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

This work develops smGel-seq, a high-throughput microbial single-cell RNA sequencing method characterized by low microbial input, minimal loss, reduced bias, and high sample compatibility using dissolvable hydrogel beads. smGel-seq achieves the first microbial single-cell RNA sequencing in a clinical sputum microbiome sample and found different subpopulations, one of which may be critical for antibiotic resistance and virulence.

Microbial single-cell RNA-seq (mscRNA-seq) can achieve resolution at the cellular level, enhancing the understanding of microbial communities. However, current high-throughput mscRNA-seq methods are limited by multiple centrifugation steps, which can lead to microbial loss and bias. smGel-seq is reported, a high-throughput single-microbe RNA sequencing method for clinical microbiome samples that employs hydrogel beads to encapsulate individual microbes to reduce microbial loss and input requirements. In this method, a novel microchannel array device is implemented for encapsulating single microbe in dissolvable hydrogel beads (smDHBs), along with an optimized automated microfluidic platform to co-encapsulate barcoded beads and smDHBs, enabling high-throughput barcoding of individual microbes. smGel-seq significantly increases the microbial recovery rate in a gut microbiome sample from 8.8% to 91.8%. Furthermore, this method successfully processes clinical microbiome samples with microbial inputs 20 times lower than those required by previous methods. Notably, smGel-seq enables the first mscRNA-seq in a clinical sputum microbiome sample, revealing a specific microbial subpopulation that may play a key role in environmental adaptability, antibiotic resistance, and pathogenicity. These results highlight the compatibility of smGel-seq with clinical microbiome samples and demonstrate its potential for widespread application in diverse clinical and research settings.

A facile strategy is proposed based on host-guest doping to achieve stimulus-responsive, color-tunable, and time-dependent organic afterglow glasses by dynamic triplet energy transfer processes. Impressively, the phosphorescence resonance energy tranfer and Dexter-type triplet-to-triplet energy transfer mechanisms are revealed by fs-TA spectra. The potential applications of these organic glasses in advanced anti-counterfeiting, dynamic data encryption, as well as large-area and flexible afterglow display are demonstrated.

Dynamic organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) glasses with color tunability offer significant potential for practical applications due to their high transparency and excellent machinability. In this study, organic glasses with efficient and dynamic RTP properties are used as triplet donors, combined with commercially available chromophores as singlet/triplet acceptors, to successfully fabricate a series of host-guest doping glasses with color-tunable organic afterglow and dynamic responses to external stimuli. The energy transfer mechanisms, including triplet-to-singlet phosphorescence resonance energy transfer and Dexter-type triplet-to-triplet energy transfer, are confirmed using state-of-the-art femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. These organic glasses demonstrate excellent transparency, good machinability, and dynamic responsiveness to external stimuli. The study highlights their potential applications in large-area afterglow glass fabrication, dynamic data encryption, and flexible afterglow displays. This work not only provides a simple design principle for developing novel organic glass materials with color tunability and dynamic responses but also promotes the potential applications of organic RTP materials in dynamic information encryption and flexible optoelectronics.

The design and synthesis of copper nanoparticles encaged in polymer-halogen pockets for selective CO2 reduction are presented. As a direct outcome, the strategy achieves selective conversion of ethylene and ethanol, ≈48.3 ± 1.3% selectivity for ethanol, and 60.3 ± 2.1% for ethylene.

The selective CO2 electroreduction (CO2R) toward specific C2 products represents a critical challenge for practical applicability, requiring precise control over *CO intermediates. Herein, a “polymer-halogen” pocketed Cu catalyst is proposed, wherein the adjustable concentration of Iodide ion (I−) within the pocket enables continuous modulation of *CO adsorption configurations on the Cu, thereby enabling tailored CO2R toward ethylene or ethanol production. A perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA)-modified CuI catalyst is constructed, where I− is in situ leaching from CuI and subsequently confined by PFSA as an anion shielding layer to form polymer-halogen pockets. By tuning the thickness of PFSA shell, the amount of I− in the pocket can be controlled. The surface-enhanced in situ Raman spectroscopy demonstrates that the coverage of *CO intermediates on Cu surface increases and tends to adsorb at low coordination Cu sites in catalyst granule for dimerization reaction as the I− concentration in the pocket increases. Furthermore, the coordination environment exhibits distinct product selectivity. *CO at medium-coordinated sites favor ethanol production, while those at low-coordinated sites are conducive to ethylene formation. This strategy enables wide modulation of ethylene-to-ethanol ratios from 0.65 to 3.96, achieving peak Faradaic efficiencies (FE) of 60.3 ± 2.1% for ethylene and 48.3 ± 1.3% for ethanol.

The design of nanoparticles embedded with wettability adaptation allows the modulation of coalescence timing of liquid marbles on solid surfaces with ≈1 min resolutions without requiring external interventions. It enables droplet-based cascade chemical reaction and Janus liquid/gas marble formation. Overall, it opens new possibilities in droplet/bubble science.

Droplet coalescence is ubiquitous in nature, and its regulation is significant in industrial processes and biomedical applications. While bare droplets suddenly coalesce in contact, the droplets covered with liquid-repellent particles to form “liquid marbles (LMs)” are not. Previously, the external stimuli-responsive breakage of the particle layer enables the regulation of the coalescence timing. However, preprogramming the coalescence timing of droplets without stimuli is challenging. In this work, LMs that break the particle layer in preprogrammed time are reported. The particles have a core wettable site and are tethered with a low-wettability flexible molecular chain, which gradually increases wettability with time. The time-dependent wettability variation is observed because of the differences in the adaptation of the molecular chain; thus, it is repeatedly available, and its speed is controllable by chain length. The formed LMs expose bare droplet surfaces in preprogrammed timing, which enables the modulation of coalescence timing from 2 to 45 min without relying on external stimuli. Moreover, the additivity of the particles enables the fine-tuning of the coalescence time with ≈1 min resolutions. Further, the contact of several LMs with different adaptation times enables cascade droplet coalescence, opening a new route for droplet manipulation.

In the presence of an ion gradient, the constructed charge gradients in the ultrathin ion-selective hydrogel membranes of hydrogel solid-state electric organ accelerate ion transport while mitigating ion concentration polarization, achieving high electrical output performance. More interestingly, the prepared device can still be applied as a linear self-powered pressure sensor after the ion gradient is completely dissipated.

The soft hydrogel power source is an interesting example of generating electricity from clean energy. However, ion-selective hydrogel membranes in the systems are often limited by low ion selectivity, high membrane resistance, insufficient mass transfer, and ion concentration polarization, resulting in a generally low power output. Inspired by the unique structure of the electric ray's electric organ, a vertically stacked hydrogel artificial electric organ is proposed, aiming to increase the output current to a greater extent. By constructing the charge gradient in ultrathin ion-selective hydrogel membranes, ion transport is accelerated while mitigating the ion concentration polarization. A single hydrogel artificial electric organ achieves high outputs of ≈290 mV and ≈1.46 mA cm−2 with rechargeability, surpassing similar devices. Density functional theory further reveals that the energy barrier of ion transport in charge-gradient membranes is lower than that in nongradient membranes. More impressively, the device can still be applied as a linear self-powered pressure sensor for monitoring human activities after the ion gradient is completely dissipated. This study elucidates the key role of the structure and design of ion-selective membranes in the artificial gel power generation system, providing new insights into the further development and multifunctional application of flexible gel power source.

The sidechain doped polymer is investigated to have great potential for pressure detection due to the advantages including molecular rearrangement and charge-density perturbance induced by micro-mechanical deformation. This sensor displayed low-pressure detection limit of 0.7 Pa as well as a rapid response time of 18.8 ms, enabling multi-mode motion analysis and intelligent vocal recognitions.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) show great potential for pressure detection due to the amorphous polymer packing, but a lack of clarity regarding sensing mechanisms hampers the development of further applications. Herein, a sacrificial template-full solution method with both rough surface and high conductivity is described that can be applied to sandwich-structured resistive pressure sensors. Transient absorption measurements demonstrate the significant increase of carrier lifetime (from 1.44 to 2.54 ns) induced by pressure, which directly evidenced the superior sensing mechanism of sidechain doped conjugated polymer. This sensor displayed low-pressure detection limit of 0.7 Pa as well as a rapid response time of 18.8 ms, enabling multi-mode motion analysis including wrist pulse, swallowing, finger bending, grabbing, and typing. Additionally, an intelligent vocal recognition system with convolutional neural networks is used which can achieve >96% classification accuracy across diverse vocal profiles. This general approach is anticipated and enables a new direction for the development of pressure sensors.

A conductive hydrogel with surface adhesion and electric field-triggered de-adhesion and release is fabricated from thioctic acid and L-arginine. The non-covalent intermolecular attractions not only endow the hydrogel with useful bulk-state properties and strong adhesion but also generate electric responsiveness for on-demand de-adhesion and release.

Removing adhesive nondestructively and intact from the adhered surface is a difficult challenge for advanced adhesive materials. Compared with the commonly used thermal or chemical release, the controlled adhesive release via electric-field offers practical application advantages. However, a noninvasive release mode such as this has not been available for the de-bonding of supramolecular adhesives that originate from small organic molecules. Herein, a conductive hydrogel with surface adhesion and electric field-triggered de-adhesion and release is fabricated from thioctic acid (TA) and L-arginine (LA). The non-covalent intermolecular attractions of poly[TA-LA], especially its electrostatic interactions, not only endow it with useful bulk-state properties and strong adhesion (up to 363.3 kPa) but also generate electric responsiveness for on-demand de-adhesion and release. The poly[TA-LA] adhesive layer can be easily released within a short time (<60 s) under a mild voltage (5≈10 V). After a combined experimental and theoretical investigation, It is concluded that the adhesive-layer morphological and mechanical changes, activated by a weak current (1.1≈3.2 mA), are responsible for the adhesion failure, which takes place primarily at the anode. Importantly, rapid electric release of poly[TA-LA] is applicable at low temperatures (5 V, 60 s, −40 °C) or underwater (5 V, 60 s, 25 °C).

This study presents a series of millirobots with magnetically switchable adhesion, enabled by soft, double-reentrant micropillar arrays with side liquid-repellency. These millirobots can universally manipulate a wide range of targets in both air and water. Beyond transportation, they are capable of performing various complex tasks, such as circuit repair, precision assembly, and high-speed actuation in amphibious environments.

Magnetic soft robots with multimodal locomotion have demonstrated significant potential for target manipulation tasks in hard-to-reach spaces in recent years. Achieving universal manipulation between robots and their targets requires a nondestructive and easily switchable interaction with broad applicability across diverse targets. However, establishing versatile and dynamic interactions between diverse targets and robotic systems remains a significant challenge. Herein, a series of magnetic millirobots capable of universal target manipulation with magnetically switchable adhesion is reported. Through two-photon lithography-assisted molding, magnetic soft double-reentrant micropillar arrays with liquid repellency are fabricated on the robots. These micropillar arrays can serve as switchable adhesion units for the millirobots to effectively manipulate targets of various geometries (0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D) in both air and water. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, these adhesive robots can perform various complex tasks, including circuit repair, mini-turbine assembly, and high-speed underwater rotation of the turbine machine. This work may offer a versatile approach to magnetic manipulation of non-magnetic objects through amphibious adhesion, emerging as a new paradigm in robotic manipulation.

A channel-assisted regeneration strategy that utilizes waste spinel cathode materials to construct fast lithium-ion replenishment channels on the surface of spent LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 materials is proposed. This surface reconstruction not only facilitates efficient material regeneration but also effectively mitigates lattice expansion and side reactions under fast-charging conditions, thereby optimizing the comprehensive electrochemical performance of the regenerated materials.

Direct recycling is increasingly recognized as a promising solution to alleviate the burgeoning contradiction between the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and amidst resource shortages. A critical challenge in this process is achieving efficient lithium compensation, which is vital for replenishing lost elements and promoting the reconstruction of degraded structures. Herein, inspired by the concept of “recycle waste with waste,” a channel-assisted regeneration strategy is proposed that utilizes waste spinel materials to reconstruct the surface of the spent layered cathode, clearing blocked channels and transforming them into a 3D structure that facilitates rapid lithium-ion transmission. This approach enhances the efficient replenishment of exogenous lithium salts into the particle lattice and prevents intrinsic thermal decomposition during heat treatment due to element deficiencies. The presence of the 3D ion channels can also improve the fast-charging performance of the regenerated cathode material, achieving a capacity retention rate of 87.9% after 500 cycles at 10 C. Additionally, its overall electrochemical performance significantly outperforms that of commercial materials. This work addresses critical challenges in the direct solid-phase regeneration of cathode materials and offers valuable insights for optimizing next-generation LIB recycling technologies.

Present work demonstrates an efficient proton-mediation strategy for precise regulation of interlayer shift of 2D D-A COFs for facilitated charge transfer and exciton dissociation in photocatalytic water reduction. The structure with eclipsed AA stacking delivers an improved hydrogen evolution rate up to 171.2 mmol g−1h−1, setting a new benchmark in photocatalysis employing 2D COFs. These findings highlight the significance of addressing the topology-governed charge transfer dynamics in COFs for efficient solar energy conversion.

The interlayer carriers dynamics are of significance in optoelectronic applications of 2D donor-acceptor (D-A) covalent organic frameworks (COFs), while are challenged by the delicate control over the inherently variable and sensitive interlayer interaction. Present work demonstrates an efficient proton-mediation strategy that allows for the precise regulation of interlayer shift of 2D D-A COFs for facilitated charge transfer and exciton dissociation. Exemplified by three imine-linked D-A COFs (IMDA), mild proton-mediation generates an eclipsed AA stacking (IMDA-AA) featuring in-plane D-A pairs and fully overlapping D-A π-conjugations, while excessive proton-mediation disrupts these conjugations, resulting in a slipped AA stacking (IMDA-SAA) with out-of-plane D-A pairs. Further analysis reveals that the interlayer topology of eclipsed AA stacking of IMDA favors for the synergistically optimized charge transfer dynamics, including enhanced intralayer charge transport with reduced exciton binding energy, and boosted interlayer exciton dissociation. IMDA-AA COF delivers an improved hydrogen evolution rate up to 171.2 mmol g−1h−1 under visible light illumination in the presence of 1.5 wt.% Pt co-catalysts, which is as far as is known the highest value among the reports of 2D COFs based photocatalysis. Present work will provide an important avenue of addressing the topology-governed charge transfer dynamics within COFs for solar energy conversion.

A novel radiosensitizer integrating traditional Chinese medicine compound salidroside, Cu2+, and •OH activated FL molecules is developed, which achieves enhanced radiosensitization effect and promotes CDT efficacy monitored by NIR-II FL imaging. Salidroside blocks cells in the G2/M phase with the highest radiosensitivity and amplifies ROS levels, which provides sufficient chemical fuel for Cu+-mediated CDT to generate more •OH.

The hypoxic microenvironment and radioresistance of tumor cells, as well as the delay in efficacy evaluation, significantly limit the effect of clinical radiotherapy. Therefore, developing effective radiosensitizers with monitoring of tumor response is of great significance for precise radiotherapy. Herein, a novel radiosensitizer (term as: SCuFs) is developed, consisting of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds salidroside, Cu2+, and hydroxyl radical (•OH) activated second near-infrared window fluorescence (NIR-II FL) molecules, which make the radiosensitization effect and boosted chemodynamic therapy (CDT) efficacy. The overexpressed glutathione in the tumor induces the SCuFs dissociation, allowing deep penetration of the drug to the whole tumor region. After X-ray irradiation, salidroside inhibits the Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (Nrf2)protein expression and blocks cells in the G2/M phase with the highest radiosensitivity, which amplifies the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation to exacerbate DNA damage, thus achieving radiosensitization. Meanwhile, the upregulated ROS provides sufficient chemical fuel for Cu+-mediated CDT to produce more •OH. NIR-II FL imaging can monitor the •OH changes during the therapy process, confirming the radiosensitization effect and CDT process related to •OH. This study not only achieves effective radiosensitization and cascaded ROS-mediated CDT efficacy, but also provides a useful tool for monitoring therapeutic efficacy, showing great prospects for clinical application.

This work introduces an innovative hyper-crosslinking strategy to molecularly reconstruct pitch and precisely tailor the closed-pore structure of derived carbon. This strategy enables the structure transition from graphitic soft carbon to highly disordered carbon with abundant closed-pore featuring appropriate pore sizes (2 nm) and ultrathin pore walls (1–2 layers). This work advances the development of low-cost and high-performance carbon materials.

Pitch is a highly preferable and cost-effective precursor of carbon materials. Nevertheless, its direct pyrolysis typically yields highly graphitized soft carbon, posing challenges to the modulation of closed-pore architecture, due to intense intermolecular π–π interactions. This results in a negligible plateau capacity and sluggish diffusion kinetics in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this study, an innovative hyper-crosslinking strategy is proposed to reconstruct pitch molecularly and precisely tailor the closed-pore structure of the derived carbon. The crosslinker intertwined the pitch units, transforming the linear molecules into 3D porous polymers. Structurally, these 3D cavities tactfully reserved space for forming closed-pore cores, with the single-layer pitch network skeleton transforming into ultrathin pore walls upon carbonization. This strategy enabled the disruption of intense π–π interactions and, therefore, inhibited structural ordering, facilitating a structure transition from graphitic soft carbon to highly-disordered carbon with abundant closed pores featuring appropriate pore sizes (2 nm) and ultrathin pore walls (1–2 layers). The optimal sample delivered a high capacity of 370 mAh g−1 at 30 mA g−1, as well as a rate capability that surpassed those of most previously reported pitch-derived carbons. Hyper-crosslinking has advanced the development of low-cost and high-performance carbon materials for large-scale energy storage.

By integrating the ethereal backbones into ester solvents and designing new organic nitrates, the high solubility of nitrate salt into the ester electrolyte is successfully achieved. The electrolyte containing new organic nitrate and designed ester solvent exhibits excellent cycle stability for Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) batteries. Consequently, 1 Ah Li||NCM811 pouch cell showcases excellent cycle stability over 150 times.

The high-energy-density Li metal batteries require high-voltage cathode, low negative/positive capacity (N/P) ratio and lean electrolyte. Despite the all-fluorinated electrolytes with severe corrosion, the development of ester electrolytes is stagnant due to the incompatibility of ester solvent with Li metal anode. Hence, various electrolyte additives have been developed. Among them, LiNO3 is considered as the most effective electrolyte additive for improving the reversibility of Li deposition. Unfortunately, their solubility into the ester solvent is extremely low. This investigation suggests that the strong ionic bonds in LiNO3 and the low solvation energy of ester solvent are the main triggers for the insolubility of LiNO3 in the ester electrolyte. Hence, a new organic nitrate salt (N-propyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium nitrate (Py13NO3)) with large organic cations and a new liner ester solvent (dipropyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (DPGMEA)) is designed, which integrates the ethereal molecular backbones into the ester solvent. Consequently, the electrolyte containing 1.2 m lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI), 0.3 m Py13NO3 and 0.1 m lithium disfluorophosphate (LiPO2F2) in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC):DPGMEA (2:8) showcases excellent electrochemical performance in high-voltage Li metal batteries. Eventually, the “1 Ah level” Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) pouch cell (N/P ratio ≈1.2; electrolyte/capacity (E/C) ratio ≈2.5 g Ah−1) exhibits excellent cycle life over 150 times in the designed electrolyte.

This Study introduces condensed droplet polymerization (CDP) technology, enabling the fabrication of polymeric micro- and nano-dome arrays (PDAs) with tunable geometric properties. By manipulating polymerization kinetics, CDP allows for the rapid manufacturing of PDAs with specific sizes, radii of curvature, and surface densities. The research explores the optical properties of PDAs as nanolenses, enhancing high-resolution optical imaging capabilities.

Nature-inspired functional surfaces with micro- and nanoscale features have garnered interest for potential applications in optics, imaging, and sensing. Traditional fabrication methods, such as lithography and self-assembly, face limitations in versatility, scalability, and morphology control. This study introduces an innovative technology, condensed droplet polymerization (CDP), for fabricating polymeric micro- and nano-dome arrays (PDAs) with readily tunable geometric properties—a challenging feat for conventional methods. The CDP process leverages free-radical polymerization in condensed monomer droplets, allowing rapid production of PDAs with targeted sizes, radii of curvature, and surface densities by manipulating a key synthesis parameter: the temperature of a filament array that activates initiators. This work systematically unravels its effects on polymerization kinetics, viscoelastic properties of the polymerizing droplets, and geometric characteristics of the PDAs. Utilizing in situ digital microscope, this work reveals the morphological evolution of the PDAs during the process. The resulting PDAs exhibit distinct optical properties, including magnification that enables high-resolution imaging beyond the diffraction limit of conventional microscopes. This work demonstrates the ability to magnify and focus light, enhancing imaging of subwavelength structures and biological specimens. This work advances the understanding of polymerization mechanisms in nano-sized reactors (i.e., droplets) and paves the way for developing compact optical imaging and sensing technologies.

A doping strategy of incorporating Bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo)benzene (BTFIB) additive in 1.67 eV WBG perovskite precursor has been proposed to passivate uncoordinated lead ions and iodide vacancies and retard the crystallization of perovskite. Finally, BTFIB-based perovskite solar cells yielded a champion efficiency of 23.05% (certified 22.21%) and enabled a four-terminal perovskite/Si tandem cell with a PCE of 31.20% and excellent long-term stability.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs, Eg > 1.6 eV), serving as the top cell in perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (PSTSCs), play an indispensable role in absorbing high energy photons and increasing overall efficiency. However, WBG PSCs often suffer from severe light-induced phase segregation and significant non-radiative recombination losses due to uncontrolled rapid crystallization. Here, polyfluoride molecular additives are designed and incorporated via (diacetoxyiodo)benzene into WBG perovskite, to regulate crystallization process of perovskite films and thereby reduce defects. (Bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo)benzene (BTFIB) can passivate uncoordinated lead ions and iodide vacancies, thereby inhibiting phase separation caused by iodide migration and reducing non-radiative recombination loss during charge transport. Moreover, the introduction of BTFIB can effectively moderate the film formation process and confer excellent hydrophobic properties to the films. Consequently, BTFIB-based 1.67 eV-WBG perovskite devices yield a champion efficiency of 23.05% (certified efficiency of 22.21%), enabling a 31.20% efficiency in four-terminal PSTSCs, along with excellent open-circuit voltage of 1.246 V and fill factor of 85.34%. After 2500 h of aging in a glovebox, the device retained 80% of its initial efficiency.

A novel nested transient emulsion aerosol system is presented for the asymmetric self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles into superstructures with anisotropic morphologies. These nested transient emulsion aerosols break the spherical symmetry associated with conventional emulsion droplets, enabling the production of anisotropic superstructures with potential applications previously considered unattainable.

Emulsions are versatile and robust platforms for colloidal self-assembly, but their ability to create complex and functional superstructures is hindered by the inherent symmetry of droplets. Here the creation of an aerosol of nested transient emulsion droplets with inherent asymmetry is reported, achieved by converging beams of water and 1-butanol mists. Self-assembly of nanoparticles occurs within such emulsion droplets as driven by the rapid two-phase interface diffusion, producing anisotropic superstructures. A unique hollowing process is observed due to the asymmetric diffusion of solvents, akin to the Kirkendall effect. This novel assembly platform offers several advantages, including asymmetric self-assembly in air, surfactant-free operation, and tunable droplet size. It enables the creation of clean, functional nanoparticle superstructures that can be easily disassembled when needed. These advancements pave the way for exploring intricate, anisotropic superstructures with diverse applications that are unavailable in conventional superstructures of spherical symmetry.

This work presents atomically controlled material transformations in 2D Te for near-ideal FETs, featuring low-resistance NiTex-Te contacts and ultraclean TiOx-Te gate dielectrics (0.88 nm EOT). A record-low SS of 3.5 mV dec−1 is achieved at 10 K, and 2D Te-based CMOS inverters operate at 0.08 V, enabling energy-efficient IC technologies.

The ongoing demand for more energy-efficient, high-performance electronics is driving the exploration of innovative materials and device architectures, where interfaces play a crucial role due to the continuous downscaling of device dimensions. Tellurium (Te), in its 2D form, offers significant potential due to its high carrier mobility and ambipolar characteristics, with the carrier type easily tunable via surface modulation. In this study, atomically controlled material transformations in 2D Te are leveraged to create intimate junctions, enabling near-ideal field-effect transistors (FETs) for both n-type and p-type operation. A NiTex-Te contact provides highly transparent interfaces, resulting in low contact resistance, while the TiOx-Te gate dielectric forms an ultraclean interface with a capacitance equivalent to 0.88 nm equivalent oxide thickness (EOT), where the quantum capacitance of Te is observed. Subthreshold slopes (SS) approach the Boltzmann limit, with a record-low SS of 3.5 mV dec−1 achieved at 10 K. Furthermore, 2D Te-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) inverters are demonstrated operating at an ultralow voltage of 0.08 V with a voltage gain of 7.1 V/V. This work presents a promising approach to forming intimate dielectric/semiconductor and metal/semiconductor junctions for next-generation low-power electronic devices.

Long-term antiplatelet therapy increases bleeding risk, particularly in emergency surgeries or accidental injuries. The click chemistry-functionalized mesoporous silica nanotraps are developed to selectively capture the sulfhydryl-containing active metabolites of clopidogrel and prasugrel, rapidly reversing their antiplatelet activity and restoring hemostasis. Bleeding models in mice, rabbits, and pigs confirmed their efficacy and safety, underscoring their potential as a functional reversal agent for “irreversible” antiplatelet drugs.

The severe bleeding complications of long-term antiplatelet therapy limit its broader application in the treatment or prevention of thrombosis-associated diseases. This risk is particularly serious when facing emergency surgeries where rapid restoration of normal platelet function is required. Timely reversal of the effects of antiplatelet agents becomes crucial in such scenarios. Despite the widespread use of clopidogrel and prasugrel for their potent antiplatelet activity, the absence of specific and effective reversal agents remains a notable challenge. The pharmacological activity of clopidogrel and prasugrel is mediated by sulfhydryl-containing active metabolites, which form disulfide bonds with P2Y12 receptors on the surface of platelets to inhibit their aggregation. Taking advantage of this action mechanism of these “irreversible” antiplatelet drugs, click chemistry-functionalized mesoporous silica (SiO2-Mal) nanotraps are fabricated to capture the antiplatelet drugs' active metabolites and restore hemostasis. Subsequently, a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and safety of the SiO2-Mal nanotraps is conducted using mouse, rabbit, and pig animal models, highlighting their potential application as a functional reversal agent for clinically relevant thienopyridine antiplatelet drugs, believed until now to be irreversible in their inhibition of platelet activity.

The neuransistor integrates hybrid excitatory and inhibitory dynamics, enabling liquid state machine implementation. It operates via charge trapping in a two-dimensional electron electron gas (2DEG)/TiO2− x structure and features a three-terminal design for efficient masking functionality. Simulations demonstrate its effectiveness in predicting temporal signals, emphasizing its role as a robust reservoir for neuromorphic computing and advancing biologically inspired applications.

A liquid state machine (LSM) is a spiking neural network model inspired by biological neural network dynamics designed to process time-varying inputs. In the LSM, maintaining a proper excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance among neurons is essential for ensuring network stability and generating rich temporal dynamics for accurate data processing. In this study, a “neuransistor” is proposed that implements the E/I neurons in a single device, allowing for the hardware implementation of the LSM. The device features a three-terminal transistor structure embodying TiO2− x /Al2O3 bi-layer, providing a two-dimensional electron electron gas (2DEG) channel at their interface. This device demonstrates hybrid excitatory and inhibitory dynamics with respect to the applied gate bias polarity, originating from the charge trapping/detrapping between the 2DEG and TiO2− x layers. Additionally, the three-terminal configuration allows masking capabilities by selecting terminal biases, realizing a reservoir behavior with superior reliability and durability. Its use in an LSM reservoir for time-series data prediction tasks using the Henon dataset and a chaotic equation solver for the Lorenz attractor is demonstrated. This benchmarking indicates that the LSM exhibits enhanced performance and efficiency compared to the conventional echo state network, underscoring its potential for advanced applications in reservoir computing.

Sodium solid-state batteries (SSSBs) overcome lithium's sustainability limitations (2.36% vs 0.0017% crustal abundance). Perovskite/anti-perovskite solid electrolytes (SEs) with high room-temperature ionic conductivity and tunable structures are promising, where anti-perovskites excel in multi-dimensional ion channels and interfacial stability. This review highlights conductive optimization (doping, defect engineering), electrochemical stability mechanisms, and proposes a structural-tolerance-factor-based evaluation framework. Future priorities include controllable synthesis and enhanced interface compatibility.

Sodium solid-state batteries (SSSBs) are poised to revolutionize energy storage by capitalizing on sodium's exceptional crustal abundance (2.36% vs 0.0017% for lithium) and cost-effectiveness, addressing critical sustainability challenges of lithium-dependent technologies. Solid electrolytes (SEs) with high ionic conductivity and stability have gained significant attention. The compositional and structural flexibility of perovskites and anti-perovskites make them competitive, and the combination of advanced computer simulations and synthesis techniques can achieve stable synthesis of the materials. Importantly, the high ionic conductivity and high stability of perovskite and anti-perovskite SEs at room temperature endow them with enormous potential for the construction of SSSBs. In this review, the research progress of perovskite and anti-perovskite SEs for SSSBs is summarized, different optimization strategies for improving the ionic conductivity of SEs are compared, and an in-depth discussion on the chemical and electrochemical stability of SEs is provided. Specifically, key technical indicators reflecting their structural tolerance and future application potential have been summarized and discussed for the first time. Among these, anti-perovskites, due to their diversity and the presence of more ion transport channels, have the potential to become commercial SEs. Finally, the future challenges and development directions of perovskite and anti-perovskite SEs for SSSBs have been prospected.