Organic photodetectors (OPDs) and sensors have emerged as a potential class of optoelectronic devices. They are capable of detecting light at many different wavelengths, including infrared (IR) and low light. Their special advantages, which open up new possibilities for sensing technologies in the future, include mechanical flexibility, inexpensive processing, and changeable light response. Recent developments in the creation and enhancement of organic semiconducting materials are examined in detail in this article. It emphasizes molecular strategies to enhance stability, light absorption, and charge transfer in low-light conditions. High detectivity, fast reaction times, and spectrum selectivity are the main goals of the review's discussion of device architectures. It investigates important application domains such as wearable and flexible electronics, low-light environmental sensing, and biomedical imaging. In several domains, OPDs have clear benefits over conventional inorganic technologies. Major issues including long-term stability, noise reduction, and large-area integration are also discussed. The review offers ideas for possible solutions utilizing innovative material designs and interface engineering. This paper provides a thorough overview of the state and future trends of OPDs and sensors for low-light and infrared applications by tying together developments in organic materials chemistry and device physics.

Microbubbles (MBs) have garnered significant attention across various scientific disciplines, including medical imaging, drug delivery, materials science, and environmental engineering due to their unique properties and versatile utility. However, their inherent limitations regarding stability and pressure resilience have impeded their potential application in demanding conditions. Here, an innovative paradigm is presented for next-generation CO₂-filled ultrastable microbubbles (UMBs) by incorporating hydrophobic graphene aerogel microparticles (HAG-MPs) into the aphron MB shells, resulting in MBs with exceptional resilience and longevity. The findings demonstrate that the reinforced UMBs, enhanced with 0.16 wt% HAG-MPs, display a significantly improved elastic response and mechanical stiffness so that these UMBs exhibit remarkable bubble survival rates of approximately 71% and exhibit an amazing 490% increase in cyclic pressure stability (about 6 times) under a high-pressurizing cycle up to 400 bar. This research serves as a catalyst for the creation of advanced UMB systems capable of revolutionizing diverse applications in carbon capture, storage, and utilization. Furthermore, a multi-output machine learning (ML) framework based on multi-target regressor stacking (MTRS) is developed to predict key UMB performance parameters, achieving prediction errors as low as 3% for half-life time, approximately 4% for shell thickness-to-diameter ratio, and 3% for cyclic pressure stability, representing up to an 82% reduction in prediction error compared to classical single-output ML methods.

Ultraviolet photodetectors (UVPDs) operating at high temperatures are critical for sensing in extreme environments such as aerospace, nuclear electronic systems, and flame warning. However, most existing UVPDs suffer from severe performance degradation, increased dark current, and the need for external bias as the operating temperature rises. Here, we report a self-powered UVPD based on an unintentionally doped/boron-doped diamond homojunction. Benefitting from the ultra-wide bandgap and excellent thermal stability of the diamond, the device has achieved high optoelectrical properties under UV illumination with negligible performance degradation even at an operating temperature of up to 250°C. The device demonstrates a high rectification ratio of 1.8 × 10⁹, high specific detectivity of over 10¹² Jones, and fast response times of 3.45 ms/2.68 ms under 0 V bias. Moreover, the device shows excellent long-term operating stability and achieves high-contrast imaging applications with excellent temperature tolerance. These results highlight the promise of diamond homojunctions for reliable UV detection and imaging in harsh operating environments.

Simultaneously regulating charge carrier dynamics and catalytic selectivity remains a critical challenge in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Here, we report a copper (II) phthalocyanine/oxygen-vacancy-rich (CuPc/CeO₂) S-scheme heterojunction featuring atomically dispersed Cu–N₄ sites. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy establishes a 0.24 eV work function difference between CeO₂ and CuPc, generating a built-in electric field that drives S-scheme charge transfer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms oxygen vacancies in CeO₂ (evidenced by Ce³⁺ states), enabling the energetic alignment that spatially separates reductive electrons (−1.05 V vs. NHE) at molecular Cu sites from oxidative holes (+2.44 V) in CeO₂. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed that the reduction in carrier lifetime (from 7.42 to 6.57 ns) corroborates an efficient charge separation process. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy demonstrates that the Cu–N₄ centers preferentially stabilize the *COOH intermediate while facilitating rapid CO desorption from Cu(I) sites, thereby directing selective two-electron reduction and suppressing over-reduction to CH₄. The optimized 20CuPc/CeO₂ catalyst achieves a CO generation rate of 90.23 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹—representing a 16.96-fold enhancement over pristine CeO₂—with 92.2% selectivity for CO versus CH₄, and maintains robust stability over five consecutive photocatalytic cycles. This work establishes a unified design strategy integrating defect-engineered S-scheme charge separation with single-atom molecular catalysis to achieve selective solar-driven CO₂-to-CO conversion.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have reached power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) above 21%, yet their market adoption is still limited by reliability issues rooted in the unstable bulk heterojunction (BHJ) architecture. Recent Y-series nonfullerene acceptors enable bulk photocarrier generation and open a pathway toward heterojunction-scarce active layers with improved uniformity and stability. However, the widely used charge-transfer state analysis and the simplified Schottky-junction model become insufficient to describe the open-circuit voltage (V_OC) in such systems. Here we develop a unified framework that couples composition-dependent density of state (DOS) redistribution with geminate recombination to explain V_OC when donor/acceptor (D/A) interfaces are scarce. DOS evolution governs Fermi-level (E_F) alignment and sets the upper limit of V_OC, whereas enhanced geminate recombination in weakly interfaced blends limits the achievable quasi-Fermi level splitting. This model reconciles the opposite V_OC trends and fill factor degradation observed in D- and A-poor PM6:Y6 and PCE10:Y6 devices. Guided by these insights, electrode work function engineering strengthens internal fields, suppresses geminate loss, and yields a record-low energy loss of 0.516 eV in PM6:Y6 cells. This framework clarifies voltage losses beyond the BHJ paradigm and provides design rules for reliable high-efficiency heterojunction-scarce OSCs.

Conventional solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) on graphite anodes inherently suffers from sluggish interfacial kinetics, severely restricting their rate capability and operational lifespan. However, existing strategies for SEI engineering typically involve either complex multistep procedures, high feedstock costs, or stringent safety requirements, leaving a critical need for a practical approach. Herein, we develop a facile molten-phase method to construct a functional sulfur-rich SEI through homogeneous sulfur encapsulation followed by electrochemical activation. Such an engineered interphase effectively facilitates rapid ion conduction and minimizes interfacial impedance. Benefiting from the synergistic advantages, the Gr@S anode exhibits substantially enhanced lithium intercalation capacity and superior cycling stability relative to pristine graphite, enabling improved electrochemical performance. This work underscores the critical role of SEI engineering in advancing practical anode materials and establishes a promising pathway toward high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Two-dimensional (2D) gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) holds great promise for photocatalysis due to its intrinsic out-of-plane polarization and built-in electric field, which facilitate charge separation. However, its wide bandgap severely limits visible-light absorption. Herein, first-principles calculations are employed to explore two complementary strategies for bandgap engineering in polar 2D Ga₂O₃. In bilayers, reversing the polarization direction of one monolayer switches the interlayer band alignment from staggered to broken-gap, enabling giant tunneling electroresistance for ferroelectric/antiferroelectric tunnel junctions. Nevertheless, this approach is insufficient for photocatalysis, as parallel polarization causes bandgap closure while antiparallel polarization yields only marginal bandgap reduction. To address the visible-light limitation while preserving the built-in field, site-selective sulfur doping is introduced in the lowest-energy FE-ZB′ monolayer. Substitution at O₁ or O₂ sites significantly narrows the bandgap, through synergistic upward valence band maximum shifting and built-in field modulation, whereas O₃ substitution widens it. The doped systems maintain strong surface potential differences, enabling spatial separation of photogenerated carriers and satisfying water redox potentials. Enhanced visible-light absorption and favorable OER/HER overpotentials confirm their viability for overall water splitting. Strain engineering further demonstrates robust tunability. This work establishes a synergistic framework combining polarization control with atomic-scale doping for high-performance 2D Ga₂O₃-based photocatalysts and optoelectronic devices.