Researchers have developed a novel quaternary zirconia-based electrolyte by partially replacing expensive scandia with low-cost ytterbia. The optimized composition, (Yb₂O₃)₀.₀₆(Sc₂O₃)₀.₀₄(CeO₂)₀.₀₁(ZrO₂)₀.₈₉, exhibits a pure cubic phase structure, high ionic conductivity (0.088 S·cm⁻¹ at 800 °C and 0.0020 S·cm⁻¹ at 500 °C), and enhanced thermal compatibility with electrodes. A single fuel cell using this electrolyte achieved a peak power density of 0.65 W·cm⁻² at 800 °C and operated stably for 100 hours.

AI TO EYE: Between Code and Conscience offers a concise and vivid portrait of how artificial intelligence is reshaping contemporary society. In addition to insights drawn from literature and the wider cultural record, 14 short essays and a rich mosaic of voices from more than 40 interviews unite perspectives on this topic from science, industry, journalism, film, music, and the arts. Rather than explaining AI in technical terms, this volume presents a human-centered view of how people across disciplines experience the ongoing debate and apply this powerful technology. From education and media to healthcare and the creative industries, the contributors illuminate both the emerging opportunities and the challenges of an AI-driven world. AI TO EYE blends contemporary conversations with enduring ideas from culture and intellectual history to deliver a polyphonic and highly quotable cultural document that meets AI “eye to eye.”

A recent review published in Science Bulletin outlines the evolving landscape of metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), emphasizing a suite of non-invasive genetic, metabolic and microbial markers that improve disease detection and prognosis, and summarising the clinical significance of the recent FDA‑approved drugs, resmetirom and semaglutide, along with a robust pipeline of late‑stage therapeutics. Crucially, the review addresses the substantial hurdles to clinical translation in newly developed biomarkers, including validation, standardization, and cost, and proposes a roadmap for translating these scientific advances into effective, personalized patient care.

For the first time, researchers have shown through simulation that a novel X-shaped sleeper enhances trackbed stability under impact loading by redistributing loads through a denser, more uniform network of force chains, reducing stress concentrations and improving energy dissipation.

Don't rush into braces if you have a jaw and crooked teeth issue. This study reveals that while proper orthodontics can help a healthy jaw joint, incorrect treatment can worsen disc displacement and even cause bone loss. Simply using splints often leads to high relapse rates. The experts recommend a "Sequential Strategy": first surgically reposition the disc, then perform orthodontic treatment. This approach aims to fix the joint first to ensure stable, long-term results for both your bite and facial appearance.

The development of efficient and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production. In this work, a nitrogen-rich porous Co-MOF precursor was employed to synthesize heterostructured CoP/Co2P catalysts supported on nitrogen-phosphorus co-doped hollow carbon nanorods (CoP/Co2P@NC-T-xP). The interfacial coupling between CoP and Co2P within the catalyst facilitates rapid electron transfer and optimizes the adsorption/desorption behavior of reaction intermediates, thereby enhancing the catalytic reaction kinetics for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the interfacial effect in the CoP/Co2P heterojunction can modulate the catalyst’s electronic structure, thereby optimizing the Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH*). Furthermore, the metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived hollow carbon support promotes electrolyte infiltration, exposes abundant active sites, and shortens the mass transport pathways for reactive species. Electrochemically, the CoP/Co2P@NC-400-10P catalyst exhibits outstanding performance in alkaline media, achieving overpotentials as low as 127.6 mV for HER and 279.4 mV for OER at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Moreover, a CoP/Co2P@NC-400-10P∥CoP/Co2P@NC-400-10P electrolyzer requires only 1.73 V to deliver a current density of 100 mA/cm2 for overall water splitting and demonstrates excellent durability over 100 h without significant voltage degradation. This work highlights the effective synergy between the MOF-derived heterojunction structure and the hollow carbon architecture in designing highly efficient electrocatalysts, and provides a valuable reference for the development of other low-cost, high-activity bifunctional electrocatalysts.

Li metal batteries (LMBs), owing to their high theoretical specific energy, are considered a crucial development direction for future high-energy-density battery systems. However, the high reactivity of the Li metal anode leads to extreme electrochemical and chemical instability at the interface with the electrolyte. This instability triggers detrimental effects, including Li dendrite growth, repeated cracking and reformation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and continuous irreversible consumption of both active Li and electrolyte. Therefore, designing high-performance electrolytes to precisely regulate interfacial chemistry has become one of the core strategies for advancing the practical application of LMBs. Significant progress has recently been made in stabilizing the Li metal–electrolyte interface (Li-electrolyte interface) through strategies including additives, weakly solvating electrolytes (WSEs), high-concentration/localized high-concentration electrolytes (HCEs/LHCEs), and novel molecular design. Nevertheless, these advanced strategies and their corresponding stabilization mechanisms have not yet been systematically organized. To address this gap, this review focuses on four core electrolyte design strategies and systematically summarizes their mechanisms for stabilizing the Li-electrolyte interface. Building on this foundation, it discusses the inherent limitations of individual electrolyte design strategies. It then focuses on the potential of synergistic electrolyte design to achieve a more electrochemically stable Li-electrolyte interface. Finally, it proposes future research directions requiring key focus for existing electrolyte design strategies.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), with their well-defined active sites, demonstrate remarkable selectivity in biomass platform chemical conversions. However, the feature of single active site fails to synergistically regulate the divergent oxidation pathways of multiple functional groups, thereby restricting multi-step reaction efficiency. Herein, a “stepwise N-stripping” strategy is developed via lignin-derived N-doped carbon matrices, which achieves controlled evolution from isolated Co-N₄ single site to multi-scale atomic/cluster Co synergistic sites by precisely modulating the pyrolysis pathways of lignin-Co precursors. Theoretical and experimental evidence elucidates a synergy-enhanced tandem dual-site catalytic mechanism that single Co atoms with Co-N₂ configuration selectively activate aldehyde groups to drive sequential carboxylation (5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) and 5-formyl-2-furoic acid (FFCA) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)), while Co clusters enhance oxygen activation for accelerated hydroxymethyl oxidation (HMFCA to FFCA). As expected, the optimized Co-N₂/Co₄ dual-site catalyst achieves 98.76% FDCA yield at 55 °C, surpassing most reported supported metal catalysts, alongside robust cycling stability (6 cycles with > 97% FDCA yield). This work establishes a biomass-tailored paradigm for constructing atomic/cluster hybrid catalysts and unravels the dynamic cooperation mechanism between distinct active sites in multi-step oxidation, advancing the rational design of efficient systems for biomass valorization.