Energy conversion and storage devices are highly desirable for the sustainable development of human society. Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites have shown great potential in energy conversion devices including solar cells and photodetectors. However, its potential in energy storage has seldom been explored. Here the crystal structure and electrical properties of the 2D hybrid perovskite (benzylammonium)2PbBr4 (PVK-Br) are investigated, and the consecutive ferroelectric-I (FE1) to ferroelectric-II (FE2) then to antiferroelectric (AFE) transitions that are driven by the orderly alignment of benzylamine and the distortion of [PbBr6] octahedra are found. Furthermore, accompanied by field-induced AFE to FE transition near room temperature, a large energy storage density of ≈1.7 J cm−3 and a wide working temperature span of ≈70 K are obtained; both of which are among the best in hybrid AFEs. This good energy storage performance is attributed to the large polarization of ≈7.6 µC cm−2 and the high maximum electric field of over 1000 kV cm−1, which, as revealed by theoretical calculations, originate from the cooperative coupling between the [PbBr6] octahedral framework and the benzylamine molecules. The research clarifies the discrepancy in the phase transition character of PVK-Br and shed light on developing high-performance energy storage devices based on 2D hybrid perovskite.

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence (AI), the requirement for sensing technologies for smart bearings has increased dramatically. The general bearing sensors can only recognize the basic information from temperature or vibration, far from satisfying the self-diagnosis and self-maintenance. Recently, self-powered sensing technologies based on triboelectric nanogenerators have paved a new route for fabricating smart bearings. In this study, the triboelectric principle is applied to a commercial metal-polymer plain bearing (MPPB) bearing, which can achieve self-sensing, self-diagnosis, and self-maintenance. The geometrical structure of the triboelectric MPPB (T-MPPB) is designed to balance the output efficiency and external load, and the super durability and load capability are verified. Besides, the mechanism behind the output change trend under boundary and hydrostatic fluid lubrication is revealed for the first time. Furthermore, the deep learning algorithm can classify the lubrication states with highly accurate performance. The proposed T-MPPB has the potential to achieve self-maintenance with the lubricating pump according to the lubrication condition classified by the AI. This research not only establishes the feasibility of designing self-powered smart MPPB but also demonstrates a way for identifying lubrication states, thus achieving self-diagnosis and self-maintenance ability by self-powered sensors.

Flexible conductive materials capable of simulating transparent ocean organisms have garnered interest in underwater motion monitoring and covert communication applications. However, the creation of underwater flexible conductors that possess mechanical robustness, adhesion, and self-healing properties remains a challenge. Herein, hydrophobic interaction is combined with electrostatic interaction to obtain a solvent-free transparent poly(ionic liquid) elastomer (PILE) fabricated using soft acrylate monomers and acrylate ionic liquids. The synergy of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions can eliminate the hydration of water molecules underwater, giving the PILE adjustable fracture strength, good elasticity, high stretchability, high toughness, fatigue resistance, underwater self-healing ability, underwater adhesion, and ionic conductivity. As a result, the transparent iontronic sensor generated from the PILE can achieve multifunctional sensing and human motion detection with high sensitivity and stability. In particular, the sensor can also transmit information underwater through stretching, pressing, and non-contact modes, demonstrating its huge potential in underwater flexible iontronic devices.

Recyclable conjugated polymers are important for realizing eco-friendly electronics with advantages of solution processability and flexibility. A recyclable conjugated polymer, PY-TIP is developed, of which a key monomer is successfully extracted via a mild depolymerization process and is reused for the synthesis of novel conjugated polymers. One-shot preparation of polymer acceptor and its bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) is demonstrated from the recycled monomer, Y5-TA, for the first time and the resulting BHJ film shows optimal nanoscale morphology for efficient charge generation and transport. As a result, the solar cells prepared using the BHJ film show a higher efficiency of 13.08% and much improved thermal and mechanical stability compared with those based on the small molecular acceptor. These results are important in that the various polymers can be prepared from the recycled monomer in a solid state without organic solvents and purification step and this strategy is effective for improving the thermal and mechanical stability of the BHJ film as well as achieving high photovoltaic performance. PY-TIP is exemplary in that it can reproduce its monomer which can be used to synthesize conjugated polymers with novel chemical structures and physical properties. This work provides a design guideline for developing recyclable conjugated polymers with dynamic covalent bonds.

Non-destructive and reversible modulations of polarity and carrier concentration in transistors are essential for complementary devices. The fabricated multi-gated WSe2 devices obtain dynamic electrostatic field induced electrically configurable functions and demonstrate as diode with high rectification ratio of 4.1 × 105, as well as n- and p-type inverter with voltage gain of 19.9 and 12.1, respectively. Benefiting from the continuous band alignment induced modulation of channel underneath the dual gates, the devices exhibit high-performance photodetection in wide spectral range. The devices yield high photo-responsivity (5.16 A W−1) and large Ilight/Idark ratio (1 × 105). Besides, the local gate fields accelerate the separation of photo-induced carriers, leading to fast response without persistent current. This strategy takes the advantage of the simplified design and continues to deliver integrated circuits with high density. The superior electrical and photodetection characteristics exhibit great potency in the domain of future optoelectronics.

Phosphorus exhibits high capacity and low redox potential, making it a promising anode material for future sodium-ion batteries. However, its practical applications are confined by poor durability and sluggish kinetics. Herein, an innovative in-situ electrochemically self-driven strategy is presented to embed phosphorus nanocrystal (≈10 nm) into a Fe-N-C-rich 3D carbon framework (P/Fe-N-C). This strategy enables rapid and high-capacity sodium ion storage. Through a combination of experimental assistance and theoretical calculations, a novel synergistic catalytic mechanism of Fe-N-C is reasonably proposed. In detail, the electrochemical formation of Fe-N-C catalytic sites facilitates the release of fluorine in ester-based electrolyte, inducing Na+-conducting-enhanced solid-electrolyte interphase. Furthermore, it also effectively induces the dissociation energy of the P-P bond and promotes the reaction kinetics of P anode. As a result, the unconventional P/Fe-N-C anode demonstrates outstanding rate-capability (267 mAh g−1 at 100 A g−1) and cycling stability (72%, 10 000 cycles). Notably, the assembled pouch cell achieves high-energy density of 220 Wh kg−1.

Photonic structures designed at sub-wavelength scales have emerged as a promising avenue for various energy applications, including cooling devices, water harvesting, photovoltaics, and personal thermal management, which have significantly transformed the global energy landscape. Particularly, flexible photonic radiative cooling films, which facilitate heat dissipation from surfaces by emitting it into outer space via infrared radiation, have achieved great progress in recent years. In this review, the different approaches used to design photonic structures for manipulating solar reflectance and optimizing thermal emittance are summarized. On this basis, this review discusses advancements in flexible radiative cooling films that have been meticulously adhere to these design principles, alongside their cooling effects over recent years. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of the progress is presented in the photonic integration with new functionality and the fabrication techniques of photonic structures. Lastly, this review highlights the remarkable potential of radiative coolers in various fields. In prospect, the widespread adoption of flexible photonic radiative cooling films holds immense promise for diverse applications.

The inferior shuttle effect of intermediate lithium polysulfides and the sluggish kinetics of sulfur redox reaction are two serious puzzles for the application of lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, energy band alignment is combined with oxygen vacancies engineering to obtain TiO2 anatase/rutile homojunction (A/R-TiO2) with effective immobilization and high-efficiency catalytic conversion of polysulfides. Theoretical calculations and experiments reveal that the near perfect energy band alignment in A/R-TiO2 is conducive to fluent charge transfer and high catalytic activity, while the rich oxygen vacancies are engineered to provide abundant active sites for anchoring and accelerating conversion of soluble polysulfides. As a result, a battery with A/R-TiO2-modified separator delivers a marked sulfur utilization (1210 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 689 mAh g−1 at 1 C, 3.75 mg cm−2) and a high capacity retention of 63% over 300 cycles at 0.5 C (3.25 mg cm−2). More importantly, the A/R-TiO2-modified separator endows the pouch cell with a high capacity of 128.5 mAh at 0.05 C with a lean electrolyte/sulfur ratio for practical application (S loading: 4 mg cm−2).

Tumor adaptation-originated tumor tolerance that compensatory mechanisms (e.g., isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation) jointly shape is the dominant obstacle of ROS therapy. Currently, targeting a single pathway fails to fundamentally reverse the complex milieu and diminish tumor adaptation. Herein, a multichannel sonocatalysis amplifier is engineered via one-pot gas diffusion method to attenuate IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma plasticity and tolerance to ROS therapy, wherein triptolide and IR780 are co-loaded in DSPE-mPEG-modified CaCO3 nanoparticles. Triptolide can blockade Nrf2 to cut off glutathione biosynthesis via blockading proteomic communication, and disrupt redox homeostasis to potentiate IR780-mediated sonocatalytic ROS production. ROS-induced mitochondria damages disrupt Ca2+ homeostasis and in turn aggravate ROS accumulation, which cooperates with sonocatalysis and Nrf2 blockade to reprogram mitochondrial energy and substance metabolism (e.g., adenosine triphosphatase and glutathione), hinder DNA self-repair, and impair IDH1-mutation-asired tolerance. Systematic experiments support that these actions in such multichannel sonocatalysis amplifiers indeed disrupt Ca2+/redox homeostasis to disarm robust tumor plasticity and IDH1-mutation-induced tolerance to sonocatalysis therapy against IDH1-mutated cholangiocarcinoma progression. Briefly, the sonocatalysis amplifiers pave a comprehensive avenue to reprogram tumor metabolism, target tumor vulnerability, and attenuate tumor plasticity against genomic instability-raised treatment adaptation.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) based memristor presents intriguing chance for the implementation bio-inspired artificial synapse and neural interactions. However, the electrical properties of intrinsic MoS2 single-crystal film suffer from inevitable lattice defects or structure vacancies as well as restraining reliable resistive switching mechanism. Here, a fundamental study on tunable p-type doping in MoS2 film by controllable oxygen passivation is reported. In situ KPFM measurements reveal a near-linear increase in Fermi-level energy. The TiN/O-MoS2 memristor exhibits surprising bipolar switching feature, revealing an interesting transition between rectification-mediated and conduction-mediated characteristics by means of controllable surficial oxygen kinetics. The resistive window demonstrates nearly symmetric SET and RESET domain and capability to analog programming conductance. Moreover, based on the MoS2 memristor, the accuracy up to 94% for MINST recognition ensures the implementation of neural network and LTP/LTD behaviors. This as-prepared memristor is capable of mimicking synaptic feature through regulated resistive mechanics and electrode contact interaction, which can be an up-and-coming strategy for bio-realistic electronics.

The initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of electrode materials is closely related to the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, some promising electrode materials for next generation LIBs suffer from low ICE, which inevitably hinders their practical application. Among the discovered modified strategies for LIBs, electrolyte optimization has attracted extensive attention due to its facile operation process. Herein, the role of ICE in LIBs is first analyzed. Subsequently, the recent progress on effective electrolyte optimization strategies for boosting ICE in LIB is summarized (including the optimization of lithium salt, salt concentration, solvent, and electrolyte additive). Finally, future research directions of electrolyte optimization for boosting ICE are proposed. This review provides valuable guidance for developing advanced electrolyte for LIBs.

By virtue of remarkable biocompatibility and their promising applications in biomedical fields, biomass-regenerated fibers, such as wool keratin fiber and cellulose fiber, have attracted extensive attention. However, the insufficient mechanical performance still hinders their yarn manufacturing capability and further large-scale applications. Herein, an ultra-strong and ultra-tough regenerated wool keratin fiber by regulating keratin conformation with high-quality small-size graphene (HQSGr) and mechanical training treatment (M-HQSGr-RWKF) is fabricated. With the assistance of mechanical training, a small addition of HQSGr (0.1 wt.%) remarkably augments the secondary structure transition from α-helix to β-sheet of the keratin, which delivers a tensile strength of 215.4 ± 5.2 MPa, surpassing all reported natural wool and regenerated wool or even poultry fibers. Benefiting from the excellent mechanical strength, wet-state toughness (158.9 MJ m−3), and recoverable strain (205.0%), M-HQSGr-RWKF has been demonstrated as a biocompatible artificial muscle to drive the biomimetic motion, which manifests ultrahigh actuation strain greater than 100.0% and stress of 16.7 MPa. The derived ultra-strong and ultra-tough keratin fiber opens a new avenue for developing smart fiber from biomass resources.

Owing to low-power, fast and highly adaptive operability, as well as scalability, electrochemical random-access memory (ECRAM) technology is one of the most promising approaches for neuromorphic computing based on artificial neural networks. Despite recent advances, practical implementation of ECRAMs remains challenging due to several limitations including high write noise, asymmetric weight updates, and insufficient dynamic ranges. Here, inspired by similarities in structural and functional requirements between electrochromic devices and ECRAMs, high-performance, single-transistor and neuromorphic devices based on electrochromic polymers (ECPs) are demonstrated. To effectively translate electrochromism into electrochemical ion memory in polymers, this study systematically investigates polymer–ion interactions, redox activity, mixed ionic–electronic conduction, and stability of ECPs both experimentally and computationally using select electrolytes. The best-performing ECP-electrolyte combination is then implemented into an ECRAM device to further explore synaptic plasticity behaviors. The resulting ECRAM exhibits high linearity and symmetric conductance modulation, high dynamic range (≈1 mS or ≈6x), and high training accuracy (>84% within five training cycles on a standard image recognition dataset), comparable to existing state-of-the-art ECRAMs. This study offers a promising approach to discover and design novel polymer materials for organic ECRAMs and demonstrates potential applications, taking advantage of mature knowledge basis on electrochromic materials and devices.

As the most extensive natural energy on earth, ocean wave energy is regarded as a difficult energy to be fully and efficiently utilized because of its low frequency and multi-direction movement. Herein, a versatile blue energy triboelectric nanogenerator (VBE-TENG) fabricated by using dual-mode output terminals with charge excitation strategy is reported, which can harvest varying water-wave energy effectively. Benefiting from the rolling ball on a specific track and the compression rebound characteristics of a spring sheet steel, the carrier can be driven along a specific path through random ocean wave energy, and then the energy is converted into electricity by VBE-TENG. A high peak output power of 34.3 mW is obtained, 2.5 times as much as that of current highest record based on a device unit in blue energy TENG. In addition, the TENG can light 256 LEDs and continuously power commercial electronic devices in wave environments. The average peak voltage of contact-separation TENG is converted into virtual signal via Labview software to provide wave height monitoring as a self-powered sensing system. This work provides a new approach in blue energy TENG toward practical applications.

Local optical field modulation using plasmonic materials or photonic crystals provides a powerful strategy for enhancing upconversion emission of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs). However, it is restricted to static UC enhancement and the corresponding dynamic modulation of UC is yet to be reported, limiting its practical applications in information devices. Here, a dynamic UC modulation system is reported through electric stimulation by integrating UCNPs with electrically sensitive WO3−x plasmonic photonic crystals (PPCs). The tunable emission enhancement of UCNPs varying from five to 26 folds is achieved in WO3−x PPCs/UCNPs hybrids through external electric stimulation within +1.6 and −1.6 V. It stems from the reversible control of the photonic bandgaps and localized surface plasmon resonance of WO3−x PPCs, ascribed to the variation of refractive index and oxygen vacancy of WO3−x, induced by the reversible change of atomic ratio of W5+ to W6+ under different applied voltages. Moreover, the electrically triggered information encryption devices are developed, employing a programmable logic gate array based on WO3−x PPCs/UCNPs with the ability to convert information-encrypted electrical signals into visible patterns. These observations offer a new attempt to manipulate the UC and will simulate the new applications in the display and optical storage devices.

It is possible to remove volatile organic compounds containing chlorine (CVOCs, such as chlorobenzene) in a single device designed for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 for the industries containing CVOCs and NOx. Breaking the efficiency-selectivity trade-off in chlorobenzene oxidation remains a major challenge due to the conjugation of halogen atoms with the benzene ring and the reducing nature of NH3. A stepwise synthesis strategy is demontrated to disperse dual Ru/Cu Lewis acid sites outside and inside the zeolite channel. Under the confinement of zeolite, the Ru4+ Lewis acid site on the external surface of the zeolite promotes chlorobenzene oxidation by weakening the p-π conjugate structure of Cl and benzene ring, while the Cu2+ Lewis acid site within the internal channel converts NOx and NH3 to N2. The mutual interference between catalytic oxidation and reduction is successfully avoided. Therefore, the low toxic CO2 and HCl selectivity experience a considerable increase from 21% to 86%, and from 51% to 94% with 91% conversion of chlorobenzene, while maintaining excellent elimination performance for NO (with N2 selectivity exceeding 90%). The incorporation of separated active sites and reaction spaces into the design may offer potentials for other energy and environmental applications.

Actively tuning quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC) has emerged as a prominent theme in nanophotonics due to its tailored light–matter interaction. However, the practical controllable q-BIC metadevices still exhibit critical challenges for achieving convenient tuning in the visible regime with strong reversibility and large-area implementation. Herein, an immersion-triggered tuning approach is demonstrated for switchable q-BIC in the visible regime using 1.5D metagratings. Moreover, by employing the water as the trigger, active q-BIC-based optical information encryption is demonstrated due to the spectra alternation. In addition, the proposed q-BIC is insensitive to incident angles regarding quality factor, resonant wavelength, and modulation depth (MD). This immersion-triggered strategy for q-BIC offers a practical tuning approach for achieving dynamic switchable optical functionalities, with potential applications in metasurface-empowered active q-BIC optical devices.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been proposed as novel fillers for constructing polymer solid electrolytes based composite electrolytes. However, MOFs are generally used as passive fillers, in-depth revealing the binding mode between MOFs and polyethylene oxide (PEO), the critical role of MOFs in facilitating Li+ transport in solid electrolytes is full of challenges. Herein, inspired by density functional theory (DFT) the 2D-MOF with rich unsaturated metal coordination sites that can bind the O atom in PEO through the metal–oxygen bond, anchor TFSI− to release Li+, resulting in a remarkable Li+ transference number of 0.58, is reported according well with the experimental results and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Impressively, after the introduction of the 2D-MOF, the Li+ can rapidly hop along the benzene ring center within the 2D-MOF plane, and the interface between the benzene ring and PEO can also serve as a fast Li+ migration pathway, delivering multiple ion-transport channels, which present a high ion conductivity of 4.6 × 10−5 S cm−1 (25 °C). The lithium symmetric battery is stable for 1300 h at 60 °C, 0.1 mA cm−2. The assembled lithium metal solid state battery maintains high capacity of 162.8 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 60 °C and 0.5 C. This multiple ion-transport channels approach brings new ideas for designing advanced solid electrolytes.

Optical devices based on alloying semiconductors offer a plethora of new possibilities for detection across a broad spectrum. Among these devices, nanowire-based devices have gained much attention due to their remarkable specific surface area properties in terms of material synthesis, device structure, and performance. In this work, (BixIn1−x)2S3 nanowires are designed by controlling the ratio of Bi and In atoms. The atomic ratio directly affects the electronic band structure of the crystal, thereby further optimizing the performance of optoelectronic devices. According to the experimental results, Bi1.28In0.72S3 nanowire-based photodetectors obtain the most excellent photoresponse performance. The typical device demonstrates a spectral response from deep ultraviolet (DUV 254 nm) to near-infrared (NIR 1064 nm) and achieves a maximum dichroic ratio of photoresponse of 1.5 under polarization-angle-sensitive detection in the 266–808 nm range. It also exhibits a photoresponse of 10.1 A W−1 and a photodetectivity of 5.7 × 1010 Jones under 532 nm light irradiation. Additionally, the photodetector displays a fast response speed with a rise/fall time of 5/4.7 ms. Finally, “CSU” and puppy images produced by this device further demonstrate the effectiveness of alloying semiconductors in creating wide-spectrum, high-responsivity, fast-response, and polarimetric-sensitive photodetectors.

Untethered soft fiber actuators are advancing toward next-generation artificial muscles, with rotating polymer fibers allowing controlled rotational deformations and contractions accompanied by torque and longitudinal forces. Current approaches, however, are based either on non-recyclable and non-reprogrammable thermosets, exhibit rotational deformations and torques with inadequate actuation performance, or involve intricate multistep processing and photopolymerization impeding scalable fabrication and manufacturing of millimeter-thick fibers. Here, the melt-extrusion and drawing of a 50 m long thermoplastic liquid crystal elastomer fiber with a ≈1.3 mm diameter on a large scale is reported. With the responsive thermoplastic material, rotating actuators are fabricated via easily exploited programming freedom resulting in large, reversible rotational deformations and torques. The actuation performance of the twisted fibers may be controlled by the programmed twisting density without complicated preparation steps or photocuring being required. The thermoplastic behavior enables fabrication of plied fibers, demonstrated as a triple helical twisted rope constructed from individual rotating fibers delivering up to three times as great rotational and longitudinal forces capable of reversibly opening and lifting a screw cap vial. Besides the programmability, the thermoplastic material employed lends itself to be completely reprocessed into other configurations with self-healing properties in contrast to thermosets.