Journals
2026 EN
Wang Yankun · Zhu Yanqiu · Xia Yongde
Efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production and pollutant degradation are crucial to address energy and environmental challenges. metal–organic framework (MOF)‐derived Cu x O/TiO 2 /C (TCC) composites are synthesized from Cu‐doped NH 2 ‐MIL‐125(Ti) and their performance in photodegradation of pollutants and photocatalytic hydrogen generation are evaluated. These porous TCC composites demonstrate rapid adsorption capacities and greatly enhance photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants under visible light, with TCC‐1 achieving complete pollutants removal in 90 min due to adsorption and photocatalysis. Moreover, these Cu x O/TiO 2 /C composites exhibit superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance, and TCC‐2 achieves the highest hydrogen production rate of 2339 μmol g −1 h −1 , 13 times greater than TiO 2 /C. The enhanced activity is attributed to the formation of type‐II band alignment between the coexisted anatase and rutile TiO 2 phases, the presence of Cu 2 O/CuO heterojunctions that facilitate p–n charge separation, and Cu 0 clusters as electron sinks to accelerate proton reduction. Porous carbon boosts adsorption and also provides rapid electron transport pathways. Additionally, the coexistence of multiple Cu species (Cu 2+ /Cu + ) facilitates reversible redox shuttling, suppressing electron–hole recombination. The synergistic effects of these structural and electronic features lead to superior hydrogen generation and pollutant degradation activity of TCC composites, demonstrating the promise of MOF‐derived photocatalysts for sustainable energy and environmental applications.
Journals
2026 EN
Shin Jihoon · Kim Sihyeok · Jung ChanWoo
+8 more
This comprehensive review explores the integration of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) into lateral flow assays (LFAs) for advanced point‐of‐care testing, highlighting their potential to revolutionize rapid diagnostics. FNDs, with their unique quantum properties, offer superior photostability, biocompatibility, and spin‐dependent fluorescence compared to conventional fluorescent labels. The review traces FND development from synthesis methods to applications, emphasizing how magnetic modulation enhances their performance in LFAs. Key topics include optimizing FND synthesis, post‐treatment processes, and surface functionalization for improved sensitivity and specificity. The integration of advanced detection systems, such as lock‐in amplifiers and magnetic field generators, is discussed as a means to further enhance assay capabilities. Case studies demonstrating FND‐based LFAs for detecting pathogens, such as SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, dengue virus serotypes, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis , illustrate the versatility of this technology and its impact on global health challenges. Subsequently, the review addresses remaining challenges in translating this technology into widely accessible devices. It concludes by outlining future research directions, including simplifying assay design, developing cost‐effective synthesis methods, and creating user‐friendly portable detection systems, highlighting the transformative role of FNDs in enabling ultrasensitive, background‐free rapid diagnostics for next‐generation point‐of‐care testing.
Journals
2026 EN
Priya Panjalingam Sathiya · Penert Philipp · Esser Birgit
+2 more
Metal‐free organic electrode materials are of increasing interest due to their environmental compatibility, natural abundance, and structural versatility. Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is an intrinsically conductive polymeric salt that has emerged as a multifunctional electrode material, serving both as a conductive additive and as binder in energy storage applications. Organic electrode materials´ inherent low electronic conductivity often necessitates high loadings of conductive carbon additives, which diminishes the overall energy density. To overcome this challenge, PEDOT:PSS is investigated as a partial substitute for traditional conductive carbon in poly(3‐vinyl‐ N ‐methylphenothiazine) (PVMPT) redox polymer electrodes. Remarkably, even with a high PVMPT content of 80 wt% and a reduced carbon content to 15 wt%, the composite electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 84 mAh g −1 , which is ≈81% of that achieved with 50 wt% PVMPT and 45 wt% carbon black, over 250 cycles at 1C rate. Importantly, the fabrication process employs water‐based processing with a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder, completely avoiding hazardous solvents such as N ‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVdF) binder. Overall, these results highlight the potential of PEDOT:PSS to enable low‐carbon content, high‐performance, and eco‐friendly organic battery electrodes that align with the principles of sustainable energy storage.
Journals
2026 EN
Xue Qianwen · Xu Dinghao · Wang Yuange
+2 more
Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) serve as a vital candidate technology for large‐scale energy storage, and the enhancement of their wide‐temperature performance is crucial for expanding application scenarios. However, in extreme environments, they are prone to constraints such as intensified electrode side reactions and electrolyte solidification, which severely limit their practical applications. This review systematically summarizes the major advances in wide‐temperature AZIBs research in recent years, and systematically analyzes the influence of temperature on battery performance from three perspectives: thermodynamics, kinetics, and hydrogen bond regulation. Furthermore, it focuses on electrolyte regulation strategies and gains in‐depth insights into the mechanism of Zn 2+ solvation from strategies including high‐concentration electrolytes, deep eutectic electrolytes, organic molecular electrolytes, and hydrogel electrolytes. Finally, it puts forward insights on the future challenges of AZIBs, so as to promote the development and application of high‐safety energy storage systems.
Journals
2026 EN
Annamalai Arun · Thangaraj Vijayalakshmi · Paz Alejandro Pérez
+6 more
Defect engineering via oxygen vacancy modulation represents a pivotal strategy in designing high‐performance electrode materials. However, conventional synthetic methods often rely on toxic solvents and multiple postprocessing steps, limiting their scalability and sustainability. Here, we report a facile solvent‐free mechanochemical approach that uses carbon dots (CDs) as oxygen defect engineers in CoMoO 4 (CM) for supercapacitor applications. This one‐step process eliminates solvent usage while enabling precise control over defect formation through CD modulation. The resulting CM‐CDs composite exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, enlarged specific surface area, and improved electrochemical stability. Optimised electrode delivers an impressive specific capacitance of 603 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , nearly double that of pristine CM, and retains 87% of its capacitance after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor (CM‐CDs//AC) achieves a remarkable power density of 3995 W kg −1 and maintains 85% capacitance retention after 2700 cycles, demonstrating excellent long‐term durability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that the synergistic effects of heterostructure formation and defect coexistence effectively tune the electronic structure and enhance electrolyte adsorption. This sustainable and economical mechanochemical approach establishes CDs as versatile, green defect‐engineering agents for next‐generation energy materials, providing new insights into the rational design of high‐performance supercapacitor electrodes.
Journals
2026 EN
Amores Marco · Gallastegui Antonela · Gabirondo Elena
+6 more
The use of electro‐electrodialysis (EED) for the conversion of lithium salts obtained from either hard‐rock minerals or brines into high‐value battery‐grade lithium hydroxide is gaining traction as an alternative green technology. Current cation exchange membranes employed in Li‐salt EED possess low selectivity towards Li + and are dominated by polyfluoroalkyl polymer‐based membranes, which pose significant environmental concerns. Hence, there is a need for the development of inexpensive membranes for Li‐salt EED applications with a lower content of environmentally hazardous fluorinated compounds. In this work, novel self‐standing Li‐selective and low‐fluorine content membranes have been developed based on inexpensive methacrylic monomers, including a lithium sulfonyl‐1‐(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide monomer. The membranes were prepared via fast UV‐photopolymerisation. Rational design of the membranes with different co‐monomer compositions and crosslinking degrees enabled the tailoring of the membrane properties including water uptake, mechanical strength, and electrochemical performance. The membranes showed a high Li‐ion conductivity of up to 6.2 mS cm −1 and comparable EED performance to that of the Nafion117 membrane as benchmark, i.e., relatively low energy consumption of 13.9 kWh kg −1 LiOH and high molar flux of up to 3.9 mmol h −1 , with a Li + /Na + molar fluxes ratio of 0.98.
Journals
2026 EN
Clasen Eike B. · Rittner Marten · Hill Eric H.
Lead halide perovskites have led to huge advances in solar cells, emitters, and sensors due to the high efficiency of charge generation in such materials. However, perovskites face significant challenges in applications involving contact with water or high humidity. Two‐dimensional layered materials offer the potential for confining synthesis of halide perovskites to the inter‐layer space. In this study, the synthesis of lead halide perovskite CsPbBr 3 in the interstitial space between nanoscopic layered silicate clays was carried out, leading to composites with significantly improved resistance of CsPbBr 3 to degradation by water, allowing retention of fluorescence at 520 nm for days dispersed in water as opposed to ≈1 min for control CsPbBr 3 . Furthermore, the degradation of entrapped CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals in water led to a slow increase of a broad emission band centered at 425 nm, attributed to small clusters of CsPbBr 3 . This study further advances approaches to improve the stability of halide perovskites in aqueous media, which will lead to significant advances in applications in which exposure to water or moisture is a concern.
Journals
2026 EN
Fan Xuxin · Xiong Yang · Zhang Shuang
+5 more
One‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks (1D COFs) are linear porous materials constructed from organic units linked by covalent bonds, exhibiting periodic arrangement in one dimension, while the other two dimensions are aggregated through noncovalent interaction (such as van der Waals force, π–π interactions, and hydrogen bonds, etc.). Due to their unique one‐dimensional linear structure, 1D COFs possess lower base site density and more edge sites. Additionally, the interchain interaction forces in 1D COFs are comparatively weak, making them easier to peel and disperse. These excellent properties enable them to demonstrate great potential applications in catalysis, sensing, energy storage, and other fields. This review systematically summarizes the functional monomer structures, synthetic strategies, and the related applications of 1D COFs. Meanwhile, the current challenges and future development directions of 1D‐COFs were also summarized and prospected.
Journals
2026 EN
Pires Fabio A. · Karimpour Touraj · Patrun David
+3 more
Field‐Directed Growth of Hematite An innovative mf‐CVD approach, in which an external magnetic field directs the growth of thin films during chemical vapor deposition, enables the structural tailoring of hematite nanostructures. The resulting photoanodes demonstrate enhanced performance in solar water oxidation and exceptional stability over 100 hours. This technique opens a new avenue for producing highly organized materials toward advanced energy and sustainable applications. More details can be found in the Research Article by Fabio A. Pires, Sanjay Mathur and co‐workers (DOI: 10.1002/aesr.202500313 ).
Journals
2026 EN
Lakhani Pratikkumar · Srifa Atthapon
Heterogeneous Catalysis This work highlights the fundamental role of heterogeneous catalysts in the sustainable valorization of biomass‐derived platform molecules. By comparing different supported catalysts, it provides mechanistic and design insights into the development of efficient, stable, and scalable catalytic systems for future biorefinery applications. More details can be found in the Review by Pratikkumar Lakhani and Atthapon Srifa (DOI: 10.1002/aesr.202500402 ).