Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Dual single‐atom catalysts (DSAs), leveraging synergistic dual‐site interactions, represent a promising frontier in electrocatalysis. However, the precise synthesis of dual‐atom pairs and fine‐tuning of their electronic structures remain significant challenges. Herein, we construct a defect‐engineered heteronuclear FeMn‐DSA anchored on a porous nitrogen‐doped carbon matrix (FeMnDSA/dNC) through a customized trinuclear‐defect trapping strategy. This defect modulation strategy effectively stabilizes dual atomic pairs while optimizing electronic structures to approach Sabatier's optimality, significantly boosting oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance. The FeMnDSA/dNC achieves a high half‐wave potential of 0.921 V in alkaline media, with assembled zinc‐air batteries demonstrating 291 mW cm⁻² peak power density and stable charge/discharge cycling for over 500 h. Theoretical calculations reveal that defect‐mediated coordination adjacent to Fe‐Mn diatomic centers triggers charge redistribution, suppressing antibonding orbital populations while strengthening Fe 3dz² with O 2p orbital hybridization. This modulation weakens O─O bonding through optimized *OOH adsorption configurations, thereby enhancing ORR kinetics. The present work provides valuable insights into the precise modulation and the underlying mechanisms of DSAs, advancing the design of electrocatalysts for energy storage and conversion applications.

Atomic‐level metal sites at the edges of graphene‐like carbon supports are considered more active for CO2 electrocatalysis than those in‐plane. However, creating high‐density edge‐dominating metal sites, particularly in a simple, scalable, and self‐templated fashion, presents a significant challenge. Herein, a MOF‐mediated self‐exfoliation strategy is reported to preferentially integrate edge‐type FeN4 sites onto the ultrathin edge‐rich N‐doped graphene nanomesh (e‐Fe‐NGM). Theoretical calculations, finite element method (FEM) simulations, together with a series of in situ spectro‐electrochemical experiments corroborate that the edge‐dominating FeN4 sites can not only optimize the electronic structure of catalysts, facilitating the formation of *COOH and desorption of *CO, but also effectively induce a strong local electrostatic field, promoting the interfacial H2O supply and thereby accelerating the protonation process of CO2. Thus‐prepared e‐Fe‐NGM delivers a remarkable CO Faraday efficiency (FE) of above 98% over an ultra‐wide potential window of 500 mV and a high turnover frequency of 6648 h⁻¹, much superior to that of the controlled sample with dominant plane‐type sites. Moreover, this self‐exfoliated, non‐catalyzed approach is readily scalable and can be used to produce large‐size edge‐rich graphene nanomesh at industrial levels.

Wearable flexible devices for plant health monitoring hold promising prospects for encompassing the deep informatization and intellectualization of traditional agriculture and paving new research directions in plant physiology within botany....

Enzymatic depolymerization of seaweed polysaccharides aroused great interest in the production of functional oligosaccharides and fermentable sugars. Alginate lyase Alg0392, a potential novel member of the polysaccharide lyase PL17 family, was cloned from Alteromonas sp. A1-6. The enzymatic properties, kinetic parameters, and hydrolytic products of Alg0392 were systematically characterized. Especially, the recombinant enzyme Alg0392 showed excellent tolerance to organic reagents. When treated with 5 mmol/L of TritonX-100 or 20%(v/v) of methanol, its relative enzyme activity could be maintained at more than 70%. The recombinant enzyme has a substrate preference for poly (β-D-mannuronic acid). The products of alginate hydrolysis catalyzed by Alg0392 are mainly monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides. The products generated by the degradation of polymannuronic acid (polyM) are mainly monosaccharides. So Alg0392 is a polymannuronate cleaving enzyme. It has excellent organic solvent-tolerance and possesses both endo- and exo-glycosidase activities towards alginate. These unique properties make the recombinant enzyme Alg0392 more advantageous for the future industrial production of biofuels and the preparation of alginate oligosaccharides. Key points • Alg0392 is a bifunctional alginate lyase with exolytic and endolytic cleavage activity. • Alg0392 exhibits excellent organic solvent tolerance. • The enzymatic hydrolysates of Alg0392 exhibit antioxidant activity.

High-capacity lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play a critical role as power sources across diverse applications, including portable electronics, electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable-energy-storage systems¹. However, there is growing concern about the safety of integrated LIB systems, with reports of up to 9,486 incidents between 2020 and 2024 (ref. ²). To ensure the safe application of commercial LIBs, it is essential to capture internal signals that enable early failure diagnosis and warning. Monitoring non-uniform temperature and strain distributions within the jelly-roll structures of the battery provides a promising approach to achieving this goal3,4. Here we propose a miniaturized and low-power-consumption system capable of accurate sensing and wireless transmission of internal temperature and strain signals inside LIBs, with negligible influence on its performance. The acquisition of internal temperature signals and the area ratio between initial internal-short-circuited regions and battery electrodes enables quantitative analysis of thermal fusing and thermal runaway phenomena, leading to the evaluation of the intensity of battery thermal runaway and recognition of thermal abuse behaviours. This work provides a foundation for designing next-generation smart LIBs with safety warning and failure positioning capabilities.

Achieving a balance between passivation and contact has always been crucial for enhancing crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells, especially for the currently mainstream N‐type TOPCon solar cells. The laser‐enhanced contact optimization (LECO) technology improved both the quality and reliability of the front‐side Ag–Si contacts in TOPCon solar cells. However, its impact on the rear‐side Ag–Si contacts has been overlooked. By investigating LECO, its impact was revealed that electrochemical reduction reaction occurred at the rear‐side Ag–Si interface during LECO. This reaction makes it possible for the controlled directional growth of Ag crystallites, thereby optimizing the Ag–Si contact quality. By adjusting the sintering temperature and applying LECO, a balance between passivation and conductivity is achieved, enabling the fabrication of TOPCon solar cells with high open‐circuit voltage ( V oc ) and low series resistor ( R s ). This study not only clarifies the role of LECO in optimizing the rear‐side Ag–Si contact of TOPCon solar cells but also provides valuable guidance for metallization optimization and power conversion efficiency enhancement of devices.

The Einstein Probe mission is an astronomical satellite developed in China, focusing on time-domain astronomy in the soft X-ray energy band. A key payload of this mission is the follow-up X-ray telescope (FXT), which is the result of international collaboration between China and Europe. The FXT features gold-coated nickel Wolter-I-type focusing mirrors and utilizes PNCCD detectors for imaging and spectroscopy in the focal plane. We reviewed the seven-year development history of the FXT. Initially, the configuration of the FXT consisted of a single telescope unit in 2017, but it later evolved into a dual-unit setup. Building on the successful design of eROSITA, the FXT team has innovatively introduced new operational modes for the PNCCD. FXT team also developed an ultra-compact helium pulse tube refrigerator, which cools the PNCCD down to $-90 ^{\circ }$C. Additionally, various passive shielding measures have been implemented to protect against high-energy charged particles and enhance radiation resistance. These advancements have significantly improved the overall performance and reliability of the FXT. The ground calibrations and tests of the FXT demonstrate that its primary performance meets the established design goals. The FXT has exhibited outstanding performance in orbit, establishing itself as one of the space X-ray telescopes with considerable international influence.

Constructing an efficient charge transfer system can significantly enhance photocatalytic CO2 reduction, yet efficient construction strategies remain to be explored. In this work, fullerene C70 is encapsulated into the tetrathiafulvalene‐Co porphyrin (TTF‐CoTPP) COF to fabricate an efficient photocatalyst C70@COF. Transient absorption (TA) spectra indicate that C70 significantly promotes photogenerated charge separation (0.3 ps), subsequently driving multistep charge transfer within the composite system. This process ultimately yields a long‐lived charge‐separated state, TTF•+‐CoTPP‐C70 •− (>5 ns). Density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that the encapsulation of C70 forms a new electron transfer pathway and reduces the energy barrier for *COOH intermediate formation. The C70@COF exhibits a remarkable CO production rate of 4963.24 µmol g h⁻¹, a 1.95‐fold enhancement over the pristine COF. This work highlights the potential of fullerene in boosting photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance and offers a facile strategy to design novel COF‐based photocatalysts.

Blue‐phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) possess unique 3D periodic chiral structures and extraordinary optical manipulation capabilities, demonstrating considerable potential in flexible displays, high‐security encryption, and intelligent sensors. Despite lattice deformations of BPLCs widely exist in various applications, there remains a challenge to understanding the quantitative relationship between different deformation modes and resulting 3D diffractive optics. Herein, a universal simulation strategy is proposed based on spatial geometry modeling to enable real‐time computation of dynamic optical responses in BPLCs. This framework systematically interprets and predicts the optical characteristics under both symmetric lattice deformations (governed by chiral dopant concentration) and asymmetric lattice deformations (induced by phase separation or component dispersion). Differentiated nonlinear optical effects are revealed for these deformations in Kossel diffraction analysis. Furthermore, anisotropic modulation of surface/sectional structural colors (photonic bandgaps) and angle‐dependent control over the full spatial light field is demonstrated by tailoring interplanar spacing and facet orientation within the lattice symmetry constraints. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for designing next‐generation BPLC‐based photonic devices, including holographic displays, all‐optical switches, integrated waveguides, and 3D lasing systems.

The overuse of antibiotics in China and the resulting rise in antibiotic resistance pose an urgent need for effective antibiotic degradation in water. Developing artificial systems that mimic the catalytic efficiency of natural photoactive enzymes for this purpose remains a critical challenge. Despite decades of research, there is a notable scarcity of precisely designed scaffolds that can replicate the structural and functional efficiency of natural enzymes for waterborne antibiotic degradation, particularly at the nano‐ to micrometer scale. In this study, we present a core‐corona type fiber‐like micellar system designed for photothermal‐assisted β‐lactam antibiotic degradation (PAD) in water. This system integrates photothermal molecular chromophores (zinc porphyrin) and ionic copper degradation catalysts in close proximity within grafted solvophilic coronal chains on the surface of fiber‐like crystalline scaffold. By employing a living crystallization‐driven self‐assembly (CDSA) strategy, we fine‐tune the composition, dimensions, and antibiotic degradation performance of the PAD nanofibers. The tailored colloidal stable PAD nanofibers achieve a penicillin G degradation rate of 0.35 min⁻¹ per micromole of copper under simulated sunlight irradiation (AM 1.5) in deionized water, offering a promising platform for sustainable environmental remediation.

Microwave thermotherapy is favored in clinical practice for breast cancer conservation strategies due to its minimally invasive characteristic. Nevertheless, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly attenuates the therapeutic efficacy of anti‐tumor immune response, posing challenges in effectively preventing tumor recurrence and metastasis. Pyroptosis, a recently identified form of programmed cell death triggered by inflammasomes, presents unique inflammatory and immunogenic properties that hold promise for cancer immunotherapy. Herein, microwave‐responsive AlEu‐MOFs are designed and synthesized to boost NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis via a “Triple Initiating” tactic for breast cancer microwave‐immunotherapy. The potent microwave thermal effect of AEM facilitates the up‐regulation of HSP90, thereby initiating NLRP3 expression. Concurrently, it induces mitochondrial dysfunction to generate substantial quantities of ROS, further enhancing NLRP3 expression to achieve a targeted amplification of microwave thermotherapy‐induced pyroptosis. Simultaneously, the microwave‐responsive directed anchoring release of highly active metal ions promotes the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome jointly, ultimately inducing high‐efficiency pyroptosis. This innovative “2M” (materials and methods) dual‐pronged strategy not only significantly inhibits primary tumor proliferation, but also further impedes distant tumor progression and lung metastasis. This work provides a novel strategy to accurately and effectively achieve pyroptosis and offers a new approach to overcome the obstacles of clinical microwave thermotherapy.

Kinesin‐5 Eg5 motors have the ability to promote microtubule polymerization. However, how the Eg5 motors can promote the microtubule polymerization is unclear. Here, a model is presented, based on which the dynamics of the microtubule polymerization promoted by the Eg5 motors is studied analytically. For comparison, the dynamics of the microtubule polymerization in the presence of kinesin‐1 motors and in the absence of the kinesin motor is also studied analytically. The analytical results explain quantitatively the available experimental data. The predicted results are also provided.

Visible light photoredox catalysis has become a rapidly emerging area owing to its potential of using sunlight to tame previously hard‐to‐harness radicals for organic synthesis. At present, such a blueprint faces a significant challenge, namely how to accomplish thermodynamically demanding reactions with sunlight encompassing a wide range of low‐energy photons. Here, we report a new reaction framework to overcome this bottleneck through decoupling the thermodynamic limits of photoreduction from photoexcitation. This is fulfilled based on the construction of a heterogeneous photocatalyst Cu@CdS possessing in situ‐formed surficial polysulfide species (including S3•− and S4²⁻), which can efficiently harvest solar energy via plasmonic absorption of Cu while manifest sufficient redox potential for activating inert aryl bromides/chlorides enacted by excited polysulfides. We demonstrate that this designed material composes a potent photoredox catalyst for efficient aryl cross‐coupling, borylation, hydrogenation, as well as Birch‐type dearomatization reactions, with good recyclability and stability. In particular, when exclusively using natural sunlight as an energy source, the product yield can still reach up to 90%. Our findings introduce a straightforward yet viable way to progress toward the century‐long dream of leveraging natural sunlight to produce structurally complex organic molecules, just like plants on Earth.