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Silicon's high capacity and dendrite suppression potential make it a promising negative electrode in solid-state batteries (SSBs), yet cycling stability remains an issue. This study reveals that mechanical cracking, rather than chemical degradation, drives increased resistance in Si/Li6PS5Cl electrodes. Small-grained Li6PS5Cl improves microstructural stability, reducing cracks and enhancing cycling performance, providing insights for better silicon-based SSBs.

Abstract

Silicon is a promising negative electrode material for solid-state batteries (SSBs) due to its high specific capacity and ability to prevent lithium dendrite formation. However, SSBs with silicon electrodes currently suffer from poor cycling stability, despite chemical engineering efforts. This study investigates the cycling failure mechanism of composite Si/Li6PS5Cl electrodes by decoupling the effects of interface chemical degradation and mechanical cracking. Chlorine-rich Li5.5PS4.5Cl1.5 suppresses interface chemical degradation when paired with silicon, while small-grained Li6PS5Cl shows 4.3-fold increase of interface resistance due to large Si/Li6PS5Cl contact area for interface degradation. Despite this, small-grained Li6PS5Cl improves the microstructure homogeneity of the electrode composites, effectively alleviating the stress accumulation caused by the expansion/shrinkage of silicon particles. This minimizes bulk cracks in Li6PS5Cl during the lithiation processes and interface delamination during the delithiation processes. Mechanical cracking shows a dominant role in increasing interface resistance than interface chemical degradation. Therefore, electrodes with small-grained Li6PS5Cl show better cycling stability than those with Li5.5PS4.5Cl1.5. This work not only provides an approach to decouple the complex effects for cycling failure analysis but also provides a guideline for better use of silicon in negative electrodes of SSBs.

{PMo12} and {PW12}, which possess many metal-Ox active sites, have been used as aqueous ammonium-ion supercapacitor materials to achieve extremely high-activity charge storage through a surface-interface energy storage mechanism. Supercapacitor devices assembles with the same energy storage mechanism but different redox potential electrode materials for the positive and negative electrodes can attain ultrahigh energy density and effectively enhance stability.

Abstract

Ammonium-ion supercapacitors (AISCs) offer considerable potential for future development owing to their low cost, high safety, environmental sustainability, and efficient electrochemical energy storage capabilities. The rapid and efficient charge-transfer process at the AISC can endow them with high capacitive and cycling stabilities. However, the prolonged intercalation/deintercalation of NH4 + in layered and framework materials often results in the cleavage of the active sites and the deconstruction of the framework, which makes it difficult to achieve long-term stable energy storage while maintaining high capacitance in the electrode materials. Herein, highly redox-active polyoxometalates (POMs) modified [Ag3(µ-Hbtc)(µ-H2btc)]n (Ag-BTC) is used as electrode materials. POMs effectively promote the pseudocapacitance storage of NH4 + through a similar interface storage mechanism. At a current density of 1 A g−1, {PMo12}@Ag-BTC exhibited a specific capacitance of 619.4 mAh g−1 and retained 100% of its capacitance after 20,000 charge–discharge cycles. An asymmetrical battery with {PMo12}@Ag-BTC and {PW12}@Ag-BTC as positive and negative electrode materials, respectively, achieved an energy density of 125.3 Wh kg−1. The interface-capacitance process enables the full utilization of metal-Ox (x = b, c, t) sites within the POMs, significantly enhancing charge storage. This study emphasizes the considerable potential of POM-based electrode materials for NH4 + intercalation/deintercalation energy storage.

The phase formation mechanisms of the over-stoichiometric rocksalt-type Li superionic conductor are systematically investigated. The spinel-like phase with unconventional stoichiometry forms as coherent precipitate from the cation-disordered rocksalt phase upon fast cooling, preventing decomposition into equilibrium phases and kinetically trapping the metastable face-sharing configurations. The ionic conductivity is further optimized to 1.45 mS cm−1 at room temperature through low-temperature post-annealing.

Abstract

Rationalizing synthetic pathways is crucial for material design and property optimization, especially for polymorphic and metastable phases. Over-stoichiometric rocksalt (ORX) compounds, characterized by their face-sharing configurations, are a promising group of materials with unique properties; however, their development is significantly hindered by challenges in synthesizability. Here, taking the recently identified Li superionic conductor, over-stoichiometric rocksalt Li–In–Sn–O (o-LISO) material as a prototypical ORX compound, the mechanisms of phase formation are systematically investigated. It is revealed that the spinel-like phase with unconventional stoichiometry forms as coherent precipitate from the high-temperature-stabilized cation-disordered rocksalt phase upon fast cooling. This process prevents direct phase decomposition and kinetically locks the system in a metastable state with the desired face-sharing Li configurations. This insight enables us to enhance the ionic conductivity of o-LISO to be >1 mS cm−1 at room temperature through low-temperature post-annealing. This work offers insights into the synthesis of ORX materials and highlights important opportunities in this new class of materials.

Re-designing the metal source to eliminate cluster-missing defects and then adding extra ligands to heal the linker-missing defects realize the construction of angstrom-scale defect-free MOF membranes. The MOF membrane with intrinsic angstrom-sized lattice aperture shows an outstanding molecular sieving performance toward organic azeotropic mixtures, surpassing the upper-bound of state-of-the-art membranes.

Abstract

Crystalline membranes, represented by the metal-organic framework (MOF) with well-defined angstrom-sized apertures, have shown great potential for molecular separation. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to separate small molecules with very similar molecular size differences due to angstrom-scale defects during membrane formation. Herein, a stepwise assembling strategy is reported for constructing MOF membranes with intrinsic angstrom-sized lattice aperture lattice to separate organic azeotropic mixtures separation. The membrane is synthesized by redesigning the metal source, which reduces the coordination reaction rate to avoid cluster-missing defects. Then, extra ligands are introduced to overcome the coordination steric hindrance to heal the linker-missing defects. Ultralow-dose transmission electron microscopy is used to realize a direct observation of the angstrom-scale defects. For separating the challenging methanol-containing ester or ether azeotropic mixtures with molecular size difference as small as <1 Å, the angstrom-scale defect-free MOF membrane exhibits an outstanding flux of ≈3700 g·m−2 h−1 and separation factor of ≈247–524, far beyond the upper-bound of state-of-the-arts membranes. This study offers a feasible strategy for precisely constructing angstrom-confined spaces for diverse applications (e.g., separation, catalysis, and storage).

This work constructs a wavelength-dependent, bipolarity-modulated self-powered ultra-wide Bi2Se3/AlInAsSb heterojunction photodetector (PD) with a response range of 250–1900 nm, achieving a detectivity greater than 1010 Jones across the entire spectrum under zero bias. It also enables high-contrast broad-spectrum imaging and high-encryption optical communication.

Abstract

Broadband photodetectors (PDs) have garnered significant attention due to their ability to detect optical signals across a wide wavelength range, with applications spanning military reconnaissance, environmental monitoring, and medical imaging. However, existing broadband detectors face several practical challenges, including limited detection range, uneven photoresponse, and difficult to distinguish multispectral signals. To address these limitations, this study presents a self-powered ultra-wide PD based on the Bi2Se3/AlInAsSb heterojunction. The device can detect signals across a wide wavelength range from 250 nm to 1900 nm, exhibiting outstanding optoelectronic performance with a maximum responsivity of 0.5 A W−1, a detectivity of 4.2 × 1012 Jones, a switching ratio of 1.1 × 104, and an external quantum efficiency of 71.4%. Furthermore, the detector achieves a detectivity greater than 1010 Jones across the entire broadband range, significantly improving photoresponse uniformity. Notably, due to the differential band alignment of the two materials across spectral ranges, this detector exhibits a photocurrent polarity reversal in the 650–680 nm range. Leveraging its broadband and bipolar characteristics, this PD successfully enables secure information encryption in communication systems. This study significantly advances broadband PD technology, enhancing its practical uses and introducing innovative solutions for secure communications, thus strengthening communication security and confidentiality.

By manipulating their asymmetric electronic spin states, the unique electronic structures and unsaturated coordination environments of single atoms can be effectively harnessed to control their magnetic properties. In this research, the first investigation is presented into the regulation of magnetic properties through the electronic spin states of single atoms to control their electromagnetic properties.

Abstract

By manipulating their asymmetric electronic spin states, the unique electronic structures and unsaturated coordination environments of single atoms can be effectively harnessed to control their magnetic properties. In this research, the first investigation is presented into the regulation of magnetic properties through the electronic spin states of single atoms. Magnetic single-atom one-dimensional materials, M-N-C/ZrO2 (M = Fe, Co, Ni), with varying electronic spin states, are design and synthesize based on the electronic orbital structure model. The SAs 3d electron spin structure of the composite M-N-C modulates the magneto physical properties and triggers a unique natural resonance loss, which achieves a controllable tuning of the effective absorption band under low-frequency conditions. The minimum reflection loss (RL min) of M-N-C can reach -69.71 dB, and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) ratio is as high as 91% (2–18 GHz). The current work provides a path toward achieving controllable modulation of low-frequency electromagnetic wave bands by exploring the mechanism through which atomic and even electronic level interactions influence magnetic modulation.

This perspective provides a comprehensive overview of three distinct photothermal mechanisms. It discusses recent advancements in photothermal de-icing and elucidates key challenges in their application. Through a detailed presentation of a comparative dataset and critical insights, valuable guidance is provided for future research, particularly in the strategic selection of materials and structure designs, to advance practical de-icing solutions in real-world applications.

Abstract

To tackle the formidable challenges posed by extreme cold weather events, significant advancements have been made in developing functional surfaces capable of efficiently removing accreted ice. Nevertheless, many of these surfaces still require external energy input, such as electrical power, which raises concerns regarding their alignment with global sustainability goals. Over the past decade, increasing attention has been directed toward photothermal surface designs that harness solar energy−a resource available on Earth in quantities exceeding the total reserves of coal and oil combined. By converting solar energy into heat, these designs enable the transformation of the interfacial solid-solid contact (ice-substrate) into a liquid-solid contact (water-substrate), significantly reducing interfacial adhesion and facilitating rapid ice removal. This critical perspective begins by emphasizing the advantages of photothermal design over traditional de-icing methods. It then delves into an in-depth analysis of three primary photothermal mechanisms, examining how these principles have expanded the scope of de-icing technologies and contributed to advancements in photothermal surface design. Finally, key fundamental and technical challenges are identified, offering strategic guidelines for future research aimed at enabling practical, real-world applications.

Shape Optimisation of Concrete Structural Elements Reinforced with WFRP (Wounded-Fibre-Reinforced-Polymer) Bars

In 2022, building operations and construction accounted for 37% of total global energy and process related CO2 emissions (UNEP, 2023). Reducing these emissions is urgent. It is therefore worth rethinking the most used building material – concrete.

One approach to lowering the embodied carbon of concrete structures is shape optimisation – using material only where it is needed and taking advantage of the fluidity of concrete to create non-prismatic structural elements (Orr 2012; Orr et al. 2014). Another approach is replacing traditional steel reinforcement by alternative reinforcement, such as WFRP (Wounded-Fibre-Reinforced-Polymer) Bars which show the potential to reduce the embodied carbon compared to their steel-reinforced counterparts (Pavlović et al. 2022; Garg and Shrivastava 2019; Inman et al. 2017).

However, non-prismatic beams and slabs might be more prone to excessive deflection than their prismatic counterparts due to reduced flexural stiffness (Tayfur 2016). Additionally, WFRP -reinforced elements often exhibit greater deflection than steel-reinforced ones, because FRP bars (except carbon FRP ) typically have a lower elastic modulus than steel.

To address this issue, it is necessary to optimise the shape of WFRP - reinforced structural elements for Serviceability Limit State (SLS), ensuring they achieve lower embodied carbon than steel-reinforced ones whilst meeting design requirements for SLS . To achieve this, a theoretical method of shape optimisation for SLS is proposed, demonstrating higher efficiency than the existing method (Tayfur 2016). In addition, a flexural test on three BFRP (basalt FRP ) reinforced concrete slabs was conducted in the NFRIS (National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing) laboratory in 2024.

This presentation will cover this experimental study on the deflection of non-prismatic slabs in flexure as well as the theoretical method of shape optimisation for SLS .

• Speaker: Shizhe Hong, University of Cambridge, UK
• Friday 28 February 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: CivEng Seminar Room (1-33) (Civil Engineering Building).
• Series: Engineering Department Structures Research Seminars; organiser: Shehara Perera.

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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05841K, PaperWu Shao, Jie Sheng, Yufei Fu, Jingwen He, Zhihao Deng, Rong-hao Cen, Wenjun Wu
Conventional aqueous processing of all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells has encountered significant limitations hindering performance optimization and long-term stability. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel dual-solvent engineering strategy...
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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00233H, PaperDawei Gao, Yujie Yang, Xinyang Zhou, Yuandong Sun, Weiqiang Miao, Dan Liu, Wei Li, Tao Wang
Organic semiconductors promise highly-flexible, solution-processable electronics, and have attracted great attentions in applications photovoltaics and photodetectors. However, they also suffer from large exciton binding energy and poor charge transport ability,...
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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE06027J, Review ArticleQin Zhang, Xi Chen, Eng Liang Lim, Lei Shi, Zhanhua Wei
Perovskite solar cell (PSC) has attracted tremendous attention because of the impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE). After extensive device engineering efforts, the PCE of the single junction PSC has reached...
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Simplicial volume and aspherical manifolds

Simplicial volume is a homotopy invariant for compact manifolds introduced by Gromov that measures the complexity of a manifold in terms of singular simplices. A celebrated question by Gromov (~’90) asks whether all oriented closed connected aspherical manifolds with zero simplicial volume also have vanishing Euler characteristic. In this talk, we will describe the problem and we will show counterexamples to some variations of the previous question. Moreover, we will describe some new strategies to approach the problem as well as the relation between Gromov’s question and other classical problems in topology. This will include joint works with Clara Löh and George Raptis, and with Alberto Casali.

• Speaker: Marco Moraschini (Università di Bologna)
• Wednesday 19 February 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: CMS, MR15.
• Series: Differential Geometry and Topology Seminar; organiser: Oscar Randal-Williams.

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The Microtargeting Manipulation Machine

In this talk, I examine the use of psychological microtargeting, which uses inferred personality traits from online behavior to customize manipulative messages. I begin by highlighting the opaque nature of such targeting and my approach to reverse-engineer these algorithms to detect and potentially alert users to targeted ads (Simchon et al., 2023). Next, I show that microtargeted political ads, even those generated by AI, are markedly more effective than non-microtargeted ones. This underscores both the persuasive power of AI-driven microtargeting and the ethical issues it raises due to its potential for large-scale use (Simchon et al., 2024). Finally, I explore the effectiveness of warning signals against these targeted ads and find that despite the implementation of such interventions, the persuasive power of targeted messages persists, raising urgent needs for robust regulatory responses (Carrella, Simchon, et al., 2025).

• Speaker: Almog Simchon (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
• Wednesday 19 February 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Online: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MDIzZDBmNDEtNTZlNC00MzFkLWEzNWEtODBmZmI5NWE0NzJh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2249a50445-bdfa-4b79-ade3-547b4f3986e9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2215d66985-4ebf-4bf2-a70f-da9a8a459e44%22%7d.
• Series: Social Psychology Seminar Series (SPSS); organiser: Yara Kyrychenko.

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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05556J, Review Article Open Access &nbsp This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.Hengyuan Hu, Meisheng Han, Jie Liu, Kunxiong Zheng, Zhiyu Zou, Yongbiao Mu, Fenghua Yu, Wenjia Li, Lei Wei, Lin Zeng, Tianshou Zhao
All-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have emerged as a research hotspot and future direction of massive energy storage systems due to their advantages of intrinsic safety, long-duration energy storage, long...
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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05022C, PaperYang Xiao, Jingwen Wang, Yong Cui, Yafei Wang, Zhihao Chen, Shuohan Cheng, Haoyu Yuan, Jia-Wei Qiao, Yi Yang, Wenxuan Wang, Ni Yang, Yue Yu, Runnan Yu, Xiao-Tao Hao, Jianhui Hou
As the exploration of organic photovoltaic (OPV) applications deepens, wide-bandgap (WBG) OPV cells exhibit great potential in various novel applications. However, advancements in high-performance WBG acceptors are relatively slow. Here,...
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Prof. Veit Hornung, Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, University of Munich

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Thursday 1 May 2025, starting at 4:00pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Professor Veit Hornung, Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, University of Munich

Title: TBC

Host: Felix Randow, MRC -LMB, Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the seminar.

This talk is part of the Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series series.

• Speaker: Prof. Dr. Veit Hornung, Gene Center Munich
• Thursday 01 May 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Ruth Paton.

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TBC

This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Thursday 6 March 2025, starting at 4:00pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: TBC

Title: TBC

Host: Department of Pathology

Refreshments will be available following the seminar.

• Speaker: TBC
• Thursday 06 March 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Ruth Paton.

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Downvoted to Oblivion: Censorship in Online, LGBTQ+ Communities

Online communities enable surveillance among LGBTQ+ users despite being used as safe spaces where users can explore their identity free from most online harms. Coercion, doxxing, and public outing are all examples of privacy violations faced. These are experienced when users fail to conform to fellow community members’ expected language and expressions of gender identity and sexuality. Current moderation systems fail to capture this peer surveillance because of the complexity of language and unspoken rules involved. This talk will explore how surveillance is enabled as well as its effects on the censorship of gender identity/expression in online LGBTQ+ communities.

Paper Link: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10200690/

• Speaker: Kyle Beadle, UCL
• Tuesday 25 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Webinar & FW11, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building..
• Series: Computer Laboratory Security Seminar; organiser: Tina Marjanov.

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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE05767H, PaperChenxu Dong, Yongkun Yu, Changning Ma, Cheng Zhou, Jiajing Wang, Jiapei Gu, Juan Ji, Shubin Yang, Zunfeng Liu, Xu Xu, Liqiang Mai
The well-designed Zn dual atom site structure can promote orbital hybridization between Zn and I atoms, thereby accelerating the bidirectional redox process of iodine and exhibiting satisfactory electrochemical performance.
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Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D4EE06035K, Paper Open Access &nbsp This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.Yixin Wu, zhen chen, Kai Shi, Yang Wang, Xian-Ao Li, Ziqi Zhao, Quan Zhuang, Jian Wang, Minghua Chen
Polymer-based solid-state electrolytes exhibit superior advantages in flexibility, lightweight, and large-scale processability, rendering them promising for high-performance solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) with enhanced safety. However, challenges like poor structural...
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