Although multifunctional electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with ultrahigh electromagnetic wave absorption are highly required to solve increasingly serious electromagnetic radiation and pollution and meet multi-scenario applications, EMI shielding materials usually cause a lot of reflection and have a single function. To realize the broadband absorption-dominated EMI shielding via absorption–reflection–reabsorption mechanisms and the interference cancelation effect, multifunctional asymmetric bilayer aerogels are designed by sequential printing of a MXene-graphene oxide (MG) layer with a MG emulsion ink and a conductive MXene layer with a MXene ink and subsequent freeze-drying for generating and solidifying numerous pores in the aerogels. The top MG layer of the asymmetric bilayer aerogel optimizes impedance matching and achieves re-absorption, while the bottom MXene layer enhances the reflection of the incident electromagnetic waves. As a result, the asymmetric bilayer aerogel achieves an average absorption coefficient of 0.95 in the X-band and shows the tunable absorption ability to electromagnetic wave in the ultrawide band from 8.2 to 40 GHz. Finite element simulations substantiate the effectiveness of the asymmetric bilayer aerogel for electromagnetic wave absorption. The multifunctional bilayer aerogels exhibit hydrophobicity, thermal insulation and Joule heating capacities and are efficient in solar-thermal/electric heating, infrared stealth, and clean-up of spilled oil.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising candidates as stationary storage systems for power-grid applications due to their high safety and low cost. The practical implementation of Zn-ion batteries currently still faces formidable challenges because of Zn dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and inadequate environmental adaptability. Herein, to address these challenges, a strategy of regulation of water molecules coordination in electrolyte is proposed via developing a cross-linked hydrophilic hydrogel polymer electrolyte. Within this system, the continuous hydrogen bond among H₂O molecules is disrupted and the isolated H₂O molecules are strongly bound with a polymeric matrix comprised of polyacrylamide, carboxymethyl cellulose, and ethylene glycol, which can restrain the activity of H₂O molecules, thus effectively alleviating Zn dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution and enhancing the anti-freezing ability. With this electrolyte, the Zn||Cu cell presents a high coulombic efficiency of 99.4% over 900 cycles and Zn||Zn symmetric cell exhibits high cycling stability, maintaining plating/stripping for over 1,700 h. Moreover, the assembled Zn||PANI device also demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performance over a wide-temperature range, including a long cycling life over 14,120 cycles at room temperature and an ultralong cycling surpassing 30,000 cycles even at − 40 °C. This showcases the manipulation of water coordination chemistry for advanced, highly adaptable batteries.

In Physics of Fluids, researchers use computational fluid dynamics and aerodynamic experiments to explore the phenomenon of the controversial badminton “spin serve.” The researchers used simulated the trajectories of a shuttlecock during serves under three conditions: without pre-spin, with pre-spin in the direction of the shuttlecock’s natural spin, and with pre-spin against the natural spin. They found that the shuttlecock undergoes three phases during the serve: the turnover phase, the oscillation phase, and the stabilization phase.

In APL Bioengineering, researchers introduce a simple way to improve our sense of smell using radio waves, which can directly target the part of our brain responsible for smell, without causing pain. In the test, a small radio antenna was placed near volunteers’ foreheads and emitted radio waves to reach the smell-related nerves deep in the brain. The team found that their method improved subjects’ sense of smell for over a week after just one treatment.

Scientists and chefs have collaborated on a new study that demonstrates how fermented foods can be used to drive participatory science projects that both engage the public and advance our understanding of microbial ecology. The study focused on working with food experts and the public to examine the microbial communities associated with kombucha, kimchi and chow chow.