Due to the excessive consumption of fossil fuels and the increasingly severe global environment, the world urgently needs to develop new clean and renewable energy sources. However, these energy sources have intermittency and instability, so it is necessary to vigorously develop efficient and large-scale energy conversion and storage technologies such as fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and metal–air batteries based on the core reactions of oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction. Because of their excellent molecular designability and structural tunability, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) show great potential for applications in this field. In this review, we first classify COF-based electrocatalysts based on the nature of active sites. Subsequently, strategies including structural design and functional synthesis for improving performance of COF-based electrocatalysts in the field of oxygen catalysis are systematically reviewed. Importantly, mechanism discussion of the performance improvement is highlighted. Finally, we put forward prospects for the future research directions, challenges, and development opportunities in this field. This review aims to provide guidance for the development of high-performance COF-based electrocatalysts through critical analysis of existing research, revealing the correlation between material design and mechanism for performance improvement.

City of Hope develops adaptable CAR T technology that can be updated after treatment to keep pace with evolving tumors. “Much like a software update adds new features to a smartphone after you buy it, meditope allows us to send new instructions to CAR T cells already in the body,” said Dr. John Williams, a City of Hope professor.

Oregon State University scientists have patented a better and more eco-friendly process for separating two metals that are critical in their pure forms for the semiconductor and atomic energy industries.

- KAIST, Kyungpook National University, and the National NanoFab Center design a copper current collector that enables uniform lithium deposition using nanofabrication techniques employed in semiconductor manufacturing

- Suppresses spike-like lithium growth and forms a robust protective layer, with potential to improve EV driving range

This study proposes a "fine molecular engineering" strategy to address the trade-off between efficiency and stability by designing non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). Based on 7C-2F with a 1,4-diazahexane core, three NFAs  were synthesized by selectively controlling the side chain length and the degree of π-conjugation of the terminal groups. The results show that shortening the side chain (7C-BO-2F and 7C-eC9-2F) or extending the π-conjugation of the terminal groups (7C-N2F) both improve molecular crystallinity, shorten the π-π stacking distance, and suppress nonradiative energy loss. In bulk heterojunction devices, the PM6:7C-eC9-2F system achieved a PCE of 19.67% with an energy loss of only 0.539 eV. Devices based on 7C-eC9-2F exhibit excellent photostability and thermal stability: under continuous illumination, the device's T₈₀ reaches 2728 h⁻¹; at 65 °C, its T₈₀ reaches 1242 h⁻¹, significantly outperforming other control systems. Furthermore, when these acceptors are applied to quasi-planar heterojunction structures, excellent photovoltaic performance is also obtained, demonstrating good fabrication adaptability. In summary, precise molecular engineering provides a reliable pathway to obtaining high-efficiency, low-energy-loss, and intrinsically stable OPVs, laying the foundation for the practical application of next-generation organic photovoltaic devices. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Each year, vehicles, machinery, environmental hazards, and other incidents cause thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities. A thorough understanding of the main risks is key to preventing accidents and promoting agricultural safety. A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has developed an interactive platform that allows users to obtain customized information about agricultural injuries. The researchers describe their work in a new article.