endangers millions of middle-aged and elderly people worldwide. Researchers from different fields have made great efforts and achieved remarkable progress in the pathogenesis and treatment of OA. However, there is still no cure for OA.

Polyurethane-polypyrrole hybrid structural color films for dual-signal mechanics sensing.

The monitoring of mechanical indexes involved in body movement has attracted immense interest in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we present a hybrid flexible conductive structural color (SC) film with the capability of dual-signal mechanics screening. The film is constructed by oxidatively polymerizing pyrrole on the surface of an inverse opal polyurethane (IPU) membrane, which can be utilized to measure the mechanical indexes through resistance change.

Finding a Deep-UV Borate BaZnB O with Edge-sharing [BO ] Tetrahedra and Strong Optical Anisotropy.

The polarization modulation of deep-UV light is an important process that incorporates functionality to selectively respond to light-mater interaction. Typically, optical anisotropy is foremost to the use efficiency of deep-UV birefringent crystals. Herein, a new congruently melting polyborate with extremely large birefringence (Δn =0.

Chemical Vapor Deposition of 4 Inch Wafer-Scale Monolayer MoSe.

2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are considered promising building blocks for emergent electronic and optoelectronic devices. As one of the representatives of 2D semiconductors, monolayer MoSe has excellent electrical and optical properties and has attracted a lot of research interest recently. To realize various device applications, large-scale synthesis of monolayer MoSe with high crystal quality is critical, yet remains challenging.

Static Disorder in Lead Halide Perovskites.

In crystalline and amorphous semiconductors, the temperature-dependent Urbach energy can be determined from the inverse slope of the logarithm of the absorption spectrum and reflects the static and dynamic energetic disorder. Using recent advances in the sensitivity of photocurrent spectroscopy methods, we elucidate the temperature-dependent Urbach energy in lead halide perovskites containing different numbers of cation components. We find Urbach energies at room temperature to be 13.

Rhombohedral Pd-Sb Nanoplates with Pd-Terminated Surface: An Efficient Bifunctional Fuel-Cell Catalyst.

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for the commercialization of direct ethanol fuel cells, but it is still formidably challenging. In this work, a novel Pd-Sb hexagonal nanoplate for boosting both cathodic and anodic fuel cell reactions is prepared. Detailed characterizations reveal that the nanoplates have ordered rhombohedral phase of Pd Sb (denoted as Pd Sb HPs).

Regulation of Surface Defect Chemistry toward Stable Ni-Rich Cathodes.

Surface reconstruction of Ni-rich layered oxides (NLO) degrades the cycling stability and safety of high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which challenges typical surface-modification approaches to build a robust interface with electrochemical activity. Here, a strategy of leveraging the low-strain analogues of Li- and Mn-rich layered oxides (LMR) to reconstruct a stable surface on the Ni-rich layered cathodes is proposed. The new surface structure not only consists of a gradient chemical composition but also contains a defect-rich structure regarding the formation of oxygen vacancies and cationic ordering, which can simultaneously facilitate lithium diffusion and stabilize the crystal structure during the (de)lithiation.