Radiative cooling textiles with spectrally selective surfaces offer a promising energy-efficient approach for sub-ambient cooling of outdoor objects and individuals. However, the spectrally selective mid-infrared emission of these textiles significantly hinders their efficient radiative heat exchange with self-heated objects, thereby posing a significant challenge to their versatile cooling applicability. Herein, we present a bicomponent blow spinning strategy for the production of scalable, ultra-flexible, and healable textiles featuring a tailored dual gradient in both chemical composition and fiber diameter. The gradient in the fiber diameter of this textile introduces a hierarchically porous structure across the sunlight incident area, thereby achieving a competitive solar reflectivity of 98.7% on its outer surface. Additionally, the gradient in the chemical composition of this textile contributes to the formation of Janus infrared-absorbing surfaces: The outer surface demonstrates a high mid-infrared emission, whereas the inner surface shows a broad infrared absorptivity, facilitating radiative heat exchange with underlying self-heated objects. Consequently, this textile demonstrates multi-scenario radiative cooling capabilities, enabling versatile outdoor cooling for unheated objects by 7.8 °C and self-heated objects by 13.6 °C, compared to commercial sunshade fabrics.

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) face significant challenges in achieving reversibility and cycling stability, primarily due to hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and zinc dendrite growth. In this study, by employing carefully designed cells that approximate the structural characteristics of practical batteries, we revisit this widely held view through in-operando X-ray radiography to examine zinc dendrite formation and HER under near-practical operating conditions. While conventional understanding emphasizes the severity of these processes, our findings suggest that zinc dendrites and HER are noticeably less pronounced in dense, real-operation configurations compared to modified cells, possibly due to a more uniform electric field and the suppression of triple-phase boundaries. This study indicates that other components, such as degradation at the cathode current collector interface and configuration mismatches within the full cell, may also represent important barriers to the practical application of AZMBs, particularly during the early stages of electrodeposition.

Low-cost and high-safety aqueous Zn-I batteries attract extensive attention for large-scale energy storage systems. However, polyiodide shuttling and sluggish iodine conversion reactions lead to inferior rate capability and severe capacity decay. Herein, a three-dimensional polyaniline is wrapped by carboxyl-carbon nanotubes (denoted as C-PANI) which is designed as a catalytic cathode to effectively boost iodine conversion with suppressed polyiodide shuttling, thereby improving Zn-I batteries. Specifically, carboxyl-carbon nanotubes serve as a proton reservoir for more protonated -NH = sites in PANI chains, achieving a direct I/I reaction for suppressed polyiodide generation and Zn corrosion. Attributing to this "proton-iodine" regulation, catalytic protonated C-PANI strongly fixes electrolytic iodine species and stores proton ions simultaneously through reversible -N = /-NH- reaction. Therefore, the electrolytic Zn-I battery with C-PANI cathode exhibits an impressive capacity of 420 mAh g and ultra-long lifespan over 40,000 cycles. Additionally, a 60 mAh pouch cell was assembled with excellent cycling stability after 100 cycles, providing new insights into exploring effective organocatalysts for superb Zn-halogen batteries.

Strategically coupling nanoparticle hybrids and internal thermosensitive molecular switches establishes an innovative paradigm for constructing micro/nanoscale-reconfigurable robots, facilitating energy-efficient CO management in life-support systems of confined space. Here, a micro/nano-reconfigurable robot is constructed from the CO molecular hunters, temperature-sensitive molecular switch, solar photothermal conversion, and magnetically-driven function engines. The molecular hunters within the molecular extension state can capture 6.19 mmol g of CO to form carbamic acid and ammonium bicarbonate. Interestingly, the molecular switch of the robot activates a molecular curling state that facilitates CO release through nano-reconfiguration, which is mediated by the temperature-sensitive curling of Pluronic F127 molecular chains during the photothermal desorption. Nano-reconfiguration of robot alters the amino microenvironment, including increasing surface electrostatic potential of the amino group and decreasing overall lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level. This weakened the nucleophilic attack ability of the amino group toward the adsorption product derivatives, thereby inhibiting the side reactions that generate hard-to-decompose urea structures, achieving the lowest regeneration temperature of 55 °C reported to date. The engine of the robot possesses non-contact magnetically-driven micro-reconfiguration capability to achieve efficient photothermal regeneration while avoiding local overheating. Notably, the robot successfully prolonged the survival time of mice in the sealed container by up to 54.61%, effectively addressing the issue of carbon suffocation in confined spaces. This work significantly enhances life-support systems for deep-space exploration, while stimulating innovations in sustainable carbon management technologies for terrestrial extreme environments.

A nonfused ring electron acceptor (NFREA), designated as TT-Ph-C6, has been synthesized with the aim of enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). By integrating asymmetric phenylalkylamino side groups, TT-Ph-C6 demonstrates excellent solubility and its crystal structure exhibits compact packing structures with a three-dimensional molecular stacking network. These structural attributes markedly promote exciton diffusion and charge carrier mobility, particularly advantageous for the fabrication of thick-film devices. TT-Ph-C6-based devices have attained a PCE of 18.01% at a film thickness of 100 nm, and even at a film thickness of 300 nm, the PCE remains at 14.64%, surpassing that of devices based on 2BTh-2F. These remarkable properties position TT-Ph-C6 as a highly promising NFREA material for boosting the efficiency of OSCs.

Thermoelectric (TE) materials, being capable of converting waste heat into electricity, are pivotal for sustainable energy solutions. Among emerging TE materials, organic TE materials, particularly conjugated polymers, are gaining prominence due to their unique combination of mechanical flexibility, environmental compatibility, and solution-processable fabrication. A notable candidate in this field is poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT), a liquid-crystalline conjugated polymer, with high charge carrier mobility and adaptability to melt-processing techniques. Recent advancements have propelled PBTTT's figure of merit from below 0.1 to a remarkable 1.28 at 368 K, showcasing its potential for practical applications. This review systematically examines strategies to enhance PBTTT's TE performance through doping (solution, vapor, and anion exchange doping), composite engineering, and aggregation state controlling. Recent key breakthroughs include ion exchange doping for stable charge modulation, multi-heterojunction architectures reducing thermal conductivity, and proton-coupled electron transfer doping for precise Fermi-level tuning. Despite great progress, challenges still persist in enhancing TE conversion efficiency, balancing or decoupling electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity, and leveraging melt-processing scalability of PBTTT. By bridging fundamental insights with applied research, this work provides a roadmap for advancing PBTTT-based TE materials toward efficient energy harvesting and wearable electronics.

Tellurene, a chiral chain semiconductor with a narrow bandgap and exceptional strain sensitivity, emerges as a pivotal material for tailoring electronic and optoelectronic properties via strain engineering. This study elucidates the fundamental mechanisms of ultrafast laser shock imprinting (LSI) in two-dimensional tellurium (Te), establishing a direct relationship between strain field orientation, mold topology, and anisotropic structural evolution. This is the first demonstration of ultrafast LSI on chiral chain Te unveiling orientation-sensitive dislocation networks. By applying controlled strain fields parallel or transverse to Te's helical chains, we uncover two distinct deformation regimes. Strain aligned parallel to the chain's direction induces gliding and rotation governed by weak interchain interactions, preserving covalent intrachain bonds and vibrational modes. In contrast, transverse strain drives shear-mediated multimodal deformations-tensile stretching, compression, and bending-resulting in significant lattice distortions and electronic property modulation. We discovered the critical role of mold topology on deformation: sharp-edged gratings generate localized shear forces surpassing those from homogeneous strain fields via smooth CD molds, triggering dislocation tangle formation, lattice reorientation, and inhomogeneous plastic deformation. Asymmetrical strain configurations enable localized structural transformations while retaining single-crystal integrity in adjacent regions-a balance essential for functional device integration. These insights position LSI as a precision tool for nanoscale strain engineering, capable of sculpting 2D material morphologies without compromising crystallinity. By bridging ultrafast mechanics with chiral chain material science, this work advances the design of strain-tunable devices for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, while establishing a universal framework for manipulating anisotropic 2D systems under extreme strain rates. This work discovered crystallographic orientation-dependent deformation mechanisms in 2D Te, linking parallel strain to chain gliding and transverse strain to shear-driven multimodal distortion. It demonstrates mold geometry as a critical lever for strain localization and dislocation dynamics, with sharp-edged gratings enabling unprecedented control over lattice reorientation. Crucially, the identification of strain field conditions that reconcile severe plastic deformation with single-crystal retention offers a pathway to functional nanostructure fabrication, redefining LSI's potential in ultrafast strain engineering of chiral chain materials.

The pursuit of high energy density and sustainable energy storage devices has been the target of many researchers. However, safety issues such as the susceptibility of conventional liquid electrolytes to leakage and flammability, as well as performance degradation due to uncontrollable dendrite growth in liquid electrolytes, have been limiting the further development of energy storage devices. In this regard, gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) based on lignocellulosic (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) have attracted great interest due to their high thermal stability, excellent electrolyte wettability, and natural abundance. Therefore, in this critical review, a comprehensive overview of the current challenges faced by GPEs is presented, followed by a detailed description of the opportunities and advantages of lignocellulosic materials for the fabrication of GPEs for energy storage devices. Notably, the key properties and corresponding construction strategies of GPEs for energy storage are analyzed and discussed from the perspective of lignocellulose for the first time. Moreover, the future challenges and prospects of lignocellulose-mediated GPEs in energy storage applications are also critically reviewed and discussed. We sincerely hope this review will stimulate further research on lignocellulose-mediated GPEs in energy storage and provide meaningful directions for the strategy of designing advanced GPEs.

Electrocatalytic nitric oxide (NO) reduction reaction (NORR) is a promising and sustainable process that can simultaneously realize green ammonia (NH) synthesis and hazardous NO removal. However, current NORR performances are far from practical needs due to the lack of efficient electrocatalysts. Engineering the lattice of metal-based nanomaterials via phase control has emerged as an effective strategy to modulate their intrinsic electrocatalytic properties. Herein, we realize boron (B)-insertion-induced phase regulation of rhodium (Rh) nanocrystals to obtain amorphous RhB nanoparticles (NPs) and hexagonal close-packed (hcp) RhB NPs through a facile wet-chemical method. A high Faradaic efficiency (92.1 ± 1.2%) and NH yield rate (629.5 ± 11.0 µmol h cm) are achieved over hcp RhB NPs, far superior to those of most reported NORR nanocatalysts. In situ spectro-electrochemical analysis and density functional theory simulations reveal that the excellent electrocatalytic performances of hcp RhB NPs are attributed to the upshift of d-band center, enhanced NO adsorption/activation profile, and greatly reduced energy barrier of the rate-determining step. A demonstrative Zn-NO battery is assembled using hcp RhB NPs as the cathode and delivers a peak power density of 4.33 mW cm, realizing simultaneous NO removal, NH synthesis, and electricity output.

To enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion battery anodes with higher silicon content, it is essential to engineer their microstructure for better lithium-ion transport and mitigated volume change as well. Herein, we suggest an effective approach to control the micropore structure of silicon oxide (SiO)/artificial graphite (AG) composite electrodes using a perforated current collector. The electrode features a unique pore structure, where alternating high-porosity domains and low-porosity domains markedly reduce overall electrode resistance, leading to a 20% improvement in rate capability at a 5C-rate discharge condition. Using microstructure-resolved modeling and simulations, we demonstrate that the patterned micropore structure enhances lithium-ion transport, mitigating the electrolyte concentration gradient of lithium-ion. Additionally, perforating current collector with a chemical etching process increases the number of hydrogen bonding sites and enlarges the interface with the SiO/AG composite electrode, significantly improving adhesion strength. This, in turn, suppresses mechanical degradation and leads to a 50% higher capacity retention. Thus, regularly arranged micropore structure enabled by the perforated current collector successfully improves both rate capability and cycle life in SiO/AG composite electrodes, providing valuable insights into electrode engineering.

High-entropy amorphous catalysts (HEACs) integrate multielement synergy with structural disorder, making them promising candidates for water splitting. Their distinctive features-including flexible coordination environments, tunable electronic structures, abundant unsaturated active sites, and dynamic structural reassembly-collectively enhance electrochemical activity and durability under operating conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in HEACs for hydrogen evolution, oxygen evolution, and overall water splitting, highlighting their disorder-driven advantages over crystalline counterparts. Catalytic performance benchmarks are presented, and mechanistic insights are discussed, focusing on how multimetallic synergy, amorphization effect, and in-situ reconstruction cooperatively regulate reaction pathways. These insights provide guidance for the rational design of next-generation amorphous high-entropy electrocatalysts with improved efficiency and durability.

Metal hydrides with high hydrogen density provide promising hydrogen storage paths for hydrogen transportation. However, the requirement of highly pure H for re-hydrogenation limits its wide application. Here, amorphous AlO shells (10 nm) were deposited on the surface of highly active hydrogen storage material particles (MgH-ZrTi) by atomic layer deposition to obtain MgH-ZrTi@AlO, which have been demonstrated to be air stable with selective adsorption of H under a hydrogen atmosphere with different impurities (CH, O, N, and CO). About 4.79 wt% H was adsorbed by MgH-ZrTi@10nmAlO at 75 °C under 10%CH + 90%H atmosphere within 3 h with no kinetic or density decay after 5 cycles (~ 100% capacity retention). Furthermore, about 4 wt% of H was absorbed by MgH-ZrTi@10nmAlO under 0.1%O + 0.4%N + 99.5%H and 0.1%CO + 0.4%N + 99.5%H atmospheres at 100 °C within 0.5 h, respectively, demonstrating the selective hydrogen absorption of MgH-ZrTi@10nmAlO in both oxygen-containing and carbon dioxide-containing atmospheres hydrogen atmosphere. The absorption and desorption curves of MgH-ZrTi@10nmAlO with and without absorption in pure hydrogen and then in 21%O + 79%N for 1 h were found to overlap, further confirming the successful shielding effect of AlO shells against O and N. The MgH-ZrTi@10nmAlO has been demonstrated to be air stable and have excellent selective hydrogen absorption performance under the atmosphere with CH, O, N, and CO.

Electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia conversion offers dual environmental and sustainable synthesis benefits, but achieving high efficiency with low-cost catalysts remains a major challenge. This review focuses on cobalt-based electrocatalysts, emphasizing their structural engineering for enhanced the performance of electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NORR) through dimensional control, compositional tuning, and coordination microenvironment modulation. Notably, by critically analyzing metallic cobalt, cobalt alloys, cobalt compounds, cobalt single atom and molecular catalyst configurations, we firstly establish correlations between atomic-scale structural features and catalytic performance in a coordination environment perspective for NORR, including the dynamic reconstruction during operation and its impact on active site. Synergizing experimental breakthroughs with computational modeling, we decode mechanisms underlying competitive hydrogen evolution suppression, intermediate adsorption-energy optimization, and durability enhancement in complex aqueous environments. The development of cobalt-based catalysts was summarized and prospected, and the emerging opportunities of machine learning in accelerating the research and development of high-performance catalysts and the configuration of series reactors for scalable nitrate-to-ammonia systems were also introduced. Bridging surface science and applications, it outlines a framework for designing multifunctional electrocatalysts to restore nitrogen cycle balance sustainably.

Developing effective, versatile, and high-precision sensing interfaces remains a crucial challenge in human-machine-environment interaction applications. Despite progress in interaction-oriented sensing skins, limitations remain in unit-level reconfiguration, multiaxial force and motion sensing, and robust operation across dynamically changing or irregular surfaces. Herein, we develop a reconfigurable omnidirectional triboelectric whisker sensor array (RO-TWSA) comprising multiple sensing units that integrate a triboelectric whisker structure (TWS) with an untethered hydro-sealing vacuum sucker (UHSVS), enabling reversibly portable deployment and omnidirectional perception across diverse surfaces. Using a simple dual-triangular electrode layout paired with MXene/silicone nanocomposite dielectric layer, the sensor unit achieves precise omnidirectional force and motion sensing with a detection threshold as low as 0.024 N and an angular resolution of 5°, while the UHSVS provides reliable and reversible multi-surface anchoring for the sensor units by involving a newly designed hydrogel combining high mechanical robustness and superior water absorption. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of RO-TWSA across various interactive scenarios, including teleoperation, tactile diagnostics, and robotic autonomous exploration. Overall, RO-TWSA presents a versatile and high-resolution tactile interface, offering new avenues for intelligent perception and interaction in complex real-world environments.

Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant attention due to their structural tunability and potential applications in solid-state lighting, bioimaging, sensing, anti-counterfeiting, and other fields. Nevertheless, due to the tendency of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC) to rotate within the framework, MOFs composed of it exhibit significant non-radiative energy dissipation and thus impair the emissive properties. In this study, efficient luminescence of MIL-140A nanocrystals (NCs) with BDC rotors as ligands is achieved by pressure treatment strategy. Pressure treatment effectively modulates the pore structure of the framework, enhancing the interactions between the N, N-dimethylformamide guest molecules and the BDC ligands. The enhanced host-guest interaction contributes to the structural rigidity of the MOF, thereby suppressing the rotation-induced excited-state energy loss. As a result, the pressure-treated MIL-140A NCs displayed bright blue-light emission, with the photoluminescence quantum yield increasing from an initial 6.8% to 69.2%. This study developed an effective strategy to improve the luminescence performance of rotor ligand MOFs, offers a new avenue for the rational design and synthesis of MOFs with superior luminescent properties.

Flexible electronics face critical challenges in achieving monolithic three-dimensional (3D) integration, including material compatibility, structural stability, and scalable fabrication methods. Inspired by the tactile sensing mechanism of the human skin, we have developed a flexible monolithic 3D-integrated tactile sensing system based on a holey MXene paste, where each vertical one-body unit simultaneously functions as a microsupercapacitor and pressure sensor. The in-plane mesopores of MXene significantly improve ion accessibility, mitigate the self-stacking of nanosheets, and allow the holey MXene to multifunctionally act as a sensing material, an active electrode, and a conductive interconnect, thus drastically reducing the interface mismatch and enhancing the mechanical robustness. Furthermore, we fabricate a large-scale device using a blade-coating and stamping method, which demonstrates excellent mechanical flexibility, low-power consumption, rapid response, and stable long-term operation. As a proof-of-concept application, we integrate our sensing array into a smart access control system, leveraging deep learning to accurately identify users based on their unique pressing behaviors. This study provides a promising approach for designing highly integrated, intelligent, and flexible electronic systems for advanced human-computer interactions and personalized electronics.

As silicon-based transistors face fundamental scaling limits, the search for breakthrough alternatives has led to innovations in 3D architectures, heterogeneous integration, and sub-3 nm semiconductor body thicknesses. However, the true effectiveness of these advancements lies in the seamless integration of alternative semiconductors tailored for next-generation transistors. In this review, we highlight key advances that enhance both scalability and switching performance by leveraging emerging semiconductor materials. Among the most promising candidates are 2D van der Waals semiconductors, Mott insulators, and amorphous oxide semiconductors, which offer not only unique electrical properties but also low-power operation and high carrier mobility. Additionally, we explore the synergistic interactions between these novel semiconductors and advanced gate dielectrics, including high-K materials, ferroelectrics, and atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride layers. Beyond introducing these novel material configurations, we address critical challenges such as leakage current and long-term device reliability, which become increasingly crucial as transistors scale down to atomic dimensions. Through concrete examples showcasing the potential of these materials in transistors, we provide key insights into overcoming fundamental obstacles-such as device reliability, scaling down limitations, and extended applications in artificial intelligence-ultimately paving the way for the development of future transistor technologies.

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NORR) represents a sustainable and environmentally benign route for ammonia (NH) synthesis. However, NORR is still limited by the competition from hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the high energy barrier in the hydrogenation step of nitrogen-containing intermediates. Here, we report a selective etching strategy to construct RuM nanoalloys (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) uniformly dispersed on porous nitrogen-doped carbon substrates for efficient neutral NH electrosynthesis. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the synergic effect between Ru and transition metal M modulates the electronic structure of the alloy, significantly lowering the energy barrier for the conversion of *NO to *HNO. Experimentally, the optimized RuFe-NC catalyst achieves 100% Faraday efficiency with a high yield rate of 0.83 mg h mg at a low potential of - 0.1 V vs. RHE, outperforming most reported catalysts. In situ spectroscopic analyses further demonstrate that the RuM-NC effectively promotes the hydrogenation of nitrogen intermediates while inhibiting the formation of hydrogen radicals, thereby reducing HER competition. The RuFe-NC assembled Zn-NO battery achieved a high open-circuit voltage and an outstanding power density and capacity, which drive selective NO conversion to NH. This work provides a powerful synergistic design strategy for efficient NH electrosynthesis and a general framework for the development of advanced multi-component catalysts for sustainable nitrogen conversion.

Directional three-dimensional carbon-based foams are emerging as highly attractive candidates for promising electromagnetic wave absorbing materials (EWAMs) thanks to their unique architecture, but their construction usually involves complex procedures and extremely depends on unidirectional freezing technique. Herein, we propose a groundbreaking approach that leverages the assemblies of salting-out protein induced by ammonium metatungstate (AM) as the precursor, and then acquire directional three-dimensional carbon-based foams through simple pyrolysis. The electrostatic interaction between AM and protein ensures well dispersion of WC nanoparticles on carbon frameworks. The content of WC nanoparticles can be rationally regulated by AM dosage, and it also affects the electromagnetic (EM) properties of final carbon-based foams. The optimized foam exhibits exceptional EM absorption performance, achieving a remarkable minimum reflection loss of - 72.0 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.3 GHz when EM wave propagates parallel to the directional pores. Such performance benefits from the synergistic effects of macroporous architecture and compositional design. Although there is a directional dependence of EM absorption, radar stealth simulation demonstrates that these foams can still promise considerable reduction in radar cross section with the change of incident angle. Moreover, COMSOL simulation further identifies their good performance in preventing EM interference among different electronic components.

The solution processibility of perovskites provides a cost-effective and high-throughput route for fabricating state-of-the-art solar cells. However, the fast kinetics of precursor-to-perovskite transformation is susceptible to processing conditions, resulting in an uncontrollable variance in device performance. Here, we demonstrate a supramolecule confined approach to reproducibly fabricate perovskite films with an ultrasmooth, electronically homogeneous surface. The assembly of a calixarene capping layer on precursor surface can induce host-guest interactions with solvent molecules to tailor the desolvation kinetics, and initiate the perovskite crystallization from the sharp molecule-precursor interface. These combined effects significantly reduced the spatial variance and extended the processing window of perovskite films. As a result, the standard efficiency deviations of device-to-device and batch-to-batch devices were reduced from 0.64-0.26% to 0.67-0.23%, respectively. In addition, the perovskite films with ultrasmooth top surfaces exhibited photoluminescence quantum yield > 10% and surface recombination velocities < 100 cm s for both interfaces that yielded p-i-n structured solar cells with power conversion efficiency over 25%.

Ion migration capability and interfacial chemistry of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) in all-solid-state sodium metal batteries (ASSMBs) are closely related to the Na coordination environment. Herein, an electrostatic engineering strategy is proposed to regulate the Na coordinated structure by employing a fluorinated metal-organic framework as an electron-rich model. Theoretical and experimental results revealed that the abundant electron-rich F sites can accelerate the disassociation of Na-salt through electrostatic attraction to release free Na, while forcing anions into a Na coordination structure though electrostatic repulsion to weaken the Na coordination with polymer, thus promoting rapid Na transport. The optimized anion-rich weak solvation structure fosters a stable inorganic-dominated solid-electrolyte interphase, significantly enhancing the interfacial stability toward Na anode. Consequently, the Na/Na symmetric cell delivered stable Na plating/stripping over 2500 h at 0.1 mA cm. Impressively, the assembled ASSMBs demonstrated stable performance of over 2000 cycles even under high rate of 2  C with capacity retention nearly 100%, surpassing most reported ASSMBs using various solid-state electrolytes. This work provides a new avenue for regulating the Na coordination structure of SPEs by exploration of electrostatic effect engineering to achieve high-performance all-solid-state alkali metal batteries.