A liquid alloy (GaInSn)-coated Cu substrate (LM@Cu) addresses K anode instability and dendrites via enhanced potassiophilicity, reduced nucleation overpotential, and self-diffusive planar growth, enabling uniform K deposition. Paired with a PTCDI cathode, the battery delivers 124.4 mAh g⁻¹ initially and retains 78.2 mAh g⁻¹ after 4900 cycles at 500 mA g⁻¹, demonstrating LM@Cu's viability for durable K-metal batteries.

Recently, Professor Shijian Zheng and Associate Professor Kaixiang Lei from Hebei University of Technology, in collaboration with Professor Lin Li and Dr. Xunzhu Zhou from Wenzhou University, published a research paper titled "Synergistic biphasic engineering and dual-site high-entropy doping enable stable sodium storage in layered oxide cathodes" in the journal Nano Research. In this study, a novel P2/O3 biphasic high-entropy oxide cathode material (Na_0.88K_0.02Ni_0.24Li_0.06Mg_0.07Fe_0.1Mn_0.41Ti_0.1Sn_0.02O₂, HEO) for sodium-ion batteries was successfully synthesized. By integrating biphasic engineering with a high-entropy strategy, this material effectively suppresses irreversible phase transitions, significantly enhances particle integrity and structural stability, and simultaneously improves the diffusion kinetics of Na⁺. Experimental results demonstrate that the cathode material maintains a high capacity retention of 82.68% after 1000 cycles, exhibiting its outstanding cycling stability.

Sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs) are promising for high-energy-density and safe energy storage. But the poor compatibility of sulfide electrolytes with both high-voltage cathodes and lithium metal anodes hinders their practical application. Here, Professor Xie Jia's group from Huazhong University of Science and Technology discloses a fluorine-nitrogen synergistic interfacial engineering strategy by modifying Li5.5PS4.5Cl1.5 (LPSC) with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). The modified LPSC electrolyte shows a high ionic conductivity of 2.88 mS/cm. Moreover, LiTFSI induced dual-functional interphases, a fluorine-rich CEI (LiF/LixPOyFz) and a fluorine-nitrogen composite SEI (Li3N/LiF/LixPOyFz), contributing to high oxidation stability (LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2//LiIn battery retains 107% capacity retention after 13000 cycles at 15 C) and excellent lithium dendrite inhibition ability (Li//Li: CCD 3.4 mA/cm2, stably cycling 2600 h at 0.5 mA/cm2). As a result, the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2//Li cell with modified electrolyte demonstrates 1000 stable cycles at a high cut-off voltage of 4.5 V and wide-temperature adaptability (-20~50 ℃). This work shows a facile and effective method for constructing long-life high-energy-density sulfide based ASSLMBs.

Ultrawide bandgap semiconductor optoelectronic synapses can perform high-parallel computing with low false alarm rate, making them ideal for building deep-ultraviolet (DUV) neuromorphic visual system (NVS). Scientists in China developed a breakthrough DUV optoelectronic synapse using Ga₂O₃-based cascade heterojunctions. The device mimics biological vision with 4,096 conductance states and ultrahigh linearity, enabling high-accuracy fingerprint recognition and fault-tolerant logic operations. This innovation paves the way for energy-efficient neuromorphic vision systems in military, environmental monitoring, and secure communications.

Scientists in Korea developed a photopatterning approach for emissive layer (EML) patterns using prepatterned photoresist based on a molecular crosslinking strategy. This approach enables ultra-high resolution up to 3000 ppi—fulfilling AR display requirements—without direct exposure of EML to etchants or UV irradiation, unlike conventional photolithography. The simple method offers a promising route for high-resolution OLEDs for VR/AR applications

Overcoming fundamental power limitations in single-frequency fiber lasers—long constrained by stimulated Brillouin scattering effect (SBS) and transverse mode instability effect (TMI)—Chinese researchers combined optic-acoustic-thermodynamic multi-physics comprehensive analysis and innovatively proposed the insight of using a regionally refractive index design to suppress SBS and TMI. Their ‘bat-type’ refractive-index fiber achieved the first kilowatt breakthrough in single-frequency fiber lasers internationally, which could provide a novel laser source for next-generation advanced detection and sensing systems.

Professor Tonggang Jiu's team at Shandong University achieved a significant improvement in the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells by regulating the NiO_x/perovskite interface chemistry by introducing a novel self-assembling molecule, (4-(2,7-dibromo-9,9-dimethylacridin-10(9H)-yl)butylphosphonic acid (2Br-4PADMAc), into the NiO_x/perovskite interface. This effectively suppressed Ni^>3+ generation and interfacial redox reactions, optimized energy level matching, and promoted high-quality film crystallization. Compared to the traditional molecule 2PACz, 2Br-4PADMAc exhibits stronger interfacial anchoring and a larger molecular dipole moment, which can improve hole transport efficiency and reduce PbI₂ accumulation. The inverse perovskite solar cell modified with this molecule achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25.28% and excellent stability. This research provides a new strategy for optimizing the efficiency and stability of NiO_x-based perovskite solar cells through interfacial molecule design. The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.