Browse Articles

Engineering non-interfacial hydrogen spillover in a Ni17W3-WO2 heterostructure

Organophosphorus ligand-coordinated ZnO cathode buffer layers in organic solar cells—Work function reduction and performance enhancement

Functionalization of the ZnO cathode buffer layer (CBL) has been considered as a promising strategy to improve the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). In the present study, three tricoordinated organophosphorus ligands, triphenylphosphine (TPP), methyldiphenylphosphine (MDPP) and dimethylphenylphosphine (DMPP), were successfully employed to functionalize ZnO CBL in OSCs based on the PTB7:PC70BM active layer. The effect of substituents on the device performance was systematically studied. Density functional theory calculations confirmed the formation of a strong Zn–P bond with adsorption energies of −1.85, −1.97, and −2.09 eV for TPP, MDPP, and DMPP, respectively. The electron transfer from the molecules to ZnO has significantly reduced the work function (WF) of CBL. The ZnO/DMPP CBL exhibited the lowest WF, which was attributed to the positive inductive effect of methyl groups. The OSCs with functionalized ZnO CBL exhibited improved exciton dissociation and charge collection efficiencies due to reduced bimolecular and trap-assisted recombination, as revealed by intensity-dependent J–V and impedance measurements. As a result, the devices fabricated with the functionalized ZnO as CBL exhibited superior photovoltaic performance, with ZnO/DMPP showing the highest power conversion efficiency of 7.24%, followed by ZnO/MDPP (6.91%) and ZnO/TPP (6.73%) compared to the reference device (6.29%).

Ultrasensitive photodetectors enabled by pressure-induced atomic-level optimization of graphene-based heterojunctions

Enhanced stretchability of silver nanowire conductors based on pressure-induced double-layer conductive network for wearable electronics

Stretchable silver nanowire (AgNW) conductor are important components for stretchable electronics, but they face challenges of maintaining large stretchability, high conductivity, and mechanical robustness simultaneously. Here, a pressure-induced double-layer conductive network (PDLCN) is proposed to enhance the performance of AgNW conductors. The PDLCN is composed of a pressure-treated AgNW layer and an untreated AgNW layer. Compared with the untreated layer, the pressure-treated layer has a more compact internal structure. Under strain, AgNWs in each layer break at different positions and conductive bridges form between the two layers. As a result, the resistance increase ratio was reduced from 418 for the single-layer conductive network (SLCN) to 107 for the PDLCN at a strain of 100%. After 5000 cycles of stretching between 0% and 30% strain, the resistance increase ratio of the stretchable conductor with the PDLCN is ten times smaller than that of the SLCN conductor. The highly stretchable and stable conductors have been used to fabricate strain sensors and stretchable heaters, showing great potential for wearable electronics.

Selective conversion of syngas to C4+ long-chain alcohols

Abstract The selective conversion of syngas to C 4+ long-chain alcohols holds significant industrial and scientific interest, but challenges in product selectivity and process efficiency remain. Here, we report a precisely catalytic strategy for C 4+ alcohol synthesis with a selectivity of 80% at 17% CO conversion. The reaction channel involves: (i) the development Cs 2 O-Co 2 C-Co catalysts, capable of catalyzing CO hydrogenation to long-chain oxygenates/olefins; and (ii) complete conversion to C 4+ alcohols is subsequently achieved on the single-Rh-site and Cu-ZrO 2 interfaces by integrated cooperative catalysis. A comprehensive catalyst design and compatibility assessment of each catalytic module ensures optimal combinations, meanwhile effectively eliminates costly separation steps, and reduces CO 2 selectivity down to 1%. The developed process achieves ultra-high carbon-efficiency (>95%) and improves oxygen-efficiency, effectively overcoming the key limitations of current syngas conversion technologies and thus representing a competitive and sustainable solution for producing high-value long-chain alcohols with a minimal carbon footprint.

High-power narrow-linewidth low-noise semiconductor laser via carrier–photon dynamic feedback

Semiconductor lasers with ultra-low noise and narrow linewidth are crucial for advanced applications, including high-performance communication, optical sensing, and quantum metrology. In this work, we demonstrate a compact external cavity semiconductor laser that achieves high output power, narrow spectral linewidth, and low noise. We utilize carrier–photon interactions to establish an optical negative feedback between optical frequency and intensity and design an asymmetric reflectivity external cavity waveguide that optimizes the optical field distribution to suppress partial phase noise, thereby enabling additional noise reduction and linewidth narrowing. The spectral linewidth was compressed by three orders of magnitude to 2.05 kHz, the relative intensity noise was reduced to −164.2 dBc/Hz, the side mode suppression ratio reached 61.18 dB, and the output power peaked at 150.8 mW. Moreover, the proposed laser structure exhibits excellent spectral and power stability and offers significant advantages through reduced manufacturing cost and process complexity, thereby facilitating the further development and application of high-power, narrow-linewidth lasers.

Water as a gas separation membrane

Abstract Efficient gas separation membranes are essential for carbon capture, biogas upgrading, and hydrogen purification. Inspired by how plants absorb CO 2 through water, we present a membrane platform that uses liquid water as the selective layer. Hydrophilic sub-100-nm pores stabilize water through strong capillary forces, enabling operation at feed pressures above 72 bar under dry and humid conditions. Selectivity is governed by gas solubility in water, while permeance is tuned by adjusting the water layer thickness. Reducing this thickness below 200 nm yields CO 2 permeances up to 11,600 gas permeation units with CO 2 :N 2 , CO 2 :CH 4 , and CO 2 :H 2 selectivities of 40, 26, and 31, respectively, surpassing the performance of state-of-the-art membranes. Operation is sustained for over a week without water loss, and performance scales using commercially available porous polymer supports under mixed-gas crossflow conditions. Water’s dissolution-based transport avoids saturation and reaction-rate limits, enabling a robust, high-performance, and environmentally benign gas separation platform.

Spin orientation and strain tuning of orbital-selective Dirac gap in the itinerant kagome metal DyMn6Sn6

Kagome magnets in the 166 family provide a fertile platform for coupling magnetic order with topological electronic states, particularly DyMn6Sn6, which hosts a natural spin orientation. Using density functional theory+U calculations, we establish that the Mn-3d electrons are weakly correlated, while the Dy-4f states reside far below the Fermi level (EF), having negligible impact on the low-energy electronic structures. We identify two Dirac points with contrasting sensitivities to Mn spin orientation. The gap of the Dirac point above EF follows a cos θ scaling determined by the ⟨ψ|LzSz|ψ⟩ spin–orbit coupling term, whereas the Dirac point below EF remains nearly invariant due to its d3z2−r2 orbital character. Furthermore, isotropic strain is shown to effectively tune the Dirac and flatbands, with lattice expansion enhancing the magnetization via the Stoner mechanism. Our results demonstrate that spin reorientation and strain are effective “knobs” for engineering topological phases in kagome systems.

Proteomic characterization of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma identifies risk-stratifying subgroups and EIF4A1 as a therapeutic target

Abstract Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) features poor survival due to frequent recurrences and limited prognostic markers. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we analyze two independent cohorts comprising 80 and 62 treatment-naive ICC tumors, along with 9 independent patient-derived xenografts (PDX). In the first cohort, we identify two subclusters with distinct times-to-recurrence (TTR): An extracellular matrix (ECM)-enriched cluster (mean TTR 859 days) and a proliferation cluster (mean TTR 229 days). A 4-protein classifier trained on our cohort accurately stratifies these clusters in the Dong et al. dataset (2022) and in our second cohort, revealing similar proteomic motifs and clinical outcomes. The translation regulator EIF4A1, enriched in ICCs of both clusters, emerges as a therapeutic target, as its inhibition with eFT226 significantly reduces tumor growth in an ICC PDX model. Proteomic analyses of various PDX models also emphasize the critical role of tumor-stroma interactions in ICC. Overall, this study establishes two prognostic proteomic clusters, validates their relevance across datasets, and highlights EIF4A1 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy.

Phase-matched cascaded Brillouin lasers via single-frequency intracavity Raman pumping

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) enables multi-frequency, high coherent laser emission due to its narrow gain bandwidth and cascaded phase matching. Using a free-space Brillouin oscillator, we systematically study its phase-matching conditions. Experimentally, intracavity Raman scattering is excited by a single-frequency laser to generate SBS. Precise control over the resonance condition between cavity modes and the Brillouin frequency shift allows accurate order control of the cascaded Brillouin laser, demonstrating continuous tuning from the 1st to 5th single-frequency order at 1.2 μm. Furthermore, by extending the Raman conversion to the 1.5 μm region, we realize spectral expansion of the multi-frequency, highly coherent laser source.

Point defects in monolayer WSi2N4 and MoSi2N4

Selective Electrochemical End‐Group Removal Enhances Polymer Thermal Stability

ABSTRACT Here we introduce an electrochemical strategy for the selective and quantitative removal of thiocarbonylthio end groups from polymers prepared by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) or photoiniferter polymerization. Our results indicate that applying a cathodic potential in an undivided cell promotes reductive cleavage of the thiocarbonylthio moiety, generating terminal polymer radicals that are efficiently capped with hydrogen atoms in the presence of benign donors. This transformation proceeds cleanly across diverse polymer backbones and end‐group chemistries, including trithiocarbonates and dithiobenzoates, without chain coupling or degradation. Moreover, the applied potential can be tuned to enable chemoselective end‐group removal in mixed‐polymer systems, a level of control inaccessible by thermal, photochemical, or nucleophilic strategies. Beyond delivering colorless and optically transparent materials, electrochemical end‐group removal significantly enhances polymer stability. Poly(methyl methacrylate) subjected to electrochemical end‐group removal exhibited a T 95 of 342 °C, exceeding the stabilities of analogous polymers with end groups removed by aminolysis ( T 95 = 260 °C) or radical‐based methods ( T 95 = 299 °C). These findings demonstrate redox‐directed post‐polymerization modification as a tool for designing robust, transparent, and thermally stable macromolecules and establish electrochemistry as a platform strategy in polymer synthesis and processing.

Ultrafast vertical photoconductive intrinsic diamond switch with high current (17.1 A at 1 kV)

This Letter reports on a vertical, bulk-conducting photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) fabricated on an intrinsic Type IIa single-crystal diamond substrate. Under near-bandgap excitation at 225 nm with a 20 μJ pulse, a strong photocurrent response of 17.1 A at 1 kV DC bias magnitude is obtained by (i) tuning the optical trigger wavelength to the “matched-absorption” window (224–235 nm) near the band edge, where the optical penetration depth becomes comparable to the 500 μm substrate thickness, and (ii) choosing the bias polarity ensuring electron-dominant conduction, given that electrons have a higher mobility than holes in diamond. The PCSS has an area-normalized responsivity of 54.2 mA W−1 cm−2 and an effective on-resistance of 8.48 Ω, with a fast 90%–10% transient fall time of 25 ns, attributed to carrier sweep-out. These results support vertical, bulk-conducting intrinsic diamond PCSS as a promising platform for high-power optical switching and provide new insight into intrinsic photoconductivity in diamond.

LysG-driven transcriptional network rewiring underlies lineage-specific phenotypes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Charge injection in ultrathin IGO TFTs controlled by a tradeoff between work function and interfacial oxidation enthalpy

Understanding the metal/semiconductor contact is crucial for ultrathin oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs), where the interfacial region becomes comparable to the conductive channel. Here, we investigate three metal electrodes (Ti, Cu, and Al) interfaced with atomic layer-deposited 7 nm indium gallium oxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicate that the contact behavior is predominantly governed by the reaction pathway and the reversibility of interfacial oxygen redox chemistry, rather than by work-function matching alone. Al undergoes rapid self-oxidation to form a dense Al2O3 barrier that suppresses diffusion and leads to large contact resistance. Ti follows a redox-driven pathway governed by its standard oxide formation enthalpy, which induces strong oxygen extraction and forms an In0-rich, highly conductive interfacial region yielding the highest mobility (74.9 cm2 V−1 s−1). In contrast, Cu drives substitutional solid-solution formation, achieving the lowest contact resistance (22.6 Ω cm) and best thermal stability. These results support a reaction-pathway-guided principle for the electrode selection in ultrathin oxide TFTs, revealing the dominant role of oxygen coordination chemistry in nanoscale contact engineering.

Maturase K forms a plastidial splicing complex with a neofunctionalized branching enzyme

Abstract Chloroplast group IIA introns originate from bacterial ribozymes. Their splicing requires the splicing factor Maturase K (MatK). MatK, however, has been difficult to functionally analyze, as it appears essential for plant viability and is encoded in the chloroplast genome. Here we identified a heteromultimeric complex comprising MatK and three other essential, plastid-targeted proteins using co-immunoprecipitation experiments in Arabidopsis and tobacco. Among the MatK interactors is a conserved homologue of starch-branching enzymes (BEs), which we named MATURASE K INTERACTING PROTEIN1 (MKIP1). We demonstrate that MKIP1 proteins have lost BE activity and acquired a 150-amino acid insertion that enables direct interaction with MatK’s N-terminus. Immunoprecipitation of Arabidopsis MKIP1 co-precipitates all known MatK intron targets. Inducing MKIP1 silencing in Arabidopsis causes newly emerging leaves to be pale, in which the splicing of MatK intron targets is strongly reduced. Our data suggest that MKIP1 functionally diverged from canonical BEs to facilitate splicing in conjunction with MatK. In turn, the former reverse-transcriptase domain in the N-terminal region of MatK likely has acquired the capacity to interact with other proteins. Potentially, complex formation allowed MatK to diversify its RNA interactions, helping its transition towards a general splicing factor.

Outside Back Cover: Stabilization of the Benzene Radical Trianion in an Inverse‐Sandwich Yttrium Complex (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 13/2026)

Multi-mechanism synergistic regulation in MXene/polyacrylamide/polystyrene composite hydrogels for high-performance stretchable strain sensors

This study presents the development of a stretchable strain sensor based on a MXene/polyacrylamide (PAM)/polystyrene (PS) composite hydrogel. Optimizing the material composition and fabrication enables synergistic regulation of a hybrid elastic tunneling model. Linear resistance changes originate from PAM matrix deformation, while additional variations arise from MXene interlayer tunneling. The introduction of PS-induced microcracks further amplifies conductive-path modulation, thereby enhancing sensitivity, response speed, and cyclic stability. The composite hydrogel was synthesized via thermal polymerization, and a systematic evaluation was conducted on the effects of varying MXene (0–77.97 wt. %) and PS (0–0.21 wt. %) ratios on the microstructure, electrical properties, and conduction mechanisms. The sensor demonstrates high performance, achieving a maximum gauge factor of 2.35, a peak strain of up to 98.56%, a minimum detectable strain of 0.0405%, and a high-frequency response of 1.4 Hz across optimized compositions. These metrics show improvements compared with conventional PAM-based binary hydrogel sensors. Furthermore, the sensor retained 95% of its performance after 1000 cycles and achieved rapid response times (∼300 ms) under various stretching angles. This work systematically elucidates the coupled conduction behavior driven by multiple mechanisms and achieves a balance between high sensitivity and wide strain range through compositional tuning. This work establishes a theoretical basis for optimizing the design of flexible sensors and demonstrates potential for future applications in wearable health monitoring and human–machine interaction systems.

Mid-infrared detection through ligand-driven local heating in lanthanide-doped nanoparticles

Nonequilibrium interplays among electronic, lattice, and magnetic degrees of freedom in PrNiO3

Rare-earth nickel oxide perovskites (RNiO3, R = rare earth) offer a promising platform for examining intricate interactions among multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) due to the occurrence of a metal–insulator transition with antiferromagnetic order. Here, we employ ultrafast x-ray diffraction to investigate nonequilibrium lattice dynamics of PrNiO3 (PNO) film within both the metallic and insulating states. Remarkably, we observe an anomalous non-thermal transient lattice expansion process associated with the suppression of magnetostriction effects, suggesting strong coupling among electronic, magnetic, and lattice DOFs upon photoexcitation. Density functional theory calculations further reveal that optically driven internal charge transfer induces an anharmonic coupling between the breathing mode (R1+) at ∼571 cm−1 and low-frequency A-site cation phonon mode (Ag) at ∼147 cm−1, which results in an increase in the magnetic exchange coefficient (J) along the c axis, contributing to the non-thermal transient lattice expansion.