Carbon nanotube films feature scalable fabrication and facile molding, making them suitable for impact protection applications. A bioinspired nanonetwork strategy combining directional stretching and p‑phenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) infiltration is adopted to construct dense interlocking structures and enhance the mechanical strength and toughness of films. This work offers a new route to optimize the dynamic properties of carbon-based protective films. 

Near-infrared photodetectors are key components for imaging, sensing, and wearable electronics, but toxic lead-based quantum dots and high dark current have limited their practical use. Now, researchers report a lead-free, eco-friendly AgBiS₂ quantum dot photodetector using a ZnO/MXene bilayer electron transport layer, which achieves record-low dark current, high sensitivity, and excellent near-infrared imaging capability, offering a promising strategy for next-generation environmental-friendly image sensors.

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) van der Waals (vdW) materials represent an emerging frontier in nanoscience, yet the synthesis of their metastable phases remains a significant challenge. Now, researchers at Beijing Institute of Technology have developed a kinetically-controlled anion-exchange (KCAE) strategy that, for the first time, produces uniform, wafer-scale (1-inch) films of W₆Te₆ — a metastable quasi-1D material previously inaccessible by conventional methods. By first converting a tungsten film into a stable WS₂ template with vertically aligned grains, then carefully controlling tellurization, the team creates a kinetic barrier that traps the system in the W₆Te₆ phase, preventing it from racing to the thermodynamically stable WTe₂. The method is also compatible with standard photolithography, enabling pre-patterned W₆Te₆ nanostructures.

Singlechain nanoparticle (SCNP) catalysts combine high dispersion and nanoconfinement effects but suffer from poor recyclability. Inspired by worker bees returning to a hive, researchers at Tongji University have developed a dynamic covalent carrier system that releases SCNP catalysts on demand, recovers them after reaction, and retains over 90% catalytic conversion and outstanding selectivity even after 20 cycles. This work opens a new avenue for sustainable, highly efficient nanocatalysis.

ABSTRACT: Strengthening the stability of metal-oxygen bonds in catalysts is imperative for the advancement of efficient and durable electrocatalytic water splitting. Herein, using a mild boron-reduction strategy, a self-supported electrode with robust Co-B bonds was constructed. The Co-B@Co(OH)₂–Ru/NF (Co-B@CRN) electrode demonstrates low overpotentials for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, 20 mV) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, 160 mV) at 10 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, long-term stability was achieved for over 400 h at 10 mA cm⁻² and 270 h at 200 mA cm⁻², respectively. For overall water splitting, the assembled electrolyzer exhibited a low voltage of 1.40 V at 10 mA cm⁻², with stable operation maintained for over 240 h. Detailed X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) characterization verified the mixed valence state of Co and the Co-B coordination environment. Further electronic analysis indicated strong hybridization between Co d-orbitals and B p-orbitals. The B bonding induced a downward shift in the d-band center at the Co site, thereby significantly suppressing metal leaching during catalysis and stabilizing electronic structure regulation. This research shows that the boron reduction strategy offers an effective dynamic regulation mechanism for the electronic structures and coordination environments of transition metals, enabling a highly efficient and stable overall water splitting process.