A novel fiber optic sensing platform captures real-time bubble dynamics during hydrogen evolution, revealing how bubble growth and detachment impact catalyst performance. This breakthrough bridges interfacial gas behavior with electrochemical efficiency, offering new strategies for green hydrogen optimization.

Researchers from Wroclaw Medical University investigated why some transplanted kidneys deteriorate despite treatment, focusing on a type of rejection called microvascular inflammation (MVI). This form of injury, now highlighted in the updated Banff 2022 Classification, is difficult to detect without biopsy and is often not accompanied by classic markers such as anti-HLA antibodies. To address this diagnostic gap, the team examined the role of non-HLA antibodies, particularly those targeting the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R).

In a study of 167 transplant recipients, MVI was significantly more common in patients with elevated AT1R antibody levels. Using advanced analytical methods, including artificial intelligence, the researchers identified that only high AT1R titers (>12 U/ml) meaningfully increased the risk of MVI. This suggests that non-HLA antibodies may contribute to graft injury in cases where traditional tests remain negative.

The findings open a path toward developing a more comprehensive, minimally invasive immunological profile to support early diagnosis of rejection. According to the authors, AI-assisted tools may become an essential part of transplant medicine, helping clinicians detect risk sooner and prolong the lifespan of transplanted kidneys.

A research team from Tsinghua University and Tongji University has proposed a “100-Kilometer Coastal Desalination for Short-cut Water Cycle (100K-CDS)” strategy to address China’s growing water scarcity. The authors reposition seawater desalination as a transformative solution, highlighting how the integration of reverse osmosis and renewable energy has cut costs and enabled a 57.5~98.3% reduction in carbon emissions. By industrializing water production along the coast—home to 40% of China's population and over half its GDP—this approach treats freshwater as a manufacturable resource, decoupling water security from natural constraints and offering a scalable model for arid regions worldwide.

The extensive utilization of fossil fuels has led to a significant increase in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, contributing to global warming and environmental pollution, which pose major threats to human survival. To mitigate these effects, many researchers are actively employing state-of-the-art technologies to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals and fuels, thereby supporting sustainable development. However, few studies have employed bibliometric methods to systematically analyze research trends in CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), resulting in limited macroscopic insights into this field. This study aims to conduct a scientometric analysis of academic literature on electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and thermocatalytic CO₂RR from 2015 to 2023. Utilizing bibliometric analysis tools Citespace, Bibliometrix, and Vosviewer for data visualization, it establishes a knowledge framework for catalytic CO₂RR. The results show that China, the United States, and India are the top three countries with the highest number of published papers in this field, with China and the United States having the highest levels of collaboration. The journal Applied Catalysis B-Environmental published the most articles and received the highest citation count, with 3.4% of the articles in this field appearing in the journal and a total of 62526 citations. Keyword analysis revealed that terms like “CO₂RR,” “CO₂,” “conversion,” and “reduction” are the most frequently occurring, indicating key areas of focus. Additionally, “selectivity” and “heterojunction” emerged as prominent research hotspots. The discussion section highlights the current challenges in the field and proposes potential strategies to address these obstacles, providing valuable insights for research in the field of catalytic CO₂RR.

The utilization of solar energy to address energy and environmental challenges has a seen a significant growth in recent years. Metal halides, which offer unique advantages such as tunable bandgaps, high light absorption efficiencies, favorable product release rates, and low exciton binding energies, have emerged as excellent photocatalysts for energy conversion. This paper reviews the recent advancements in both all-inorganic and organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide photocatalytic materials, including the fundamental mechanisms of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, various synthesis strategies for metal halide photocatalysts, and their applications in the field of photocatalysis. Finally, it examines the current challenges associated with metal halide materials and explores potential solutions for metal halide materials, along with their future prospects in photocatalysis applications.

Directly correlating the morphology and composition of interfacial water is vital not only for studying water icing under critical conditions but also for understanding the role of protein–water interactions in bio-relevant systems. In this study, we present a model system to study two-dimensional (2D) water layers under ambient conditions by using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) supporting the physisorption of the Cytochrome C (Cyt C) protein layer. We observed that the 2D island-like water layers were uniformly distributed on the SAMs as characterized by atomic force microscopy, and their composition was confirmed by nano-atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, these 2D flakes could grow under high-humidity conditions or melt upon the introduction of a heat source. The formation of these flakes is attributed to the activation energy for water desorption from the Cyt C being nearly twofold high than that from the SAMs. Our results provide a new and effective method for further understanding the water–protein interactions.

Photocatalytic seawater splitting is an attractive way for producing green hydrogen. Significant progresses have been made recently in catalytic efficiencies, but the activity of catalysts can only maintain stable for about 10 h. Here, we develop a vacancy-engineered Ag₃PO₄/CdS porous microreactor chip photocatalyst, operating in seawater with a performance stability exceeding 300 h. This is achieved by the establishment of both catalytic selectivity for impurity ions and tailored interactions between vacancies and sulfur species. Efficient transport of carriers with strong redox ability is ensured by forming a heterojunction within a space charge region, where the visualization of potential distribution confirms the key design concept of our chip. Moreover, the separation of oxidation and reduction reactions in space inhibits the reverse recombination, making the chip capable of working at atmospheric pressure. Consequently, in the presence of Pt co-catalysts, a high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.81% can be achieved in the whole durability test. When using a fully solar-driven 256 cm² hydrogen production prototype, a H₂ evolution rate of 68.01 mmol h⁻¹ m⁻² can be achieved under outdoor insolation. Our findings provide a novel approach to achieve high selectivity, and demonstrate an efficient and scalable prototype suitable for practical solar H₂ production.

The state-of-the-art anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) require highly stable electrodes for prolonged operation. The stability of the electrode is closely linked to the effective evacuation of H₂ or O₂ gas generated from electrode surface during the electrolysis. In this study, we prepared a super-hydrophilic electrode by depositing porous nickel–iron nanoparticles on annealed TiO₂ nanotubes (NiFe/ATNT) for rapid outgassing of such nonpolar gases. The super-hydrophilic NiFe/ATNT electrode exhibited an overpotential of 235 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution, and was utilized as the anode in the AEMWE to achieve a current density of 1.67 A cm⁻² at 1.80 V. In addition, the AEMWE with NiFe/ATNT electrode, which enables effective outgassing, showed record stability for 1500 h at 0.50 A cm⁻² under harsh temperature conditions of 80 ± 3 °C.