Diffusion barrier materials (DBMs) are critical for the stability and efficiency of thermoelectric devices. This study presents a streamlined approach for DBM screening in metal chalcogenide-based devices, substitution energy as a simplified criterion within the conventional DFT-based framework. A device comprising seven pairs of Ag₂Se/MgAgSb legs, with Ni employed as the DBM for the Ag₂Se legs, demonstrates excellent cooling performance.

Flexible electronics is profoundly leading the wave of transformation in fields such as wearable devices, health monitoring, and intelligent robots, and material innovation is undoubtedly the core driving force behind this revolution. As a new type of material prepared by compounding liquid metals (LM) with other materials, LM thin films, with their unique properties, have become an ideal candidate in the field of flexible electronics preparation, laying a solid foundation for the vigorous development of flexible electronics technology.

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is an effective technology for mitigating the fluctuations associated with renewable energy sources. In this work, a hybrid cogeneration energy system that integrates CAES with high-temperature thermal energy storage and a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle is proposed for enhancing the overall system performance. This proposal emphasizes system cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, and adaptability. Comprehensive analyses, including thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, economic, and sensitivity evaluations, are conducted to assess the viability of the system. The findings indicate that, under design conditions, the system achieves an energy storage density, a round-trip efficiency, an exergy efficiency, a unit product cost, and a dynamic payback period of 5.49 kWh/m3, 58.39%, 61.85%, 0.1421 $/kWh, and 4.81 years, respectively. The high-temperature thermal energy storage unit, intercoolers, and aftercooler show potential for optimization due to their suboptimal exergoeconomic performance. Sensitivity evaluation indicates that the operational effectiveness of the system is highly sensitive to the maximum and minimum air storage pressures, the outlet temperature of the high-temperature thermal energy storage unit, and the isentropic efficiencies of both compressors and turbines. Ultimately, the system is optimized for maximum exergy efficiency and minimum dynamic payback period. These findings demonstrate the significant potential of this system and provide valuable insights for its design and optimization.

As the installed capacity of renewable energy such as wind and solar power continues to increase, energy storage technology is becoming increasingly crucial. It could effectively balance power demand and supply, enhance allocation flexibility, and improve power quality. Among various energy storage technologies, liquid CO₂ energy storage (LCES) stands out as one of the most promising options due to its advantages such as high round-trip efficiency (RTE), high energy storage density (ESD), safety, stability, and longevity. Within the system, the cold and heat storage units play a critical role in determining the overall performance of the system and are particularly important among its various components. In this paper, a novel LCES system is proposed and the heat transfer characteristics are analyzed in detail. Then, the impact of key parameters on the liquefaction ratio and RTE is discussed. The results indicate that the RTE, ESD, and exergy efficiency of the system are 56.12%, 29.46 kWh/m³, and 93.73% under specified design conditions, respectively. During the gas–liquid phase change process of carbon dioxide or when it is in a supercritical state, the related heat transfer processes become more complex, leading to increased energy loss. The analysis of key parameters of the Linde-Hampson liquefaction unit reveals that as the liquefaction temperature decreases, both the liquefaction ratio and RTE increase. While the liquefaction pressure has a minimal impact on the liquefaction ratio, it significantly affects RTE, with an optimal liquefaction pressure identified.

Electromagnetic radiation interferes with the operation of electronic devices and poses a threat to human health, while traditional microwave absorbing materials are difficult to meet the core requirements of being "thin, light, wide and strong". Inspired by the structure of coral reefs, a Chinese research team has designed a ZnNiCo-LDH/MXene composite material. Through biomimetic porous structures and high-density heterojunction engineering, it achieves an electromagnetic reflection loss of -49.6 dB at a thickness of 1.35 mm and a radar cross-section suppression of -39.57 dB · m². This breakthrough provides a brand-new approach to solving the problems of electromagnetic pollution and military stealth technology.

The regulation of electron transfer is crucial for enhancing the catalytic efficiency of catalysts. Currently, CO selective reduction of NO_x (CO-SCR) catalysts with surface synergistic oxygen vacancies (SSOVs) or alloyed components exhibit superior performance but face challenges of reduced activity and stability in oxygen-rich environments. Here, we demonstrate a strategy that combines PtCo alloys (0.01% Pt; 0.04% Co) with SSOVs in cerium zirconium oxide solid solution to interactively modulate the electronic structure, resulting in a significant enhancement of both the activity and stability of the catalyst under oxygen-rich conditions. This catalyst achieved over 85% NO conversion at 300 ℃ and 5% O₂, while maintaining approximately 100% N₂ selectivity during 20 h-stability testing, surpassing the performance of the monometallic catalysts. This enhancement arises from the synergistic electronic effects of alloying and SSOVs, which generate negatively charged Pt that facilitates NO adsorption and dissociation, while concurrently producing electron-deficient SSOVs that weaken O₂ chemisorption and promote the formation of moderate reactive oxygen species. Moreover, the preferential adsorption of CO on Co sites alleviates competitive adsorption.