Mechanically Tunable Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Liquid Crystal-Templated Chiral Perovskite Quantum Dots.

Endowing perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) offers great promise for innovative chiroptical applications, but the existing strategies are inefficient in acquiring stimuli-responsive flexible chiral perovskite films with large, tunable dissymmetry factor (g) and long-term stability. Here, we report a strategy for the design and synthesis of luminescent cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer (Lumin-CLCE) films with mechanically tunable CPL, which is enabled by liquid crystal-templated chiral self-assembly and in situ covalent cross-linking of judiciously designed photopolymerizable CsPbX (X=Cl, Br, I) PQD nanomonomers into the elastic polymer networks. The resulting Lumin-CLCE films showcase circularly polarized structural color in natural light and noticeable CPL with a maximum g value of up to 1.

Pt-Modified High Entropy Rare Earth Oxide for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution in pH-Universal Environments.

The development of efficient and stable catalysts for hydrogen production from electrolytic water in a wide pH range is of great significance in alleviating the energy crisis. Herein, Pt nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on the vacancy of high entropy rare earth oxides (HEREOs) were prepared for the first time for highly efficient hydrogen production by water electrolysis. The prepared Pt-(LaCeSmYErGdYb)O showed excellent electrochemical performances, which require only 12, 57, and 77 mV to achieve a current density of 100 mA cm in 0.

In Situ Observation of Solvent-Mediated Cyclic Intermediates during the Alkene Epoxidation/Hydration over a Ti-Beta/HO System.

Solvent effects in catalytic reactions have received widespread attention as they can promote reaction rates and product selectivities by orders of magnitude. It is well accepted that the stable five-membered cyclic intermediates formed between the solvent molecules and Ti species are crucial to the alkene epoxidation in a heterogeneous Ti(IV)-HO system. However, the direct spectroscopic evidence of these intermediates is still missing and the corresponding reaction pathway for the alkene epoxidation remains unclear.

What is the Limit Size of 2D Conjugated Extension on Central Units of Small Molecular Acceptors in Organic Solar Cells?

2D conjugated extension on central units of small molecular acceptors (SMAs) has gained great successes in reaching the state-of-the-art organic photovoltaics. Whereas the limit size of 2D central planes and their dominant role in constructing 3D intermolecular packing networks are still elusive. Thus, by exploring a series of SMAs with gradually enlarged central planes, it is demonstrated that, at both single molecular and aggerated levels, there is an unexpected blue-shift for their film absorption but preferable reorganization energies, exciton lifetimes and binding energies with central planes enlarging, especially when comparing to their Y6 counterpart.

Humidity-Induced Self-Oscillating and Self-Healing Hypercrosslinked Metal-Organic Polyhedra Membranes.

Designing autonomously oscillating materials is highly desirable for emerging smart material fields but challenging. Herein, a type of hypercrosslinked metal-organic polyhedra (HCMOPs) membranes formed by covalent crosslinking of boronic acid-modified Zr-based MOPs with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are rationally designed. In these membranes, MOPs serve as high-connectivity nodes and provide dynamic borate bonds with PVA in hypercrosslinked networks, which can be broken/formed reversibly upon the stimulus of water vapor.

Long-cycling and High-voltage Solid State Lithium Metal Batteries Enabled by Fluorinated and Crosslinked Polyether Electrolytes.

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (LMBs), constructed through the in situ fabrication of polymer electrolytes, are considered a critical strategy for the next-generation battery systems with high energy density and enhanced safety. However, the constrained oxidation stability of polymers, such as the extensively utilized polyethers, limits their applications in high-voltage batteries and further energy density improvements. Herein, an in situ fabricated fluorinated and crosslinked polyether-based gel polymer electrolyte, FGPE, is presented, exhibiting a high oxidation potential (5.

A Novel Homoconjugated Propellane Triimide: Synthesis, Structural Analyses, and Gas Separation.

Rigid three-dimensional (3D) polycyclic propellanes have garnered interest due to their unique conformational spaces, which display great potential use in selectivity, separation and as models to study through-space electronic interactions. Herein we report the synthesis of a novel rigid propellane, trinaphtho[3.3.

Simple-Structured Acceptor with Highly Interconnected Electron-Transport Pathway Enables High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells.

Achieving desirable charge-transport highway is of vital importance for high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, it is shown how molecular packing arrangements can be regulated via tuning the alkyl-chain topology, thus resulting in a 3D network stacking and highly interconnected pathway for electron transport in a simple-structured nonfused-ring electron acceptor (NFREA) with branched alkyl side-chains. As a result, a record-breaking power conversion efficiency of 17.

Recent Advances on Stretchable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries for Wearable Electronics.

The rapid development of wearable electronics has stimulated the pursuit of advanced stretchable power sources. As a promising candidate, stretchable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), have attracted unprecedented attention owing to their intrinsic safety, low cost, environmental benignity, and high performance, and can be endowed with additional functionalities to broaden the applications of wearable electronics. Here, a comprehensive review on the latest advances of stretchable AZIBs is presented.

Constructing a Stable Integrated Silicon Electrode with Efficient Lithium Storage Performance through Multidimensional Structural Design.

Silicon (Si) stands out as a highly promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, its low intrinsic conductivity and the severe volume changes during the lithiation/delithiation process adversely affect cycling stability and hinder commercial viability. Rational design of electrode architecture to enhance charge transfer and optimize stress distribution of Si is a transformative way to enhance cycling stability, which still remains a great challenge.

Regulating the Electronic Structure of Metal-Organic Frameworks by Introducing Mn for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Activity.

The construction of low-cost and highly efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalysts is paramount for clean and sustainable hydrogen energy. In recent years, metal-organic framework (MOF) OER electrocatalysts have attracted tremendous research attention. Herein, we report a simple and facile strategy to construct bimetallic MOFs (named CoMn) for enhancing OER catalytic performance.

Biocompatible Silica-Coated Europium-Doped CsPbBr Nanoparticles with Luminescence in Water for Zebrafish Bioimaging.

Cesium lead halide (CsPbX, X = Br, Cl, and I) nanocrystals (NCs) are widely concerned and applied in many fields due to the excellent photoelectric performance. However, the toxicity of Pb and the loss of luminescence in water limit its application in vivo. A stable perovskite nanomaterial with good bioimaging properties is developed by incorporating europium (Eu) in CsPbX NCs followed with the surface coating of silica (SiO) shell (CsPbX:Eu@SiO).

Multiarmed Aromatic Ammonium Salts Boost the Efficiency and Stability of Inverted Organic Solar Cells.

Inverted organic solar cells (OSCs) have attracted much attention because of their outstanding stability, with zinc oxide (ZnO) being commonly used as the electron transport layer (ETL). However, both surface defects and the photocatalytic effect of ZnO could lead to serious photodegradation of acceptor materials. This, in turn, hampers the improvement of the efficiency and stability in OSCs.

High-entropy rare earth materials: synthesis, application and outlook.

Recently, high-entropy (HE) materials have attracted increasing interest in various fields due to their unique characteristics. Rare earth (RE) elements have a similar atomic radius and gradually occupied 4f orbitals, endowing them with abundant optical, electric, and magnetic properties. Furthermore, HE-RE materials exhibit good structural and thermal stability and various functional properties, emerging as an important class of HE materials, which are on the verge of rapid development.

Negative Photoconductivity of FeGeTe Crystal with Native Heterostructure for Ultraviolet to Terahertz Ultra-Broadband Photodetection.

Gaining insight into the photoelectric behavior of ferromagnetic materials is significant for comprehensively grasping their intrinsic properties and broadening future application fields. Here, through a specially designed FeGeTe/O-FeGeTe heterostructure, first, the broad-spectrum negative photoconductivity phenomenon of ferromagnetic nodal line semimetal FeGeTe is reported that covers UV-vis-infrared-terahertz bands (355 nm to 3000 µm), promising to compensate for the inadequacies of traditional optoelectronic devices. The significant suppression of photoexcitation conductivity is revealed to arise from the semimetal/oxidation (sMO) interface-assisted dual-response mechanism, in which the electron excitation origins from the semiconductor photoconductivity effect in high-energy photon region, and semimetal topological band-transition in low-energy photon region.

Precisely Manipulating Molecular Packing via Tuning Alkyl Side-Chain Topology Enabling High-Performance Nonfused-Ring Electron Acceptors.

In the development of high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs), the self-organization of organic semiconductors plays a crucial role. This study focuses on the precisely manipulation of molecular assemble via tuning alkyl side-chain topology in a series of low-cost nonfused-ring electron acceptors (NFREAs). Among the three NFREAs investigated, DPA-4, which possesses an asymmetric alkyl side-chain length, exhibits a tight packing in the crystal and high crystallinity in the film, contributing to improved electron mobility and favorable film morphology for DPA-4.

Binary All-polymer Solar Cells with a Perhalogenated-Thiophene-Based Solid Additive Surpass 18 % Efficiency.

Morphological control of all-polymer blends is quintessential yet challenging in fabricating high-performance organic solar cells. Recently, solid additives (SAs) have been approved to be capable in tuning the morphology of polymer: small-molecule blends improving the performance and stability of devices. Herein, three perhalogenated thiophenes, which are 3,4-dibromo-2,5-diiodothiophene (SA-T1), 2,5-dibromo-3,4-diiodothiophene (SA-T2), and 2,3-dibromo-4,5-diiodothiophene (SA-T3), were adopted as SAs to optimize the performance of all-polymer organic solar cells (APSCs).

2-Methylimidazole-modulated 2D Cu metal-organic framework for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural hydrodeoxygenation.

Preparation of the high value-added chemical 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF) from the biomass-derived platform molecule 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is of great significance in the preparation of biofuels. Here, a bottom-up strategy was used to prepare a metal-organic framework (MOF) material with a two-dimensional nanosheet morphology, named CPM, in which an additive 2-methylimidazole was introduced into the hydrothermal process of Cu ions and terephthalic acid. Subsequently, CPM-700 prepared by heat treatment under an inert atmosphere showed excellent catalytic performance in the reaction of HMF hydrodeoxygenation to 2,5-DMF.

Rare earth oxide based electrocatalysts: synthesis, properties and applications.

As an important strategic resource, rare earths (REs) constitute 17 elements in the periodic table, namely 15 lanthanides (Ln) (La-Lu, atomic numbers from 57 to 71), scandium (Sc, atomic number 21) and yttrium (Y, atomic number 39). In the field of catalysis, the localization and incomplete filling of 4f electrons endow REs with unique physical and chemical properties, including rich electronic energy level structures, variable coordination numbers, , making them have great potential in electrocatalysis. Among various RE catalytic materials, rare earth oxide (REO)-based electrocatalysts exhibit excellent performances in electrocatalytic reactions due to their simple preparation process and strong structural variability.

Self-sustaining personal all-day thermoregulatory clothing using only sunlight.

The human body must stay within a certain temperature range for comfort and safety. However, challenges for thermoregulatory clothing exist for harsh application scenarios, such as full day/night cycles, frigid polar regions, and space travel. We developed a flexible and sustainable personal thermoregulatory clothing system by integrating a flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) module to directly acquire energy from sunlight and bidirectional electrocaloric (EC) devices.

Precise Preparation of Triarylboron-Based Graphdiyne Analogues for Gas Separation.

A series of triarylboron-based graphdiyne analogues (TAB-GDYs) with tunable pore size were prepared through copper mediated coupling reaction. The elemental composition, chemical bond, morphology of TAB-GDYs were well characterized. The crystallinity was confirmed by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and stacking modes were studied in combination with high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and structure simulation.

The influence of UHMWPE with varying morphologies on the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of HDPE.

The current study aims to examine how the morphology of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles impacts the kinetics of non-isothermal crystallization in high-density polyethylene (HDPE). To prepare blends of HDPE and UHMWPE, melt blending is utilized. High-temperature melting and subsequent shearing are used to cause the morphological changes in UHMWPE particles.

Highly Antifreezing Thermogalvanic Hydrogels for Human Heat Harvesting in Ultralow Temperature Environments.

Thermogalvanic hydrogels have been quickly developed and are widely used in thermal energy harvesting. However, the freezing behaviors of thermogalvanic hydrogels at subzero temperatures greatly limit their practical applications. Herein, we design an antifreezing thermogalvanic hydrogel based on [Fe(CN)] ions for thermoelectric power generation in ultralow temperature environments.