News from Science China Press

Researchers at Soochow University have demonstrated a perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell with a lab efficiency of 34.0%. An independently certified device achieved a steady-state efficiency of 33.5% and an open-circuit voltage of 2.014 V. Discrete zirconia nanoparticles at the buried interface promoted uniform, void-free perovskite growth and suppressed non-radiative recombination through field-effect passivation without hindering charge extraction. The encapsulated device retained 84% of its initial efficiency after 2000 h of continuous operation.

Solar-driven water splitting offers a carbon-neutral path to green hydrogen, but its reliance on freshwater has long raised sustainability concerns. Seawater — covering 97% of Earth’s water — presents an abundant alternative, yet its chloride ions have traditionally been seen as a major obstacle, causing corrosive side reactions and sluggish kinetics. Now, a team led by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has turned this challenge into an opportunity. They developed a noble-metal-free photocatalyst — MnOₓ(OH)_y/GaN nanowires supported by a silicon wafer — that splits natural seawater efficiently under sunlight, achieving a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 6.15% without any sacrificial agents. The catalyst delivers a hydrogen production rate of 15.2 mol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in natural seawater and operates stably for over 360 min. Surprisingly, the team discovered that chloride ions in seawater are not detrimental but actively beneficial: they reduce the Coulomb attraction energy between photogenerated electrons and holes, and simultaneously lower the energy barrier for water oxidation. Meanwhile, the hydroxyl groups inherent to the manganese oxyhydroxide cocatalyst undergo dynamic exchange with water molecules, further accelerating the formation of key reaction intermediates. Outdoor tests under concentrated natural sunlight confirmed the system’s practical feasibility.

Neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disorders and other age-related neurological conditions are major causes of long-term disability. A review published in SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences by researchers from Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, examines how damaged nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA can become immune danger signals. The authors highlight cGAS-STING as a key molecular hub linking cellular damage, inflammaging and neuroimmune dysfunction, and discuss opportunities for more precise therapeutic intervention.

Transition-metal sulfides can accelerate sulfur reactions in all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries, but their own stability during cycling has received less attention. Researchers uncovered two major catalyst failure pathways and used these insights to develop a compositionally disordered catalyst. The new design suppresses phase separation and transition metal migration while maintaining carrier transport, enabling efficient sulfur conversion under demanding battery conditions.

Researchers have uncovered how compressive strain and oxygen contents drive Ruddlesden–Popper nickelate thin films toward superconductivity. X-ray reveals that key electronic orbitals become increasingly delocalized while long-range magnetic order is suppressed, yet short-range magnetic excitations remain robust. The findings identify an orbital-selective pathway toward high-temperature superconductivity in Ruddlesden–Popper nickelates.

Researchers have uncovered an unexpected antiviral role for PGK1, an enzyme best known for its function in glucose metabolism. Acting through its non-canonical protein kinase activity, PGK1 phosphorylates the host protein heat shock protein 90-alpha (HSP90AA1), reduces its chaperone function, and promotes its proteasomal degradation. The resulting loss of viral protein stability restricts the replication of several RNA and DNA viruses, highlighting a potential host-directed antiviral strategy.

Super-resolution microscopy is broadening its focus from resolving smaller structures to making reliable biological measurements. A review in Science Bulletin examines how optical engineering, computational reconstruction and molecular probes are driving this transition, and why calibration, uncertainty assessment and reproducibility will determine its biological impact.

A new hydrogel electrolyte controls water reactivity and stabilizes both electrodes in aqueous zinc-iodine batteries. Laboratory cells operated from minus 40 to 90 °C Celsius, while a 120 mAh pouch cell retained about 83% capacity after 2,300 cycles.