Suitable bandgap, high solar-blind light sensitivity, and high stability against harsh environments make Ga₂O₃ a promising candidate in the application of solar-blind photodetectors. However, Ga₂O₃ photodetectors, particularly those dominated by the photoconductive effect, inevitably face a trade-off between photoresponsivity and response speed. Common methods to mitigate this trade-off usually improve one aspect with the compromise of another. In this work, bilayer-structure Ga₂O₃ films are adopted for solar-blind photodetectors to alleviate the trade-off of photoresponsivity and response speed. The performance improvement effect of the bilayer-structure device is credited to its favorable modulation of carrier redistribution between two layers and extraction accessibility by the electrode. Through further optimization of film crystallinity by annealing, the bilayer-structure device acquires improved photoresponse performance, including a low dark current of 1.16 pA, a high photo to dark current ratio of 3.49 × 10⁷, a high R of 236.10 A W^–1, a high rejection ratio (R_254nm/R_365nm) of 1.98 × 10⁵, and a fast decay speed of 50 ms. Such excellent comprehensive performance ranks it into the top level among similar Ga₂O₃ photodetectors dominated by the photoconductive effect. This work provides a universal and facile design to mitigate the trade-off between photoresponsivity and response speed of Ga₂O₃ solar-blind photodetectors.

Ferroelectric materials hold great potential for modulating two-dimensional (2D) materials to achieve electrically tunable homojunction (ETH). However, ETH based on conventional ferroelectrics encounters significant challenges attributed to the surface with dangling bonds and the associated depolarization field. Here, we introduce a novel 2D ETH device based on the anomalous interfacial effect between 2D layered ferroelectric CuCrP₂S₆ and ambipolar WSe₂, creating a versatile platform for nonvolatile memory and high-performance optoelectronic applications. The device capitalizes on the realization of ETH through a localized doping strategy facilitated by ferroelectric polarization-assisted charge trapping. When modulated to a p–n junction diode, the device showcases superior rectifying characteristics and high-performance self-powered photodetection, with a highest responsivity over 0.14 A·W^–1. Moreover, the nonvolatile ETH device enables a single device to implement complex optoelectronic logics of exclusive OR (XOR), OR, and not implication (NIMP) that can be reconfigured by light illumination. Compared to the traditional CMOS-based logics, the ETH device significantly reduces the transistor number by 87.5%, 83.3%, and 87.5% for XOR, OR, and NIMP, respectively. The successful demonstration of the ETH device based on 2D ferroelectric materials paves the way for the development of advanced and simplified photo-electric interconnected circuits.

Plasmonic materials enable flexible optical manipulation owing to their unique plasmon resonance, making them highly promising for photoelectronic imaging attenuation. However, designing plasmonic materials capable of multifaceted imaging attenuation remains challenging. This study theoretically designed and experimentally prepared a unique dual nonmetallic plasmonic Ti₃C₂T_x/TiN hybrid. The composite material exhibited excellent performance in multifrequency, active/passive, and polarized multifunctional imaging attenuation. TiN nanoclusters were chemically bonded to Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets through an ultrasonic-assisted method to form a Ti₃C₂T_x/TiN hybrid. The strong nonmetallic plasmonic coupling within these hybrids enables superior absorption and excellent photothermal conversion. Consequently, MXene/TiN aerosols demonstrated an improvement of approximately 14% in imaging attenuation compared with traditional oil–water aerosols in visible-light imaging. In addition, the hybrid exhibited strong electromagnetic wave absorption, covering nearly the entire 8.96–18 GHz range. Moreover, polarization imaging attenuation improved by 8.3% compared with that of oil–water aerosols, as evidenced by algorithmically dehazed images. Furthermore, the material effectively provided “high-temperature thermal concealment” for far-infrared active imaging attenuation. This study paves the way for developing multifunctional imaging attenuation materials, with significant potential for future imaging attenuation technologies.

Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (RZABs), emerged as a prospective energy conversion device, have garnered substantial attention from researchers over the past decades. Nevertheless, the sluggish kinetic processes related to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) that occurred on the air cathode throughout the charge–discharge cycles pose a significant challenge. Therefore, the advancement of bifunctional electrocatalysts possessing excellent performance and robust cycling stability is of crucial importance. Herein, a coordination polymer (dimethylimidazolium-Co²⁺-potassium ferricyanide), assembled via chemical induced self-assembly strategy, has been utilized as precursors for the fabrication of 1D/3D dual carbon-supported Fe₃Co nitrogen carbides (Fe₃Co–NC). Confirmed by characterization results and theoretical calculations, the synergistic effect of FeN₂–CoN₃ active sites and the 1D/3D hierarchical networks effectively enhances its bifunctional ORR/OER activities under alkaline electrolyte conditions. Specifically, as-prepared Fe₃Co-NC composite exhibits a remarkable half-wave potential of 0.88 V and achieves a 1.67 V overpotential at 10 mA cm^–2. Moreover, the peak power density of the as-assembled RZAB reaches 182.4 mW cm^–2, maintaining an output voltage of approximately 1.1 V after 400 h of galvanostatic discharge–charge cycling. This research proposes a new, cost-effective, and high-performance synthesis approach for the preparation of bifunctional electrocatalysts.

Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) show great promise for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, their susceptibility to oxidation, particularly in humid environments or water, limits their industrial applications. This study introduces a straightforward method for developing functionalized MXenes (F-MXenes) with significantly enhanced oxidation resistance and environmental stability, which are critical factors for industrial scalability. The resulting F-MXenes disperse easily in non-polar solvents, adhere well to various substrates, and remain highly stable under harsh conditions in an accelerated oxidation test at 100°C and 80% relative humidity for 49 days; F-MXenes retained 93% of their initial electrical resistance. Additionally, these films withstand water exposure, maintain superior current retention in seawater and corrosive environments, and exhibit high flexibility (10 000 bending cycles) and tensile strength (35 MPa). Notably, the EMI shielding effectiveness of the hydrophobic F-MXene films, produced using scalable techniques such as spray and blade coating, far exceeds that of previously reported hydrophobic MXene films and MXene composites, achieving 52–77 dB at thicknesses of 5–40 μm. This study highlights the potential of F-MXene as high-performance, scalable EMI-shielding coatings, particularly in humid or water-exposed environments.

Artificial visual neural systems have emerged as promising candidates for overcoming the von Neumann bottleneck via integrating image perception, storage, and computation. Existing photoelectric memristors are limited by the need for specific wavelengths or long input times to maintain stable behavior. Here, we introduce a benzothiophene-modified covalent organic framework, enhancing the photoelectric response of methyl trinuclear copper for low-voltage (0.2 V) redox processes. The material enables the modulation of 50 conductive states via light and electrical signals, improving recognition accuracy in low light, dense fog, and high-frequency motion. The ITO/BTT-Cu₃/ITO device's accuracy increases from 7.1% with 2 states to 87.1% after training. This construction strategy and the synergistic effect of photoelectric interactions offer a new pathway for the development of photoelectric neuromorphic computing elements capable of processing environmental information in situ.

Defect engineering in photocatalytic materials has garnered significant interest due to the considerable impact of defects on light absorption, charge separation, and surface reaction dynamics. However, a limited understanding of how these defects influence photocatalytic properties remains a persistent challenge. This review comprehensively analyzes the vital role of defect engineering for enhancing the photocatalytic performance, highlighting its significant influence on material properties and efficiency. It systematically classifies defect types, including vacancy defects (oxygen and metal vacancies), doping defects (anion and cation), interstitial defects, surface defects (step edges, terraces, kinks, and disordered layers), antisite defects, and interfacial defects in the core–shell structures and heterostructure borders. The impact of complex defect groups and manifold defects on improved photocatalytic performance is also examined. The review emphasizes the principal benefits of defect engineering, including the enhancement of light adsorption, reduction of band gaps, improved charge separation and movements, and suppression of charge recombination. These enhancements lead to a boost in catalytic active sites, optimization of electronic structures, tailored band alignments, and the development of mid-gap states, leading to improved structural stability, photocorrosion resistance, and better reaction selectivity. Furthermore, the most recent improvements, such as oxygen vacancies, nitrogen and sulfur doping, surface defect engineering, and innovations in heterostructures, defect-rich metal–organic frameworks, and defective nanostructures, are examined comprehensively. This study offers essential insights into modern techniques and approaches in defect engineering, highlighting its significance in addressing challenges in photocatalytic materials and promoting the advancement of effective and adaptable platforms for renewable energy and environmental uses.

The simple solution processing of perovskite materials, combined with the high efficiency potential of tandem structures and the mature silicon infrastructure, makes perovskite/silicon tandems highly attractive for advancing cost-effective and high-performance photovoltaic technologies. In recent years, lots of work has been reported in improving device efficiency and enhancing long-term stability by optimizing the hole transport layer (HTL). In this perspective, we outline the limitations of conventional hole transport materials used for wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite subcells in tandem devices. We then briefly summarize the development of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (PS-TSCs) and highlight the landmark breakthroughs. Finally, we emphatically discuss and comment on the application and challenge of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in perovskite/silicon tandems. We hope this perspective will enable researchers to have a clearer understanding of recent research based on perovskite/silicon tandem and inspire more meaningful work in the future.