A new study uses theoretical modelling to reveal the key role of graphene in TiO₂/graphene photocatalytic composites. Presence of defects in graphene is found to enable covalent bonding between graphene and TiO₂, creating hybridised electronic states that facilitate charge transfer and hinder electron-hole recombination, and therefore enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO₂/graphene composites.

The advancement of kilowatt-level laser lighting is hindered by poor thermal stability of YAG:Ce phosphors. AlN was introduced into YAG:Ce to fabricate AlN-YAG:Ce composite ceramics via powder-embedding nitrogen atmosphere sintering. The ceramic with 50 vol.% AlN achieves a thermal conductivity of 27.2 W·m^-1·K^-1—three times higher than pure YAG:Ce—while maintaining comparable luminescence. Under 1.3 W·mm^-2 blue laser excitation, the 10 vol.% AlN-YAG:Ce ceramic delivers a luminous efficacy of 200.1 lm·W^-1 and 4608 K. A 10 W blue laser prototype illuminates over 500 m, demonstrating strong potential for high-power laser-driven lighting.

Proton affinity or transfer is crucial in determining the activity and selectivity of the electroreduction of CO₂. However, optimizing proton supply during CO₂ reduction while simultaneously enhancing the activity of catalytic sites and inhibiting hydrogen evolution poses a significant challenge. It has been found that introduce another active site around the CO₂ reduction catalytic site to supply proton for the proton process has been proved been an effective strategy to modulate the leverage relationship in electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR).