As the global shift toward low-carbon energy accelerates, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remains a critical bottleneck in energy conversion devices like fuel cells. Traditional static research approaches have failed to capture the true working state of catalysts under realistic conditions—until now. A new review published in Nano Research outlines groundbreaking progress in understanding ORR through dynamic density functional theory (DFT) simulations and in-situ characterization techniques, revealing how the dynamic interfacial microenvironment governs catalytic activity. This paradigm shift paves the way for rational design of low-cost, high-performance metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts, advancing commercialization of next-gen energy technologies.

To meet the requirements for electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials in corrosive environments such as the ocean, (NiZnCuMn)Co₂O₄ medium-entropy oxides (MEOs) with anticorrosion properties have been developed as novel EMW absorbing materials. The (NiZnCuMn)Co₂O₄ MEOs, which are synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction followed by calcination, exhibit robust EMW absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss of −64.05 dB and an ultrabroad effective absorption bandwidth that can reach 7.35 GHz by adjusting the hydrothermal reaction time. This high performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of dielectric loss, magnetic loss, and the unique structure of the MEOs. (NiZnCuMn)Co₂O₄ can be doped into epoxy resin, endowing it with excellent anti-corrosion properties. After being soaked in 3.5 wt.% NaCl for 14 days, (NiZnCuMn)Co₂O₄ prepared with a hydrothermal time of 12 h, shows a minimum corrosion current of 6.61 × 10⁻⁶ A cm⁻². When the hydrothermal time is 18 h, the corrosion current is 6.66 × 10⁻⁶ A cm⁻² and the corrosion potential reaches −0.712 V. This study provides new insights into the design of EMW absorbing materials with anticorrosion properties.

Researchers have developed a sulfur host with asymmetric Zn-N₄-S single atom sites that improves the performance of the aqueous zinc–sulfur batteries with nearly theoretical value and record-low polarization. They propose to overcome sluggish solid-solid conversion kinetics using coordination microenvironment engineering.