National Science Review最新文献

Heavy investments, novel institutions and intra-regional ties are fueling the scientific rise of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The crystal-symmetry-paired spin-momentum locking (CSML), arising from the intrinsic crystal symmetry that connects different magnetic sublattices in altermagnets, enables many exotic spintronics properties, such as unconventional piezomagnetism and non-collinear spin currents. However, the shortage of monolayer altermagnets restricts further exploration of dimensionally confined phenomena and applications of nanostructured devices. Here, we propose general chemical design principles inspired by sublattice symmetry of the layered altermagnet V[Formula: see text](Se,Te)[Formula: see text]O through symmetry-preserving structural modification and valence-adaptive chemical substitutions. In total, we construct 2600 candidates across four structural frameworks, M[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and their Janus derivatives. High-throughput calculations identify 612 potential altermagnets with Néel-ordered ground states, among which 79 exhibit CSML Dirac cones that enable spin-polarized ultra-fast transport. These materials also feature different ground-state magnetic orderings and demonstrate diverse electronic behaviors, ranging from semiconductors and metals to half-metals and Dirac semimetals. This work not only reveals abundant monolayer altermagnets, but also establishes a rational principle for their design, opening the gates to the exploration of confined magnetism and spintronics in atomically thin systems.

Simultaneously attaining high energy density and long cycling life remains a critical challenge for aluminum-organic batteries (AOBs) due to low operating voltage, limited active sites and unstable coordination structure of organic cathodes. Herein, we design a multisite super-crosslinked sulfur-heterocyclic polymer cathode. The electronegative sulfur heterocycles can significantly weaken the electron-donating effect, promoting the operating voltage to 2.0 V (average ∼1.7 V), which is a breakthrough for AOBs (<1.5 V for almost all AOBs). Tailoring the linking patterns of polymers to increase active sites can maximize redox activity to 12-electron-transfer, contributing to a high capacity of 150 mAh g^-1. The designed organic cathode achieves 255 Wh kg^-1 energy density, breaking the upper limit of conventional graphite cathodes (∼200 Wh kg^-1). Notably, the weak coordination interaction between C‒S⁺‒C radicals and AlCl₄ ^- carriers ensures structural stability, enabling the battery's excellent low-temperature durability, with almost 100% capacity retention after 12 000 cycles at -20°C.

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) promise high theoretical energy density and inherent safety, but their full capacity delivery is seriously hindered by incomplete sulfur conversion. Here, we propose to exploit deep conversion of S₈ to Li₂S via intermediate Li₂S₂ by using tandem catalysis for high-capacity ASSLSBs, which we demonstrate by cobalt single-atom catalysts anchored on a conductive MXene substrate. In contrast to commonly believed one-step S₈ reduction to Li₂S in ASSLSBs, our results show that tandem catalysis achieves stepwise S₈ reduction to Li₂S via Li₂S₂, during which atomically dispersed Co sites break S-S bonds and the polar MXene surface facilitates Li⁺ diffusion, significantly reducing the sulfur conversion energy barriers. Consequently, the Co@MX-based ASSLSB reserves a high capacity of 1329 mAh g_S ^-1 after 2000 cycles at 2.8 mA cm^-2 at room temperature. This work demonstrates the promise of tandem catalysis for tailoring an all-solid-state sulfur conversion path and exploiting deep sulfur conversion capacity for high-performance ASSLSBs.

The global plastic crisis demands sustainable polymer design and production across the full life cycle. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of biodegradable polyesters produced by microorganisms, provide a representative model for circular material development and applications. This review summarizes advances in microbial chassis engineering, seawater-based Halomonas biomanufacturing, and low-energy downstream processing that together reduce freshwater use, energy input, and process complexity. The structural versatility of PHA supports applications ranging from compostable packaging to long-term biomedical devices. End-of-life options, including biodegradation, anaerobic digestion, and chemical recycling, enable efficient material recovery, and reintegration into natural carbon cycles. Life cycle assessments consistently show reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, fossil-resource dependence, and marine eutrophication relative to conventional plastics. Remaining challenges include lowering production costs, improving material performance, and developing standardized biodegradation and circular-economy frameworks. Integration on synthetic biology, materials science, and industrial ecology help shape design principles for sustainable PHA-based polymer systems.

The development of heavy-atom-free crystalline photosensitizers is highly favorable for practical applications due to their inherent advantages in robustness, facile post-reaction removal, and recyclability. However, achieving such systems with high molar absorptivity (>50 000 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹) and singlet oxygen quantum yields (>70%) remains a critical challenge, as these properties are typically compromised by intermolecular π-π interactions in molecular systems. Herein, we present a donor-acceptor (D-A) molecule featuring a uniquely twisted dual-acceptor backbone (D-A-A-D), achieving both high molar absorptivity and efficient singlet oxygen generation in monomeric solution. Critically, this connection topology facilitates the formation of crystalline nanofibers through CH/π and electrostatic interactions while effectively suppressing π-π stacking. The resulting crystalline nanofibers exhibit exceptional solid-state photophysical properties, including remarkably high molar absorptivity (ε = 53 400 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹) and singlet oxygen quantum yield (∼72%), surpassing even their monomeric forms. These synergistic attributes enable rapid, singlet oxygen-mediated aerobic photo-oxidation of organic substrates (e.g. benzylamines, sulfides). Furthermore, the nanofibers demonstrate excellent photostability and recyclability, retaining catalytic efficiency over at least five consecutive cycles. This work establishes crystalline photosensitizers as a new paradigm for integrating high molar absorptivity, exceptional singlet oxygen generation, and long-term structural durability.

The intensive and irreplaceable consumption of precious metals (PMs) including gold (Au), palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) in the electronic and catalysis industries, coupled with their scarcity in Earth's crust, demand innovative recycling solutions for PM sustainability. However, efforts to recycle PMs from leachates of their waste are frustrated by an unsatisfactory extraction capacity at low concentrations and remain predominantly focused on gold, leaving other PMs largely unexplored. We report the ultrahigh reductive recycling of PM ions and their simultaneous aqueous-phase deposition on semimetallic transition-metal dichalcogenides of TiS₂ and TaS₂ nanosheets_. Notably, TiS₂ shows unprecedentedly high extraction capacities of ∼8, 2.3 and 1.15 g/g for Au, Pd and Pt ions, respectively, and the adsorbed PM ions are directly transformed into nanoparticles deposited on the nanosheets. Mechanistic studies reveal that water-mediated electron donation from the sulfur site of the semimetallic TiS₂ and TaS₂ nanosheets is responsible for the ultrahigh extraction capacity, with a single TiS₂ molecule donating >13 electrons to gold ions. This electron transfer is mediated by the formation of sulfur-oxygen species during water dissociation. We further demonstrate the selective and complete recovery of Au, Pd and Pt from real-world waste streams including electronic waste, spent catalysts and automotive catalytic converters.