Efforts to improve the performance of protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have been hampered by the limited availability of cathode materials with high activity and durability. One potential approach to enhance electrocatalytic performance is by modifying the particle morphology of the cathode, which potentially reforms transport properties and active reaction sites. The team of material scientists led by Jie Hou from University of South China attempted to configure cathode particles through the controlled growth of cubes, aiming to improve the properties of perovskite-related Pr_1.5Ba_1.5Cu₃O₇ (PBC). This study demonstrates the potential of controlling particle growth to design highly-active electrodes with specialized properties, opening new avenues for material design in PCFCs and related electrocatalytic fields.

The core of this article is to explore the mechanism by which the ruthenium (Ru) integration effect influences ruthenium-cobalt (RuCo) bimetallic nanoparticles in enhancing water-splitting properties. The research team synthesized RuCo bimetallic nanoparticles (RuCo@NC) with atomically dispersed Ru on nitrogen-doped carbon. They found that atomically dispersed Ru not only serves as the primary active site for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but also promotes the oxidation of the Co surface to CoOOH*, thereby becoming a highly active site for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The optimized catalyst, RuCo@NC-1, exhibited outstanding performance. In alkaline conditions, it required only 217 and 96 mV of overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA‧cm⁻² for OER and HER, respectively. This study offers valuable insights into the design of Ru-based electrocatalysts for water splitting.

In this study, the controllable synthesis of highly stable Ag₅₆ clusters was achieved using 4-vinylbenzoic acid (abbreviated as p-VBA) and tert-butyl mercaptan as ligands by precisely regulating reaction parameters such as temperature and solvent. Furthermore, the intermediates Ag₂₀, Ag₃₁, Ag₃₂ and the dimers of the intermediate Ag₃₁/Ag₃₂, Ag₃₀-bpbenz (bpbenz, 1,4-di(4-pyridyl)benzene) and Ag₃₁-bpe (bpe, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)) were successfully captured. This series of nanoclusters exhibited a unique fluorescence aggregation-induced redshift phenomenon as the π–π interaction of the ligand. In addition, the Ag₅₆ nanocluster can be used as near infrared fluorescence sensors for Br⁻/I⁻ and their detection limits were as low as 85 and 105 nM, respectively. The results of this study provide new ideas and methods for the synthesis of metal clusters and their applications in the field of ion sensing.

Monoclonal antibodies like etesevimab have lost efficacy against Omicron subvariants, necessitating innovative solutions. George Fu Gao's team developed BAADesign, a strategy combining structural analysis, computational design, and experimental validation to restore antibody activity. Using this method, they reengineered etesevimab into CB6-IV, achieving broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron subvariants.

High-entropy carbides (HECs) exhibit exceptional mechanical properties and ultrahigh thermal stability, making them promising materials for high-temperature extreme environments, such as hypersonic vehicles and nuclear reactors. The fabrication of complex-shaped components for these applications involves the HECs joints and requires these joints capable of withstanding extreme service temperatures. However, developing such joints presents significant challenges: the stability and sluggish diffusion characteristics of HECs hinder solid-phase diffusion, while using liquid alloys at bonding interfaces typically introduces low-melting-point compounds that compromise thermal durability. Consequently, developing HEC joints with superior high-temperature endurance remains a critical challenge in materials engineering.