Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) represent an advanced technology for achieving effective energy conversion, offering high efficiency and fuel flexibility. Perovskite-type oxide cathode materials are critical to their operation, due to their excellent electrochemical performance. Doping strategies are commonly employed to improve their physicochemical and electrochemical characteristics. However, the precise role of high-valence dopants in modulating oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and oxygen ion transport remains inadequately understood. This study investigates the B-site engineering in the perovskite material Pr_0.4Sr_0.6Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3-δ (PSCF) through niobium (Nb) doping, in which iron (Fe) is partially substituted to elucidate the influence of Nb on cathode performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that doping significantly reduces the oxygen vacancy formation energy (E_vac) at Co/Fe-related sites, thus promoting oxygen vacancy generation and enhancing oxygen mobility in the lattice. In contrast, the E_vac at Nb-related sites increases, indicating a site-dependent redistribution of oxygen defects and local charge compensation. This redistribution facilitates the ORR pathway associated with high valence Co⁴⁺/Fe⁴⁺ species at intermediate temperatures, even though the high temperature ORR involving Co³⁺/Fe³⁺ may be partially suppressed. As the Nb content increases, a decrease in polarization resistance is observed, with the optimal electrochemical performance achieved in PSCFN_0.05 and PSCFN_0.1, showing polarization resistances of 0.052 and 0.050 Ω cm², respectively. Notably, PSCFN_0.1 achieves more than 2.6 times the power density of the undoped PSCF at 500°C (77 vs. 29 mW·cm⁻²). These findings provide fundamental insights into rational B-site design, offering a clear strategy for enhancing the catalytic activity and ion transport properties of perovskite cathodes in SOFCs.

Given the increasing global demand for sustainable materials and growing concerns over the depletion of petrochemical resources, we report the synthesis of an amorphous bio-derived polyester diol, and this diol was polymerized with various isocyanates and butanediol, yielding a novel series of bio-based polyurethane elastomers (BPUEs). Notably, the prepared HDI-17% exhibited remarkable mechanical properties comparable to petroleum-based elastomers while demonstrating exceptional biodegradability. Specifically, the elastomer indicated an enzymatic degradation ratio of 82.0% within 20 days and a relative compost degradation ratio of up to 95.5% compared with lignin over 90 days. These results significantly surpass the degradation rates of other degradable PUs reported in the literature. Regarding the degradation mechanism, our findings indicated that enzymatic degradation primarily targeted the ester groups of soft segments, with the process occurring layer-by-layer from exterior to interior. Additionally, microphase separation significantly influenced the degradation rate. Notably, both the BPUEs and their degradation byproduct solution were found to be nonbiotoxicity, highlighting their potential for safe application within biological systems. Furthermore, the BPUEs exhibited remarkable 3D printability, allowing for the precise fabrication of complex devices. These results mark a significant step forward in sustainable materials, providing viable options for the applications of customizing degradable biomedical devices.

The electrochemical hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) has emerged as a sustainable strategy for producing high-value chemicals, yet achieving high product selectivity remains a key challenge. Herein, we report the electrochemical conversion of HMF into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) under alkaline conditions over a catalyst with a high density of Pt-Cu dual-atom sites supported on N,S-doped carbon nanosheets (Pt-Cu_high/NSC). At a low Pt loading of 0.74 wt.%, the Pt-Cu_high/NSC catalyst demonstrates excellent HMFOR activity in 0.1 M KOH, including a low activation potential (0.98 V), high current output (1006.4 mA mg⁻¹ at 1.42 V), excellent FDCA selectivity (97.4%), high Faradaic efficiency (97.6%), and long-term operational stability. These metrics surpass most previously reported catalyst systems. In comparison, a monometallic catalyst with only Cu single atom sites (Cu/NSC) showed low selectivity towards FDCA during HMFOR, instead favouring the production of 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic (FFCA, 81.6% yield). A Pt/NSC catalyst showed negligible activity for HMFOR. Experimental data and theoretical calculations for Pt-Cu_high/NSC reveal that Pt sites facilitate OH⁻ adsorption, which in turn promotes deeper oxidation of FFCA on adjacent Cu sites. This study encourages the wider pursuit of dual-atom catalysts (DACs) for the HMFOR and other challenging electrochemical syntheses.

Indisciplinable dendrite growth, harsh side reactions, and sluggish kinetics at the Zn electrode/electrolyte interface severely obstruct the commercialization of zinc-metal batteries. Besides, the development of wearable devices has set a higher demand for the safety and biocompatibility of batteries. Herein, an in situ acid dipping approach is devised to spontaneously construct a functional and antibacterial interfacial layer containing carbonyl oxygen groups on the surface of zinc foils, using aqueous malic acid (denoted as MZ@Zn electrode) to tackle the above issues. The interfacial layer possesses satisfactory zincophilicity, promoting the ion kinetics and homogenizing the Zn deposition/dissolution. The MZ layer tightly adhered to the Zn electrode, and the deliberately exposed (0 0 2)_Zn planes assure favorable anticorrosive quality. Moreover, the MZ layer possesses high antimicrobial activity, ensuring biological safety. Consequently, the MZ@Zn electrodes display ultralong cycle stability over 3500 h at 5 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, the full cells installed with LiFePO₄/C (LFP/C) and NH₄V₄O₁₀ (NVO) cathodes exhibit superior electrochemical performances. Therefore, the stabilized zinc-metal anode achieved by acid etching to spontaneously construct a functional interfacial layer provides a simple and effective strategy for aqueous zinc-metal batteries.

Metal nanomaterials have garnered significant attention due to their distinctive physical and chemical properties, which present promising applications in sensing, catalysis, and energy. However, chromium-based nanomaterials have been relatively overlooked in terms of their synthesis, properties, and applications. This research presents a rapid and efficient method for synthesizing chromium-based nanoparticles (Cr NPs) with tunable fluorescence capability to detect tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) and implement information security at the molecular level. The synthesis process involved a straightforward procedure of mixing pre-cooled Cr⁶⁺ and NaBH₄ solutions for 30 min. The resultant spherical Cr NPs displayed unique fluorescence modulation (including quenching or enhancing) for various dyes and DNA with different compositions. Leveraging these fluorescence characteristics, a CD63 aptamer-Cr NPs sensing system was constructed for detecting CD63-positive TDEs even in real samples while encoding and protecting information. In this system, fluorescence-labeled CD63 aptamers functioned as recognition probes and information carriers, forming a stego object by adsorbing onto the Cr NPs. The specific binding of the CD63 aptamer-Cr NPs to CD63 or TDEs elicited distinct fluorescence responses, thereby enabling precise quantitative detection alongside data encryption and protection. This study provides a new extension for the preparation and application of novel metal nanomaterials, offers a new platform for the rapid detection of tumor biomarkers, and opens up a direction for the integration of sensing and information science based on molecular systems.

Proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H-SOFCs) retain the advantages of traditional SOFCs while operating at lower temperatures, attracting significant attention for efficient power generation. However, this temperature reduction inherently slows the cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. Although high-entropy oxides present a breakthrough strategy for developing high-performance cathodes in H-SOFCs, key challenges persist, which are highlighted in this perspective.

Li metal batteries (LMBs) offer high energy density but suffer from Li dendrite growth and unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). Beyond conventional liquid systems, nanocolloid electrolytes (NCEs) incorporating insoluble nanoparticles dispersed in liquid electrolytes have emerged to mediate Li⁺ solvation and SEI formation, which are key factors governing Li dendrite suppression. Nonetheless, their practical application has been limited by an intrinsic trade-off between nanoparticle surface area and colloidal stability. To address this limitation, we propose an intrapore-structuring strategy that enables facile Li⁺ transport and efficient SEI regulation. Incorporating well-ordered mesopores into SiO₂ nanobeads achieves high surface area while retaining dispersibility by alleviating interparticle attraction. The intrapore-structured NCE alleviates viscosity increase, enhances anion mediation at the interface, and thereby effectively suppresses Li dendrite growth while promoting the buildup of anion-derived SEI. The LMB employing the intrapore-structured NCE demonstrates cycling stability over 300 cycles at 70% capacity retention and fast-charging capability up to 3 C, far outperforming NCEs using nonporous nanobeads and 7 nm-sized nanoparticles. This work establishes intrapore-structuring as a new design principle for realizing the practical potential of NCEs in LMBs.

Electrochemical CO₂ capture offers a tunable, low-temperature alternative to thermal methods. Among available strategies, bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) and capacitive deionization (CDI) are notable for their distinct mechanisms. BPMED induces pH swings via water dissociation, while CDI concentrates CO₂-related ions through electric double-layer adsorption. This review provides a comparative evaluation of BPMED and CDI in terms of working principles, energy performance, system integration, and application scenarios, including direct air capture (DAC), carbon capture from industrial flue gas, and direct ocean capture (DOC). BPMED demonstrates high-capture rates and compatibility with in situ mineralization, whereas CDI offers lower energy demand and modular flexibility. Their respective strengths suggest potential complementarity—CDI may be better suited to treat liquid phase systems derived from point-source emissions, in which dissolved inorganic carbon species dominate the ionic composition and the background of competing ions is relatively controllable; BPMED may be better suited for treating environmental carbon sources with large volumes, low concentrations or high ionic strength. This framework offers potential insights for developing scalable electrochemical CO₂ capture systems.