Interfacial Metal Oxides Stabilize Cu Oxidation States for Electrocatalytical CO2 Reduction.

Modulating the oxidation state of copper (Cu) is crucial for enhancing the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), particularly for facilitating deep reductions to produce methane (CH4) or multi-carbon (C2+) products. However, Cuδ+ sites are thermodynamically unstable, fluctuating their oxidation states under reaction conditions, which complicates their functionality. Incorporating interfacial metal oxides has emerged as an effective strategy for stabilizing these oxidation states.

Rare-Earth/d Dual-Metal Oxychalcogenides as Infrared Nonlinear-Optical Materials.

Oxychalcogenides are receiving increasing interest as nonlinear-optical (NLO) materials because of the possible combination of advantages from oxides and chalcogenides. Here, two new pentanary oxythiogermanates EuMGeOS [M = Zn (), Cd ()] were obtained by the facile metal oxide-boron-sulfur solid-state route. They crystallize with a melilite-type structure and feature {[MGeOS]} layers built by GeOS dimers and MS tetrahedra.

Superflexible Carbon Nanofibers for Multidimensional Complex Deformation Sensing in Soft Robots.

Soft robots can make complex motions or deformations due to their infinite freedom, which poses great challenges for monitoring their motion and position. While previous investigations of flexible sensing either focused on stretchable or compression deformations in one or two directions, the complex multidimensional deformations that occur on the surfaces of soft robots have been frequently overlooked. In this work, inspired by spider silk, superflexible carbon nanofibers with a bundled structure were biomimetically designed and fabricated using electrospinning technology and carbonization treatment.

Rational design for the potential substitute of sulfide in halide-based all solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Halide-type solid-state electrolytes (SEs) are regarded as promising candidates for the commercialization of all solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASLMBs). However, the poor reduction stability of their central structural metal cations complicates the direct contact with lithium metal, thus conventionally requiring a sulfide interlayer between the lithium metal anode and halide SE. Concerning this issue, we developed a systematic approach to identify the SE in the halide family with thermodynamic stability, cost-effectiveness, and ionic conductivity to substitute the sulfide buffer layer and support the operation of ASLMBs utilizing solely halide-type SEs.

Tuning Crystalline Preferred Orientation of SnSe Anode by Co-doping to Enhance Pseudocapacitive Behaviors for High-Performance Sodium Storage.

SnSe has attracted great attention due to its unique 2D-layered structure, which makes it capable of sodium ion storage and higher theoretical capacities compared to traditional anode materials like hard carbon for sodium ion batteries (SIBs). However, SnSe-based materials will cause structural damage due to volume expansion during ion storage, leading to poor cycle stability and rate capacity. In this work, Co-doped SnSe (Co-SnSe) with preferred crystal orientation was fabricated by a one-step solvothermal method.

Automatic tiling method for mosaic ceramic art images based on subpixel edge fitting localization and collaborative operation of multiple manipulators.

Mosaic ceramics are not limited to use solely as building materials, they also possess artistic value. Artists can create images by arranging and combining mosaic ceramics, resulting in a perfect fusion of large-scale public art for external walls and ceramic materials. However, the current approach for artists to create mosaic ceramic exterior wall art images involves manual laying and assembling of individual mosaic ceramics.

Phase-Matching Second-Harmonic Generation and Enhanced Laser-Induced Damage Threshold Induced by Cs Substitution: CuPSe vs CsCuPS.

Chalcophosphates are an important type of infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) candidates in view of their rich anionic motifs. Here, two copper chalcophosphates CuPSe (CPSe) and CsCuPS (CCPS) were synthesized and studied as IR NLO materials. They both feature three-dimensional polyanionic frameworks constructed by similar T2-supertetrahedra, and the structure of CCPS can be derived from CPSe via introducing Cs and substituting Se with S.

Infrared photodetectors based on wide bandgap two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides via efficient two-photon absorption.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted considerable attention due to their outstanding optoelectronic properties and ease of integration, making them ideal candidates for high-performance photodetectors. However, the excessive width of the bandgap in some 2D TMDs presents a challenge for achieving infrared photodetection. One approach to broaden the photoresponse wavelength range of TMDs is through the utilization of two-photon absorption (TPA) process.

Near Ultraviolet-Excitable Cyan-Emissive Hybrid Copper(I) Halides Nonlinear Optical Crystals with Near-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield and High-Efficiency X-ray Scintillation.

Designing and synthesizing multifunctional hybrid copper halides with near ultraviolet (NUV) light-excited high-energy emission (<500 nm) remains challenging. Here, a pair of broadband-excited high-energy emitting isomers, namely, α-/β-(MePhP)CuI (MePhP=methyltriphenylphosphonium), were synthesized. α-(MePhP)CuI with blue emission peaking at 475 nm is firstly discovered wherein its structure contains regular [CuI] triangles and crystallizes in centrosymmetric space group P2/c.

High-performance fentanyl molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensing platform designed through molecular simulations.

Background: Fentanyl and its derivatives are a type of potent opioid analgesics, with the characteristics of diverse structure, high toxicity, extremely low content, and high fatality rate. Currently, they have become one of the most serious problems in international drug abuse control due to their extensive use in drug production and use. Therefore, the development of a rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for detecting trace fentanyl is of great significance.

Multiple photofluorochromic luminogens via catalyst-free alkene oxidative cleavage photoreaction for dynamic 4D codes encryption.

Controllable photofluorochromic systems with high contrast and multicolor in both solutions and solid states are ideal candidates for the development of dynamic artificial intelligence. However, it is still challenging to realize multiple photochromism within one single molecule, not to mention good controllability. Herein, we report an aggregation-induced emission luminogen TPE-2MO2NT that undergoes oxidation cleavage upon light irradiation and is accompanied by tunable multicolor emission from orange to blue with time-dependence.

Recent progress in multifunctional, reconfigurable, integrated liquid metal-based stretchable sensors and standalone systems.

Possessing a unique combination of properties that are traditionally contradictory in other natural or synthetical materials, Ga-based liquid metals (LMs) exhibit low mechanical stiffness and flowability like a liquid, with good electrical and thermal conductivity like metal, as well as good biocompatibility and room-temperature phase transformation. These remarkable properties have paved the way for the development of novel reconfigurable or stretchable electronics and devices. Despite these outstanding properties, the easy oxidation, high surface tension, and low rheological viscosity of LMs have presented formidable challenges in high-resolution patterning.

Design of Pentanary Mixed-Chalcogenides AgInSiSSe ( = 1, 2) Based on the Bucket Effect: Local Structural Difference and High-Performance Nonlinear-Optical Properties Realized by Partial Congener Substitution.

Noncentrosymmetric chalcogenides are promising candidates for infrared nonlinear-optical (NLO) crystals, and exploring high-performance ones is a hot topic and challengeable. Herein, the combination of AgQ, InQ, and SiQ (Q = S, Se) units with different S/Se ratios resulted in the discovery of the tetrahedral chalcogenides AgInSiSSe () and AgInSiSSe (). They both crystallize in the monoclinic space group with different local structures.

A Broadband Photodetector Based on Non-Layered MnS/WSe Type-I Heterojunctions with Ultrahigh Photoresponsivity and Fast Photoresponse.

The separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs is crucial for the construction of high-performance and wide-band responsive photodetectors. The type-I heterojunction as a photodetector is seldomly studied due to its limited separation of the carriers and narrow optical response. In this work, we demonstrated that the high performance of type-I heterojunction as a broadband photodetector can be obtained by rational design of the band alignment and proper modulation from external electric field.

Intelligence Sparse Sensor Network for Automatic Early Evaluation of General Movements in Infants.

General movements (GMs) have been widely used for the early clinical evaluation of infant brain development, allowing immediate evaluation of potential development disorders and timely rehabilitation. The infants' general movements can be captured digitally, but the lack of quantitative assessment and well-trained clinical pediatricians presents an obstacle for many years to achieve wider deployment, especially in low-resource settings. There is a high potential to explore wearable sensors for movement analysis due to outstanding privacy, low cost, and easy-to-use features.

Flexible Antibacterial Respiratory Monitoring Sensor Based on Controllable Au-Modified Surface of Highly {001} Preferred Anatase Titanium Dioxide Thin Film.

Respiratory signals are critical clinical diagnostic criteria for respiratory diseases and health conditions, and respiratory sensors play a crucial role in achieving the desired respiratory monitoring effect. High sensitivity to a single factor can improve the reliability of respiratory monitoring, and maintaining the hygiene of the sensors is also important for daily health monitoring. Herein, we propose a flexible Au-modified anatase titanium dioxide resistive respiratory sensor, which can be mechanically compliantly attached to curved surfaces for respiratory monitoring in different modalities (i.

Pyrene-Based Deep-Blue Fluorophores with Narrow-Band Emission.

High-efficiency narrow-band luminescent materials have attracted intense interest, resulting in their great colorimetric purity. This has led to a variety of high-tech applications in high-definition displays, spectral analysis, and biomedicine. In this study, a rigid pyrene core was employed as the molecular backbone, and four narrow-band pyrene-based blue emitters were synthesized using various synthetic methods (such as Lewis-acid catalyzed cyclization domino reactions, Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions like Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira).

A simple polyarginine membrane electrochemical sensor for the determination of MDMA and MDA.

In this study, a simple electrochemical sensor based on l-arginine membrane (P-L-arg/GCE) was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of MDMA and MDA. A polyarginine membrane was obtained through one-step direct electropolymerization, which provides more reaction sites for the analyte and improves the sensitivity of the sensor. Following the optimized selection parameters, the MDMA detection range was established at 1.

Anion-Regulated Sulfur Conversion in High-Content Carbon Layer Confined Sulfur Cathode Maximizes Voltage and Rate Capability of K-S Batteries.

Potassium-sulfur (K-S) batteries have attracted attention in large-scale energy storage systems. Small-molecule/covalent sulfur (SMCS) can help to avoid the shuttle effect of polysulfide ions via solid-solid sulfur conversion. However, the content of SMCS is relatively low (≤40%), and solid-solid reactions cause sluggish kinetics and low discharge potentials.

Preparation of hydrophobic porous Au-Ag alloy nanoparticle arrays and their SERS properties.

In this study, we prepared porous Au-Ag alloy nanoparticle arrays with hydrophobic surfaces through the polystyrene colloidal crystal template combined with the chemical etching method to realize rapid SERS detection for biochemical molecules. In the preparation process, the pore size of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles could be adjusted by changing the deposition time of the Ag element. Furthermore, after depositing the Au film on the surface of the porous nanoparticle arrays, their surface changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic.

New pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrroles with AIE characteristics for detection of dichloromethane and chloroform.

Three new pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole derivatives containing methoxyphenyl, pyrene or tetraphenylethylene (TPE) units (compounds 1-3) have been designed, synthesized and fully characterized. The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of compounds 1-3 were tested in different water fraction (f ) of tetrahydrofuran (THF). The pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole derivative 3 containing TPE units exhibited typical AIE features with an enhanced emission (∼32-fold) in the solid state versus in solution; compounds 1 and 2 exhibited an aggregation-caused quenching effect.