Visualization of microcracks and stress distribution is crucial for material usability and safety assessment, yet effective monitoring technologies remain very limited. In this work, an organic luminogen TPEXD with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties has been developed by introducing a 3,4,5,6,7,9-hexahydro-1H-xanthene-1,8(2H)-dione group onto tetraphenylethylene via a nonconjugated methylene linkage. TPEXD forms two polymorphs: a deep-blue fluorescent crystal SCb with a low photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ_PL) of 2.4% and a blue fluorescent crystal SCc with a high Φ_PL of 22.6%. Notably, SCb exhibits remarkable mechanochromism (MC) properties and force-induced emission enhancement (FIEE) characteristics opposite to classical mechano-responsive AIE materials, with the Φ_PL increasing to 30.1% under external force. SCb integrates three mechano-responsive properties, including MC, FIEE, and mechanoluminescence (ML). Under pressure increased from 0 to 17.33 GPa, the emission maximum of SCb gradually red-shifts by 106 nm. Inspired by the MC and FIEE properties, the SCb were leveraged for inkless writing, impact indication, visualized monitoring of microcracks, and stress distribution in textiles. This work provides helpful guidance for developing AIE materials with MC and FIEE characteristics and offers a practical approach for the visualized monitoring of microcracks and stress distribution in materials.

The complexity, heterogeneity, and evolution of tumors have driven a shift in the paradigm of treatment from monotherapy to multimodal synergistic therapy. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs) have garnered substantial attention for their potential to construct synergistic therapy nanoplatforms owing to their precise programmability, inherent biological functions, and excellent biocompatibility. In this review, we systematically discuss the latest advances in tFNA-based multimodal cancer therapy. We begin by introducing the structural characteristics and drug-delivery strategies of tFNAs, focusing on innovative tFNA-based bimodal and multimodal synergistic therapeutic regimens aiming to address key challenges in cancer treatment, such as multidrug resistance (MDR), tumor hypoxia, and immunosuppression. Finally, we systematically summarize general design principles for tFNA-based multimodal therapy and analyze the core obstacles hindering its translational progress. Notably, the combination of intelligent response mechanisms and immune regulation functions emerges as a highly promising research direction, and the critical scientific and technological bottlenecks for its clinical application are also emphasized herein.

Embedding atomically precise nanoclusters into polymeric clusters enables the formation of nanomaterials with heterogeneous cluster coupling and multichannel energy transfer, providing a novel pathway for designing highly bright luminophores at the nanocluster level. Inspired by the excitation energy funneling mechanism of chlorophyll, a cellulose-based cluster-from-cluster structure with multichannel energy convergence was fabricated by embedding atomically precise gold nanoclusters into multichromophoric cellulose nanoclusters. The clusterization-triggered emission of the cellulose nanoclusters was activated through amino acid grafting, enhancing the molecular packing of dialdehyde cellulose. This enhancement could be attributed to the delocalization of lone-pair electrons on N or O atoms into the C═O/C═N π orbitals, promoting n→π* transitions and reducing the energy gap, thereby achieving strong luminescence from multiple emission centers in the 360-440 nm range, even at the lowest concentration of 0.03 wt% reported to date. Notably, the cellulose clusters formed a rigid microenvironment around the gold nanoclusters, effectively restricting the intramolecular motion of surface motifs. Moreover, the light energy from the multiple emission centers in the cellulose clusters was efficiently captured by the nearby nano-confined gold nanoclusters via multichannel energy convergence, resembling the energy transfer process in chlorophyll. Thus, this cluster-from-cluster exhibited excitation wavelength-dependent multicolor fluorescence with remarkable long-term stability, providing new design principles for cluster-level luminescent materials.

Classical structure-activity relationships (SAR) have limited predictive power for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) because they assume fixed structures, single mechanisms, and independent physicochemical descriptors. In practice, AMP activity arises from dynamic, multistate ensembles that reorganize with environment, concentration, and membrane context. Here, we propose that the AMP function is best described using an ensemble-based chemical framework grounded in free-energy landscapes and interfacial thermodynamics. Peptide sequences encode distributions of chemically accessible states rather than unique bioactive conformations, while environmental variables selectively redistribute these populations across interfacial, inserted, and oligomeric regimes. Biological outcomes such as membrane disruption, intracellular access, and selectivity emerge as conditional consequences of state population shifts rather than intrinsic sequence-encoded mechanisms. This perspective provides a chemically grounded alternative to static SAR and suggests that effective AMP design should focus on controlling ensemble redistribution under realistic interfacial environments.

Point-of-care testing (POCT) has become a cornerstone of modern nucleic acid diagnostics by enabling rapid, sensitive, and decentralized detection of pathogens and genetic biomarkers. In recent years, POCT technologies have evolved from amplification-centered assays to intelligent and data-integrated analytical systems. This review comprehensively examines the conceptual and technological evolution of smart point-of-care (POC) nucleic acid testing platforms for public health. It first summarizes template and signal amplification chemistries, including polymerase chain reaction, isothermal amplification, strand displacement, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein-mediated (CRISPR-Cas-mediated) catalytic cascades, which establish the molecular foundations of analytical sensitivity and specificity. The integration of amplification reactions with microfluidic architectures, nanomaterial design, and portable instrumentation has enabled automated, miniaturized, and user-friendly diagnostic platforms suitable for field applications. In parallel, the combination of chemometrics and artificial intelligence facilitates automated signal interpretation, adaptive calibration, and predictive modeling, transforming POCT into a self-optimizing and data-driven diagnostic paradigm. Applications in infectious-disease surveillance, outbreak response, and community-level screening demonstrate the translational potential of these systems in strengthening global health preparedness. Key challenges include assay standardization, cost effectiveness, data interoperability, and ethical and regulatory considerations, which need to be addressed for successful clinical translation and sustainable implementation. The continuous convergence of nucleic acid amplification chemistry, system integration, and computational intelligence is shaping the next generation of accessible, intelligent, and predictive diagnostic infrastructures for public health.

Multimodal phototheranostics, capitalizing on the synergistic interplay of distinct optical diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, stand at the forefront of modern theranostic development. Among the pursued approaches, the “one-for-all” paradigm, which utilizes a single organic component to achieve four classic phototheranostic functions (i.e., fluorescence imaging, photoacoustic imaging, photodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy), has gained considerable traction. Benefitting from the simple building block, the “one-for-all” phototheranostic agents generally exhibit well-defined molecular architectures, finely tunable excited-state energy pathways, excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility, predictable pharmacokinetic profiles, and superior biocompatibility, collectively pointing toward strong clinical translation potential. In this context, aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have arisen as an exceptionally versatile molecular template, because their unique structural attributes offer precise control over the aggregation behavior and photophysical dynamics required for integrated phototheranostic design. In view of this, this review aims to propose a consensus that AIEgens serve as a quintessential template for “one-for-all” multimodal phototheranostics, and articulate the underlying rationale from a photophysical perspective. It comprehensively examines molecular engineering principles and performance optimization tactics for AIEgen-based “one-for-all” systems, framed within the fundamental photophysical concept of excited-state energy regulation. Furthermore, with a translational outlook, this review critically assesses the current challenges and proposes forward-looking research trajectories, seeking to identify promising, underexplored avenues that could accelerate practical clinical application.

Many of the membraneless organelles inside cells are multiphasic condensates with complex structural organizations driven by the demixing of phase-separating proteins. Tailoring the structures of multiphasic condensates by controlling their demixing states is a challenge. Here, we employ two proteins with distinctly different features, including thermal responsiveness, hydrophobicity, and charges: a positively charged RGGRGG protein, which forms phase-separated condensates below an upper critical solution temperature, and a protein based on an elastin-like polypeptide, which forms condensates above a lower critical solution temperature. These two proteins demix to form multiphasic condensates with nested and core-shell structures under variable conditions, which can be tailored by altering the physical and chemical environments. The demixed multiphasic condensates can also be constructed inside Escherichia coli cells, recapitulating the properties of membraneless organelles. We also show that nucleic acids preferentially enrich in the positively charged segment of the multiphasic condensates. Lastly, multiphasic condensates can deliver nucleic acids across the plasma membrane into mammalian cells, enabling cell transfection.

The precise discrimination between the racemate and its enantiomers is critical in materials science. Given the nonintuitive limitation of traditional methods, luminescence-based identification translates microscopic structural differences into macroscopic optical signals, providing an ideal pathway for visual chiral identification. However, subtle luminescence disparity between racemates and enantiomers, coupled with scarce mechanistic insights, hinders the development of this field. Herein, using (Rac, S, R)-3BrMBA₂PbI₄ 2D perovskites as paradigms, a visual identification window based on high-pressure-induced chirality-dependent luminescence redshift is constructed; within 0-8 GPa, Rac-3BrMBA₂PbI₄ exhibits a remarkable transition from green to red emission, whereas S- and R-3BrMBA₂PbI₄ remain green-emitting. Excited-state and electron-hole effective mass calculations substantiate the free-exciton origin of emission. Comparative band and structural analyses reveal that the remarkable redshift of Rac-3BrMBA₂PbI₄ stems from substantial direct bandgap reduction, induced by stable octahedral contraction within its high-symmetry structure. Conversely, pressure induces asymmetric halogen bond formation and enhances asymmetric hydrogen bonds in chiral enantiomers. This amplified asymmetry significantly increases the spin-splitting via chirality transfer but facilitates inefficient phonon-assisted indirect transitions and the limited bandgap narrowing, limiting the emission redshift. This work leverages high pressure to amplify luminescence disparity between the racemate and enantiomers, elucidating symmetry's pivotal role in 2D perovskite emission and offering a new perspective for visual chiral identification.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) offer transformative potential as hole-transporting layers (HTLs) in inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs) through lossless contact engineering and suppressed interfacial recombination. To address persistent challenges of molecular aggregation, inadequate wettability, and limited durability, we pioneered a groundbreaking fluorine-substituted aromatic carbazole-based SAM molecule: (3-(3,6-bis(3-fluoro-4-methoxy-phenyl)-9H-carbazol-9-yl)-propyl)phosphonic acid (F-MeO-3PABCz). This design achieves three breakthroughs: (1) defect passivation via optimized perovskite crystallization and energy-level alignment, eliminating nonradiative recombination at the buried interface; (2) enhanced hole extraction/transport through directed molecular assembly; and (3) superior stability via fluorine-induced hydrophobicity and aggregation resistance. The result is an impressive-breaking champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.21% (certified 25.76%), surpassing commercial 4PACz-based devices (24.37%) by a significant margin. Accelerated aging tests confirm F-MeO-3PABCz's exceptional operational longevity, outperforming conventional HTLs under thermal and humidity stress. This work establishes a paradigm for SAM engineering by integrating fluorine substitution, aromatic rigidity, and phosphonic acid anchoring, paving the way for next-generation high-efficiency IPSCs with industrial-grade durability.

The development and modulation of dual-mode organic afterglows, which integrate persistent thermally activated delayed fluorescence (pTADF) and room-temperature phosphorescence (pRTP), remain challenging. This work presents afterglow modulation studies of indolo[3,2-b]carbazole derivatives (X-ICZ-p1) via molecular engineering that regulates intersystem crossing (ISC), reverse ISC (rISC) and phosphorescence rates. As embedded in polymethyl methacrylate films and photoactivated, F-ICZ-p1 and Cl-ICZ-p1 exhibit color-tunable afterglows, with a dual-mode green one from pTADF plus pRTP emissions at 298 K and a pTADF-type blue one at 320 K. Br-ICZ-p1 shows only a pRTP-type green afterglow. Among these, F-ICZ-p1 achieves optimal performance, with an afterglow duration of ∼20 s and a pTADF-pRTP lifetime > 2 s. Results reveal that nitrogen and halogen atoms jointly contribute to realizing obvious ¹(n,π*)→³ (π, π*) and ¹(π, π*)→³ (n, π*) transitions. The presence of a minimum-energy crossing point between the S₁ and T₁ minima, along with small energy gaps, promotes efficient interconversion of T₁ and S₁ excitons. These factors collectively enhance spin-orbit coupling effects and modulate the T₁-S₁ energy splitting. Consequently, the rISC and phosphorescence rates are tuned to 10⁻¹-10⁰ s⁻¹ for F/Cl-ICZ-p1, but remain as fast as 10¹ s⁻¹ for Br-ICZ-p1. Slower and comparable rates yield long-lived hybrid pTADF-pRTP afterglows, whereas faster and outcompeting rates yield short-lived, single-mode afterglows, shaping afterglow properties. Based on the photoactivatable afterglow behavior, potential application in optical information storage is explored.

Indoor air quality plays a crucial role in human health and daily life. Humidity control materials (HCMs) have been developed to intelligently regulate indoor humidity in an energy-efficient manner. However, there is an urgent need to explore new HCMs that offer more energy-efficient humidity control solutions. In this study, a new humidity control method based on the release and recapture of hygroscopic salts has been developed based on a series of inorganic-organic hybrid metal halides (IOMHs), namely [TEMA]₂SbCl₅ (1, TEMA = triethylmethyl ammonium), [AMIM]₃SbCl₆ (2, AMIM = 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium), and [TAAC]₄SbCl₆·Cl (3, TAAC = allyltrimethyl ammonium). The adsorption of water could trigger the release of ACl from these A_mSbCl_n (A = cation) IOMHs, generating the mixture of A₃Sb₂Cl₉ and ACl. The hygroscopicity of released ACl results in the high-water adsorption capacity, which could reach up to 1.18 g g⁻¹ by changing the release amount of ACl. During the desorption process, the ACl would be recaptured by A₃Sb₂Cl₉, resulting in the A_mSbCl_n regeneration. Releasing energy can facilitate the unique self-driven water desorption behavior superior to that of traditional HCMs. Practical evaluation tests in a real environment demonstrate that 2 could spontaneously and rapidly maintain indoor humidity levels between 40% and 70%.

Gold nanoclusters have great potential as sensing and imaging materials for biomedical and biological applications, mainly owing to their intrinsic biocompatibility and their unique near-infrared (NIR) active properties. Especially, the photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of gold nanoclusters, including the dual emission, large Stokes shift, long lifetime, the NIR-II emission from ∼1000 to 1600 nm, and the thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), distinguish the luminescent gold nanoclusters from other traditional emitters (e.g., organic dyes, quantum dots, and organometallic compounds). These intriguing PL characteristics mainly originate from the rich excited-state structural and electronic behaviors of photoexcited gold nanoclusters. For a comprehensive understanding of the underlying PL mechanism of gold nanoclusters, a systematic spectroscopic study on structurally correlated series of atomically precise samples is required. The relatively low PL quantum yields have been a long-time issue for gold nanoclusters, which are probably caused by their relatively slow radiative transition rates, and the rich excited-state processes and non-radiative pathways. Several recent studies show that the key to enhancing the PL of gold nanoclusters lies in the suppression of the non-radiative decays and the removal of “redundant” excited-state transitions. The recent high-pressure studies provide an additional tool to modulate the structures and enhance the PL properties of metal nanoclusters beyond conventional synthetic chemistry.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) displays severe oxygen heterogeneity, which is regarded as a critical limitation to therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a targeted nanoplatform is engineered to overcome this barrier via a synergistic starvation/chemotherapy/Type I photodynamic therapy (PDT) strategy by co-encapsulating glucose oxidase (GOx), tirapazamine (TPZ), and photosensitizer (sulfur-substituted Nile Blue, ENBS) in galactose/biotin dual-ligand-modified liposomal nanoparticles (TGoE@BG-Lipo). ENBS-enabled Type I PDT provides oxygen-independent photokilling, whereas GOx-mediated glucose/oxygen depletion induces starvation and aggravates hypoxia to activate TPZ, together enabling efficient tumor eradication. TGoE@BG-Lipo exhibits precise targeting with an 84-fold higher uptake in HCC cells versus normal cells in a coculture model. In vitro, TGoE@BG-Lipo/L generates O₂^−• through Type I PDT and produces robust reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both normoxic (3.1-fold vs. untreated control) and hypoxic (2.1-fold) conditions. This treatment induces both caspase-3/GSDME-dependent pyroptosis and immunogenic cell death (ICD) hallmarks upon irradiation. Thus, this synergistic treatment induces potent cell killing characterized by severe mitochondrial dysfunction (45.0% monomers) and achieves a tumor growth inhibition rate of 95.3 ± 1.1% in a hypoxic C5WN1 tumor model. Overall, this study presents a hypoxia-adaptive nanoplatform for the precise eradication of oxygen-heterogeneous HCC.

Fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have emerged as promising phototheranostic agents. However, most of the reported GQDs only show Type-II photodynamic (PD) effect, which is not effective in the hypoxic tumor interior. Moreover, little is known yet about the mechanism of the PD and photothermal (PT) effects of GQDs, whose precise chemical structures are typically unknown. Here, we utilize an amphiphilic nanographene, namely dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene with tetra(ethylene glycol) chains (DBOV-OTEG), as an atomically precise GQD, and investigate its PD and PT properties both as individual molecules and aggregates. While red-emissive DBOV-OTEG showed the Type-II PD effect when dissolved in tetrahydrofuran, without displaying the Type-I PD effect, its aggregation in water led to the activation of the Type-I PD effect, along with suppressed fluorescence, enhanced PT effect, and deactivation of the Type-II PD effect. Theoretical calculations and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that intermolecular charge-transfer (CT) states are populated in aggregates, accounting for this remarkable aggregation-induced modulation of the photophysical properties. Moreover, DBOV-OTEG was taken up by live cells and accumulated in lysosomes, enabling the subcellular organelle-targeting photo-elimination of cancer cells. Such amphiphilic nanographenes with the aggregation-induced Type-I PD properties can potentially enable environment-dependent electron transfer, which might be useful for locally promoting different photoredox reactions.

Photosynthesis is a key physiological process for plant growth and survival. Adverse environmental conditions (e.g., drought and extreme temperatures) have significantly reduced photosynthetic efficiency. Therefore, enhancing crop photosynthesis is crucial for increasing crop yield and addressing global food security. Artificial light supplementation has become a common method to improve photosynthetic efficiency in modern agriculture. The problems of high energy consumption, uneven light distribution, and light pollution associated with traditional supplementary lighting systems not only increase economic costs but can also lead to imbalanced plant growth and negative impacts on the environment and ecosystem. However, traditional supplementary lighting systems suffer from high energy consumption and light pollution, whereas nanotechnology has emerged as a promising alternative to enhance photosynthetic efficiency, despite the limited commercial nanomaterials and unclear action mechanisms. This review systematically summarizes the key factors affecting plant photosynthesis and outlines the main types of existing photosynthesis promoting nanomaterials as well as their underlying mechanisms. On the basis of their modes of action, these nanomaterials are classified into three major categories. First, nanomaterials that directly interact with plant photosynthetic components, second, supplementary light sources integrated with nanomaterials, and third, nanocomposite agricultural films. We discuss the research progress in the application of these nanomaterials in crop cultivation, aiming to provide theoretical support and a scientific basis for the development of more efficient and environment-friendly nanomaterials for enhancing plant photosynthesis.

Near-infrared cyanine dyes are widely employed for sensitizing lanthanide upconversion luminescence (UCL), but generally suffer from aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) and photobleaching. Herein, we report a ligand engineering strategy utilizing pyridine-2-carboxylic acid (2PA) to competitively modify with cyanine dyes (e.g., IR808) on the lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (e.g., Cs₂NaYbF₆:Er, Nd). Specifically, 2PA suppresses ACQ of dye via physical isolation, passivates surface defects to reduce lanthanide dopants quenching, and actively quenches singlet oxygen to enhance the photostability of the sensitized system. This synergy ultimately enhances the dye-sensitized lanthanide UCL by over one order of magnitude and shows superior photostability under continuous stimulation. Remarkably, this strategy shows universality across multiple dye-sensitized systems and demonstrates UCL enhancement and photostability improvement at the single-particle level upon high-power excitation. This work overcomes the fundamental bottlenecks in dye-sensitized lanthanide systems, offering a facile strategy for designing high-performance UCL nanoplatforms for versatile applications.

Locally injected hafnium oxide (HfO₂) shows promising efficacy in radiotherapy (RT) for soft tissue sarcomas. Although it has advanced to clinical trials for solid tumors, this approach remains limited by its invasiveness and poor efficacy against metastatic disease. To address this, we developed ultrasmall (5 nm) OA/HfO₂(OH) via solvothermal synthesis and coated them with DSPE-PEG₂₀₀₀, forming HfO₂@PEG (OHP) to impart systemic circulation and tumor targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. As a highly efficient radiosensitizer, OHP enhances RT at a low dose (4 Gy) by significantly increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage, effectively killing cancer cells. In 4T1 cells, OHP combined with RT raised ROS levels more than 10-fold compared to RT alone. Importantly, this process also triggers a potent immune response by activating dendritic cells (DCs) and enhancing antigen presentation, thereby initiating a systemic attack against tumors. Combining OHP-enhanced RT with αPD-L1 antibody therapy yields strong synergistic outcomes, effectively shrinking primary tumors and suppressing distant metastases. Tumor weights in the combination group were significantly lower than in the RT group, with primary and distant tumors reduced to approximately one-sixth and one-fifth, respectively. OHP can be gradually metabolized and excreted, mitigating risks of long-term accumulation and chronic toxicity. This work establishes a systemically deliverable hafnium-based platform with strong clinical translation potential. It proposes a novel strategy to transform traditional local RT into a systemic therapy that activates antitumor immunity, thereby paving the way for innovative treatment models that effectively merge radiosensitization with immunotherapy.