Hard yet flexible transparent foldable cover windows (FCWs) protect flexible displays from contamination and damage. However, ultra-thin glass (UTG) and colorless polyimide (CPI) are limited by their inherent brittleness and low hardness, respectively. Although great efforts have been made, it is difficult to overcome its inherent defects completely, so it has become the bottleneck of large-size flexible display technology. Inspired by the distinct energy dissipation mechanisms of glass and polymers under yield stress, we report a novel transparent film material that exhibits glass-like hardness, ceramic-like wear resistance, plastic-like toughness, and long-lasting hydrophobicity. The coexistence of these eagerly anticipated properties allows it to transcend the traditional classifications of plastic film and brittle glass, facilitating the transformation of FCWs from stacked “sandwich” structures to monolayer structures. Our experimental results demonstrate that the unification of these contradictory properties in a monolayer film is attributed to the synergistic effect of the unique soft-hard domain structure formed by silica nanoparticle and linear siloxane. This work provides an effective strategy for developing the next generation of all-in-one FCWs following UTG and CPI.

Achieving control over room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) performance through delicate molecular engineering and intermolecular interactions is of great significance for advancing RTP research. In this study, a series of isomers containing up to four compounds were synthesized by integrating a tetrahydroquinoline substituent at different positions of a phenoxathiine core. All compounds exhibit afterglow RTP emission in the crystalline state, attributed to diverse intermolecular interactions that stabilize triplet excitons. Notably, the variation in substitution positions leads to distinct intermolecular interactions, enabling fine-tuned RTP properties through strategic molecular engineering. Among them, the isomer 2,1-PXTACR, which exhibits robust intermolecular interactions, achieves an exceptional afterglow duration exceeding 5 s and an average phosphorescence lifetime of 310 ms. Furthermore, the specific role of the solid-state environment in stabilizing triplet excitons is systematically elucidated in this work. The molecular modulation strategy established herein provides valuable insights into the structure-property relationships governing RTP materials and offers a rational approach for developing high-performance purely organic phosphorescent systems.

Inspired by the structure and principles of the human brain, the development of artificial neurons for spiking neural network (SNN) has been stimulated. Threshold switching memristors offer a viable pathway for the emulation of biological neurons. However, existing artificial neurons primarily rely on a singular data coding scheme, which diminishes the capacity of artificial neurons as computational units within SNN. In this study, we introduce a switchable multifunctional artificial neuron (SMAN) capable of encoding information via varying spiking frequencies (rate coding) and time-to-first-spike coding. SMAN leverages the conductive filament conduction mechanism and stress characteristics of materials to achieve varying ionic dynamics by simply altering the position of the electrode contacts. Finally, an SNN based on SMAN has been designed, demonstrating effective performance in the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology image classification task under both initial and noise-added conditions. This device-level selective coding scheme significantly enhances the capability of SNN to recognize various types of images. We believe that our successful implementation will promote the universality of artificial neurons across various tasks, bringing innovation and development to the field of neuromorphic hardware.

Gas sensing in complex environments requires advanced technologies that overcome the limitations of traditional semiconductor, electrochemical, and optical sensors. This paper presents an integrated micro-manufacturing platform that combines UV lithography, laser etching, and micro-spray deposition to fabricate multiplexed ceramic microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gas sensor array chips with enhanced precision and reliability. The platform optimizes process parameters to ensure high-quality lithography, etching, and film deposition on zirconia ceramic substrates, addressing challenges such as thermal expansion mismatch and gas-sensitive material integration. A 16-element micro-hotplate array chip fabricated using this platform demonstrates rapid temperature modulation, low power consumption, and stable performance in gas sensitivity tests, generating distinctive response “fingerprints” for various volatile organic compounds. This integrated approach offers a promising solution for improved gas detection in applications such as environmental monitoring, industrial safety, and medical diagnostics.

Materials exhibiting a time-dependent organic afterglow across a broad spectrum have significant potential in various photonic applications, yet achieving this remains a challenge. This work reports on a series of water-soluble polymers, which were synthesized by incorporating a pyrene-based triphenylphosphine salt into polyacrylamide. These polymers exhibit time-dependent room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP), with a color transition in their afterglow from red to orange, yellow, and green. Experimental results reveal that the coexistence of isolated and aggregated states is crucial for this time-dependent persistent RTP. Remarkably, these materials can achieve RTP in an amorphous state and have excellent water solubility. Taking advantage of these properties, security inks were produced by dissolving these polymers in aqueous solution, facilitating the successful printing of high-resolution patterns over large areas using a commercial inkjet printer. Finally, we demonstrate the fabrication of transparent films with tunable, persistent RTP colors, highlighting the potential of these materials for multi-dimensional optical encoding and security applications.

Memristors have garnered significant attention in the field of non-volatile memory devices due to their excellent characteristics such as miniaturization, low power consumption, high performance, and non-volatility. Particularly with the development of flexible electronics in recent years, flexible memristors have shown immense potential in areas such as neuromorphic models and memristor-based neural networks, thanks to their unique structural features and superior electrical properties. This paper systematically reviews the working principles and material systems of memristors, followed by a summary of the current research progress on flexible memristors. It also concludes with an overview of the applications of flexible memristors in frontier fields such as neural networks, image recognition, and wearable sensing, while also briefly analyzes the challenges faced in the development of flexible memristors and their future prospects. It is believed that this paper will provide valuable guidance for the future applications of flexible memristors in more frontier fields.

Flexible devices derived from piezoelectric materials have gained considerable attention due to their exceptional biocompatibility. Among these, ferroelectret nanogenerators (FENG) is a novel type of flexible piezoelectric device that integrates self-powering, actuation, and sensing capabilities. Its potential applications within the realm of human physiological medicine are continuously expanding. Given the increasing public emphasis on health, demand is escalating for devices that can monitor human activity indicators and reflect the state of bodily functions. In this context, flexible devices with superior biocompatibility have become increasingly valuable for medical testing, sports training guidance, and physical exercise. Due to its exceptional flexibility, high sensitivity, significant piezoelectric coefficient, and excellent biocompatibility, FENG has garnered considerable attention in medical applications, demonstrating strong potential for accurately detecting human physiological activities. Therefore, an in-depth exploration of FENG's applications in medical testing and auxiliary treatment carries significant practical implications. However, current research on FENG's application in the medical field lacks comprehensive understanding and systematic evaluation. This paper aims to review the most recent advancement in the application of FENG in medical settings. By presenting a wide variety of application examples and systematic evaluations, we aim to demonstrate that FENG can meet the personalized needs of the medical application field. First, this paper introduces the working principle of FENG and its fabrication methods, followed by an introduction to FENG's applications in four major human physiological systems: blood circulation, respiration, muscle movement, and nerve reflexes. Finally, potential directions for further development of FENG and the challenges faced are discussed.

Flexible printed electronics represent a cutting-edge technology leveraging functional inks to fabricate electronic circuits and components on diverse flexible substrates. Various advanced printing processes enable the production of computer-controlled patterns with superior resolution and flexibility. Advances in low-temperature sintering techniques have significantly propelled the evolution of flexible printed electronics by reducing thermal impact on substrates, ensuring high-quality device fabrication. Functional nanomaterial inks serve as the cornerstone of this technology, with metallic nanoparticle inks being widely utilized for their superior electrical conductivity, facile synthesis, and commendable biocompatibility. Here, we comprehensively review the synthesis and processing of metallic nanoparticle inks and critically comment on different types of metallic nanoparticle inks, and believe that composite metallic nanoparticle inks have more advantages in reducing cost and improving comprehensive performance. In addition, this paper summarizes the various printing processes and sintering techniques, emphasizing the printing mechanisms and the recent advances in low-temperature sintering technology. The applications of metallic nanoparticle inks in various scenarios, such as sensors, wireless technologies, energy storage and electroluminescent devices, are summarized. Lastly, the current challenges facing metallic nanoparticle inks are critically analyzed, and forward-looking strategies and advances aimed at addressing these obstacles are proposed.