A research team from China has developed a high-entropy single-atom material that significantly enhances electromagnetic wave absorption, offering a promising solution to mitigate growing electromagnetic pollution from modern electronics and communication technologies. The innovative material demonstrates exceptional performance, with a minimal reflection loss of -76.9 dB and a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.00 GHz.

Growing environmental impacts of fossil fuels drive demand for zero-emission energy technologies (e.g., PEMFCs, CO₂ electroreduction) to advance carbon neutrality—making oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) critical research focuses. Biomass-derived carbon offers cost-effectiveness and sustainability vs. precious metal catalysts, but tailoring its hierarchical structure remains challenging. A team led by Yang Haiping at HUST developed a ZIF-8-mediated assembly strategy to synthesize 3D flower-like N-doped biomass carbon, which exhibits Pt/C-comparable ORR activity and high CO₂RR performance, providing insights for customizing biomass carbon for energy applications.

Reasonable design of high-activity catalytic sites for reducing the activation energy barrier of O-H bonds is significant for efficient conversion of hydrogen energy involving water dissociation. Herein, a coupling oxygen vacancy (V_O) strategy for intensifying generation and transfer of photo-induced electron for enhancing catalytic activity of water dissociation is verified. Using ammonia borane hydrolysis as a verification, the turnover frequency of Ru-TV_O reaches up to 1614 min⁻¹ in visible light excitation condition at 298 K, exceeding the highest activity in Ru-based catalysts. Intensified generation and transfer of photo-induced electron via coupling V_O reduces the activation energy barrier of O-H bond on Ru sites, leading a boosted intrinsic activity of Ru toward water dissociation. Ru sites enriched by photo-induced electrons also exhibit unprecedented performance in phenylacetylene hydrogenation. This work provides an effective strategy for water dissociation through V_O-intensified generation and transfer of photo-induced electron in the field of energy conversion.

The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃⁻RR) holds significant research value for sustainable ammonia synthesis and wastewater treatment. Despite the low cost of iron and its good ammonia synthesis performance, issues such as particle aggregation, slow kinetics, and poor stability limit the selectivity for ammonia and overall reaction efficiency, hindering large-scale application of catalysts. In this study, an amorphous/crystalline dual-phase (a-Fe/Cu) catalyst was synthesized via ultrasonic process, achieving a highly efficient electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis. The a-Fe/Cu catalyst achieved high ammonia yield rate of 4.67 mol g^–1 h^–1 with a Faraday efficiency (FE) of up to 93.48% at -0.5V vs. RHE. In situ analyses demonstrated that the presence of amorphous Fe facilitates interfacial water activation, dissociation and dynamic equilibrium between the production of *H and its prompt consumption by nitrogen intermediates resulting in an enhanced ammonia yield with high Faradaic efficiency. The synergistic interaction between c-Cu and a-Fe optimizes the electronic structure of the catalyst, enhancing the adsorption of nitrate, reaction intermediates, and facilitates efficient electron transfer, thus improving overall electrocatalytic reaction performance. Furthermore, the integration of the catalyst into a Zn-based battery configuration demonstrates its potential applicability in the fields of energy conversion and storage technologies.

As human longevity increases, individuals are increasingly adopting diverse healthcare products to maintain youthful and healthy lives. Examples include wearable devices like smartwatches for real-time health monitoring, various advanced dressings for scarless wound healing, and optical devices for skin care. Focusing on this trend, the researchers of the present study sought to develop a platform that simultaneously achieves scarless wound healing and promotes skin regeneration. This platform is anticipated to be an innovative methodology poised to replace conventional wound dressings..

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are key devices for achieving efficient "hydrogen-electricity" conversion. They have attracted significant attention due to their high energy conversion efficiency and zero carbon emissions. However, their core component, oxygen reduction/evolution (ORR/OER) electrocatalysts, still face challenges of activity and stability. Among them, platinum-group catalysts (such as Pt, Ir, Ru) are currently the most effective ORR/OER catalysts, but issues like their scarcity and high cost severely limit their large-scale utilization in PEMFCs/PEMWEs. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) and multi-atom catalysts (MACs), with their nearly 100% metal utilization rate and unique electronic structures, provide a new path for developing low-loading, high-activity, and high-stability platinum-group catalysts.

Researchers have developed an ultrathin yet ultrastrong hydrogel membrane that enables robust and conformal integration between electronic devices and biological tissues. The ~10 μm-thick material combines high strength, exceptional toughness, and tissue-like softness through a biomimetic microfibrillar network design. It supports multimodal sensing and stimulation while maintaining stable contact with complex 3D tissues, offering new opportunities for wearable and implantable bioelectronics.

Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) have been recognized as promising power generation devices for future clean energy systems, owing to their relatively low activation energy for proton migration and high energy conversion efficiency. In certain application scenarios, the use of N₂O (a potent greenhouse gas), as an alternative oxidant to air, presents a feasible strategy. This work can provide a feasible direction for energy and environmental protection strategies.