A recent study published in Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, titled “Erosion-immune Layer-by-layer Deposition Enabled by Interfacial Buffering toward 20.21%-Efficient Pseudo-Planar Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells,” presents an effective interfacial buffering strategy to address this issue. By introducing a highly crystalline polymer buffer layer between donor and acceptor materials, the researchers achieved a high power conversion efficiency of 20.21%, among the highest reported for PPHJ organic solar cells.

A new genomic study reveals that ancient hybridization and gene flow have shaped the genetic diversity and morphological evolution of rare wild water lilies in Hainan, offering key insights for conservation under climate change.

Professor Wenkun Zhu and Professor Tao Chen’s research group at Southwest University of Science and Technology has published a research article in Science Bulletin demonstrating the development of an atomically dispersed U−O−Ti bimetallic photoanode material (U/TiO₂ NRA). Utilizing a facile photodeposition method, the team successfully anchored uranium single atoms directly from uranium-containing wastewater onto TiO₂ nanorod arrays rich in oxygen vacancies. The as-fabricated catalyst exhibits exceptional photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, offering a novel strategy for both the high-value utilization of depleted uranium resources and the design of efficient photoelectrocatalytic materials.

Fruit volume in Chinese flowering plants is largely shaped by evolutionary relationships, but warmer climates weaken this phylogenetic constraint, highlighting the context‑dependent role of evolutionary history in plant reproductive traits.

The research team proposes a lattice-matching engineering strategy to fabricate hexagonal WO₃/TiO₂ S-scheme heterojunctions with an ultra-low 0.027% lattice mismatch. The strong built-in electric field optimizes charge transfer, realizing 35% dihydroxyacetone selectivity, 40% improved glycerol conversion and over 40 h catalytic stability for efficient biomass valorization.

Carbenes were self-assembled onto the Ag-Cu₂O surface via the in-situ deprotonation of imidazolium cations by generated OH^- ions. The synthesized Ag-Cu₂O-carbene catalyst exhibited a remarkable C₂₊ Faradaic efficiency. The improved performance is attributed to the enhanced tandem synergy induced by carbene bridging. Carbene modification enhances *CO spillover from Ag to Cu sites, increasing *CO coverage, while simultaneously lowering the *CO hydrogenation energy barrier to boost *COCHO formation.

A novel defect-engineered Pt/Nb₂O₅ photocatalyst achieves record-breaking efficiency for the co-production of 2-methylbenzimidazole and hydrogen through a hydroxyethyl radical-mediated pathway. By engineering oxygen vacancies and decorating with Pt nanoparticles, researchers demonstrate selective activation of the α-C–H bond in ethanol, bypassing conventional aldehyde intermediates to enhance both catalytic activity and selectivity under mild reaction conditions.