Ultralong organic afterglow materials are being actively explored as attractive candidates for a wide range of applications such as data storage, security inks, emergency lighting, etc. In this review, the research team have summarized small-molecule ultralong organic afterglow materials based on different emission mechanisms involving ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (URTP), ultralong thermally activated delayed fluorescence (UTADF) and organic long persistent luminescence (OLPL). In addition, challenges and future perspectives are discussed to emphasize the future directions.

A new study published in Materials Futures reveals critical insights into the degradation mechanism of scalable, wideband gap perovskite solar cells, a key component for the next generation tandem solar technologies. Researchers from imec, Hasselt University, and Ghent University in Belgium have identified how thermal stress, both in the dark and under illumination, critically affects the stability of these solar devices. Their findings reveal that in dark conditions, failure is mainly driven by the charge transport layers, whereas under light exposure, the failure is associated to degradation of the absorber material itself.

By subjecting the devices to accelerated stress tests that mirror industry standards, the team has mapped out the key failure pathways, offering a clearer understanding of how to enhance long-term stability. This research represents a major advance in the push toward commercially viable, high-efficiency perovskite solar technologies — a crucial step for the future of sustainable energy generation.

Scientists have discovered that tweaking the composition of biochar, a charcoal-like material made from biomass, can significantly improve its ability to trap and neutralize toxic groundwater contaminants. The findings, published in Biochar, could pave the way for more cost-effective and sustainable approaches to cleaning up long-lasting pollution from chlorinated solvents.

Hong Kong’s skyline generates vast amounts of construction waste through daily demolition. While some of this waste is used for land reclamation, much still ends up in landfills. Prof. C.S. Poon, Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering and Distinguished Research Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is dedicated to advancing construction waste recycling and had developed a new semi-wet carbonation technique, transforming waste into valuable building aggregates and promoting more sustainable construction practices in the city. 

Camelina sativa, a promising biofuel crop, has recently been the subject of an in-depth study exploring its genetic diversity, subgenome structure, and expression dominance. 

Oscillators with high quadrature phase accuracy and figure of merit (FOM) play an important role in wireless transceiver systems. The scientists in China invented a breakthrough meta-rotary travelling-wave oscillator (Meta-RTWO) chip to overcome the fundamental trade-off between phase accuracy and FOM. By harnessing spoof surface plasmon polaritons (spoof SPPs) for precise dispersion control, the Meta-RTWO chip achieves low phase error (0.21°) and high FOM (188.5 dBc/Hz) in 65nm CMOS, which outperforms the traditional designs in 28nm CMOS.

The commercialization of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) for green hydrogen production hinges on the development of low-cost, high-performance titanium porous transport layers (PTLs). This study introduces a triple-layer Ti-PTL with a graded porous structure and a 75% ultra-high porosity backing layer, fabricated through tape casting and roll calendering. This triple-layer PTL, composed of a microporous layer, an interlayer, and a highly porous backing layer, enhances catalyst utilization, mechanical integrity, and mass transport. Digital twin technology using X-ray revealed increased contact area and triple-phase boundary at the interface with the catalyst layer, significantly improving oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. Numerical simulations demonstrated that the strategically designed porous structure of the triple-layer PTL facilitates efficient oxygen transport, mitigates oxygen accumulation, and improves reactant accessibility. Electrochemical evaluations showed improved performance, achieving 127 mV reduction in voltage at 2 A cm⁻² compared to a commercial PTL, highlighting its potential to enhance PEMWE efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Regulating the nucleation and growth of Li metal is crucial for achieving stable high-energy-density Li metal batteries (LMBs) without dendritic Li growth, severe volume expansion, and “dead Li” accumulation. Herein, we present a modulation layer composed of porous SnP_0.94/CoP p-n heterojunction particles (SCP), synthesized applying the Kirkendall effect. The unique heterointerfaces in the SCP induce a fully ionized depletion region and built-in electric field. This provides strong Li affinity, additional adsorption sites, and facilitated electron transfer, thereby guiding dendrite-free Li nucleation/growth with a low Li deposition overpotential. Moreover, the strategic design of the SCP, accounting for its reaction with Li, yields electronically conductive Co, lithiophilic Li–Sn alloy, and ionic conductive Li₃P during progressive cycles. The mixed electronic and ionic conductor (MEIC) ensure the long-term stability of the SCP modulation layer. With this layer, the SCP@Li symmetric cell maintains a low overpotential for 750 cycles even at a high current density of 5 mA cm⁻². Additionally, the LiFePO₄//SCP@Li full cell achieves an imperceptible capacity decay of 0.03% per cycle for 800 cycles at 0.5 C. This study provides insight into MEIC heterostructures for high-performance LMBs.

Recovery colleges (RCs) support personal recovery through education, skill development and social support for people with mental health problems, carers and staff. Guided by co-production and adult learning principles, RCs represent a recent mental health innovation. Since the first RC opened in England in 2009, RCs have expanded to 28 countries and territories. However, most RC research has been conducted in Western countries with similar cultural characteristics, limiting understanding of how RCs can be culturally adapted. The 12-item Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing (RECOLLECT) Fidelity Measure (RFM) evaluates the operational fidelity of RCs based on 12 components, but cultural influences on these components remain underexplored. The authors aimed to assess associations between Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and RFM items to identify cultural influences on fidelity components.