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

Biomimetic shark denticles with alternating superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic regions are fabricated through 3D printing. Superhydrophobic and partially superhydrophobic denticles exhibit superior drag reduction performance compared to superhydrophilic ones by minimizing vortex formation, presenting a novel approach to the biomimetic design of shark denticles for optimal drag reduction.

Shark skin features superhydrophilic and riblet-textured denticles that provide drag reduction, antifouling, and mechanical protection. The artificial riblet structures exhibit drag reduction capabilities in turbulent flow. However, the effects of the surface wettability of shark denticles and the cavity region underneath the denticle crown on drag reduction remain insufficiently explored. Here, 3D printing is utilized to fabricate realistic staggered and overlapped denticle arrays, modified to achieve superhydrophilic, superhydrophobic, and hybrid configurations, including external riblets hydrophilic/internal cavities hydrophobic (ELIB), and vice versa (EBIL). Denticles of varying heights are also fabricated. The results indicate that superhydrophobic, ELIB, and EBIL denticles outperform superhydrophilic ones in reducing drag, achieving a peak drag reduction rate of ≈20%. Notably, shorter denticles further improve drag reduction. Reduced vortex formation within the underneath cavity correlates with improved drag reduction. These vortices can function similarly to rolling bearings while facilitating momentum exchange and increasing skin friction drag. Superhydrophobic or partially superhydrophobic denticles (ELIBD/EBILD) mitigate this effect. This study suggests that sharks may secrete mucus on specific sections of their denticles to further reduce vorticity and drag, offering novel insights into the biomimetic design of shark denticles for optimized drag reduction.

Nanogap electrodes are combined with egg albumen to develop a fast and sensitive moisture sensor. This device integrates scalable manufacturing, exceptional sensitivity, rapid response times, and selective moisture detection across a 10–70% relative humidity range. The sensor is used for non-contact sensing applications and monitoring respiratory cycles in real-world settings.

As human-machine interface hardware advances, better sensors are required to detect signals from different stimuli. Among numerous technologies, humidity sensors are critical for applications across different sectors, including environmental monitoring, food production, agriculture, and healthcare. Current humidity sensors rely on materials that absorb moisture, which can take some time to equilibrate with the surrounding environment, thus slowing their temporal response and limiting their applications. Here, this challenge is tackled by combining a nanogap electrode (NGE) architecture with chicked egg-derived albumen as the moisture-absorbing component. The sensors offer inexpensive manufacturing, high responsivity, ultra-fast response, and selectivity to humidity within a relative humidity range of 10–70% RH. Specifically, the egg albumen-based sensor showed negligible response to relevant interfering species and remained specific to water moisture with a room-temperature responsivity of 1.15 × 104. The nm-short interelectrode distance (circa 20 nm) of the NGE architecture enables fast temporal response, with rise/fall times of 10/28 ms, respectively, making the devices the fastest humidity sensors reported to date based on a biomaterial. By leveraging these features, non-contact moisture sensing and real-time respiratory cycle monitoring suitable for diagnosing chronic diseases such as sleep apnea, asthma, and pulmonary disease are demonstrated.

A unique Bi-RuO2 single-atom alloy oxide is rational designed and achieved by phase engineering of the hexagonal close-packed RuBi single-atom alloy, to boost oxygen evolution electrocatalysis. The incorporation of Bi1 improves the activity by electronic density optimization and the stability by hindering surface Ru demetallation, enabling a practical proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) that needs only 1.59 V to reach 1.0 A cm−2.

Engineering nanomaterials at single-atomic sites can enable unprecedented catalytic properties for broad applications, yet it remains challenging to do so on RuO2-based electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). Herein, the rational design and construction of Bi-RuO2 single-atom alloy oxide (SAAO) are presented to boost acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), via phase engineering a novel hexagonal close packed (hcp) RuBi single-atom alloy. This Bi-RuO2 SAAO electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 192 mV and superb stability over 650 h at 10 mA cm−2, enabling a practical PEMWE that needs only 1.59 V to reach 1.0 A cm−2 under industrial conditions. Operando differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy analysis, coupled with density functional theory studies, confirmed the adsorbate-evolving mechanism on Bi-RuO2 SAAO and that the incorporation of Bi1 improves the activity by electronic density optimization and the stability by hindering surface Ru demetallation. This work not only introduces a new strategy to fabricate high-performance electrocatalysts at atomic-level, but also demonstrates their potential use in industrial electrolyzers.

Various super-resolution fluorescence microscopy methods achieve nanoscale resolution, vital for visualizing subcellular structures. Choosing suitable biological standards is challenging, demanding precise geometry and specific labeling capabilities. Utilizing T4 bacteriophage as a 3D-Bio-NanoRuler is proposed. With DNA-PAINT and astigmatic imaging, detailed viral structures are revealed, offering a simple sample protocol and suggesting T4's potential as a benchmark in microscopy studies.

In the burgeoning field of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, significant efforts are being dedicated to expanding its applications into the 3D domain. Various methodologies have been developed that enable isotropic resolution at the nanometer scale, facilitating the visualization of 3D subcellular structures with unprecedented clarity. Central to this progress is the need for reliable 3D structures that are biologically compatible for validating resolution capabilities. Choosing the optimal standard poses a considerable challenge, necessitating, among other attributes, precisely defined geometry and the capability for specific labeling at sub-diffraction-limit distances. In this context, the use of the non-human-infecting virus, bacteriophage T4 is introduced as an effective and straightforward bio-ruler for 3D super-resolution imaging. Employing DNA point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (DNA-PAINT) along with the technique of astigmatic imaging, the icosahedral capsid of the bacteriophage T4, measuring 120 nm in length and 86 nm in width, and its hollow viral tail is uncovered. This level of detail in light microscopy represents a significant advancement in T4 imaging. A simple protocol for the production and preparation of samples is further outlined. Moreover, the extensive potential of bacteriophage T4 as a multifaceted 3D bio-ruler, proposing its application as a novel benchmark for 3D super-resolution imaging in biological studies is explored.

Distinct interactions between phytic acid and various polymers are discovered first and leveraged to construct a gradient ionic hydrogel-based pressure sensor, which offers excellent sensitivity, wide sensing range, and superior low-pressure detection performance. The gradient ionic hydrogel-based sensor recognizes subtle pressures from acoustic waves and airflow, moderate pressures due to speaking and finger pressing, and high magnitudes of plantar pressures.

Ionic conductive hydrogels have emerged as an excellent option for constructing dielectric layers of interfacial iontronic sensors. Among these, gradient ionic hydrogels, due to the intrinsic gradient elastic modulus, can achieve a wide range of pressure responses. However, the fabrication of gradient hydrogels with optimal mechanical and sensing properties remains a challenge. In this study, it is discovered first that phytic acid (PA) interacts in remarkably distinct manners (i.e., plasticizing effects and phase separation) with different polymers (i.e., polyacrylamide and polyacrylic acid). This distinctive PA-polymer interacting mechanism is innovatively utilized to construct a modulus gradient ionic hydrogel through a simple precursor solution infiltration approach. The gradient hydrogel-based flexible pressure sensor not only achieves a high sensitivity (9.00 kPa−1, <15 kPa) and a broad sensing range (from ≈3.7 Pa to 1.2 MPa) simultaneously, but also exhibits superior low pressure sensing performance. It successfully recognizes the subtle pressure due to acoustic waves and airflow, as well as the moderate pressure due to speaking and finger pressing and the high magnitude of plantar pressure. In addition, the gradient hydrogel demonstrates remarkable antibacterial properties and biocompatibility. This functional hydrogel with excellent sensing performance and bioactivity exhibits exceptional potential for wearable sensing applications.

This review addresses challenges in material science, stability, and scalability for the transition of perovskite solar technology from rigid to flexible, emphasizes robust encapsulation, and proposes protocols for mechanical stability, which is crucial for their commercialization. The flexible perovskite PV technologies will enable new possibilities by integration into diverse technologies.

Perovskite technologies has taken giant steps on its advances in only a decade time, from fundamental science to device engineering. The possibility to exploit this technology on a thin flexible substrate gives an unbeatable power to weight ratio compares to similar photovoltaic systems, opening new possibilities and new integration concepts, going from building integrated and applied photovoltaics (BIPV, BAPV) to internet of things (IoT). In this perspective, the recent progress of perovskite solar technologies on flexible substrates are summarized, focusing on the challenges that researchers face upon using flexible substrates. A dig into material science is necessary to understand what kind of mechanisms are limiting its efficiency compare to rigid substrates, and which physical mechanism limits the upscaling on flexible substrate. Furthermore, an overview of stability test on flexible modules will be described, suggesting common standard procedure and guidelines to follow, showing additional issues that flexible modules face upon bending, and how to prevent device degradation providing an ad-hoc encapsulation. Finally, the recent advances of flexible devices in the perovskite market will be shown, giving an outline of how this technology is exploited on flexible substrates, and what are still missing that need stakeholders’ attention.

A novel AIE-active ligand, tetraphenylpyrazine (PTTBPC), is designed based on reticular chemistry and utilized for the first time to construct a series of robust Zr/(Ni, Co)- PTTBPC photocatalysts. The single-phase multi-component synergy of pore structure, unique photo-active AIE ligands, and dual-metal catalytic sites result in the excellent CO2 uptake and reduction performance. The highest CO production rate of 293.2 µmol g h−1 under 420 nm LED light is achieved, showcasing the potential of AIE ligands in photocatalytic CO2 conversion.

The design and synthesis of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with outstanding light-harvesting and photoexcitation for artificial photocatalytic CO2 reduction is an attractive but challenging task. In this work, a novel aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active ligand, tetraphenylpyrazine (PTTBPC) is proposed and utilized for the first time to construct a Zr-MOF photocatalyst via coordination with stable Zr-oxo clusters. Zr-MOF is featured by a scu topology with a two-fold interpenetrated framework, wherein the PTTBPC ligands enable strong light-harvesting and photoexcitation, while the Zr-oxo clusters facilitate CO2 adsorption and activation, as well as offer potential sites for further metal modification. Consequently, the Zr-PTTBPC and its Co/Ni derivatives not only exhibit exceptional stability and high CO2 adsorption capability (73 cm3 g−1 at 273 K and 1 atm), but also demonstrate a CO production rate of up to 293.2 µmol g h−1 under 420 nm LED light that can be reused for at least three cycles. With insights from charge-carrier dynamics and theoretical calculations, the underlying mechanism is revealed, confirming that the single-phase multi-component synergy is the key for the outstanding photocatalytic CO2 reduction. This work showcases a brand-new type of MOF photocatalyst based on AIE ligands and their promising applications in photocatalytic C1 conversion.

Fluorinated peptides are designed as synthetic biomarkers for the time-gated 19F nuclear magnetic resonance urinalysis through enzyme-activated assembly, which regulates the metabolic kinetics of fluorinated peptides. Moreover, the fluorinated peptides are further conjugated with therapeutic agents and demonstrated great efficiency in the treatment of cholestatic liver injury.

Urinalysis, as a non-invasive and efficient diagnostic method, is very important but faces great challenges due to the complex compositions of urine and limited naturally occurring biomarkers for diseases. Herein, by leveraging the intrinsic absence of endogenous fluorinated interference, a strategy with the enzymatically activated assembly of synthetic fluorinated peptide for cholestatic liver injury (CLI) diagnosis and treatment through 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) urinalysis and efficient drug retention is developed. Specifically, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), overexpressed in the liver of CLI mice, triggers the assembly of fluorinated peptide, thus, directing the traffic and dynamic distribution of the synthetic biomarkers after administration, whereas CLI mice display much slower clearance of peptides through urine as compared with healthy counterparts. As such, it enables to transform pathophysiological information into exogenous signals via noninvasive urinary monitoring. Moreover, as a proof-of-concept, by grafting different functional groups to peptides, the theranostic platforms can be established to provide a new paradigm for the design of multifunctional peptides.

This review begins by exploring the unique architecture, fabrication techniques, and operational principles of carbon-based printable mesoscopic solar cells (p-MPSCs), providing a comprehensive understanding of their functionality. It then delves into the mechanisms behind crystal nucleation and growth, explaining how these processes impact perovskite quality and performance. Additionally, it discusses common strategies to improve crystallization quality, including additive engineering, solvent engineering, evaporation control, and post-treatment techniques. Lastly, the review offers potential recommendations to further enhance perovskite crystallization, encouraging ongoing innovation to overcome current challenges and drive the advancement of p-MPSCs.

Carbon-based printable mesoscopic solar cells (p-MPSCs) offer significant advantages for industrialization due to their simple fabrication process, low cost, and scalability. Recently, the certified power conversion efficiency of p-MPSCs has exceeded 22%, drawing considerable attention from the community. However, the key challenge in improving device performance is achieving uniform and high-quality perovskite crystallization within the mesoporous structure. This review highlights recent advancements in perovskite crystallization for p-MPSCs, with an emphasis on controlling crystallization kinetics and regulating perovskite morphology within confined mesopores. It first introduces the p-MPSCs, offering a solid foundation for understanding their behavior. Additionally, the review summarizes the mechanisms of crystal nucleation and growth, explaining how these processes influence the quality and performance of perovskites. Furthermore, commonly applied strategies for enhancing crystallization quality, such as additive engineering, solvent engineering, evaporation controlling, and post-treatment techniques, are also explored. Finally, the review proposes several potential suggestions aimed at further refining perovskite crystallization, inspiring continued innovation to address current limitations and advance the development of p-MPSCs.

Cellulose nanofiber and alginate from natural sargassum are used to prepare a fire-retardant structural material through a hydrogel layer-by-layer method. This bio-based material has excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, and fire retardancy. This work greatly improves the utilization of seaweed residues and natural polymers, provides a bio-based fire-retardant strategy, and has important potential in the future development of high-performance fiber-based materials.

With increasing concern about the environmental pollution of petrochemical plastics, people are constantly exploring environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative materials. Compared with petrochemical materials, cellulose has overwhelming superiority in terms of mechanical properties, thermal properties, cost, and biodegradability. However, the flammability of cellulose hinders its practical application to a certain extent, so improving the fire-retardant properties of cellulose nanofiber-based materials has become a research focus. Here, cellulose nanofiber and alginate are extracted from abundant natural sargassum as high-strength nanoscale building blocks, and then a sargassum cellulose fire-retardant structural material is prepared through a bottom-up hydrogel layer-by-layer method. The structural materials obtained incorporate excellent mechanical properties (≈297 MPa), thermal stability (≈200 °C), low thermal expansion coefficient (≈7.17 × 10−6 K−1), and fire-retardant properties. This work largely improves the utilization of seaweed residue and natural polymers, providing a bio-based fire-retardant strategy, and has a wide range of development prospects in the field of fiber-based high-performance structural materials in the future.

A Mo1Cu single-atom alloy is developed to enable atom-scale cascade catalysis via multi-active site collaboration for CO2 Electroreduction. The as-prepared Mo1Cu shows a remarkable C2+ Faradaic efficiency of 86.4% under 0.80 A cm−2. Furthermore, the C2+ partial current density over Mo1Cu reaches an ampere-level 1.33 A cm−2 with a Faradaic efficiency surpasses 74.3%.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added multicarbon (C2+) productions offers an attractive route for renewable energy storage and CO2 utilization, but it remains challenging to achieve high C2+ selectivity at industrial-level current density. Herein, a Mo1Cu single-atom alloy (SAA) catalyst is reported that displays a remarkable C2+ Faradaic efficiency of 86.4% under 0.80 A cm−2. Furthermore, the C2+ partial current density over Mo1Cu reaches 1.33 A cm−2 with a Faradaic efficiency surpasses 74.3%. The combination of operando spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) indicates the as-prepared Mo1Cu SAA catalyst enables atom-scale cascade catalysis via multi-active site collaboration. The introduced Mo sites promote the H2O dissociation to fabricate active *H, meanwhile, the Cu sites (Cu0) far from Mo atom are active sites for the CO2 activation toward CO. Further, CO and *H are captured by the adjacent Cu sites (Cu&+) near Mo atom, accelerating CO conversion and C─C coupling process. Our findings benefit the design of tandem electrocatalysts at atomic scale for transforming CO2 to multicarbon products under a high conversion rate.

The development of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts via the oxide path mechanism (OPM) is systematically reviewed. It sheds light on the rational design of OPM-based OER electrocatalysts to break the activity-stability trade-offs involved in conventional OER mechanisms, leading to more efficient energy conversion and storage processes, such as water electrolysis, CO2/N2 reduction, reversible fuel cells, and rechargeable metal-air batteries.

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a cornerstone of various electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems, including water splitting, CO2/N2 reduction, reversible fuel cells, and rechargeable metal-air batteries. OER typically proceeds through three primary mechanisms: adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM), lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM), and oxide path mechanism (OPM). Unlike AEM and LOM, the OPM proceeds via direct oxygen–oxygen radical coupling that can bypass linear scaling relationships of reaction intermediates in AEM and avoid catalyst structural collapse in LOM, thereby enabling enhanced catalytic activity and stability. Despite its unique advantage, electrocatalysts that can drive OER via OPM remain nascent and are increasingly recognized as critical. This review discusses recent advances in OPM-based OER electrocatalysts. It starts by analyzing three reaction mechanisms that guide the design of electrocatalysts. Then, several types of novel materials, including atomic ensembles, metal oxides, perovskite oxides, and molecular complexes, are highlighted. Afterward, operando characterization techniques used to monitor the dynamic evolution of active sites and reaction intermediates are examined. The review concludes by discussing several research directions to advance OPM-based OER electrocatalysts toward practical applications.

Methanol (MeOH) is introduced as a fluid balance agent to regulate Marangoni convection, thereby mitigating disordered colloidal particle motion. As a result, record power conversion efficiencies of 24.45% and 20.32% are achieved for small-area FAPbI3 devices (0.07 cm2) and large-area modules (21 cm2), respectively.

Laboratory-scale spin-coating techniques are widely employed for fabricating small-size, high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. However, achieving large-area, high-uniformity perovskite films and thus high-efficiency solar cell devices remain challenging due to the complex fluid dynamics and drying behaviors of perovskite precursor solutions during large-area fabrication processes. In this work, a high-quality, pinhole-free, large-area FAPbI3 perovskite film is successfully obtained via scalable blade-coating technology, assisted by a novel bidirectional Marangoni convection strategy. By incorporating methanol (MeOH) as a fluid balance agent, the direction of Marangoni convection is effectively regulated, mitigating the disordered motion of colloidal precursor particles during the printing process. As a result, champion power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 24.45% and 20.32% are achieved for small-area FAPbI3 devices (0.07 cm2) and large-area modules (21 cm2), respectively. Notably, under steady illumination, the device reached a stabilized PCE of 24.28%. Furthermore, the unencapsulated device exhibited remarkable operational stability, retaining 92.03% of its initial PCE after 1800 h under ambient conditions (35 ± 5% relative humidity, 30 °C). To demonstrate the universality of this strategy, a blue perovskite light-emitting diode is fabricated, showing an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 14.78% and an electroluminescence wavelength (EL) of 494 nm. This work provides a significant technique for advancing solution-processed, industrial-scale production of high-quality and stable perovskite films and solar cells.

The magneto-structural phases of 2D multiferroic NiI2 are studied using resonant magnetic X-ray scattering and X-ray diffraction. A change of magnetic symmetry from incommensurate collinear to helical spin-spiral at a structural transition involving a significant interlayer shear is observed. These results highlight the role for interlayer magnetic exchange for driving the magnetic ground state and associated spin-induced ferroelectricity in NiI2.

Type-II multiferroicity from non-collinear spin order is recently explored in the van der Waals material NiI2. Despite the importance for improper ferroelectricity, the microscopic mechanism of the helimagnetic order remains poorly understood. Here, the magneto-structural phases of NiI2 are investigated using resonant magnetic X-ray scattering (RXS) and X-ray diffraction. Two competing magnetic phases are identified. Below 60 K, an incommensurate magnetic reflection ( q  ≈ [0.143,0,1.49] reciprocal lattice units) is observed which exhibits finite circular dichroism in RXS, signaling the inversion symmetry-breaking helimagnetic ground state. At elevated temperature, in the non-polar phase (60 K < T < 75 K), a distinct q ≈ [0.087,0.087,1.5] magnetic order is observed, attributed to a collinear incommensurate (CI) state. The first-order CI-helix transition is concomitant with a structural transition characterized by a significant interlayer shear, which drives the helimagnetic ground state as evidenced by a mean-field Heisenberg model including interlayer exchange and its coupling to the structural distortion. These findings identify interlayer magneto-structural coupling as the key driver behind multiferroicity in NiI2.

A medium-entropy Na3.2V1.1Ti0.2Al0.2Cr0.2Mn0.2Ni0.1(PO4)3 (ME-NVP) cathode is developed, featuring a phase-transition–free mechanism, reversible V3+/V4+/V5+ plateaus, rapid Na+ diffusion, and minimal volume change, as confirmed by comprehensive in/ex situ characterizations and theoretical calculations. Thus, the medium-entropy effect favors ME-NVP cathode an exceptional sodium storage performance with high-rate capacity and long-term cycle stability.

Na3V2(PO4)3, based on multi-electron reactions between V3+/V4+/V5+, is a promising cathode material for SIBs. However, its practical application is hampered by the inferior conductivity, large barrier of V4+/V5+, and stepwise phase transition. Herein, these issues are addressed by constructing a medium-entropy material (Na3.2V1.1Ti0.2Al0.2Cr0.2Mn0.2Ni0.1(PO4)3, ME-NVP) with strong ME─O bond and highly occupied Na2 sites. Benefiting from the medium-entropy effect, ME-NVP manifests a phase-transition–free reaction mechanism, two reversible plateaus at 3.4 (V3+/V4+) and 4.0 V (V4+/V5+), and small volume change (2%) during Na+ insertion/extraction processes, as confirmed by comprehensive in/ex situ characterizations. Moreover, kinetics analysis illuminates the superior Na+ diffusion ability of ME-NVP. Thus, the ME-NVP cathode realizes remarkable rate capability of 67 mA h g−1 at 50C and a long-term lifespan over 10 000 cycles (capacity retention of 81.3%). Theoretical calculations further illustrate that the weak binding of Na+ ion in the channel is responsible for the rapid Na+ diffusion, accounting for the superior reaction kinetics. Moreover, rigid MEO6 octahedral and feasible rearrangement of Na+ ions can suppress the phase transition, thus endowing an ultrastable ME-NVP cathode. This work highlights the significant role of medium-entropy engineering in advancing the output voltage, cycling stability, and rate capability of polyanionic cathodes.

This article introduces the “Antigen Presentation Signal Enhancer” (APSE), a novel tumor vaccine platform using bacterial outer membrane vesicles loaded with tumor antigens and modified with αPD-L1 antibodies. By activating and boosting co-stimulatory signals in antigen-presenting cells, APSE overcomes low antigen presentation efficiency caused by high PD-L1 expression, offering the potential to improve cancer vaccine efficacy, especially for less immunogenic tumors.

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) process tumor vaccines and present tumor antigens as the first signals to T cells to activate anti-tumor immunity, which process requires the assistance of co-stimulatory second signals on APCs. The immune checkpoint programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) not only mediates the immune escape of tumor cells but also acts as a co-inhibitory second signal on APCs. The serious dysfunction of second signals due to the high expression of PD-L1 on APCs in the tumor body results in the inefficiency of tumor vaccines. To overcome this challenge, a previously established Plug-and-Display tumor vaccine platform based on bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) is developed into an “Antigen Presentation Signal Enhancer” (APSE) by surface-modifying PD-L1 antibodies (αPD-L1). While delivering tumor antigens, APSE can activate the expression of co-stimulatory second signals in APCs due to the high immunogenicity of OMVs. More importantly, the surface-modified αPD-L1 binds to the co-inhibitory signals PD-L1, potentially restoring CD80 function and ensuring efficient co-stimulatory second signals and activation of anti-tumor immunity. The results reveal the importance of PD-L1 blockage in the initiation process of anti-tumor immunity, and the second signal modulation capability of APSE can expand the application potential of cancer vaccines to less immunogenic malignancies.

This study presents the development of 3D-printed anisotropic InterPore microfibrous lattices for engineering aligned and densely populated cardiac muscle bundles. By promoting cardiomyocyte alignment and facilitating cell-mediated remodeling in these lattices, the approach improves high-density tissue organization, enhances electrophysiological function, and supports the maturation of cardiac tissues.

Replicating the structural and functional features of native myocardium, particularly its high-density cellular alignment and efficient electrical connectivity, is essential for engineering functional cardiac tissues. Here, novel electrohydrodynamically printed InterPore microfibrous lattices with anisotropic architectures are introduced to promote high-density cellular alignment and enhanced tissue interconnectivity. The interconnected pores in the microfibrous lattice enable dynamic, cell-mediated remodeling of fibrous hydrogels, resulting in continuous, mechanically stable tissue bundles. Compared to lattices with isolated pores, the engineered aligned cardiac tissues from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes exhibit improved electrophysiological properties and synchronous contractions. Using a multiseeding strategy, an equivalent cell seeding density of 8 × 107 cells mL−1, facilitating the formation of multicellular, vascularized cardiac structures with maintained tissue viability and integrity, is achieved. As a demonstration, human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac tissues are engineered with progressive maturation and functional integration over time. These findings underscore the potential of InterPore microfibrous lattices for applications in cardiac tissue engineering, drug discovery, and therapeutic development.

This study presents the development of a 3D-printed modular porous titanium scaffold utilizing a gradient-surface strategy to immobilize QK peptide with a bi-directional gradient, characterized by high peptide density in the interior and low density at both ends. This design can effectively promote cell migration from the scaffold ends toward the interior, thereby enhancing vascularization and osteointegration.

3D printed titanium scaffold has promising applications in orthopedics. However, the bioinert titanium presents challenges for promoting vascularization and tissue growth within the porous scaffold for stable osteointegration. In this study, a modular porous titanium scaffold is created using 3D printing and a gradient-surface strategy to immobilize QK peptide on the surface with a bi-directional gradient distribution. This design featured high peptide density in the interior and low peptide density on both ends, aiming to induce cell migration from ends to interior and subsequently enhance vascularization and osteointegration within the scaffold. In vitro results showed that besides the inherent bioactivity, the gradient distribution of QK positively correlated with endothelial cell migration and promoted angiogenesis. In vivo assay was performed by a segmental bone defect model in rabbit and a spine repair model in sheep. Various staining and Micro-CT results demonstrated that compared to that with uniformly QK-functionalized surface, the scaffold with bi-directional gradient QK-functionalized surface (Ti-G) significantly encouraged new tissue growth toward the interior of the scaffold, subsequently facilitated angiogenesis and osteointegration. This study provides an effective strategy for enhancing the bioactivity of peptide-functionalized scaffolds through the concept of bi-directional gradients, and holds potential for various 3D printed scaffolds.

A multi-elemental synergy strategy for regulating the local electronic structure is applied to create a broad adsorption energy landscape in high-entropy alloy catalysts. This approach enables optimal adsorption and desorption of various intermediates in the multi-step NO3 −-to-NH3 conversion, effectively overcoming energy-scaling limitations for efficient NH3 electrosynthesis.

Electrochemically converting nitrate (NO3 −) to value-added ammonia (NH3) is a complex process involving an eight-electron transfer and numerous intermediates, presenting a significant challenge for optimization. A multi-elemental synergy strategy to regulate the local electronic structure at the atomic level is proposed, creating a broad adsorption energy landscape in high-entropy alloy (HEA) catalysts. This approach enables optimal adsorption and desorption of various intermediates, effectively overcoming energy-scaling limitations for efficient NH3 electrosynthesis. The HEA catalyst achieved a high Faradaic efficiency of 94.5 ± 4.3% and a yield rate of 10.2 ± 0.5 mg h−1 mgcat −1. It also demonstrated remarkable stability over 250 h in an integrated three-chamber device, coupling electrocatalysis with an ammonia recovery unit for continuous NH3 collection. This work elucidates the catalytic mechanisms of multi-functional HEA systems and offers new perspectives for optimizing multi-step reactions by circumventing adsorption-energy scaling limitations.

This work obtains a notable low-field magnetoresistance (1.2 × 103%, 0.1 T) in the layered (NdNiO3) n :NdO films at a high temperature range (190–240 K). Such layered phases raise the tunneling barriers and magnetic fluctuations at high temperatures, where small ferromagnetic domains are embedded in the antiferromagnetic domains. The achievement of such notable LFMR at high temperatures will advance the magnetic devices.

Large low-field magnetoresistance (LFMR, < 1 T), related to the spin-disorder scattering or spin-polarized tunneling at boundaries of polycrystalline manganates, holds considerable promise for the development of low-power and ultrafast magnetic devices. However, achieving significant LFMR typically necessitates extremely low temperatures due to diminishing spin polarization as temperature rises. To address this challenge, one strategy involves incorporating Ruddlesden–Popper structures (ABO3) n :AO, which are layered derivatives of perovskite structure capable of potentially inducing heightened magnetic fluctuations at higher temperatures. Here, a remarkable LFMR of up to 1.0×103% is obtained in the layered (NdNiO3) n :NdO films with a high and wide temperature range (190–240 K). This finding underlines that the layered (NdNiO3) n :NdO (n = 1) structure show a complex magnetic structure above TMI of perovskite NdNiO3, where small ferromagnetic domains are embedded in the antiferromagnetic domains, raising the tunneling barriers and magnetic fluctuations at high temperatures. Furthermore, applying a low magnetic field (<0.1 T) near TMI effectively mitigates the disruption of antiferromagnetic order structures at boundaries, then a higher temperature is required to break the inhibition of ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition. The results contribute significantly to the advancement of magnetic devices capable of achieving substantial LFMR at room temperature.