A new series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), donated as USC-CP-5-R, have been constructed using 14-connected metal-organic polyhedra as super-molecular building blocks (SBBs), exhibiting ultrahigh water stability. Functionalized with variable hydrophilic groups enables systematic tuning of the water adsorption performances, including uptake capacity and inflection point (a). These frameworks can efficiently capture atmospheric moisture, even in arid environments and can release collected water using low-grade solar thermal energy, highlighting their potential as a sustainable solution for freshwater production in water-scarce regions.

The team of Yanjun Jiang from Hebei University of Technology has constructed an efficient asymmetric reduction system for the synthesis of chiral alcohols by coupling electrochemical coenzyme regeneration with immobilized enzymes.

Scientists have developed smart polymeric nanoparticles that respond to unique signals within the tumor microenvironment to deliver immunotherapy precisely where needed. 

Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃RR) emerges as a sustainable approach for converting residual nitrate pollutants into valuable ammonia under ambient conditions, offering a promising alternative to the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. Compared to single-metal-site electrocatalysts, dual-metal-site (DMS) electrocatalysts show synergistic effects between adjacent metal sites, effectively regulating the electronic state and enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity for NO₃RR with multi-step proton and electron transfers. Further understanding on NO₃RR is of practical significance for design of efficient DMS electrocatalysts.

Understanding the structure–activity relationship of catalysts is crucial for addressing global energy and environmental challenges. A research team led by Professor Jiangwei Zhang from Inner Mongolia University presents a comprehensive review of advanced characterization techniques—including spectroscopy, microscopy, compositional analysis, and in-situ/operando methods—that enable atomic-level insights into catalytic systems. These techniques pave the way for intelligent catalyst design and real-time reaction monitoring.

In this study, a novel facile and versatile solid phase seed-mediated confined strategy is reported for the synthesis of atomically ordered non-precious Ni₃Ga₁ intermetallic nanocubes encapsulated in N-doped carbon layer. The resulting confined nanocubes demonstrate exceptional activity and exclusive selectivity in the 1,4-hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds while maintaining high stability over multiple reaction cycles without performance degradation.

Inspired by dragonfly eyes, researchers at Fudan University have developed a self-driven polarization-sensitive ferroelectric photomemristor that dramatically improves the recognition of low-contrast images. The developed devices combine anisotropic rhenium diselenide with ferroelectric single-crystalline DIPAB, enabling real-time, in-sensor image enhancement and achieving up to 85.9% recognition accuracy—nearly double that of traditional photomemristors.

Z-form nucleic acids (ZNAs) are left-handed DNA/RNA structures implicated in innate immunity and cell death, yet the endogenous force driving their formation in vivo had remained unclear. In this study, the research team identified oxidative DNA modification as a molecular trigger for nucleic acid conformational switching. They showed that oxidative lesions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), particularly 8-oxoG formation, induced a transition from canonical B-DNA to Z-DNA. The resulting oxidized Z-mtDNA was sensed by the Zα domain of ZBP1, activating a ZBP1–MAVS–caspase-8 signaling pathway that drove hepatocyte apoptosis. The findings were highly relevant to acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute liver failure, in which the current therapy, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), rapidly loses efficacy beyond the early detoxification phase. The team demonstrated that APAP-induced oxidative stress promoted mtDNA oxidation and Z-DNA formation, thereby triggering the secondary hepatotoxicity that resisted NAC treatment. Importantly, pharmacological activation of the oxidative DNA repair enzyme OGG1 with TH10785 reversed Z-DNA back to B-DNA and achieved near-complete survival in delayed-treatment models. Together, these findings established oxidation-driven DNA conformational transition as a fundamental signaling mechanism and identified reversal of Z-DNA as a promising therapeutic strategy for acute liver failure.