As the world searches for cleaner ways to store and convert energy, scientists are turning to an unlikely source of high-performance materials: biomass. A review published in Biochar examines how biomass-derived materials, especially biomass-derived carbon materials, are being developed for energy storage devices and electrocatalytic energy conversion systems, including supercapacitors, fuel cells, water electrolysis, and carbon dioxide reduction.

With the development of quantum chips, quantum communication is becoming essential for quantum computing and quantum networks. Flying Qubits, quantum information carried by photons, play a vital role in transferring data between nodes. Prof. Guofeng ZHANG, Professor of Department of Applied Mathematics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is dedicated to developing precise control methods for flying qubits, aiming to significantly improve the reliability and fidelity of quantum information transfer in future technologies.

Electrochemical oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) offers a sustainable route to produce value-added chemicals, yet its efficiency is often limited by sluggish charge transfer and interfacial reaction kinetics. In this work, a CeO₂/β-Ni(OH)₂ heterojunction electrode was constructed via an in situ electrodeposition strategy. The built-in electric field formed at the heterointerface promotes directional charge transfer and accelerates the formation of active NiOOH species, while the introduction of CeO₂ significantly enhances surface hydrophilicity and substrate affinity. The synergistic regulation of interfacial electric field and wettability enables efficient electron–proton transfer, resulting in markedly improved HMF electrooxidation performance. This study highlights an effective interface-engineering strategy for boosting biomass electrocatalysis.

For a century, light’s wave-particle duality has reshaped physics, yet spectrometers have long relied solely on light’s wave nature—resulting in unavoidable tradeoffs between resolution, spectral range, and device size. A team from Tsinghua University presents a comprehensive review, featured on the cover of Nano Research, that, for the first time, systematically explores the evolution of spectrometer designs through the lens of wave-particle duality, contrasting traditional wave-based methods with innovative particle-based approaches that enhance performance while minimizing device size. By examining the principles and advancements in both paradigms, the review provides valuable insights into the future of compact and high-performance spectral detection technologies.

Albeit surface reconstruction of precatalysts for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is extensively studied, the dynamic structure evolution and true active phase in neutral media remains largely unexplored. Here, the activation behaviors in neutral and alkaline media are comparatively studied using NiMoO₄ as a model precatalyst. The results reveal that, when electrochemically activated in harsh alkaline conditions, NiMoO₄ undergoes rapid and complete reconstruction with the formation of considerable NiOOH active phase. On the other hand, direct activation in neutral media only results in weak reconstruction with a thin NiOOH layer on NiMoO₄ surface. Accordingly, the electrode oxidized in basic electrolyte yields a superior OER performance compared to that directly treated mild pH condition. Our study deepens the understanding of the neutral water oxidation reaction, which provides insightful guidelines for further development of efficient electrocatalysts for neutral water electrolysis with self-reconstruction.

There is a growing demand for high-performance THz shielding and absorbing materials to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) or pollution. Inspired by staggered cellular structures, a bioinspired strategy was proposed to fabricate multilayer-MXene (m-Ti₃C₂T_x)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) aerogel frameworks with staggered stacking architectures via direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing technology for enhanced THz shielding and absorption performance. The framework exhibits an excellent maximum reflection loss (RL) of 54.01 dB in the 0.5-3.0 THz range (100% qualified bandwidth) and a high absorption of 99.40%. It realizes a high green shielding index (g_s), the range of g_s > 9 that meets the standard for excellent green EMI shielding up to 2.5 THz. Meanwhile, it demonstrates high shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeding 40 dB across a broad gigahertz (GHz) frequency range from 3.9 to 18 GHz, particularly reaching an excellent 101.84 dB in the Ku band. This bionic strategy of staggered structures achieved via 3D printing technology demonstrates significant potential for fabricating high-design-freedom shielding components with excellent THz shielding and absorption properties.

By imaging the superfluid density and superconducting transition temperature in an infinite-layer superconductor, researchers revealed a strong correlation between the two quantities. This correlation is quantitatively similar to that reported in cuprate superconductors, hinting at a close connection between the superconductivity of infinite-layer nickelates and that of cuprates.

A collaborative team led by Professor Zeng-Bing Chen from Nanjing University and Associate Professor Hua-Lei Yin from Renmin University of China has experimentally demonstrated an efficient multiuser source-independent (SI) QCKA protocol based on Bell state distribution.

Agricultural plastics help farmers grow crops more efficiently, but they also create a difficult waste problem when they become tangled with plant residues after harvest. A study published in Biochar suggests that one promising solution may be to convert plastic-contaminated crop waste into biochar, a carbon-rich material that can improve soil quality and help reduce heavy metal risks in contaminated farmland.