Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) stands as a transformative pathway for the sustainable synthesis of fuels and chemicals, yet its advancement is hindered by an incomplete mechanistic picture of dynamic catalyst evolution at the electrode-electrolyte interface. This review emphasizes the critical role of in situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) in addressing this knowledge gap. As a non-invasive technique capable of nanometer- to near-atomic scale resolution under operando conditions, EC-AFM provides direct, real-time visualization of catalyst dynamics. The review begins by outlining the fundamental principles and advantages of EC-AFM for probing liquid-solid interfaces and then systematically demonstrates its applications across major catalyst systems. These range from revealing potential-dependent reconstruction and roughening on single-crystal and polycrystalline copper electrodes, to tracking the stability and synergistic effects in Cu-based bimetallic catalysts, and to elucidating structure-activity dynamics in emerging systems such as gas diffusion electrodes. Finally, we discuss current technical challenges of EC-AFM and propose future interdisciplinary research directions. This review summarizes how in situ EC-AFM has informed our understanding of CO₂RR by revealing dynamic catalyst reconstruction, tracking active-site evolution, and elucidating interfacial processes. By systematically compiling these advances, it serves as a critical interdisciplinary resource, positioning EC-AFM as a practical tool that offers visual guidance for the rational design of next-generation catalysts and electrochemical systems.

The ever-growing demand for ultraprecision in semiconductor and optical manufacturing hinges critically on advances in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), where the effectiveness of abrasive particles is paramount. Achieving the elusive combination of high material removal rates and atomically smooth, defect-free surfaces remains a fundamental challenge. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of advanced abrasive materials, highlighting the roles of CeO₂, SiO₂, and Al₂O₃, together with emerging nanomaterials such as nanodiamonds, in enabling efficient CMP of hard and brittle substrates. This work also presents a critical analysis of their structure-property-performance relationships, focusing on their mechanistic roles in polishing hard-to-process materials like SiC and sapphire. Furthermore, the review highlights cutting-edge advances in abrasive design, surface chemistry modulation, and the integration of intelligent CMP systems. Finally, current challenges and future directions are delineated, providing a roadmap for the rational design of next-generation, sustainable abrasive systems to meet the escalating demands of precision manufacturing.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are recognized as the most promising next-generation photovoltaic technology, whose performance is critically dependent on the quality of the perovskite light-absorber and synergistic effects among the functional layers. To control and optimize the film quality of PSCs, additives with organic functional groups, especially medicinally derived molecules, have attracted significant attention in recent years due to distinctive advantages, particularly the precision-targeted design of functional groups, which allows function-oriented molecular structure screening and modification. Moreover, beyond the perovskite layer, organic functional molecules also play important roles by multiple effects within the carrier transport layers, encapsulation layer, and at the electrode interfaces. This paper details the application of medicinally derived organic functional molecules across different functional layers of PSCs, elucidating their working mechanisms from aspects such as defect passivation, energy level alignment, crystallization regulation, and inhibiting ion migration. Attributed to the diverse functional groups and versatile molecular geometries, these molecules confer the ability to interact with each functional layer at multiple sites through various effects, facilitating multifunctional modification. Notably, with the advantages of mature manufacturing, well-established structure-function relationship, extensive database, low toxicity, and biodegradability, the prospects and challenges of interdisciplinary integration of medicinally derived molecules and PSCs are highlighted. Finally, AI-assisted structure-function design and prediction, as well as high-throughput screening system, will also promote a bright future at the interdisciplinary frontier of medicinal chemistry and perovskite photovoltaics.

Liquid classification and identification are pivotal for diverse sectors ranging from environmental monitoring to medical diagnostics. However, traditional methods are often constrained by bulky instrumentation and complex procedures. Solid–liquid triboelectric nanogenerators (S-L TENGs) have emerged as a transformative, self-powered solution for on-site detection. This review establishes a unified framework for S-L TENGs, conceptualizing the solid–liquid interface as a dynamic physicochemical encoder, which is an evolution from the established solid–solid interaction baseline. Herein, we analyze how this interface encodes intrinsic liquid properties (e.g., ion concentration and dielectric constant) and kinetic features into distinct electrical fingerprints across various working modes, including droplet impact, continuous flow, and immersion. Furthermore, the role of artificial intelligence as a powerful decoder is highlighted, demonstrating how deep learning algorithms extract precise information regarding physical parameters, chemical composition, and microscopic content from complex triboelectric signals. Finally, regarding the remaining challenges for practical employment, including signal stability and cross-sensitivity, we advocate for future research on multimodal sensing and advanced algorithmic strategies. This review aims to provide the theoretical foundation and technological roadmap necessary to advance S-L TENGs from fundamental research to robust, intelligent liquid identification applications.

Silicon-based all-solid-state batteries (Si-ASSBs) are regarded as the most promising next-generation energy-storage technology, offering both high energy density with intrinsic safety. However, state-of-the-art Si-ASSBs typically rely on excessively huge stack pressures beyond 50 MPa to sustain solid-solid interfacial contact and electrode integrity, far exceeding the practical pressure limits (≤ 2.0 MPa) required for scalable cell manufacturing and operation. This review systematically summarizes recent progress toward enabling Si-ASSBs to operate under reduced stack pressures, with a discussion by four core dimensions: electrode design, interface engineering, structural optimization, and cell-assembly approaches. Low-pressure mechanisms enabling Si-ASSBs operation are analyzed across multiple scale insights, ranging from active material preparation and electrode microstructure regulation to cell-/module-level configurations. We further synthesize recently potential studies aimed at decoupling electrochemical performance with external stacking pressure, which can be realized by in-situ physicochemical characterization, artificial intelligence or machine learning-assisted optimization, conductive-elastic filler design, and the Si-anode matched roll-to-roll or cold-pressing manufacturing processes. By integrating mechanistic understanding with scalable engineering approaches, this review provides a comprehensive guidance for the rational design and practical implementation of high-performance Si-ASSBs under low-stack pressure (≤ 2.0 MPa).

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis powered by renewable sources, particularly via proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE), has garnered considerable interest due to its high efficiency and operational flexibility. However, the widespread adoption of this technology is primarily hindered by the intrinsically sluggish and complex reaction kinetics of the anodic acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Contemporary research on high-performance catalysts, including noble metal oxides and transition metal oxides, predominantly adopts a thermodynamic perspective, optimizing catalytic performance by modulating the adsorption energies of key reaction intermediates. However, this mainstream strategy frequently fails to adequately consider the actual electrochemical reaction environment, that is, the structured electric double layer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The essence of electrocatalysis resides at the electrode–electrolyte interface, where the structure, orientation, and hydrogen-bond network of interfacial water molecules critically influence water adsorption and activation, proton transfer, intermediate stabilization, and reaction pathway selection, thereby governing the overall reaction kinetics. This review focuses on acidic OER and systematically examines the central role of interfacial water throughout the catalytic process. We first clarify its function in different mechanistic pathways and introduce relevant in situ characterization techniques. Subsequently, we delve into the multiple roles of interfacial water, detailing its functions in participating as a reactant, stabilizing key intermediates, and regulating mass transport. Finally, we summarize recent strategies and design principles for enhancing catalyst performance through interfacial water structure engineering. This review delineates and consolidates the critical role of interfacial water structure, offering a new perspective for the rational design of efficient and stable acidic OER catalysts.

High-performance sustainable materials reconstructed from natural plants offer an important route to address ecological and resource challenges. Here, we report “meta-wood,” a bulk material constructed solely from plant fibers through mechanical entanglement and enhanced interfacial bonding. The material is formed by swelling-induced torsion of plant fibers, which generates a permanent three-dimensional interlocked network, followed by capillary-force-driven drying that densifies the network and promotes interfacial fusion through pervasive hydrogen bonding. The resulting meta-wood is a fully integrated monolith with a density of 1.48 g cm⁻³, approaching that of solid cellulose. Unlike adhesive-bonded composites and anisotropic natural wood, meta-wood possesses an isotropic microstructure composed of randomly interlocked fibers. This architecture gives rise to a tensile strength of 87.9 MPa, a Shore D hardness of 75.4, and distinctive optical properties, including about 60% transmittance and over 90% haze at submillimeter thickness. Meta-wood also exhibits good resistance to water, heat, and flame, while retaining the intrinsic biodegradability of cellulose. Life-cycle assessment indicates low carbon emissions and favorable cost efficiency compared with common petroleum-based plastics. This work provides a universal microstructural modulation strategy for short plant fibers and opens a new route toward high-performance, fully bio-based sustainable materials.

Photo-rechargeable batteries (PRBs), which refer to the integrated energy conversion-storage units, are receiving intense interest as they are able to solve the drawbacks in the traditional off-grid supply system (e.g., intermittency of solar energy, ohmic losses by wire-connection, and voltage mismatch). Bifunctional photoelectrodes, which are active materials with both photovoltaic and energy-storage capabilities, are the key matrices in PRBs. Herein, a bifunctional photoelectrode with heterojunctions based on lead-free metal-halide perovskites (MHPs) is formed via a spontaneous two-step reconstruction triggered by octahedral defects and arrangement. Due to the partial dissolution of octahedra (e.g., [SnI₆]²⁻ or [Bi₂I₉]³⁻) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone solution during fabrication of electrodes, the Cu current collector is reactivated with the Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ leaching, thereby enabling the in situ formation of CuO (CuI)/MHPs heterojunctions, which significantly enhances the conductivity of the photoelectrodes and effectively improves the stability. The reconstructed electrodes deliver remarkable specific capacity in both photo-assisted (684.6 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.6 A g⁻¹) and photo-charge (0.316 mAh cm⁻² at 2 mA cm⁻²) conditions, as well as the integrated micro-PRLIBs show all-day applications in wearable electronics. This work provides a generalizable framework for constructing efficient photo-rechargeable systems with high integration for wearable and portable devices, such as smart textiles and biosensors.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is crucial in global healthcare, but the traditional receive coils, as a core component of MRI, signal-to-noise ratio enhancement is limited due to the optimization of channel number and magnetic field strength faces high cost and complexity challenges. Here, this work demonstrates the use of a topological material to enhance MRI signal reception. Designed with a stack of weak couplings, this material forms quasi-two-dimensional dual topological boundary states. High properties are achieved through low-loss signal transmission via these topological states, as well as only enhanced local magnetic fields and an increased number of channels. Initial tests demonstrate superior performance and accessibility compared with commercial coils, suggesting significant potential. This concept introduces a transformative paradigm for all MRI coil designs.