A dual-engineering strategy toward high-performance radiative cooling: Mg2Al4Si5O18: xY3+
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Jun-2026 04:16 ET (8-Jun-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)
Passive radiative cooling (PRC) represents a pivotal zero-energy solution for addressing global cooling demands, the energy crisis, and carbon emission challenges. While traditional Mg2Al4Si5O18 ceramics possess significant theoretical potential owing to their wide bandgap and abundant phonon modes, their practical performance is severely constrained by phonon-polariton resonance, which compromises infrared emissivity. To surmount this bottleneck, a novel strategy combining phonon engineering and bandgap engineering is proposed. A series of Y3+-doped Mg2Al4Si5O18 ceramics were rationally designed and synthesized to effectively suppress phonon-polariton resonance and widen the bandgap, thereby significantly enhancing both atmospheric window emissivity and solar reflectivity. The optimized material exhibits exceptional daytime cooling performance, achieving a maximum temperature reduction of 16.5 °C and an average net cooling power of 113.1 W·m-2. This study presents a low-cost, eco-friendly, and highly stable inorganic ceramic solution for large-scale PRC applications, paving a new avenue for the development of next-generation sustainable cooling materials.
A review paper by scientists at Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Science presented a comprehensive overview of the construction, control, and application of cyborg animals composed of biological and electromechanical systems.
The review paper, published on Mar 26, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.
Entropy engineering has emerged as a promising paradigm for tailoring the electronic and photoelectric properties of materials. Although high-entropy transition metal sulfides have been achieved, entropy engineering in 2D tellurides remains challenging. In this work, we report the successful synthesis of a 1T' monolayer heptanary medium-entropy (ME) alloy (MoaWbFecCodSxSeyTez) via a one-step chemical vapor deposition method. Advanced characterizations, including scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy confirm the uniform atomic-level distribution of the seven constituent elements within the alloy. The 1T' ME alloy device exhibits a high drain current of ~ 6.5 mA, which is 216 times higher than the ~ 30 μA observed in pristine 1T' MoTe2. Furthermore, the 1T' ME alloy photodetector exhibits responsivities of 27.92 A/W at 1064 nm and 63.74 A/W at 1550 nm, outperforming those of the pristine 1T' MoTe2 by more than two orders of magnitude. This remarkable enhancement is attributed to the reduced Schottky barrier (15.9 meV) at the 1T' ME alloy/electrode interface, along with the enhanced conductance (0.43 S) and reduced thermal activation energy (4.1 meV) in the 1T' ME alloy, collectively facilitating more efficient carrier injection and transport. Our work provides a distinct pathway for tailoring the properties of transition metal dichalcogenides through entropy engineering and offers valuable insights for the design of high-performance infrared photodetectors.
A novel catalyst developed by the research team offers a powerful solution for combating hard-to-degrade organic pollutants. By skillfully combining metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the team created a cobalt-based catalyst that efficiently activates peroxymonosulfate (PMS) through a highly selective non-radical pathway. This innovative approach ensures effective pollutant degradation across a wide pH range with strong anti-interference ability, marking a significant advance in green and sustainable water treatment technology.
Hydrogels have been highlighted as effective wound dressings for tissue regeneration, while microbeads serve as versatile carriers for controlled drug release and targeted delivery, allowing customization for specific therapeutic needs. Ahmed, Guo and Huang et al. from Taiyuan University of Technology provide a comprehensive review published by Frontiers of Materials Science on microbeads-assisted antibacterial hydrogels for wound healing.