Browse Articles

Mechanically Encoded Materials for Edge Perception

ABSTRACT Tactile sensing and perception are fundamental to intelligent interaction with complex environments, yet most artificial sensing systems rely on continuous signal acquisition and centralized electronic computation, resulting in high data redundancy, latency, and limited robustness. In this research, we introduce mechanically encoded materials (MEM) as a sensing‐centric paradigm that embeds perception directly into material architecture. Inspired by biological mechanosensory systems, MEM exploits geometry‐force‐property coupling to selectively transduce mechanical stimuli into discrete binary outputs, enabling event‐driven tactile sensing without continuous sampling or intensive electronic processing. By rational design, MEMs are programmed to respond only when external stimuli exceed predefined thresholds, thereby encoding tactile information such as pressure, stiffness, and curvature into binary representations at the material level. Arrays of MEMs with graded thresholds further enable multi‐level discrimination of mechanical stimuli solely through mechanical design. We demonstrate the integration of pressure‐, stiffness‐, and curvature‐sensitive MEMs into a compliant gripper, where proprioceptive and tactile perception emerges locally at the sensing interface without CPU‐driven computation. This mechano‐encoding strategy reduces data bandwidth and sensing latency while enhancing robustness and adaptability under dynamic conditions. By transforming sensing, encoding, and preliminary computation into intrinsic material functions, MEMs establish a general framework for decentralized tactile perception in next‐generation intelligent systems.

Self‐Assembled Mesoporous Nickel Polyphthalocyanine/Graphene Microspheres for Room‐Temperature Sensing of Carbonate Ester Leakage in Batteries

ABSTRACT The low viscosity of linear carbonate esters improves electrolyte wetting and ionic conductivity, making them essential for battery operation, but also rendering them prone to rapid evaporation when cells are mechanically damaged or leaking. Given their high flammability, such evaporation poses serious safety hazards. Monitoring such emissions without elevating temperature is critical for providing early hazard warning. Herein, we report a room temperature operable carbonate esters sensor based on self‐assembled mesoporous nickel polyphthalocyanine/graphene microsphere. This spherical structure suppresses π–π stacking of the polyphthalocyanine layers, exposing abundant Ni–N 4 active centers for coordination with carbonate esters. The mesoporous architecture establishes 3D diffusion pathways, facilitating rapid gas transport. The extended π‑conjugation and enriched electron density further enhance the adsorption affinity of Ni–N 4 sites toward carbonate ester groups. The constructed sensor achieves a 90% response to dimethyl carbonate (DMC) vapor at 20°C within 10 s, with high selectivity and stability under bending, humidity variations, and long‐term standby operation. An integrated DMC‐temperature flexible chip identifies overheating and leakage faults of lithium‐ion battery and locates the leakage point within a battery module. This work enables monitoring of battery breakage under practical operating conditions, forming comprehensive risk assessment for battery management systems.

Mechanically Assisted Magnetic Actuation in Ceramic‐Based Microscrolls for Fast and Durable Soft Robotic Systems

ABSTRACT Soft magnetic actuators capable of fast, remote, and untethered motion are increasingly sought for microscale robotic systems. Here, we introduce compact ceramic‐based, magnetically responsive microscroll actuators inspired by the coiled geometry of the butterfly proboscis. The actuators are fabricated from hybrid films composed of aligned vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) nanofibers and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles distributed within the nanofiber matrix, forming a flexible, laminated architecture with enhanced mechanical robustness. Using a razor blade‐assisted scrolling method, the planar films are transformed into tightly wound microscrolls with tunable geometry and micrometer scale diameters. Under near‐field magnetic stimulation (∼60 mT), the scrolls exhibit rapid, reversible, and multidirectional actuation with angular displacements of up to 180°. The actuation relies on a dual magneto‐mechanical mechanism: distributed magnetic stresses generated by the embedded Fe 3 O 4 phase initiate unrolling, while residual elastic strain stored during scrolling drives the re‐rolling motion. This geometry‐programmed actuation enables a lifting ratio of 32.5× relative to actuator mass, a work density of ∼8.1 kJm − 3 , and a footprint reduction of up to 96%. Notably, the ceramic‐based microscrolls retain structural and functional integrity over 5000 magnetic actuation cycles, demonstrating a durable architecture‐driven route toward untethered soft robotic microsystems.

Flax Composites With Improved Interfacial Strength Through Microbially Induced Mineral Precipitation

ABSTRACT Driven by the needs of modern transportation and the clean energy transition, the demand for sustainable and lightweight materials is increasing. Composite materials incorporating natural fibers such as flax fibers have gained attention due to their carbon‐capturing potential and good specific mechanical properties. However, when embedded in hydrophobic polymer matrices, flax fibers exhibit inferior mechanical performance primarily due to their hydrophilic composition and discontinuous fiber architecture. Biological materials such as nacre have developed useful strategies through mineralization to distribute localized stresses and develop extrinsic toughness that could inspire a solution to enhance stress transfer in natural fiber composites. Here, we report a biomineralization strategy to introduce an additional hierarchy to flax composites. By tuning salt concentrations in the process, we achieve controlled deposition of microbe‐mediated mineral particles on flax yarns. With controlled biomineralization, we show that the minerals can enhance the compressive toughness by 178% and compressive strength by 30%. The findings highlight a novel bio‐inspired pathway for tailoring composite performance through sustainable processing, offering a scalable and environmentally friendly approach to enhance natural fiber composites for structural applications.

Single‐Photon Superradiance in Giant Rhombicuboctahedral CsPbI ₃ Nanocrystals

ABSTRACT Increasing the volume of halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) is generally accompanied by lower photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we overcame this trade‐off with giant (25 nm) rhombicuboctahedral CsPbI 3 NCs that retain an exceptional PLQY of 87%. Their distinct size and morphology were induced by using phenacyl iodide as a novel precursor and subsequently characterized by x‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. In these giant NCs, the non‐radiative Auger process is suppressed, giving rise to a high biexciton PLQY of 55%, while a high single‐photon purity up to 95% was achieved using a time‐gating method. Benefiting from their enlarged volume, these NCs achieve one of the largest reported absorption cross‐sections of 5.3 × 10 −13 cm 2 , along with emission tunable to the near‐infrared region (>700 nm) and a prolonged room‐temperature lifetime of 465 ns—nearly an order of magnitude longer than conventional NCs. In contrast, at cryogenic temperatures, these enlarged NCs exhibit narrow and ultrafast emission ( τ = 467 ps) arising from the coherent coupling of dipoles within a single NC, which induces a giant oscillator strength and leads to single‐photon superradiance. These results position the unique rhombicuboctahedral, giant CsPbI 3 NCs as novel near‐infrared emitters and promising candidates for high‐speed quantum photon sources.

A Skin‐Inspired High‐κ Self‐Healing Polymer for Low‐Voltage Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

ABSTRACT Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), known as a type of artificial muscles, are promising soft actuators with many applications including robotics and wearables due to their conformability, fast response, and large actuation. However, their usage remains constrained by high driving voltages needed to achieve substantial actuation. Here, we design a skin‐inspired high‐κ self‐healing elastomer, poly‐(acrylonitrile‐co‐butadiene)‐co‐thiourea (PABTU), that features a high dielectric constant (15 at 1 kHz), low Young's modulus (0.58 and 0.012 MPa upon pre‐stretch), and ability to form pinhole‐free thin films (∼ 3 µm). To mitigate relatively high dielectric loss of our PABTU, PABTU/PDMS‐MPU 0.3 ‐IU 0.7 bilayer structure (ULTRA) is used for actuators, increasing its breakdown strength from ∼33 to 43 V/µm. Our ULTRA actuators exhibit visible deformation at an unprecedented low voltage of 30 V and an areal strain exceeding 130% at 120 V, representing an order of magnitude reduction in voltage for actuation compared with previously reported DEAs while achieving similar actuation strain. As proof of concept, we demonstrate a low‐voltage multipixel array with ULTRA DEA. Our molecular design concept provides a path for material systems toward low‐voltage operating soft robotics.

Dynamic Te–OH Proton Relay Enables Industrial‐Level Acidic CO ₂ Electroreduction on Single‐Atom Catalysts

ABSTRACT Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) in acidic media can suppress carbonate formation and boost CO 2 utilization efficiency. However, at high current densities, rapid proton consumption induces localized alkalization, causing insufficient proton supply and limiting reaction kinetics. Here we report a dynamic proton‐relay strategy that enables rapid and selective CO 2 RR by integrating atomically dispersed Ni–N sites on carbon with adjacent Te species (Ni–N/Te–C). The incorporated Te centers form reversible Te–OH/Te–O − couples that simultaneously promote water activation and mediate controlled proton delivery, thereby synchronizing hydrogen supply with intermediate protonation while suppressing competitive hydrogen evolution. As a result, Ni–N/Te–C achieves a CO Faradaic efficiency above 94.8% across a wide potential window from −0.8 to −1.4 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Ni–N/Te–C delivers an industrial CO current density of 562.5 mA cm −2 and a turnover frequency of 16291.9 h −1 at −1.4 V, significantly higher than that of Ni–N/C. The catalyst also demonstrates remarkable durability, maintaining 93.8% selectivity for 300 h at 100.0 mA cm −2 . In situ spectroscopic characterization and theoretical calculations reveal that the Te–OH‐mediated proton relay modulates the reaction pathway of water dissociation and CO 2 protonation with significantly lower energy barriers, thus accelerating *COOH formation.

Pseudocapacitive Charge‐Driven Adhesive‐Electrocoupling Hydrogels for Myocardial Infarction Repair via Interstitial Microenvironment Remodeling

ABSTRACT Myocardial infarction (MI) creates a hostile microenvironment characterized by oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and electrical conduction block, posing a multifaceted challenge for tissue repair. To address this, we developed a multifunctional hydrogel (Gel‐PDZC), through an artificial neural network (ANN)‐guided optimization process, incorporating nanoparticles comprising a ZIF‐8@CaO 2 core for sustained oxygen release, a polydopamine (PDA) interlayer for adhesion and antioxidant activity, and a conductive poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) shell. The hydrogel exhibits a unique “adhesion‐electrocoupling” effect, where robust tissue adhesion facilitates a pseudocapacitive charge injection mechanism. This not only enables active electrical intervention in the avascular scar but also leverages the endogenous myocardial electric field to restore the hydrogel's antioxidant properties. In a rat MI model, the Gel‐PDZC hydrogel comprehensively remodeled the myocardial interstitial microenvironment. It alleviated hypoxia, reduced oxidative stress and apoptosis, suppressed pro‐inflammatory C‐C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2 + ) macrophages recruitment and promoted electrical coupling between resident CCR2 − macrophages and cardiomyocytes (CMs), inhibited fibroblast‐to‐myofibroblast transition via the PI3K/AKT pathway, and stimulated angiogenesis. These coordinated cellular and molecular changes translated into substantial functional recovery, evidenced by restored epicardial electrical propagation, improved electromechanical coupling, and a significant increase in cardiac function. Our findings demonstrate that this ANN‐optimized, adhesive‐electrocoupling hydrogel provides a comprehensive and synergistic solution for repairing the infarcted heart.

Sustainable and Multifunctional Natural Macromolecular Polymers for Aqueous Zn Metal Batteries

ABSTRACT Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as a highly competitive energy storage system, owing to their inherent safety, ideal capacity, and the abundance of zinc resources. However, the practical applications of AZIBs are significantly hampered by challenges such as uncontrolled dendrite growth, corrosion, and passivation of zinc anodes. Natural macromolecular polymers, leveraging their multifunctionality, sustainability, and multilevel structures featuring superior mechanical strength, demonstrate unique potential in the development of effective strategies for optimizing zinc anodes. This review is the first to systematically analyze, at both the microscopic and mesoscopic levels, the structure‐function relationships between the structural/surface characteristics of natural polymers and their optimization effect on zinc anodes, and elucidates the relevant regulatory mechanisms. Concurrently, the research progress on optimizing zinc anodes with these natural polymers is sorted out and analyzed according to different optimization strategies, further illustrating the interrelationship among the structure/properties of natural polymers, zinc anode optimization strategies, and regulatory mechanisms. Additionally, the review identifies and outlines the crucial challenges faced by natural polymers in terms of optimizing zinc anodes. Ultimately, this review also delivers some prospects for future research directions and innovative engineering strategies focusing on natural polymers to construct ultra‐stable zinc anodes for large‐scale applications.

Transient Cytoskeletal Anisotropy Encodes Short‐Term Mechanical Memory in Glioblastoma Cells

ABSTRACT Cells experience time‐varying mechanical cues when navigating complex microenvironments, yet whether and how they retain a short‐term memory of recent deformations remains unclear. Here, we show that glioblastoma cells encode such memory through transient cytoskeletal anisotropy. Combining magneto‐mechanical actuation, nanoindentation, and selective cytoskeletal perturbations, we find that actin architectures drive opposite mechanical responses: stress fibers stiffen cells under stretch, whereas the actin cortex governs softening under compression. Vimentin intermediate filaments stabilize actin organization under load, preserving these deformation‐specific responses. Mechanical actuation aligns both networks, more strongly for actin than vimentin, and this anisotropy persists after unloading. Using a two‐step actuation protocol, we show that residual alignment biases the response to a second deformation: cells retain information about prior loading, and this bias decays as the cytoskeleton relaxes, defining a memory window of minutes to tens of minutes. To integrate these observations, we develop a multi‐network constitutive model that links cytoskeletal architecture and loading history to cell mechanics, reproducing asymmetric mechanical responses, cytoskeletal reorganization dynamics, and memory effect. These findings show how invasive cancer cells could exploit residual cytoskeletal order to adapt to fluctuating solid stresses and confinement, and identify vimentin–actin coupling and remodeling kinetics as levers to limit that adaptability.

Atomically Precise Pt ₃ Cu ₂ Clusters Restore Energy Metabolism via Targeted Succinate Degradation

ABSTRACT Succinate is a critical intermediate for the tricarboxylic acid cycle, whose abnormal accumulation can disrupt energy homeostasis and trigger systemic inflammatory injury across dominant metabolic organs. Targeting succinate thus represents a pivotal strategy to reestablish metabolic equilibrium. Here, through biomimetic electronic structure engineering, we report an atomically precise Pt 3 Cu 2 cluster engineered with intrinsic succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)‐mimicking activity that catalyzes succinate oxidation to restore energy metabolism. The Pt 3 Cu 2 cluster exhibits a succinate‐binding affinity 4.52‐fold superior to that of native SDH, wherein the Pt─Cu dual‐metal active center structurally and functionally recapitulates the Fe─S catalytic motifs of SDH, enabling precise substrate recognition and efficient electron transfer. In disease models of energy metabolic dysfunction, Pt 3 Cu 2 reduces succinate accumulation by 43.54% and restores ATP production by 5.31‐fold, effectively rescuing hepatic energy metabolic dysfunction. Concurrently, it decreases lipid accumulation by 79.82% and resolves hepatic inflammation through normalization of the PI3K/Akt signaling axis. Beyond the liver, systemic normalization of succinate and inflammatory cytokines attenuates neuroinflammation, restores cerebral energy supply, and improves cognitive function. This work establishes atomically precise metal nanoclusters as a compelling enzyme‐mimetic strategy for targeting metabolic‐inflammatory diseases.

Room‐Temperature Rapid Synthesis of Crystalline Ag─C Coordinated MOFs for Highly Efficient Acidic CO ₂ Electroreduction

ABSTRACT The acidic CO 2 electroreduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) shows great promise in addressing carbonation issues encountered under neutral/alkaline conditions. However, it remains challenged by low selectivity arising from high proton availability, as well as catalyst degradation due to the corrosive and reductive nature of acidic media. In this work, we demonstrate a room‐temperature and rapid (< 5 min) synthesis of a novel crystalline Ag–C coordinated metal‐organic framework (TEPT‐AgC‐MOF) employing 4′‐(4‐ethynylphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine as the ligand, enabling gram‐scale production. The incorporation of strongly covalent Ag–C bonds significantly enhances the structural stability of the catalyst under acidic conditions. Moreover, the triazine‐containing ligands in conjunction with a modulated electronic structure collectively enhance CO 2 adsorption, activation, and reduction efficiency. The resulting catalyst delivers outstanding eCO 2 RR performance in acid, achieving a CO Faradaic efficiency of 94.5%, a partial current density of 417.5 mA·cm −2 , and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 7357 h −1 , surpassing those of most reported Ag‐based acidic catalysts. Notably, this study not only establishes a facile route for synthesizing Ag‐MOFs, but also constitutes the first investigation into crystalline Ag–C coordinated MOFs as electrocatalysts for the acidic eCO 2 RR.

A Universal Fenton‐Like Strategy for Selective Generation of ¹ O ₂ in Mixed Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Green Chemical Synthesis

ABSTRACT Sustained and selective generation of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) in Fenton‐like catalytic systems is highly desirable for diverse applications, from freshwater resource management to green chemical synthesis. Despite advances in advanced oxidation processes, there remains a lack of generalizable methods that reliably modulate 1 O 2 selectivity. Here, we propose a descriptor‐assisted coordination modulation strategy, in which machine‐learning analysis identifies the d‐band center as an important electronic descriptor associated with 1 O 2 selectivity. Through N‐coordination modulation, the CoN 5 catalyst exhibited near‐complete 1 O 2 selectivity among the quantified reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a steady‐state concentration of 394 µM, outperforming recent reports. As an internal‐circulation pre‐oxidation module, the CoN 5 /peroxymonosulfate (CoN 5 /PMS) system continuously raised wastewater biochemical oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD) to above 0.5 over 192 h, increased bioavailable dissolved organic matter (DOM), and showed high microbiome compatibility, evidenced by reduced Vibrio fischeri inhibition and microbial diversity ordination clustering near the background with greater shared‐taxa overlap. This system also enabled selective thioanisole oxidation, achieving 90.6% conversion and 99.5% selectivity, with green synthesis potential demonstrated in a three‐chamber continuous single‐pass reactor. These results establish a generalizable coordination principle for steering ROS pathways and provide a deployable, low‐ecological‐risk route for both mixed wastewater treatment and green chemical synthesis.

Ion Bridging Enables Dual‐Interface Engineering for High Capacity and Long Cycling Aqueous Zinc–Sulfur Battery

ABSTRACT Aqueous Zn–S batteries (AZSBs) have garnered significant attention owing to their high energy density and low cost. However, their practical application is hindered by the limited electrochemical reversibility of sulfur cathode and the interfacial instability of zinc anode. Here, we developed a functionalized co‐solvent electrolyte incorporating aprotic polar tetramethylurea (TMU) and potassium iodide (KI) as synergistic additives, where TMU regulates the Zn 2+ coordination environment and cooperates with iodide species to construct an electrolyte‐derived, interface‐confined, and coordination‐mediated dynamic ion bridge pathway. This pathway couples TMU‐regulated Zn 2+ transport with I 3 − /I − ‐mediated charge transfer at the sulfur cathode interface, thereby reducing the kinetic barriers for Zn 2+ transport and ZnS conversion. Meanwhile, the TMU/KI‐regulated interfacial environment homogenizes Zn 2+ flux at the anode, promotes uniform Zn plating/stripping, and suppresses parasitic reactions. Through the synergistic regulation of the ion bridge, the AZSB delivers a high specific capacity of 759 mAh g −1 at 5 A g −1 and maintains over 71.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. This work proposes a promising electrolyte design strategy for energetic AZSBs via synergistic regulation, offering a promising route toward next‐generation sustainable energy storage systems.

Sebastian Clementson

Stereoselective Synthesis of Aminals Through Enzyme‐Catalyzed Intermolecular C(sp ³ )‐H Amidation of Azacycles

ABSTRACT Stereogenic aminals are widespread in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biologically active compounds, including important classes of antibiotics. Methodologies for asymmetric synthesis of aminals are therefore highly desirable, yet they remain scarce and mostly rely on C─N bond formation at functionalized carbon centers such as carbonyls. Here we report the development of a strategy for asymmetric synthesis of aminals via direct, stereoselective C(sp 3 )–H functionalization of cyclic amines via an enzyme‐catalyzed intermolecular nitrene transfer reaction with dioxazolones. Using engineered variants of thermophilic cytochrome P450 (CYP119) from Sulfolobus solfataricus as catalysts, this approach enables the synthesis of a diverse set of indoline‐based aminals in good to high yields, excellent regio‐ and chemoselectivity, and with enantioselectivity up to >99% ee . This methodology could be further extended to pyrrolidines, piperidines, or morpholines as well as different dioxazolone reagents, yielding a diverse range of enantioenriched aminal scaffolds. This work expands the scope of abiological intermolecular C(sp 3 )–H amination reactions accessible through biocatalysis and provides a convenient, new route to the synthesis of enantioenriched aminal compounds.

Reflex Charging for Anion‐Derived Solid Electrolyte Interphase Formation

ABSTRACT Lithium (Li) metal offers exceptional energy density but suffers from unstable interphases that lead to dendrite growth and poor reversibility. Because the interphase is established during the earliest stages of operation, controlling its formation is critical for stabilizing Li metal electrodes. Here, we demonstrate that a reflex charging strategy, in which short discharge pulses are introduced during charging, dynamically reprograms the interfacial environment. This approach sustains anion enrichment near the electrode surface and shifts Li + solvation from solvent‐dominated structures toward anion‐coordinated structures, thereby promoting the formation of an inorganic‐rich interphase. The resulting interphase reduces interfacial resistance and enables dense and uniform Li deposition. Consequently, the reflex charging‐based formation protocol exhibits markedly improved Li deposition/stripping reversibility, and greater resistance to degradation during cycling and calendar aging. In full cells paired with LiFePO 4 (LFP) cathodes, the system retains 73% capacity after 500 cycles, demonstrating practical performance benefits. These findings establish formation protocol as an effective operation‐driven lever for controlling interfacial chemistry, offering a practical route that complements conventional materials‐based strategies for stabilizing Li metal batteries (LMBs).

Domino Effect in Epimer Self‐Assembly Induces Diverse Hydrogel Properties for Biomedical Applications

ABSTRACT Precise regulation of small‐molecule self‐assembly remains a formidable challenge, as subtle structural variations can trigger profound reprogramming of supramolecular architectures. Herein, we demonstrate that C18‐epimerization of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) acts as a molecular switch to modulate both its self‐assembly behavior and the properties of the resulting supramolecular hydrogels. Computational simulations and experimental analyses reveal that this epimer transition induces a “domino effect” that fundamentally rewrites the self‐assembly pathway, particularly by reshaping the intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding (H‐bond) network. Isoglycyrrhizic acid (IGA), the C18‐epimer of GA, forms a densely crosslinked fiber network through a distinct tetramer stacking mode, with significantly enhanced H‐bond interactions arising from altered electrostatic surface potential and molecular planarity. These structural differences yield hydrogels with enhanced injectability and viscosity, supporting the translational potential of IGA‐based hydrogel platforms. Furthermore, IGA co‐assembled with diverse therapeutic agents to form hydrogels that improved drug dispersibility and produced enhanced therapeutic effects in the evaluated preclinical models. This study elucidates the epimer‐governed cascade from molecular stereochemistry to macroscopic function and establishes a stereochemical strategy for engineering supramolecular biomaterials.

Bottlebrush Polyolefin Sulfones as Triggerable and Degradable Pressure‐Sensitive Adhesives

ABSTRACT The molecular architecture (topology) of bottlebrush polymers, featuring densely grafted side chains along a polymeric backbone, leads to unique physical properties, enabling their use as functional materials including elastomers and pressure‐sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Bottlebrush polymers can form additive‐free PSAs due to their architecture, but most are crosslinked materials that include all‐carbon backbones, have thermally unstable disulfide bonds, or do not reach the high molar masses needed for bottlebrush PSAs. Here, we applied the alternating free‐radical copolymerization of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and norbornene‐based macromonomers in a grafting‐through approach to make bottlebrush polymers with number‐average molar masses exceeding 1100 kg/mol and backbone degrees of polymerization exceeding 900. These first examples of poly(olefin sulfone) bottlebrush polymers incorporated polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polystyrene, and poly(lactic acid) side chains, all attached to a poly(norbornene‐ alt ‐SO 2 ) backbone. Under mild alkaline conditions, these very high molecular weight bottlebrush polymers degraded considerably within 10 min and completely within 4 h. Finally, a bottlebrush polymer synthesized using this approach behaved as a PSA with a peel strength of ∼1200 N/m, substantially higher than non‐degradable PSAs in commercial tapes. In sum, this work offers a versatile approach to synthesize triggerable and degradable bottlebrush polymer adhesives enabling end‐of‐life disposal following their intended applications.

Ionic Liquid Electrolytes for Extreme Temperature Conditions: Challenges and Perspective

ABSTRACT The increasing applications of electrochemical energy‐storage systems in transportation, aerospace, and grid applications impose stringent requirements on electrolytes capable of operating safely and efficiently across extreme temperatures. Conventional carbonate‐ or ether‐ based electrolytes suffer from performance degradation and severe safety hazards in extreme thermal environments. Ionic liquid electrolytes (ILEs), distinguished by their intrinsic nonflammability and remarkable resistance to temperature‐induced property fluctuations, are recognized as promising alternatives. Nonetheless, the development of wide‐temperature ILEs is constrained by their complex temperature‐dependent physicochemical behaviors and interfacial instabilities. In this review, the effects of temperature on the molecular configurations, physicochemical properties, and interfacial chemistry of ILEs are systematically elucidated. The challenges associated with ILEs operation under low‐ and high‐temperature conditions are subsequently delineated, with particular emphasis on recent advances in molecular design and co‐solvent strategies aimed at improving the wide‐temperature performance of ILEs. Furthermore, the interfacial chemistry and electrode compatibility of ILE‐based systems are examined to demonstrate their roles in dictating interphase stability and electrochemical durability. Integrating molecular‐level insights with macroscopic performance characteristics, this review presents a unified framework correlating the structure of ILEs with temperature‐dependent performance, providing valuable guidance for the rational design of next‐generation wide‐temperature ILEs toward high‐safety and high‐energy‐density rechargeable batteries.