Science China Materials最新文献

Metallic glasses (MGs) often suffer from sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction5 (HER) kinetics in neutral and alkaline media, with their catalytic performance predominantly confined to acidic environments. Herein, we reported a novel thermoplastic forming technique to fabricate a self-supported partially crystallized nanoporous Pt_56.2Ni_5.2Cu_16.8P_21.8 metallic glass (C-NPMG). The C-NPMG catalyst delivers ultralow overpotentials of 18.0 mV (0.5 M H₂SO₄), 42.2 mV (1 M KOH), and 88.0 mV (1 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)) at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming most state-of-the-art non-noble MGs and Pt-based benchmarks across all pH conditions. Notably, it maintains negligible performance decay for over 1000 h in alkaline electrolytes, showcasing superior stability. Experimental and computational analyses reveal that the enhanced HER activity arises from three synergistic effects: (1) the high-specific-surface-area nanoporous architecture that maximizes active site exposure; (2) the formation of crystallite-amorphous interfaces during partial crystallization, which lowers the energy barrier for H₂ desorption; (3) the hierarchical super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic wettability of the C-NPMG, which optimizes mass transport and prevents electrolyte-induced corrosion. This work establishes a novel design paradigm for developing high-performance, pH-universal HER electrocatalysts by integrating structural nano-engineering and crystallite-amorphous phase synergy in metallic glass systems to overcome the trade-offs between performance and stability in electrochemical water splitting.

With the continuous advancement of bionanomaterial technology, the design and fabrication strategies of biomimetic nanocarriers have undergone significant strategic transformations and innovations. This article systematically reviews the evolution from single-cell membrane nanovesicles to hybrid cell membrane nanovesicles integrating multiple cell membranes, culminating in cell membrane hybrid lipid nanoparticles (CM-LNPs) combining natural cell membranes or membrane proteins with engineered synthetic phospholipids. This technological progression enables the synergistic retention of multicellular biological functions and the incorporation of advantageous synthetic material properties, such as enhanced engineering flexibility and surface modifiability. Additionally, the article discusses the advantages and limitations of traditional extrusion and ultrasonication methods in the preparation of cell membrane nanovesicles, highlights the benefits and development prospects of novel microfluidic techniques in the preparation of CM-LNPs, and explores the future application prospects and challenges of CM-LNPs in the biomedical field.

High-density glass has emerged as a viable alternative for next-generation scintillation applications owing to its exceptional physical and chemical stability, in addition to its cost-effectiveness. A series of Ce³⁺-activated gadolinium gallium borosilicate (GGBS_x) glass scintillators was synthesized via vacuum melt-quenching. With the Gd₂O₃ content increases, both the density (5.86 to 6.05 g/cm³) and molar volume (36.43 to 39.79 cm³/mol) exhibit a steady increase. The structural characteristics of the glass system were elucidated through extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. GGBS₁ glass exclusively includes Ce³⁺, which adopts a hexahedral [CeO₆] configuration, whereas Gd exhibits both hexahedral and octahedral coordination configurations, characterized by a bond length of 2.35±0.1 Å and a σ² of 0.0122±0.0015 Ų. In addition, as the Gd₂O₃ content grows, the shallow trap depth escalates from 0.804 to 0.858 eV, whereas the deep trap depth initially ascends from 0.948 to 1.434 eV before subsequently declining to 1.010 eV. The GGBS₁ glass exhibits a high transmittance of around 80% in the visible range and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 78.4%. Under X-ray irradiation, GGBS₁ glass demonstrates a maximum X-ray excited luminescence intensity of 128.5% compared with the Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) crystal, while its spatial resolution attains 29.1 lp/mm, nearing the greatest value recorded for glass scintillators. Furthermore, the glass exhibits a light yield of 1058 photons/MeV with an energy resolution of 23.7% at 662 keV under γ-ray excitation. These studies indicate that GGBS₁ glass scintillator warrants further advancement for potential applications.

This study presents a rational construction of a directional charge transfer system based on a GO/MXene/UiO-66 (GM/UiO-66) ternary heterojunction for the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. The internal electric field formed at the heterointerface drives anisotropic migration of photogenerated charges, thereby achieving rapid separation of electron–hole pairs and suppressing interfacial charge recombination. Moreover, the intrinsic defect structure of GO provides key sites for N₂ adsorption and activation, while the π-π interactions between GO and UiO-66 further accelerate the movement of photogenerated electrons. In addition, the Schottky junction between UiO-66 and MXene promotes the transfer of holes (h⁺). The introduction of GO and MXene enhances the absorption of visible light in UiO-66. Under laboratory-simulated solar illumination, the NH₃ generation rate of GM/UiO-66 is 1.9 times that of pristine UiO-66 (25.1 vs. 13.5 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). This work offers a novel strategy for designing ternary heterojunction composites that enhance photocatalytic performance by optimizing charge transfer.

Injectable hydrogels formed via dynamic chemical crosslinks hold great promise as drug delivery platforms due to their robust yet adaptable nature, stimuli-responsiveness, and tunable structures and properties. However, their inherently high water content poses a significant challenge for the efficient encapsulation and sustained release of hydrophobic drugs. Here, we present a novel injectable hydrogel system constructed via a strain-promoted disulfide-thiol exchange between dithiolane-functionalized polymer strands and thiolated core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) under physiological conditions. The hydrophobic core and hydrophilic shell structure of the NPs enables effective loading and protection of hydrophobic drugs, while rapid gelation occurs upon mixing the thiolated NPs with dithiolane-polymers in phosphate-buffered saline. The hydrogel shows excellent injectability, self-healing capability, in vitro biodegradability, and cytocompatibility. This hydrogel system enables sustained release of hydrophobic drugs over 32 days in aqueous media and supports sequential dual-drug release. Its redox-responsiveness under tumor-mimicking reducing conditions, enabled by the disulfide crosslinks, further facilitates controlled intracellular drug release. This multi-component platform offers a versatile strategy for designing advanced injectable hydrogels with potential applications in hydrophobic drug delivery and other biomedical fields.

Irreversible sodium loss, primarily caused by solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation during initial cycling, significantly degrades the capacity of sodium-ion batteries by depleting active sodium. While pre-sodiation mitigates initial sodium loss, it fails to address continuous loss throughout the battery lifecycle. To overcome this limitation, we propose a sustained sodium compensation strategy utilizing activation-releasing systems. Key to this approach are high-capacity sodium compensators, Na₂C₂O₄ and Na₂C₄O₄, supported on a B and N co-doped Mo₂C-W₂C (MoW-C) heterostructure catalyst. This configuration enables efficient sodium release at charging voltages of 3.53 and 3.78 V, respectively. By integrating the sodium supplement agent onto the separator, and precisely controlling voltage and charge, multiple sodium replenishment is achieved over the entire battery lifecycle. This strategy reduces initial active sodium loss by 36.53%. Furthermore, a single activation during subsequent usage provides an additional 0.115 mAh cm⁻² of active sodium. As a result, the cell exhibits exceptional cycling stability, with a capacity loss of only 0.059% per cycle over 350 cycles at 0.5 C.

Halide perovskite memristors, known for their ion mobility, have emerged as strong candidates for computational units in next-generation memory and neuromorphic computing systems. Nevertheless, most memristors are limited to operating in a single mode, either resistive switching or threshold switching. In this work, we overcome this limitation by developing dual-mode α-formamidinium lead triiodide (α-FAPbI₃) perovskite memristors with switchable volatile/nonvolatile states, enabled by engineered SnO₂ electron transport layers (ETLs). Through molecular interface optimization using 3-(N,N′-dimethylmyristylammonio) propanesulfonate (Z14) and 4,4′-(1,10-phenanthroline-3,8-diyl)bis (N,N′-bis(4-methoxyphen-yl)aniline) (PNL), we achieved exceptional device stability. Volatile devices exhibited >500 switching cycles, while nonvolatile devices surpassed 1000 cycles, both maintaining a high on/off ratio (∼10³). Beyond memory applications, these devices successfully emulated biological functionalities. The volatile mode replicated four key nociceptor characteristics (threshold, relaxation, sensitization, and no adaptation), while the nonvolatile mode demonstrated advanced synaptic plasticity, including paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) and spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Capitalizing on this dual-mode synergy, we constructed a spiking neural network (SNN) for handwritten digit recognition, achieving a 93% accuracy rate—a significant milestone for perovskite-based neuromorphic systems. This study not only provides a material-level strategy for multifunctional memristor design but also bridges the gap between biological sensing and artificial intelligence, paving the way for adaptive neuromorphic hardware.

The premature decay of electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) performance at low electrode potentials remains a major obstacle to practical applications, which is primarily attributed to the competition from the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). A new paradigm capable of transcending current selectivity constraints is urgently required to advance eNRR toward industrial implementation. In this work, we propose two practical selectivity descriptors (ΔΔG and ΔU) based on a systematic investigation of the potential-dependent competition between eNRR and HER on confined dual-atom catalysts. The descriptor (DeltaDelta G,(Delta G_{{rm{N}}_{2}}-Delta G_{{rm{H}}})) identifies the potential range where N₂ adsorption dominates over H adsorption, while ΔU (U_cross − U_eNRR) specifies the potential range to trigger direct eNRR, offering a quantitative benchmark for rational catalyst design. Ideal catalysts should maintain N₂-preferential adsorption across a broad potential window to facilitate direct eNRR. Guided by this insight, we demonstrate that confined dual-atom configurations with optimized interatomic distances can simultaneously achieve both overwhelming N₂ adsorption and sufficient activation, thereby overcoming the conventional selectivity limitations. This strategy enables ammonia synthesis with industrially relevant production rates and current density even at elevated potentials. Our mechanistic insights not only elucidate the root causes of performance limitations in eNRR but also offer a rational design framework for developing high-performance catalysts across a broad range of electrochemical transformations.

Eco-friendly aqueous zinc batteries can replace lead-acid batteries in scenarios that balance safety and energy density. However, the synergistic deterioration between structural collapse and kinetic failure of zinc anodes at high discharge depth and high current densities restricts the actual energy and power densities. Herein, we propose a strategy for the in situ integration of double-layer topological chitosan framework (D-CTS) on current collectors by regulating phase separation kinetics during multistage coordination-neutralization electrophoresis. The vertical through-hole array is formed by the coupling of instantaneous and delayed phase separation. Then, the columnar zinc array is mediated by D-CTS to construct the integrated component (D-CTS-Zn) of a vertical through-hole separator and array anode. The embedded interconnected nanonetworks within the through-hole wall enable the dynamic equilibrium of the columnar zinc array by a lateral ion compensation mechanism. As a result, the Zn∥Zn symmetric cell with D-CTS-Zn stably cycles over 3000 cycles at 200 mA cm⁻² under 60% discharge depth. The assembled D-CTS-Zn∥MnO₂ battery delivers an energy density of 83 Wh kg⁻¹ at an ultrahigh power density of 9.25 kW kg⁻¹. This work provides a constructive strategy for chitosan phase separation regulation and separator-induced reversible metal array anodes.

In composites with specific structures, rational regulation of the structure and distribution of reinforcing phases is shown to enhance both strength and ductility. Typical structures such as network, layered, and columnar structures have proven to be effective in improving the strength and ductility of the composites. However, issues such as narrow size ranges, uneven distribution, and weak interfacial bonding of the reinforcements have resulted in the performance of the composite not being fully exploited. Here, we present a bioinspired multi-scale heterogeneous layered composite (MHLC) that achieves an optimal balance between strength and ductility. This heterogeneous layered structure is composed of alternately stacking Cu-Ti layers and GNPs/Cu layers, where the Cu-Ti layer contains uniformly distributed plate-like β-Cu₄Ti intermetallic compounds, and the GNPs/Cu layer contains layered graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). Additionally, the size, distribution, and shape of the reinforcements can be adjusted through heat treatment and cold rolling, thereby achieving a balance between strength and ductility. Molecular dynamics simulation and finite element simulation were conducted to investigate the structural evolution of β-Cu₄Ti and the influence of the reinforcements on tensile properties, respectively. Our results provide important references for exploring the potential of multi-scale heterogeneous layered structures in enhancing the strength and ductility of the composites.