The increasing accumulation of discarded plastics has already caused serious environmental pollution. Simple landfills and incineration will inevitably lead to the loss of the abundant carbon resources contained in plastic waste. In contrast, photoconversion technology provides a green and sustainable solution to the global plastic waste crisis by converting plastics into hydrogen fuel and valuable chemicals. This review briefly introduces the advantages of photoconversion technology and highlights recent research progress, with a focus on photocatalyst design as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction process. It discusses in detail the degradation of typical common plastic types into hydrogen and fine chemicals via photoconversion. Additionally, it outlines future research directions, including the application of artificial intelligence in catalyst design. Although photocatalytic technology remains at the laboratory stage, with challenges in catalyst performance and industrial scalability, the potential for renewable energy generation and plastic valorization is promising.

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures are highly promising for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to their excellent electron mobility, chemical stability, and large surface area. However, the wide bandgap (~3.4 eV) of GaN limits its ability to absorb a broad spectrum of solar radiation, restricting its PEC performance. To address this limitation, MoS₂/GaN nanorods (NRs) heterostructures for enhanced PEC applications were fabricated on thin tungsten foil using a combination of atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE). The Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed the hexagonal phase of GaN and MoS₂. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy examined the electronic states of the GaN and MoS₂. PEC measurements revealed that the MoS₂-decorated GaN NRs exhibited a photocurrent density of approximately172 μA/cm², nearly 2.5-fold compared to bare GaN NRs (~70 μA/cm²). The increased photocurrent density is ascribed to the Type II band alignment between MoS₂ and GaN, which promotes effective charge separation, the decrease in charge transfer resistance, and the increase in active sites. The findings of this work underscore that the CVD and LMBE technique fabricated MoS₂/GaN heterostructures on W metal foil substrate can provide the vital strategy to raise the PEC efficiency toward solar water splitting.

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is considered a crucial platform in next-generation integrated optoelectronics due to its excellent optical properties. Photodetectors are essential components for constructing fully functional photonic circuits. However, due to the low electrical conductivity and weak light absorption, TFLN cannot be directly used for fabricating photodetectors. In this study, we proposed and demonstrated a high-performance MoTe2/TFLN heterostructure integrated Schottky photodetector operating at telecommunication wavelengths (1310 nm and 1550 nm). This structure enhances the photovoltaic effect by bending MoTe₂ at the edge of one electrode, thereby achieving self-powered operation. At a wavelength of 1310 nm, the photodetector achieves a self-powered responsivity of 70 mA/W, which is among the highest for waveguide-integrated photodetectors. Additionally, due to the strong rectification effect of the Schottky junction, the photodetector exhibits an extremely low dark current of only 25 pA at −0.5 V bias voltage. The on/off ratios reach 2.6 × 10⁴ at 0 V and 4.1 × 10⁴ at −0.5 V bias. The self-powered response times were measured, showing fast response and recovery times of 160 μs and 169 μs, respectively.

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have been found as prominent group of optoelectronic materials extensively researched for more than forty years due to their ability to tune capabilities by modifying chemical structure and simple processing. Their performance has been significantly improved, advancing from the fast development in design and synthesis of new OSC materials. The spectral response of OSCs was extended from ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) wavelength region. There are reports on detectivity (D^*) higher than the physical limits set by signal fluctuations and background radiation. Authors attempted to explain the organic photodetectors’ peculiarities when confronted with typical devices dominating the commercial market.

Photon avalanche (PA) upconversion, driven by a positive feedback loop that couples nonresonant ground-state absorption (GSA), resonant excited-state absorption (ESA), and highly efficient cross-relaxation (CR), gives rise to a threshold-triggered ultrahigh optical nonlinearity accompanied by uniquely prolonged rise-time dynamics. From spark to surge, this phenomenon can deliver tens to even hundreds of nonlinear orders at the nanoscale, redefining opportunities in imaging, sensing, and optical computing while opening a new paradigm for interrogating light–matter interactions.

Exercise-induced angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis offer promising anti-aging benefits by improving vascular and immune system function. A review from researchers in China found that exercise activates key molecular pathways boosting blood and lymphatic vessel growth, which enhances tissue repair and metabolic regulation. This approach may serve as a therapeutic strategy to counteract age-related decline and diseases, with potential for personalized exercise interventions improving health and longevity.