http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/rss/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1521-4095

The rigid ultra-micropores are constructed by confining the semi-rigid sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) molecules in graphene oxide nanochannels and fixing them with an amphiphilic molecule. The power density of the membrane can reach up to 371.65 W m−2 with high temperature (60 °C) hypersaline brine (5M/0.5M), which can be obtained from a solar stiller.

Osmotic energy is a promising renewable energy source for its giant reserves and can be easily harvested with ion selective membranes. However, the output power density in membrane-scale applications is always below 10 W m−2 due to the high resistance from low salinity solution and the serious concentration polarization phenomenon. Here, this study shows that rigid ultra-micropores can greatly improve the output power density of the osmotic energy conversion process with high-temperature hypersaline brine. The membrane with rigid ultra-micropores is constructed by confining the high-content semi-rigid sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) molecules in graphene oxide nanochannels and fixing them with amphiphilic molecules. The output power density of the membrane can be as high as 175.1 W m−2 with an energy conversion efficiency of 44.5% at the salinity gradient of 5 M/0.5 M, which can further increase to 371.65 W m−2 when the solution temperature is up to 60 °C. This study also demonstrates that the high-temperature hypersaline brine can be obtained from a passive solar stiller. The molecular engineering of ion selective membranes and the optimization strategy of the reverse electrodialysis process will inspire the development of a next-generation osmotic energy harvesting system.

Layer-by-layer deposition technology is combined with a trimer-induced pre-swelling (TIP) strategy by incorporating a 3D star-shaped trimer (BTT-Out) into the buried D18 donor layer to construct thick-film OSCs. A best performance of 20.3% (thin-film) and 18.8% (thick-film) with upgraded stability is achieved in TIP devices, among one of the highest performances reported of thick-film OSCs.

Thick-film (>300 nm) organic solar cells (OSCs) have garnered intensifying attention due to their compatibility with commercial roll-to-roll printing technology for the large-scale continuous fabrication process. However, due to the uncontrollable donor/acceptor (D/A) arrangement in thick-film condition, the restricted exciton splitting and severe carrier traps significantly impede the photovoltaic performance and operability. Herein, combined with layer-by-layer deposition technology, a twisted 3D star-shaped trimer (BTT-Out) is synthesized to develop a trimer-induced pre-swelling (TIP) strategy, where the BTT-Out is incorporated into the buried D18 donor layer to enable the fabrication of thick-film OSCs. The integrated approach characterizations reveal that the exceptional configuration and spontaneous self-organization behavior of BTT-Out trimer could pre-swell the D18 network to facilitate the acceptor's infiltration and accelerate the formation of D/A interfaces. This enhancement triggers the elevated polarons formation with amplified hole-transfer kinetics, which is essential for the augmented exciton splitting efficiency. Furthermore, the regulated swelling process can initiate the favorable self-assembly of L8-BO acceptors, which would ameliorate carrier transport channels and mitigate carrier traps. As a result, the TIP-modified thin-film OSC devices achieve the champion performance of 20.3% (thin-film) and 18.8% (thick-film) with upgraded stability, among one of the highest performances reported of thick-film OSCs.

High-efficiency and stable polymer solar cells typically rely on expensive oligomeric small-molecule acceptors and high-cost polymer donors. To overcome this limitation, conjugated side chains are strategically employed to modulate and dimerize acceptors, precisely tuning their thermodynamic properties for optimal compatibility with the low-cost polymer donor PTQ10. This approach provides a viable pathway toward sustainable and renewable energy solutions.

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) rely on blends of small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) and polymer donors, but the thermodynamic relaxation of SMAs requires an oligomeric approach to enhance operational stability. However, high-efficiency devices often depend on the expensive synthesis of oligomeric SMAs and costly polymer donors, posing a significant barrier to achieving sustainable and renewable energy. Here, the challenge is addressed through a thermodynamically derived compatibility of giant acceptors with the low-cost polymer donor PTQ10. This is achieved by strategically employing conjugated side chains to modulate and dimerize acceptors, thereby precisely tuning their thermodynamic properties to optimize compatibility. Our synthetic route avoids toxic reagents, halogenated solvents, and harsh conditions. The dimer (DYBT) incorporating an n-type linker enhances crystallinity, absorption, and intramolecular superexchange coupling compared to its p-type counterpart, and achieves a device efficiency of 19.53%. Considering efficiency, stability, and material cost, the potential cost per kilowatt for the PTQ10:DYBT device is 0.10 $ kW−1, while most systems exceed 10 $ kW−1. These findings offer valuable insights for the cost-effective oligomeric acceptors, to well pair with low-cost donors and reduce the overall material cost of the photo-active layer for sustainable and durable energy.

Canalization-based super-resolution imaging has been achieved based on ultralow-loss and extremely anisotropic phonon polaritons in a natural van der Waals material α-MoO3. This canalization lens exhibits the superior capability to resolve deeply subwavelength feature sizes down to 15 nm, which represents a promising solution for non-destructive nanoelectronic circuit imaging and inspection.

Optical inspection has long served as a cornerstone non-destructive method in semiconductor wafer manufacturing, particularly for surface and defect analysis. However, conventional techniques such as dark-field scattering optics or atomic force microscopy (AFM) face significant limitations, including insufficient resolution or the inability to resolve subsurface features. Here, an approach is proposed that integrates the strengths of dark-field scattering optics and AFM by leveraging a van der Waals (vdW) canalization lens based on natural biaxial α-MoO3 crystals. This method enables ultrahigh-resolution subwavelength imaging with the ability to visualize both surface and buried structures, achieving a spatial resolution of 15 nm and grating pitch detection down to 100 nm. The underlying mechanism relies on the unique anisotropic properties of α-MoO3, where its atomic-scale unit cells and biaxial symmetry facilitate the diffraction-free propagation of both evanescent and propagating waves via a flat-band canalization regime. Unlike metamaterial-based superlenses and hyperlenses, which suffer from high plasmonic losses, fabrication imperfections, and uniaxial constraints, α-MoO3 provides robust and super-resolution imaging in multiple directions. The approach is successfully applied to achieve high-resolution inspection of buried nanoscale electronic circuits, offering unprecedented capabilities essential for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

In situ Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation (LLPS) of peptides in living cells is developed for enhancing cancer chemotherapy through targeting membraneless organelle stress granules. The peptide underwent sulfatase-induced phase separation into droplets upon sulfate hydrolysis. Decorated with protein ligands, the in situ-formed droplets coacervated with stress granules, thereby enhancing cancer chemotherapy with sorafenib via activating caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and nucleic acids into membraneless organelles (MLOs) plays a critical role in sustaining fundamental physiological processes. However, creating artificial coacervate droplets in living cells from exogenous molecules and modulating the functions of MLOs remain challenging. To address this concern, here we reported enzyme-induced in situ phase separation of peptides into droplets targeting MLO stress granule (SG) for enhanced cancer chemotherapy. The peptide YSO4F containing two sulfated tyrosine residues undergoes sulfatase-responsive LLPS into droplets. Cellular studies confirm in situ phase separation of YSO4F selectively in sulfatase-overexpressing cancer cells. By integrating with appropriate ligands, the in situ-formed droplets d-YF-LSG coacervate with SGs driven by association between the ligand with SG key component protein G3BP2. Mechanistic studies illustrate that the in situ-formed droplets enhance the cytotoxicity of sorafenib via activating caspase-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, animal experiments confirm that administration of the in situ-formed droplets with sorafenib significantly inhibits tumor growth in murine models bearing tumors, accompanied by an excellent biosafety profile. The findings in this study elucidate an innovative approach for in situ formulation of coacervate droplets within tumor cells and a new material for targeting membraneless organelles, thus providing a promising new strategy for disease organelle-targeted therapy in the future.

A synthetic system mimics essential functions of living cells—migration, division, and reconfiguration—by encapsulation of active magnetic particles within a nanoparticle—surfactant membrane. This membrane preserves its shape after deformations, which can be tuned with surfactant concentrations. The resulting biomimetic, reconfigurable, and responsive material paves the way for autonomous synthetic machines.

Migration, division, and reconfiguration – functions essential to living systems – are driven by active processes. Developing synthetic mimics is an outstanding challenge. Lipid bilayers that bound natural systems are locally deformed by active species, e.g., microtubules, but the resulting non-equilibrium shapes relax when active species motion ceases, and the shape changes lack immediate control. A fully synthetic system is described, driven by active particles encapsulated by a reconfigurable nanoparticle-surfactant membrane that undergoes shape fluctuations reminiscent of living cells. These shape changes are preserved after particle activity stops. Surfactant concentration tunes the interfacial tension over three orders of magnitude, making on-demand shape evolution possible. Directional migration, division, and reconfiguration across multiple scales are possible, leading to a new class of biomimetic, reconfigurable, and responsive materials, paving the way for autonomous synthetic machines.

The degradation of perovskite precursors is suppressed by modulating the position and type of functional groups in stabilizers. 4-hydrazinobenzenesulfonic acid (4-HBSA), with the lowest pK a, effectively improved stability, passivated grain boundary defects, and increased carrier lifetime, leading to a maximum PCE of 26.79% in inverted PSCs fabricated by vacuum flash technology under ambient conditions.

The instability of perovskite precursor solution induced by deprotonation of organic cations and oxidation of iodide ions substantially deteriorates the reproducibility and reliability of the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The above decomposition reactions can be conquered via the synergistic engineering of organic functional groups. However, how spatial conformation and type of weak acid functional groups impact the stability of perovskite precursor solution remains to be investigated. Herein, it is uncovered that the position of functional groups on the benzene and the type of weak acid functional groups remarkably influence the acid dissociation constant (pK a) and thus the stability of perovskite inks. The pK a plays a decisive role in suppressing the deprotonation of organic cations and following the amine-cation addition-elimination reaction. The 4-hydrazinobenzenesulfonic acid (4-HBSA) with the lowest pK a is optimal in stabilizing perovskite inks and mitigating nonradiative recombination through defect passivation. This breakthrough enables the inverted PSCs to deliver a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.79% (certified 26.36%, the highest PCE value for PSCs prepared in ambient conditions) using vacuum flash evaporation technology. The modulated PSC could maintain 92% of its initial efficiency after 2000 h of continuous maximum power point tracking.

A new amplified micro-deformation strategy is proposed to develop a 3D fabric-based F-TENG with 3D conductive PPy network and a water-resistant WPU layer. The device enables highly sensitive and real-time physiological monitoring, maintains stable performance in both in vivo and skin surface wet conditions, and exhibits excellent antibacterial properties. F-TENG is expected to achieve the application of integrated diagnosis and treatment.

The demand for real-time physiological monitoring drives innovation in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). TENGs offer promise for real-time dynamic monitoring, but they are often complicated to manufacture, have low sensitivity, and are easily disturbed by ambient humidity. Herein, a fabric-based integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (F-TENG) is developed, employing waterborne polyurethane (WPU) as both a water-resistant encapsulation and friction layer, and polypyrrole (PPy) as a friction and conductive layer. This design simplifies the fabrication process while simultaneously improving the device's resistance to environmental factors. The micro-filament structure enables localized contact-separation during deformation, initiating the triboelectric effect, while the 3D architecture amplifies local strain, further enhancing sensitivity to weak signals. F-TENG demonstrates effective voltage output during carotid and respiratory monitoring, highlighting its capability to detect subtle physiological signals. Furthermore, F-TENG maintains stable performance under humid conditions, retaining 78.78% of its output voltage as relative humidity increased from 20% to 80%. When implants in the moist environment of a rat's leg, F-TENG exhibits a notable output of 21 V. In addition, the inherent antibacterial properties of F-TENG further enhance its application potential. These findings position F-TENG as a robust and versatile platform for dynamic monitoring, wearable electronics, and integrated diagnostic and therapeutic systems.

Metastable skyrmions in chiral cubic Co8Zn9Mn3 are shown to exhibit decay dynamics influenceable by varying the magnetic anisotropy at room temperature, revealing a new avenue for control of topological magnetism. This study further uncovers a nascent square-coordinated spin texture that coexists with hexagonal skyrmion lattices, highlighting a rich topological landscape. The findings may enable advanced applications based on dynamic and customizable properties of topological spin textures at room temperature.

Chiral cubic Co-Zn-Mn magnets exhibit diverse topological spin textures, including room-temperature skyrmion phases and robust far-from-equilibrium metastable states. Despite recent advances in understanding metastable skyrmions, the interplay between compositional disorder and varying magnetic anisotropy on the stability and decay of metastable textures, particularly near room temperature, remains incompletely understood. In this work, the equilibrium and metastable skyrmion formation in Co8Zn9Mn3 is examined, revealing transformations between distinct metastable spin textures induced by temperature and magnetic field. At room temperature, the decay dynamics of metastable skyrmions exhibits a strong dependence on magnetic anisotropy, showcasing a route towards tailoring relaxation behavior. Furthermore, a nascent double-q spin texture, characterized by two coexisting magnetic modulation vectors q, is identified as a minority phase alongside the conventional triple-q hexagonal skyrmion lattice. This double-q texture can be quenched as a metastable state, suggesting both its topological character, and its role as a potential intermediary of metastable skyrmion decay. These findings provide new insights into the tunability of equilibrium and metastable topological spin textures via chemical composition and magnetic anisotropy, offering strategies for designing materials with customizable and dynamic skyrmion properties for advanced technological applications.

A core–shell ternary electrode (Opt-SWCNTs/PEDOT:PSS/IL) is developed via a simple two-step dispersion and vacuum filtration process, with component ratios optimized to achieve excellent mechanical toughness and electrical conductivity based on simulation results. The resulting actuators demonstrate high strain and blocking force, enabling precise gripping and complex deformation, showing great potential for soft robotics and next-generation electrochemical actuators.

Ionic actuators based on composite electrodes consisting of nanomaterials and conducting polymer typically offer the advantages of low-voltage operation and high stability, however, electrode preparation using conventional mixing suffers from issues of ineffective dispersion of nanomaterials, greatly diminishing their synergistic effects. Here, the ternary electrode system based on SWCNTs/PEDOT: PSS/ionic liquid using the two-step dispersion process is optimized, achieving a uniformly coated core–shell structure with high conductivity (≈392.4 S cm−1). The ions migration process is analyzed according to the core–shell model, further optimization of the ternary electrode and device structure enables the actuator to realize the peak-to-peak strain per volt reaching 1.3% V−1 and normalized blocking force of 0.15 MPa V−1 (≈89.2 times its own weight), with stable performance maintained over 1 million cycles. Therefore, the actuator can be utilized for the assembly of multi-clawed grippers to grasp precision components or larger objects. Multiple connected actuators fulfill a complex deformation, indicating promising applications in smart grippers, bioinspired robotics, and human–machine interaction.

Carbon-based hole-transport-layer-free perovskite solar cells present a cost-effective and stable photovoltaic alternative but suffer from low efficiency due to the absence of back surface field (BSF). In this work, trityl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate is utilized to engineer dual BSFs, significantly enhancing open-circuit voltage and leading to a champion efficiency of 20.79%—marking a substantial improvement in device performance.

Carbon-based hole transport layer-free (C-HTL-free) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising for low-cost and stable photovoltaics, but the HTL absence deteriorates their power conversion efficiency (PCE) due to the lack of back surface field (BSF). In this work, the benefits of forming dual BSFs in improving the PCE of C-HTL-free PSCs are first investigated by simulation. Then, trityl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate (Tr+TPFB−) is introduced into the C-HTL-free PSCs by post-treatment for the first time, which enables the formation of dual BSFs. TPFB− passivates n-doping defects in perovskite and leads to the formation of perovskite n-p homojunction, while Tr+ extracts electrons from carbon and lowers its work function, which succeeds realizing dual BSFs. This improves the separation and extraction of photocarriers within the device, which is evidenced by the photoluminescence lifetime imaging of the device cross-section for the first time. As a result, the average open-circuit voltage increases significantly by about 70 mV, which largely contributes to the improvement of PCE with a champion value of 20.79% obtained.

Benzenesulfonate monomers undergo in situ self-polymerization during the crystallization process of perovskite, providing more uniform passivation for perovskite defects than single molecules. The in situ formed polymer also facilitates the growth of large grain domains and the charge transport, offering an efficiency of 25.34% for small-area perovskite solar cells and 21.54% for mini-modules with an active area of 14.0 cm2.

Realizing high-quality perovskite films through uniform defect passivation and crystallization control is pivotal to unlocking the potential of scalable applications. However, prevalent small-molecule additives are inherently susceptible to the crystallization dynamics of perovskites, resulting in non-uniform distribution within the crystalline film and impeding consistent passivation and precise crystallization control. While polymers offer improved uniformity, their poor solubility restricts practical applications. To overcome this limitation, an in situ self-polymerization strategy is employed, enabling homogeneous coordination between sulfonate-containing additives and undercoordinated lead cations. This approach enhances perovskite film quality, promotes larger crystalline grain domains, and facilitates more efficient charge transport across grain domain boundaries. As a result, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieve a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 25.34% in small-area devices and 21.54% in 14.0 cm2 mini-modules, accompanied by exceptional operational stability. These findings highlight in situ polymerization as an effective strategy for leveraging sulfonate additives to overcome distribution challenges, advancing the scalable fabrication of efficient and stable PSCs.

A universal weakly-solvated electrolyte design principle is established for phosphorus-based anodes through systematic evaluation. Based on this criterion, the fluorinated solvent of FEC emerges as the optimal co-solvent, effectively suppressing the dissolution of lithium polyphosphides while enhancing desolvation/charge-transfer kinetics and simultaneously fostering a stable inorganic-rich SEI layer. This rational strategy addresses critical interfacial challenges in high-performance phosphorus-based battery systems.

hosphorus-based anodes hold promise for energy storage due to their high theoretical capacity and favorable lithiation potential. However, their practical application is hindered by sluggish reaction kinetics and irreversible capacity loss, primarily attributed to multiphase lithiation/delithiation reactions and the dissolution of lithium polyphosphide intermediates. Herein, a universal design principle of weakly solvated electrolytes (WSEs) tailored for phosphorus-based anodes is proposed. Combined with a high dielectric constant, and significant dipole moment, a fluorinated cosolvent is incorporated into a WSE to effectively suppress the dissolutions of lithium polyphosphides, enhance interfacial stability, and accelerate reaction kinetics. With this electrolyte, a phosphorus-based anode achieves a remarkable capacity of 2615.2 mAh g⁻¹ at 1C, maintaining 91.7% capacity retention over 1000 cycles. Even at a high rate of 4 C, it delivers 2210.7 mAh g⁻¹ with an exceptional retention of 96.7% after 1500 cycles. Furthermore, at 0 °C, the anode sustains a capacity of 2016.7 mAh g⁻¹, with 97% retention after 300 cycles at 1C. This study provides a novel electrolyte design strategy to regulate the solvation sheath, paving the way for high-rate, long-cycle phosphorus-based anodes suitable for fast-charging applications.

This work proposes a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with reconstructed hydrogen-bond network to form an efficient three-phase interface that facilitates CO2 mass transport and maintained an ideal H+/e− transfer pathway. The optimized catalyst maintains a high current density of 502.5 mA cm−2 with over 85% C2+ Faradaic efficiency and operated very stably.

CO2 electrolysis is a promising approach to reduce CO2 emissions while achieving high-value multi-carbon (C2+) products. Except for the key role of electrocatalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), Reaction microenvironment is another critical factor influencing catalytic performance for these catalysts. Herein, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is proposed with reconstructed hydrogen-bond network to form an efficient three-phase interface that admins mass transport and ion-electron transfer. This approach is realized by co-assembly of the fluorinated SAM (F-SAM) and siloxane on commercial Cu catalyst (Cu@F-Si composite catalyst). Molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) and interfacial species analysis show that the F-SAM effectively facilitates CO2 mass transport, while the siloxane hydrogen bond network maintains an ideal H+/e− transfer pathway. Combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this strategy reveals the mechanism by which optimizing *H/*CO coverage enhances C2+ product selectivity. Ultimately, the Cu@F-Si catalyst maintains a high current density of 502.5 mA cm−2 with over 85% C2+ Faradaic efficiency (FE) and operates stably for more than 100 h at ≈300 mA cm−2. This interface engineering strategy offers a promising solution for improving the efficiency of CO2RR, with broader applications in multiphase catalytic systems.

This perspective critically examines HE approaches in SEs, highlighting how compositional complexity induces system disorder and local-structure evolution to enhance stability and properties. While HE concepts are attractive, establishing rigorous structure-property relationships requires further investigation. The discussion aims to guide future research in this promising field by clarifying key challenges and opportunities in HE-based electrolyte design.

As the key material for the all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), solid electrolytes (SEs) have attracted increasing attention. Recently, a novel design strategy−high-entropy (HE) approach is frequently reported to improve the ionic conductivity and electrochemical performance of SEs. However, the fundamental understandings on the HE working mechanism and applicability evaluation of HE concept are deficient, which would impede the sustainable development of a desirable strategy to enable high-performance SEs. In this contribution, the essence of HE-related approaches and their positive effects on SEs are evaluated. The reported HE strategy stems from complex compositional regulations. The derived structural stability and enhanced property are originally from the modulated system disorder and subtle local-structure evolutions, respectively. While HE ardently describes the increased entropy/disorder during the modification of prevailing SEs, rigorous experimental formulations, and direct correlations between the HE structures and desired properties are necessary to be established. This perspective would be a timely and critical overview for the HE approaches in the context of SEs, aiming to stimulate further discussion and exploration in this emerging research direction.

Halide solid electrolytes, an emerging family of materials, encounter anodic stability challenges that limit their application. By synthesizing Li3YbCl6 and Li3LuCl6 and incorporating a Li6PI3 interlayer, this study achieves lithium-stable halide electrolytes with reduced interface resistance and enhanced critical current density. These advancements pave the way for safer, high-energy-density batteries for electric transportation.

All-solid-state lithium-metal batteries (ASSLMBs) are promising for transportation electrification due to their superior safety and high energy density. Lithium halide electrolytes provide excellent processing flexibility, high ionic conductivity, and anodic stability (>4.1 V), making them highly compatible with high-voltage cathodes, surpassing sulfide electrolytes (<2.1 V). Nevertheless, halide electrolytes suffer from low cathodic stability and form an electronically conductive interphase with lithium, resulting in a critical current density (CCD) of nearly zero. Herein, Li3YbCl6 electrolytes are synthesized that are kinetically stable with lithium by forming an electronic insulating solid electrolyte interphase. Guided by critical overpotential criteria, a PI3 interlayer is designed that transforms into Li6PI3 upon contact with lithium, substantially reducing the interfacial resistance of Li3YbCl6 against lithium to 34 Ω and achieving a high critical overpotential of 114 mV. By substituting Yb with Lu, Li3LuCl6 electrolytes with Li6PI3 interlayers reach a CCD of 1.0 mA cm−2 at a capacity of 1.0 mAh cm−2, comparable to sulfide electrolytes but with higher oxidation stability. Additionally, Li6PI3 enables stable cycling of Li//Li cells with Li3LuCl6 electrolytes at 0.5 mA cm−2 for 400 cycles and maintains 86.5% capacity in Li//LiCoO2 cells after 220 cycles at 30 °C, paving the way for high-performance ASSLMBs.

This work presents a wafer-scale fabrication method for high-performance p-type organic permeable base transistors (OPBTs) using electrochemical anodization. The anodized OPBTs achieve high on-current density, low leakage, MHz-range operation, and exceptional current gain. With a 96.3% yield in large-area arrays, these devices enable scalable organic electronics and advanced complementary circuits, demonstrating potential for future display and logic applications.

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) are promising for flexible, low-cost, and biocompatible electronics. However, conventional planar OTFTs are hindered by the large channel length limiting the transconductance and switching frequencies. Vertical OTFTs, particularly organic permeable-base transistors (OPBTs), address these challenges with short channel lengths defined by the layer thickness. While n-type OPBTs have advanced significantly, p-type OPBTs face challenges such as lower transmission, higher leakage currents, and unreliable fabrication processes. This work introduces a wafer-scale method for fabricating p-type OPBTs using electrochemical anodization of the base electrode. The anodization process applied directly atop the organic semiconductor, preserves electrical properties while suppressing base leakage. The resulting anodized OPBTs exhibit high-performance characteristics, including an on-current density of 301 mAcm−2, low leakage current of 4.32 × 10−9 A, maximum transmission of 99.9999%, and a maximum current gain of 1.89 × 106—a 100,000-fold improvement over prior methods. Small signal analysis reveals a cutoff frequency of 1.49 MHz, with a voltage-normalized cutoff frequency of 0.54 MHzV−1. Large-scale arrays show 96.3% fabrication yield and excellent uniformity. Complementary inverters integrating n- and p-type OPBTs exhibit superior switching, highlighting the potential of anodized OPBTs for advanced applications in displays and circuits.

This study proposed an innovative entropy-driven strategy, demonstrating that the (CePrYZrHf)Ox high-entropy oxide substrate can accommodate more Ru single atoms than the traditional low-entropy single oxides such as CeO2, and achieve excellent performance in ammonia electrosynthesis and energy output of zinc-nitrate batteries.

Noble metal single atoms (NMSA) offer exceptional atom utilization and catalytic activity but face challenges like limited stability, low atomic loading, and complex synthesis. This study presents an innovative entropy-driven strategy to stabilize Ru single atoms (SA) on a (CePrYZrHf)Ox high-entropy oxide substrate (Ruα%-HEO). Due to their defect-rich structure and significant lattice distortion, HEO substrates can accommodate and stabilize more Ru SA than traditional low-entropy oxides (LEO) like CeO2. This strategy is also effective for achieving high loadings of other NMSAs, such as Pd and Pt. Ru3%-HEO, as an electrocatalyst for nitrate reduction, achieves a high ammonia yield (5.79 mg h−1 mgcat. −1) and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 91.3%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that Ru3%-HEO exhibits favorable thermodynamics for nitrate reduction, with a lower energy barrier for the rate-determining step of first hydrogenation (*NO + H+ + e⁻ → *NOH) and stronger intermediates adsorption compared to RuO2, enhancing its catalytic efficiency. As a cathode material in a zinc-nitrate battery, Ru3%-HEO demonstrates a high NH3 yield rate (1.11 mg h−1 cm−2) and FE value (93.4%). This study provides an efficient strategy to produce stable and high-loading SA using high-entropy materials, showcasing their broad applicability in advanced electrocatalysis.

This review comprehensively summarizes recent advancements in liquid metal-based electromagnetic functional materials, focusing on their applications in electromagnetic interference shielding, microwave absorption, and reconfigurable antennas. Emphasizing their high conductivity, fluidity, and deformability, this paper discusses fabrication strategies and properties of flexible electromagnetic functional materials, providing insights into future directions for flexible and reconfigurable electronic systems.

Efficient and reliable information transmission is crucial in the widespread use of electronic products and wireless communication. Additionally, it is vital to address the electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiation that arise from the communication process. In particular, the emergence of flexible electronic products has posed new hurdles for EM functional materials with flexibility and high performance. Liquid metal (LM) is an innovative EM functional material that possesses both the conductivity of metals and the fluidity to reconfigure like a liquid. These characteristics paved the way for developing novel flexible electronic devices and products. This review provides an overview of the current status and future potential of LM-based EM functional materials. It highlights the latest progress in LM-based materials for applications such as EMI shielding, EM-wave absorption, and wireless communication (antennas). Finally, the primary obstacles of LM-based EM functional materials are discussed and revealed potential directions for their advancement. Overall, the current research on LM-based EM functional materials indicates that they have great potential to promote the development of EM functional materials, thus providing new possibilities for the advancement of flexible electronic products.

Intrinsically-stretchable, heavy-metal-free quantum dot color conversion layers are produced via a versatile crosslinking strategy. The color conversion layers exhibit minimal backlight leakage under mechanical strain, support high-resolution patterning, and integrate seamlessly with micro-light-emitting diodes. Their incorporation in haptic-responsive robotic skin and wearable healthcare sensors highlights their potential for next-generation stretchable displays.

Stretchable displays are essential components as signal outputs in next-generation stretchable electronics, particularly for robotic skin and wearable device technologies. Intrinsically-stretchable and patternable color conversion layers (CCLs) offer practical solutions for developing full-color stretchable micro-light-emitting diode (LED) displays. However, significant challenges remain in creating stretchable and patternable CCLs without backlight leakage under mechanical deformation. Here, a novel material strategy for stretchable and patternable heavy-metal-free quantum dot (QD) CCLs, potentially useful for robotic skin and wearable electronics is presented. Through a versatile crosslinking technique, uniform and high-concentration QD loading in the elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane matrix without loss of optical properties is achieved. These CCLs demonstrate excellent color conversion capabilities with minimal backlight leakage, even under 50% tensile strain. Additionally, fine-pixel patterning process with resolutions up to 300 pixels per inch is compatible with the QD CCLs, suitable for high-resolution stretchable display applications. The integration of these CCLs with micro-LED displays is also demonstrated, showcasing their use in haptic-responsive robotic skin and wearable healthcare monitoring sensors. This study offers a promising material preparation methodology for stretchable QDs/polymer composites and highlights their potential for advancing flexible and wearable light-emitting devices.