A recent review in Polyoxometalates summarizes the latest advances in the design, synthesis, and application of one-dimensional subnanometer materials constructed from polyoxometalate clusters. These subnanomaterials exhibit unique electronic and catalytic properties, with promising potential in redox catalysis, CO₂ reduction, photothermal conversion, and flexible device integration.

Sulfate radical (SO₄•^- )-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are appealing for removing persistent organic pollutants from wastewater, but current mainstream activation of peroxydisulfate (PDS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) through heating, light irradiation, electricity or ultrasound is too energy-intensive to large-scale wastewater treatment. On the other hand, low-frequency mechanical energy, which is not only abundant in ambient environment but also easy to scale up, has been rarely explored in sulfate radical (SO₄•^- )-based AOPs for decades.

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.