For a century, light’s wave-particle duality has reshaped physics, yet spectrometers have long relied solely on light’s wave nature—resulting in unavoidable tradeoffs between resolution, spectral range, and device size. A team from Tsinghua University presents a comprehensive review, featured on the cover of Nano Research, that, for the first time, systematically explores the evolution of spectrometer designs through the lens of wave-particle duality, contrasting traditional wave-based methods with innovative particle-based approaches that enhance performance while minimizing device size. By examining the principles and advancements in both paradigms, the review provides valuable insights into the future of compact and high-performance spectral detection technologies.

Albeit surface reconstruction of precatalysts for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is extensively studied, the dynamic structure evolution and true active phase in neutral media remains largely unexplored. Here, the activation behaviors in neutral and alkaline media are comparatively studied using NiMoO₄ as a model precatalyst. The results reveal that, when electrochemically activated in harsh alkaline conditions, NiMoO₄ undergoes rapid and complete reconstruction with the formation of considerable NiOOH active phase. On the other hand, direct activation in neutral media only results in weak reconstruction with a thin NiOOH layer on NiMoO₄ surface. Accordingly, the electrode oxidized in basic electrolyte yields a superior OER performance compared to that directly treated mild pH condition. Our study deepens the understanding of the neutral water oxidation reaction, which provides insightful guidelines for further development of efficient electrocatalysts for neutral water electrolysis with self-reconstruction.

There is a growing demand for high-performance THz shielding and absorbing materials to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) or pollution. Inspired by staggered cellular structures, a bioinspired strategy was proposed to fabricate multilayer-MXene (m-Ti₃C₂T_x)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) aerogel frameworks with staggered stacking architectures via direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing technology for enhanced THz shielding and absorption performance. The framework exhibits an excellent maximum reflection loss (RL) of 54.01 dB in the 0.5-3.0 THz range (100% qualified bandwidth) and a high absorption of 99.40%. It realizes a high green shielding index (g_s), the range of g_s > 9 that meets the standard for excellent green EMI shielding up to 2.5 THz. Meanwhile, it demonstrates high shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeding 40 dB across a broad gigahertz (GHz) frequency range from 3.9 to 18 GHz, particularly reaching an excellent 101.84 dB in the Ku band. This bionic strategy of staggered structures achieved via 3D printing technology demonstrates significant potential for fabricating high-design-freedom shielding components with excellent THz shielding and absorption properties.

By imaging the superfluid density and superconducting transition temperature in an infinite-layer superconductor, researchers revealed a strong correlation between the two quantities. This correlation is quantitatively similar to that reported in cuprate superconductors, hinting at a close connection between the superconductivity of infinite-layer nickelates and that of cuprates.

Researchers have demonstrated that inherent alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) play the dominant catalytic role in the CO₂ gasification of biochar derived from the energy crop Arundo donax. Even though acid washing created a more disordered carbon structure – which typically enhances reactivity – the removal of AAEMs significantly reduced gasification reactivity. Kinetic analysis showed that the average activation energy increased from 164.30 kJ·mol⁻¹ to 210.85 kJ·mol⁻¹ after AAEM removal. Temperature‑programmed desorption confirmed that AAEMs promote the formation of carbon‑oxygen surface complexes, acting as catalytic active centers that sustain a continuous reaction cycle. These findings highlight that AAEMs, rather than carbon structural order, are the key factor governing gasification efficiency.

Researchers have shown that adding acid zeolites (H‑mordenite and H‑ZSM5) during municipal sewage sludge pyrolysis at 500 °C can reduce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) concentration in the pyrolysis gas by up to 46 %, while increasing gas yield by up to 55 % and bio‑oil yield by up to 24 %. The work demonstrates that zeolite choice and silica‑to‑alumina ratio (SAR) determine whether H₂S reduction occurs via dilution in higher gas yields or direct suppression of H₂S formation. This in‑situ catalytic approach could simplify downstream gas cleaning for energy recovery or biological fermentation.