Insect-scale robots with embodied intelligence: Challenges and future perspectives
July 2026
Inspired by the agility, adaptability, and efficiency of insects, insect-scale robots are emerging as promising platforms for applications in environmental monitoring, search and rescue, precision agriculture,...
Carbon dots: Electroluminescent devices for lighting and display applications
July 2026
Carbon dots (CDs) have garnered significant attention as next-generation optoelectronic materials due to their tunable photoluminescence, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and excellent photostability....
Emerging inorganic amorphous solid-state electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium batteries: From crystallographic order to atomic and lattice disorder
July 2026
Solid-state electrolytes (SEs) are the “blood vessels” in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), providing essential ion channels. In past decades, SE design has been mainly carried out within ordered crystalline...
Coalescence-induced late departure of bubbles improves water electrolysis efficiency
July 2026
In water electrolysis, smaller bubble departure sizes are traditionally considered beneficial for electrolysis efficiency. However, we show that this paradigm breaks down at high current densities,...
Solid polymer electrolyte chemistries tailored by solvation structures
July 2026
Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) endow lithium (Li) metal batteries with superior safety and energy density. However, sluggish Li ion (Li+) transport within the SPE inhibits its practical application....
Electron beam irradiation for spent LiFePO4 recycling
July 2026
Efficient recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is essential for environmental protection and resource sustainability. Direct recycling offers a promising alternative but suffers from difficulty...
The metamaterial paradigm in wearable electronics
July 2026
Metamaterials transcend the limits of traditional materials by achieving unprecedented performance through architectural design. This paradigm has catalyzed the emergence of meta-wearables—wearable...
Morphology-defect synergy in Cs2PdBr6 perovskite nanocrystals for enhanced photocatalytic CO2-to-CO conversion
July 2026
Designing efficient photocatalysts for the selective conversion of CO2 to CO is crucial for addressing energy and environmental challenges. Lead-free Cs2PdBr6 perovskite shows promise but suffers from...
Humidity-responsive multistate resistive switching device for non-contact sensory neuro-electronic applications
July 2026
Integrated sensory-based synaptic systems offer a promising pathway for developing future neuro-electronic technologies that emulate the human brain. In this study, we present a humidity-sensitive multistate...
Interfacial engineering of Cu9S5@MoS2 p-n type heterojunction via in situ phase separation for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
July 2026
In this study, a highly electrochemically active Mo–S–Cu interface connected via metal–sulfur bonds is synthesized through a Cu9S5@MoS2 p-n type heterojunction structure. This structure is ingeniously...
In situ engineered organic–inorganic bilayer solid electrolyte interphase enabling lithium metal batteries over 15,000-h lifespan
July 2026
Despite significant advancements in constructing LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) for high-performance lithium (Li) metal batteries, reconciling high ionic conductivity, mechanical resilience,...
Engineering micro-nano structures of SiOC via boron doping-induced self-assembly for superior cyclic stability of lithium-ion batteries
July 2026
Micro-nano structures present significant potential for transformative advancements in secondary battery technology. Through tailoring micro-nano architectures and establishing efficient ion/electron...
Research progress in gallium nitride-based artificial synaptic devices
May 2026
Artificial synaptic devices that can emulate the functions of biological synapses and offer the advantages of brain-like computation are garnering considerable interest, as they have the potential to...
Implantable magnetoelectric bioelectronics for wireless diagnosis and therapy
May 2026
Real-time, high-fidelity physiological signal acquisition, coupled with targeted in situ interventional regulation, is a prerequisite for intelligent health management. Implantable bioelectronics offers...
How the curvature-rich structure of N-doped graphene enables asymmetric polysulfide redox catalysis for highly promising Li–S batteries
May 2026
The catalytic conversion of polysulfides remains a critical bottleneck in the development of high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). Despite extensive efforts to engineer carbon-based materials...
Electrophilic fluoroalkyl radical-intermediates enabled organic sulfinate electrolyte additives for sodium-ion supply
May 2026
Na-ion batteries face a critical 10–20% initial capacity loss due to the low initial Coulombic efficiency of hard carbon anodes. While Na-ion supply additives can replenish these losses, their design...
Bottom-up dense zinc electrodeposition mediated by hydrophobic redox-active coating for ultralong-life aqueous Zn-metal batteries
May 2026
Uncontrolled dendrite growth and severe interfacial side reactions continue to hinder the practical deployment of Zn metal anodes in aqueous batteries. Herein, we design a multifunctional hydrophobic...
Supramolecular chemistry of cellulose-based electrolytes
May 2026
Cellulose has garnered significant attention in material science and energy storage due to its unique supramolecular structure and excellent mechanical properties. In particular, cellulose-based electrolytes...
Natural biomass hydrogels for intelligent sensing: From component crosslinking engineering to stimuli-responsive mechanisms
May 2026
Natural biomass hydrogels are ideal candidate materials for sensors due to the structural tunability and abundant functional groups of natural biomass, and they have been widely applied in medical diagnosis,...
Operando studies of lithium–sulfur redox reactions: A review
May 2026
In situ/operando techniques have been foundational for achieving a deep understanding of the complex, multistep Li–S redox reactions to enable the practical application of Li–S batteries. This includes...
Regulating the electronic state of Pt via architecting symbiotic oxide support for optimal alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction
May 2026
Optimization of the electronic structure of Ptδ+ 5d orbitals by using a well–defined coordination environment to increase the efficiency of alkaline H2O dissociation kinetics remains challenging. Herein,...
Machine-learning guided design of non-precious-metal high-entropy electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution
May 2026
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as a promising class of electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production driven by renewable electricity, owing to their compositional diversity and flexible...
Machine learning-driven discovery of high-performance Co/Sr-free air electrodes for protonic ceramic electrolysis cells
May 2026
Protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs) have emerged as a promising solid-state ion device, attracting considerable attention for efficient hydrogen generation. However, PCECs face multiple constraints,...
Oxygen-induced lithium inter-cage conduction for enhanced performance in all-solid-state batteries
May 2026
Sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries suffer from interfacial degradation between the cathode and solid electrolyte, making it essential to maintain high ionic conductivity under such conditions....
A high-energy long-cycling solid-state lithium–oxygen battery enabled by plasmon-enhanced solar induced reversible oxygen conversion to Li2O
May 2026
Lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) battery with a reversible conversion between oxygen and lithium oxide (Li2O) offers the highest theoretical specific energy among all lithium-battery systems. However, enabling...