Harnessing solar energy to enhance the rechargeable zinc–air batteries (RZABs) performance is a promising avenue toward sustainable energy storage and conversion. Simultaneously enhancing light-absorption capacity and carrier separation efficiency in nanomaterials, as well as improving electrical conductivity and configuration for electrocatalysis, presents a formidable challenge due to inherent trade-offs and interdependencies. Here, we have developed a Janus dual-atom catalyst (JDAC) with bifunctional centers for efficient charge separation and electrocatalytic performance through a bipolar doping strategy. The in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure and Raman spectroscopy analyses demonstrated that the Ni and Fe centers in JDAC not only function as effective sites for oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction, respectively, but also serve as efficient hole and electron enrichment sites, effectively suppressing photoelectron recombination while enhancing photocurrent generation. As a result, the assembled JDAC-based light-assisted RZABs exhibited extraordinary stability at large current densities. This work delivers pivotal insight to design Janus dual-atom catalysts that efficiently convert solar energy into electric and chemical energy.

Recently, micro/nanosatellites have become a significant trend in space with the rapid development of space technology, microelectromechanical systems, and commercial off-the-shelf components. However, most traditional micro/nanosatellites have poor reliability and real-time performance. The implementation of a real-time operating system (RTOS) can effectively prevent system crashes due to untimely responses, thereby enhancing the real-time performance and reliability of the micro/nanosatellite attitude determination system. The Dalian-1 Lianli satellite, a 17-kg 12U high-resolution remote sensing CubeSat, was developed to validate a series of innovative technologies, including submeter high-resolution remote sensing imaging, the high-reliability OpenHarmony real-time operating system (RTOS), and the nontoxic hydroxylamine nitrate propulsion system. The satellite first uses the free, high-reliability OpenHarmony RTOS in the world. Launched on 2023 May 10, aboard the Tianzhou-VI cargo spacecraft, the satellite was successfully deployed into orbit on 2024 January 18, following 253 d of in-orbit storage at the China Space Station.

This study systematically elucidates the drug resistance mechanisms of five highly pathogenic viruses, proposes five innovative anti-resistance strategies, and integrates artificial intelligence technology to establish a next-generation antiviral drug research and development framework, thereby providing critical theoretical support and transformative pathways for addressing clinical challenges associated with drug resistance.

Researchers have developed an easy-to-apply antibacterial hydrogel by incorporating a biodegradable oligomer into a thermosensitive matrix. This hydrogel kills drug-resistant bacteria through a triple-action mechanism and demonstrates effective wound protection in biological models.

Hydrogen fuel cells are widely recognized as a clean and high-efficiency alternative to fossil energy, but commercial deployment remains restricted by the cost and scarcity of platinum-group catalysts. The reviewed work presents nickel-based catalysts as a promising non-noble solution for the alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), summarizing progress in understanding catalytic mechanisms and performance evaluation. It highlights how optimizing hydrogen binding energy, hydroxide adsorption, electronic structures and surface configurations can significantly boost catalytic activity. The authors further classify development paths including alloys, compounds, heterostructures, core–shell systems, doping strategies and supports, offering a roadmap for designing efficient Ni-based HOR catalysts.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are emerging as promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key barrier in clean hydrogen production. However, their catalytic performance has long been restricted by limited active sites, sluggish electron transfer, and structural instability under operational conditions. A new review summarizes how electronic defect engineering, including vacancy creation, heteroatom doping, single-atom incorporation and lattice modulation, which reconfigures electron distribution, enhances active site exposure, accelerates reaction kinetics, and strengthens catalytic durability. The work highlights strategies that effectively lower OER overpotential and improve stability by tuning LDH atomic coordination environments, providing a unified framework for the design of next-generation high-performance water-splitting catalysts.

Silicon stands as a key anode material in lithium-ion battery ascribing to its high energy density. Nevertheless, the poor rate performance and limited cycling life remain unresolved through conventional approaches that involve carbon composites or nanostructures, primarily due to the un-controllable effects arising from the substantial formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the cycling. Here, an ultra-thin and homogeneous Ti doping alumina oxide catalytic interface is meticulously applied on the porous Si through a synergistic etching and hydrolysis process. This defect-rich oxide interface promotes a selective adsorption of fluoroethylene carbonate, leading to a catalytic reaction that can be aptly described as “molecular concentration-in situ conversion”. The resultant inorganic-rich SEI layer is electrochemical stable and favors ion-transport, particularly at high-rate cycling and high temperature. The robustly shielded porous Si, with a large surface area, achieves a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.7% and delivers exceptional high-rate performance at 25 A g⁻¹ (692 mAh g⁻¹) and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 1000 cycles. The robust SEI constructed through a precious catalytic layer promises significant advantages for the fast development of silicon-based anode in fast-charging batteries.

Dendrite growth represents one of the most significant challenges that impede the development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Herein, Gd³⁺ ions are introduced into conventional electrolytes as a microlevelling agent to achieve dendrite-free zinc electrodeposition. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that these Gd³⁺ ions are preferentially adsorbed onto the zinc surface, which enables dendrite-free zinc anodes by activating the microlevelling effect during electrodeposition. In addition, the Gd³⁺ additives effectively inhibit side reactions and facilitate the desolvation of [Zn(H₂O)₆]²⁺, leading to highly reversible zinc plating/stripping. Due to these improvements, the zinc anode demonstrates a significantly prolonged cycle life of 2100 h and achieves an exceptional average Coulombic efficiency of 99.72% over 1400 cycles. More importantly, the Zn//NH₄V₄O₁₀ full cell shows a high capacity retention rate of 85.6% after 1000 cycles. This work not only broadens the  application of metallic cations in battery electrolytes but also provides fundamental insights into their working mechanisms.