Academic Research Journal•2026•DOI: 10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441201
During cardiovascular interventional surgeries, catheters contact vascular tissues, causing friction, collisions, and compression that may damage tissue. Surface engineering is essential to modify catheter surfaces. Effective coatings require high adhesion to prevent delamination from the inner surface, while the outer surface must provide excellent lubricity and biocompatibility. In this study, layer-by-layer (LbL) technique was employed to introduce catechol-modified chitosan (CC) and dopamine-modified oxidized hyaluronic acid (DOHA), forming a nanoscale, superhydrophilic, strongly adhesive, and biocompatible coating on cardiovascular catheters. Tight binding of CC and DOHA results from electrostatic interactions, chemical reactions, and catechol group enrichment, yielding an adhesion strength of up to 1 MPa. These CC/DOHA multilayers greatly enhance lubrication of the TPU substrate, reducing the coefficient of friction (COF) by up to 95% compared with the uncoated state. After a 30-min friction test, the COF of the CC/DOHA16 coating only slightly increased from 0.032 to 0.044, demonstrating excellent stability. Evaluations revealed a reduction in vascular intima damage from grade 5 without coating to grade 3, confirming the coating's effectiveness in minimizing friction-induced damage. The coating thickness was approximately 150 nm, and superhydrophilicity was achieved at 16 layers. These findings indicate that the CC/DOHA LbL coating offers a promising solution for improving catheter safety and performance.
Journal of Central South University•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-026-6173-x
Zn's natural degradability and biocompatibility make it a promising candidate for implants, however, its mechanical properties remain insufficient for bone applications. In this study, the performance of Zn was enhanced by developing Zn-Cu alloys via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Optimal LPBF parameters for forming stable tracks were achieved by adjusting laser power and scanning speed. Under optimized conditions of 100 W and 100 mm/s, high-density (99.58%) Zn-Cu alloys with improved hardness (68.2HV) and yield strength (160 MPa) were achieved. These improvements are attributed to solid solution strengthening, segregation strengthening, and grain refinement. The Zn-Cu alloys also demonstrated favorable degradation behavior, with a rate of 0.16 mm/year. This degradation is primarily driven by micro-galvanic corrosion between the CuZn5 phase and Zn matrix, along with refined grains and increased grain boundary density. This work demonstrates a viable strategy for fabricating Zn-based implants with enhanced structural integrity and mechanical performance via LPBF.
Nano-Micro Letters•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01997-6
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have demonstrated excellent performance in heterogeneous catalytic reactions owing to their maximized atomic efficiency, distinctive geometric, and electronic configurations. However, the efficacy of SACs remains limited for certain reactions requiring simultaneous activation of multiple reactants over metallic active sites. Herein, we report an atomically dispersed Pt1Ru1 dual-atom pair site anchored on nanodiamond@graphene (ND@G) for CO oxidation. The Pt1Ru1 dual-atom catalyst shows an exceptional turnover frequency (TOF) of 17.6 × 10−2 s−1 at significantly lower temperature (30 °C), achieving a tenfold increase in TOF compared to single-atom Pt1/ND@G catalyst (1.5 × 10−2 s−1) and surpassing to previously reported Pt-based catalysts under similar conditions. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability, maintaining its activity for 40 h at 80 °C without significant deactivation. The superior catalytic performance of Pt-Ru dual-atom catalysts is attributed to the synergistic effect between Pt and Ru atoms with enhanced metallicity for improving simultaneous adsorption and activation of CO and O2, and the tuning of conventional competitive reactant adsorption into a non-competitive pathway over dual-atom pair sites. The present work manifests the advantages of dual-atom pair sites in heterogeneous catalysis and paves the way for precise design of catalysts at the atomic scale.
Nano-Micro Letters•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01986-9
Melt electrowriting (MEW) enables the precise deposition of polymeric fibers at micro-/nanoscale, allowing for the fabrication of 3D biomimetic scaffolds. By incorporating stimuli-responsive polymers and/or functional fillers, MEW-based 4D printing creates scaffolds capable of undergoing controlled, reversible shape transformations in response to external stimuli over time. These dynamic 4D scaffolds can be tailored for minimally invasive delivery, remote actuation, and real-time responsiveness to physiological environments, making them highly relevant for biomedical applications. This review systematically elucidates the principles of MEW-based 4D printing, including material considerations, actuation methods, and structure design strategies, along with shape programming and morphing mechanisms. The versatility of MEW for rational fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds is firstly introduced. Subsequently, the critical elements underpinning MEW-based 4D printing process are overviewed, including an analysis of stimuli-responsive materials compatible with MEW, an evaluation of applicable external stimuli, and a discussion on the advancements in design strategies for 4D scaffolds. Recent progress of MEW 4D scaffolds for applications in tissue engineering, biomedical implants, and drug delivery systems are highlighted. Finally, key challenges and perspectives toward material innovation, fabrication optimization, and actuation control are discussed. This review aims to provide valuable insights for design and creation of multifunctional biomimetic dynamic scaffolds by MEW-based 4D printing.
Journal of Central South University•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-026-6201-x
Due to the unique geological structure in the Guizhou region, issues such as stress concentration and inefficient resource utilization efficiency arise during repeated mining of close-distance coal seam. This study focuses on the Longfeng Coal Mine in Guizhou, investigating the evolution of stress arches and abutment pressure distribution under repeated mining conditions through similarity simulations, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. The study introduces a novel composite stress arch model, which more accurately represents stress evolution under complex mining conditions compared to traditional single arch theories. The model highlights the gradual transformation of a single stress arch into a composite structure, accounting for the increasing complexity of the stress distribution. Based on these evolution characteristics, a mechanical model of composite arches under nonlinear loading was developed. The calculation results and field monitoring data show that after repeated mining, the stop-mining coal pillar width should be optimized between 65 and 70 m. The research reveals the coupling relationship between the evolution of composite arches and the distribution of abutment pressure, which aids in optimizing coal pillar design, enhancing resource recovery rates, and ensuring the stability of roadways and stopes.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01728-x
Enhancing the firefighting protective clothing with exceptional thermal barrier and temperature sensing functions to ensure high fire safety for firefighters has long been anticipated, but it remains a major challenge. Herein, inspired by the human muscle, an anisotropic fire safety aerogel (ACMCA) with precise self-actuated temperature monitoring performance is developed by combining aramid nanofibers with eicosane/MXene to form an anisotropically oriented conductive network. By combining the two synergies of the negative temperature-dependent thermal conductive eicosane, which induces a high-temperature differential, and directionally ordered MXene that establishes a conductive network along the directional freezing direction. The resultant ACMCA exhibited remarkable thermoelectric properties, with S values reaching 46.78 μV K−1 and κ values as low as 0.048 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature. Moreover, the prepared anisotropic aerogel ACMCA exhibited electrical responsiveness to temperature variations, facilitating its application in intelligent temperature monitoring systems. The designed anisotropic aerogel ACMCA could be incorporated into the firefighting clothing as a thermal barrier layer, demonstrating a wide temperature sensing range (50–400 °C) and a rapid response time for early high-temperature alerts (~1.43 s). This work provides novel insights into the design and application of temperature-sensitive anisotropic aramid nanofibers aerogel in firefighting clothing.
International Journal of Mining Science and Technology•2025•DOI: 10.1038/sino-451943
Northern China's steel heartland—Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia—produces over 600 million metric tons of crude steel annually, nearly 60% of global output, with an average CO2 intensity of 1.8 tCO2/tsteel from BF-BOF routes. The region faces a dual imperative: comply with China's 2030 carbon peak and preempt the EU CBAM, which imposes a $90/tCO2 levy on steel imports by 2026. This report dissects the technical and economic viability of two interlocking decarbonization levers: hydrogen-enriched direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) using vertical shaft furnaces and underground coal gasification (UCG) with CCUS. Pilot data from HBIS Xuansteel's 1.2 Mtpa H2-DRI plant—the world's largest—reveals that hydrogen injection above 60% triggers severe sticking of iron ore pellets, causing pressure drops and scaffold formation, while endothermic reduction kinetics demand supplemental electrical heating, raising energy costs by 15-20%. UCG syngas, with a levelized cost of $0.35/Nm3, offers a bridge feedstock, but its carbon footprint (0.6 tCO2/tsteel pre-CCUS) requires 90% capture to meet CBAM thresholds. The economic table shows that 100% green H2-DRI, at an LCOH of $1.80/kg, yields a production cost of $420/tsteel, versus $380/tsteel for syngas-UCG DRI with CCUS, but the former avoids CBAM penalties entirely. Capital replacement cycles for BF-BOF (20-25 years) versus H2-DRI (15-20 years) force a strategic reckoning: retrofitting existing assets versus greenfield investments. The report concludes that no single pathway dominates; a portfolio approach, leveraging UCG syngas as a transitional feedstock and scaling green hydrogen as costs decline, is the only pragmatic route for the region's industrial clusters.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01659-7
One of the significant technological challenges in safeguarding electronic devices pertains to the modulation of electromagnetic (EM) wave jamming and the recycling of defensive shields. The synergistic effect of heterodimensional materials can effectively enable the manipulation of EM waves by altering the nanostructure. Here we propose a novel approach for upcycling by-products of silver nanowires that can fabricate shape-tunable aerogels which enable the modulation of its interaction with microwaves by heterodimensional structure of by-products. By-product heterodimensionality was used to design EM-wave-jamming-dissipation structures and therefore two typical tunable aerogel forms were studied. The first tunable form was aerogel film, which shielded EM interference (EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) > 89 dB) and the second tunable form was foam, which performed dual EM functions (SE > 30 dB & reflective loss (RL) < -35 dB, effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) > 6.7 GHz). We show that secondary recycled aerogels retain nearly all of their EM protection properties, making this type of closed-loop cycle an appealing option. Our findings pave the way for the development of adaptive EM functions with nanoscale regulation in a green and closed-loop cycle, and they shed light on the fundamental understanding of microwave interactions with heterodimensional structures.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01653-z
Seawater electrolysis offers a promising pathway to generate green hydrogen, which is crucial for the net-zero emission targets. Indirect seawater electrolysis is severely limited by high energy demands and system complexity, while the direct seawater electrolysis bypasses pre-treatment, offering a simpler and more cost-effective solution. However, the chlorine evolution reaction and impurities in the seawater lead to severe corrosion and hinder electrolysis’s efficiency. Herein, we review recent advances in the rational design of chlorine-suppressive catalysts and integrated electrolysis systems architectures for chloride-induced corrosion, with simultaneous enhancement of Faradaic efficiency and reduction of electrolysis’s cost. Furthermore, promising directions are proposed for durable and efficient seawater electrolysis systems. This review provides perspectives for seawater electrolysis toward sustainable energy conversion and environmental protection.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-03-01)
The electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is an environmentally friendly way to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals. However, CO2 conversion is a complex process, which contains 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 electron transfer processes. It is very important to develop efficient catalysts to precisely control the number of electron transfers for the chemicals required. Single-metal catalysts have some deficiencies, including slow reaction kinetics, low product selectivity and inadequate stability. In response to these challenges, bimetallic catalysts have received significant attention owing to their unique structure and improved performance. The introduction of secondary metals alters the catalyst’s electronic structure, and creates novel active sites, as well as optimizing their interaction with the intermediates. This review provides a comprehensive account of atomically distributed bimetals based on carbon materials and non-atomic distributed bimetals such as alloys and heterostructures, including their synthesis methods, characterization, and the outcomes of different catalysts. Catalytic mechanisms of different bimetallic catalysts are proposed and challenges encountered in the CO2RR are considered.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-02-06)
Graphene and its derivatives are often preferentially oriented horizontally during processing because of their two-dimensional (2D) layer structure. As a result, thermal interface materials (TIMs) composed of a polymer matrix and graphene-derived fillers often have a high in-plane (IP) thermal conductivity (K), however, the low through-plane (TP) K makes them unsuitable for practical use. We report the development of high-quality polyimide/graphite nanosheets (PG) perpendicular to the plane using a directional freezing technique that increase the TP K of polymer-based composites. Graphene-derived nanosheets (GNs) were obtained by the crushing of scraps of highly thermally conductive graphene films. A water-soluble polyamic acid salt solution was used to disperse the hydrophobic GNs filler to achieve directional freezing. The polyimide, which facilitated the directional alignment of the GNs, was then graphitized. The introduction of the GNs increases the order and density of the PG, thus improving the strength and heat transfer performance of its polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. The obtained PG/PDMS composite (21.1% PG, mass fraction) has an impressive TP K of 14.56 W·m−1·K−1, 81 times that of pure PDMS. This simple polyimide-assisted 2D hydrophobic fillers alignment method provides ideas for the widespread fabrication of anisotropic TIMs and enables the reuse of scraps of graphene films.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-02-02)
Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are among the most promising next-generation electrochemical energy-storage systems due to their exceptional theoretical specific capacity, inexpensive production cost and environmental friendliness. However, the poor conductivity of S and Li2S, severe lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttling and the sluggish redox kinetics of the phase transformation greatly hinder their commercialization. Carbonaceous materials could be potentially useful in Li-S batteries to tackle these problems with their high specific surface area to host LiPSs and sulfur and excellent electrical conductivity to increase electron transfer rate. However, non-polar carbon materials are unable to interact closely with the highly polar polysulfides, resulting in a low sulfur utilization and a serious shuttle effect. Because of their advantages of strong polarity and a large number of adsorption sites, integrating transition metal oxides (TMOs) with carbon-based materials (CMs) increases the chemical adsorption of LiPSs and electrochemical reaction activity for LiPSs. The working principles and main challenges of Li-S batteries are discussed followed by a review of recent research on the ex-situ and in-situ synthesis of TMO/CM composites. The formation of TMO/CMs with the dimensionalities of CMs from 1D to 3D are then reviewed together with ways of changing their structure, including heterostructure design, vacancy engineering and facet manipulation. Finally, the outlook for using TMO/CMs in Li-S batteries is considered.
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China (中国有色金属学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(25)66986-X
The hydrogen reduction kinetics of tungsten trioxide (WO3) was investigated via non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis. Under the local gas–solid reduction conditions, the particle morphology of tungsten powders was found to be consistent with that of raw material WO3. The removal of oxygen from tungsten oxide during hydrogen reduction led to the formation of porous structures between the reduced particles, which were obviously different from the polyhedral single-crystal configuration of tungsten powders obtained via chemical vapor deposition. Moreover, the two-stage hydrogen reduction mechanisms of WO3 under the local gas–solid reduction conditions can be described using the composite autocatalytic function. The activation energies of the first and second stages of the hydrogen reduction of WO3 were determined to be 121 and 135 kJ/mol, respectively.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25020031
The random nanofiber distribution in traditional electrospun membranes restricts the pressure sensing sensitivity and measurement range of electronic skin. Moreover, current multimodal sensing suffers from issues like overlapping signal outputs and slow response. Herein, a novel electrospinning method is proposed to prepare double-coupled microstructured nanofibrous membranes. Through the effect of high voltage electrostatic field in the electrospinning, the positively charged nanofibers are preferentially attached to the negatively charged foam surface, forming the ordered two-dimensional honeycomb porous nanofibrous membrane with three-dimensional spinous microstructure. Compared with the conventional random porous nanofibrous membrane, the bionic two-dimensional honeycomb and three-dimensional spinous dual-coupled microstructures in the ordered porous nanofibrous membrane endows the electronic skin with significantly improved mechanical properties (maximum tensile strain increased by 77% and fatigue resistance increased by 35%), air permeability (water vapor transmission rate increased by 16%) and sensing properties (pressure sensitivity increased by 276% and detection range increased by 137%). Furthermore, the electronic skin was constructed by means of a conformal composite ionic liquid functionalized nanofibrous membrane, and the real-time and interference-free dual-signal monitoring of pressure and temperature (maximum temperature coefficient of resistance: −0.918 °C−1) was realized.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25040037
Isolated power converters have emerged as an active research topic in power integrated circuit (IC) design, enabling safe and reliable power delivery across voltage domains in applications such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and telecommunications. This mini review highlights recent advances and trends in isolated power converter technologies, focusing on efficiency improvement and EMI suppression. Efficiency enhancement techniques include on-chip transformer integration with high-frequency LC-tank oscillators, specialized fabrication methods to improve transformer Q-factor, and transformer-in-package designs using thick copper traces or magnetic cores. Advanced packaging techniques like fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) are also explored to reduce form factor and enhance performance. Additionally, rectifier architecture innovations, such as active rectifiers and dual-LC-resonant structures, are discussed to overcome efficiency limitations. EMI reduction techniques address both conducted and radiated emissions, which are critical for compliance with standards like CISPR-32 and EN-55032 Class B. The review summarizes representative implementations and outlines future directions for achieving higher efficiency, higher power density, and better EMI performance in isolated power converters.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25060003
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) serves as an indispensable process for achieving global planarization in semiconductor manufacturing, especially as integrated circuit (IC) technology advances to sub-7 nm nodes, where atomic-level surface flatness becomes crucial. Silica abrasives, which account for over 90% of the abrasive market in advanced CMP processes, operate not through simple mechanical grinding but through a key "chemical-mechanical synergistic" mechanism: chemically softening the wafer surface, then mechanically removing the softened layer to expose a new surface, which is further softened and removed, repeating this cycle to produce a smooth wafer. Despite their prevalence, conventional silica abrasives still face challenges, including relatively low material removal rate (MRR), a tendency to agglomerate, leading to poor dispersion and surface defects, and limitations in achieving ultimate surface uniformity. Significant progress has been made to address these issues. Development has progressed from simple spherical particles to complex structural designs (such as mesoporous, hollow, and raspberry-shaped structures) to enhance slurry transport and mechanical action. Surface chemical modifications (e.g., using amino or polymer groups) can improve dispersion stability and reduce scratching. Furthermore, composites with other materials (e.g., ceria, polymers) and precise control of particle size distribution are key to enhancing performance. These innovative approaches have yielded significant performance gains. State-of-the-art slurries have demonstrated the ability to achieve surface roughness below 0.1 nm RMS. The development of silica abrasives is increasingly focused on sustainability and smart manufacturing. A prominent direction is the design of biodegradable abrasives that disintegrate after use, thereby simplifying post-CMP cleanup and minimizing environmental impact—an approach fully aligned with green manufacturing principles. This review systematically summarizes the progress of silica abrasives for CMP over the past 60 years. This summary provides theoretical insights and forward-looking strategies to overcome the current limitations of abrasive technology. We believe this review will be helpful in advancing the field of CMP abrasives towards next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25070023
Prolonged exposure to n-butanol, a common hazardous volatile organic compound (VOC) in the environment, can lead to a broad range of adverse health effects. Therefore, detecting n-butanol safely and efficiently at low concentrations becomes critical for both environmental monitoring and human health. In this study, a novel Eu/Ce-codoped MOF-ZnO gas sensor was developed for the sensitive detection of n-butanol gas under ultraviolet activation at ambient temperature. A series of Eu/Ce-ZnO nanomaterials were synthesized via a simple co-precipitation route, by carefully designing the varied mass ratios of Eu and Ce incorporated into pristine ZnO derived from MOF precursors. The gas testing results revealed that introducing an appropriate amount of Eu and Ce would enlarge the specific surface area and enrich the oxygen vacancy content compared to pristine MOF-ZnO. Upon UV irradiation, the 0.03 wt% Eu 0.04 wt% Ce-ZnO sensor achieved a superior response of 611 for 100 ppm n-butanol at room temperature, 15.28 times higher than that of pristine MOF-ZnO (40). Furthermore, the sensor presented rapid response/recovery times (15 s/28 s) and excellent selectivity. The above contributions pave the way for the promising development of highly sensitive, ultraviolet-enhanced gas sensors for ambient temperature detection of VOCs.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.08.012
Natural gas hydrate (NGH) has a bright future as a clean energy source with huge reserves. Coring is one of the most direct methods for NGH exploration and research. Preserving the in-situ properties of the core as much as possible during the coring process is crucial for the assessment of NGH resources. However, most existing NGH coring techniques cannot preserve the in-situ temperature of NGH, leading to distortion of the physical properties of the obtained core, which makes it difficult to effectively guide NGH exploration and development. To overcome this limitation, this study introduces an innovative active temperature-preserved coring method for NGH utilizing phase change materials (PCM). An active temperature-preserved corer (ATPC) is designed and developed, and an indoor experimental system is established to investigate the heat transfer during the coring process. Based on the experimental results under different environment temperatures, a heat transfer model for the entire ATPC coring process has been established. The indoor experimental results are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the heat transfer model, confirming its validity. This model has reconstructed the temperature changes of the NGH core during the coring process, demonstrating that compared to the traditional coring method with only passive temperature-preserved measures, ATPC can effectively reduce the core temperature by more than 5.25 °C. With ATPC, at environment temperatures of 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C, the duration of low-temperature state for the NGH core is 53.85, 32.87, 20.32, and 11.83 min, respectively. These findings provide new perspectives on temperature-preserving core sampling in NGH and provide technical support for exploration and development in NGH.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.09.002
Marine gas hydrates are highly sensitive to temperature and pressure fluctuations, and deviations from in-situ conditions may cause irreversible changes in phase state, microstructure, and mechanical properties. However, conventional samplers often fail to maintain sealing and thermal stability, resulting in low sampling success rates. To address these challenges, an in-situ temperature- and pressure-preserved sampler for marine applications has been developed. The experimental results indicate that the self-developed magnetically controlled pressure-preserved controller reliably achieves autonomous triggering and self-sealing, provides an initial sealing force of 83 N, and is capable of maintaining pressures up to 40 MPa. Additionally, a custom-designed intelligent temperature control chip and high-precision sensors were integrated into the sampler. Through the design of an optimized heat transfer structure, a temperature-preserved system was developed, achieving no more than a 0.3 °C rise in temperature within 2 h. The performance evaluation and sampling operations of the sampler were conducted at the Haima Cold Seep in the South China Sea, resulting in the successful recovery of hydrate maintained under in-situ pressure of 13.8 MPa and a temperature of 6.5 °C. This advancement enables the acquisition of high-fidelity hydrate samples, providing critical support for the safe exploitation and scientific analysis of marine gas hydrate resources.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2025•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/25120014
Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) inkjet printing has emerged as a powerful micro-/nanofabrication technique for high-resolution perovskite quantum dot (PeQD) color-conversion layers, offering precise control over pixel morphology, dimensions, and composition. This review systematically examines the mechanisms of cone-jet and electrostatic-attraction modes in EHD printing, highlighting recent advances in PeQD ink design, solvent and ligand engineering, and printing parameter optimization. Perovskite precursor and colloidal inks are discussed in detail, emphasizing strategies to enhance droplet ejection stability, suppress coffee-ring effects, and achieve uniform, high-luminescence pixels. Ligand exchange, dual-ligand passivation, and core−shell or polymer encapsulation are shown to effectively mitigate ion migration, surface defects, and environmental degradation, thereby improving photoluminescence efficiency and stability. Multi-channel and multi-nozzle EHD printing systems enable dynamic halide composition control and parallel RGB pixel deposition, facilitating ultrahigh-resolution patterning down to submicron feature sizes. Finally, the review highlights future directions, including synergistic PeQD material synthesis, advanced ink formulation, scalable high-throughput printing, and integration of PeQD color-conversion pixels into full-color micro-LED displays with minimal crosstalk and robust operational stability. These developments collectively demonstrate the immense potential of EHD inkjet printing for next-generation high-performance display technologies.
China Foundry•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s41230-025-4240-9
To meet the evolving demands of aeroengine development, the structural and performance requirements for ceramic cores have become increasingly stringent. Vat photopolymerization 3D printing, owing to its moldless, flexible manufacturing, and other advantages, demonstrates significant potential in the preparation of ceramic cores with intricate structures. However, its practical application still faces multiple challenges, including layered structures and property anisotropy, defects such as cracks and collapse during printing and sintering, forming inaccuracies, and difficulties in controlling surface roughness. Recent advances have focused on optimizing slurry formulation and rheology, improving curing behavior, introducing auxiliary powders and additives, tailoring forming parameters, and optimizing the sintering process. Nevertheless, effectively suppressing lamellar defects, achieving superior dimensional accuracy, and maintaining high surface quality in complex structures remain the core scientific and technical issues to be solved. Future research should concentrate on refining curing mechanisms, advancing powder design and organic system optimization, and regulating the coupled processes of forming, debinding, and sintering to accelerate the application of VPP 3D printed ceramic cores in aerospace manufacturing.
China Foundry•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s41230-025-4017-1
Effects of solution and aging treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a novel Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy by microalloying rare elements Sc and Er were studied. The results show that solution time has a visible influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy. Specifically, as the solution time increases, the area fraction of the residual phase in the alloy decreases, and the shape of the grain becomes more spheroidal and coarser, leading to a decrease in hardness. This is attributed to the dissolution of strengthening phases during the solution treatment, which weakens the solid solution strengthening effect. The single-stage aging treatment shows an initial increase in strength and hardness of the alloy, followed by a decrease as the aging time is extended, until a steady state is achieved. The optimal single-aging conditions are found to be at 120 °C for 24 h, where the alloy exhibits an excellent combination of high strength and good ductility, with an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 523 MPa, yield strength (YS) of 482 MPa, and elongation (El) of 1.75%, respectively. Compared to single-stage aging, double-stage aging (120 °C for 24 h and then 150 °C for 52 h) significantly increases the elongation of the alloy (4.17%), but the UTS reduces to 465.29 MPa, and YS reduces to 410.64 MPa. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations disclose that the grain size, the distribution spacing of precipitates along the grain boundary, and the width of the precipitation-free zone (PFZ) all undergo augmentation as the duration of the second stage aging process elongates.
Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering•2025•DOI: 10.1186/s10033-025-01304-9
It is particularly challenging to develop a new control theory like human intelligence, as human cognition and decision-making are variable in changing environments. In this article, the idea of variable stability is adopted to design a human-like control algorithm, referred to as variable stability control. A variable model perturbation put into the system dynamics model is computed by model game control, which simulates changes in human cognition. Lyapunov stability control is employed to formulate a backstepping control law that mimics the underlying logic algorithm in human decision-making. Some variable algorithm parameters embedded into the control law are calculated using model predictive control, which imitates dynamic tuning in human decision-making. From another perspective, variable stability control is an algorithm-hybrid control approach validated in a steer-by-wire system for angle tracking. According to the experimental results, variable stability control is a promising candidate for angle tracking in steer-by-wire systems.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-024-3005-6
Thermal and mechanical properties of yttrium tantalate (YTaO4), a top coat ceramic of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) for aeroengines, are enhanced by synthesizing Y1−xTa1−xM2xO4 (M = Ti, Zr, Hf; x = 0.06, 0.12, 0.18, 0.24) medium-entropy ceramics (MECs) using a two-step sintering method. In addition, the thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficients (TECs), and fracture toughness of MECs were investigated. An X-ray diffraction study revealed that the Y1−xTa1−xM2xO4 MECs were monoclinic, and the Ti, Zr, and Hf doping elements replaced Y and Ta. The variations in atomic weights and ionic radii led to disturbed atomic arrangements and severe lattice distortions, resulting in improving the phonon scattering and reduced thermal conductivity, with Y1−xTa1−xM2xO4 MECs (x = 0.24) exhibiting the lowest thermal conductivity of 1.23 W·m−1·K−1 at 900°C. The introduction of MO2 increased the configurational entropy and weakened the ionic bonding energy, obtaining high TECs (10.4 × 10−6 K−1 at 1400°C). The reduction in the monoclinic angle β lowered the ferroelastic domain inversion energy barrier. Moreover, microcracks and crack extension toughening endowed Y1−xTa1−xM2xO4 MECs (x = 0.24) with the highest fracture toughness of (4.1 ± 0.5) MPa·m1/2. The simultaneous improvement of the thermal and mechanical properties of the MO2 (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) co-doped YTaO4 MECs can be extended to other materials.
Journal of Central South University•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-025-6104-2
Herein, a sub-micron lanthanum zirconate ceramic (La2Zr2O7, LZO) with a pyrochlore structure was prepared by the sol-gel and high temperature sintering methods. The corrosion behavior and mechanism of calcium-ferrum-alumina-silicate (CFAS) powder (33CaO: 10FeO1.5: 13AlO1.5: 44SiO2) on the sub-micron LZO ceramic at 1673 K was investigated. The results indicate that the average grain size of sub-micron LZO ceramic was 895 nm. The CFAS melt rapidly diffused into the interior of the LZO ceramic wafer and reacted with it to generate high melting point rod-shaped Ca2La8(SiO4)6O2 apatite and m-ZrO2 phases, which can effectively hinder further diffusion of CFAS melt, resulting in a slow increase in corrosion depth with corrosion time. After 30 h of CFAS corrosion at 1673 K, the corrosion depth of the LZO ceramic wafer was only 160.3 μm, demonstrating its excellent high-temperature resistance to CFAS corrosion.
Journal of Central South University•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-025-6099-8
Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) are rising as a noteworthy contender to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), particularly for large-scale applications, driven by the natural abundance and cost-effectiveness of potassium resource. Yet, lacking anodes which can reversibly accommodate the larger K+ currently poses a critical development hurdle, highlighting an urgent need for innovative solutions. Herein, porous ZnO-SnO2-graphene-carbon (ZTO-G-C) nanofibers are presented, featuring amorphous SnO2 and ZnO nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed within a carbon matrix, with the strategic graphene incorporation for enhanced performance. Employing an adjustable and straightforward electrospinning method, the nanofibers were crafted to achieve a stable fibrous architecture. When evaluated as KIB anodes, the ZTO-G-C nanofibers demonstrated remarkable cycling stability (retaining 230.82 mA·h/g over 100 cycles at 100 mA/g), and rate capability (184.78 mA·h/g at 1 A/g). This outstanding performance is due to the synergistic interaction among all active components, collectively enhancing the structural stability against volume expansion during K+ intercalation, facilitating efficient charge transport, and delivering exceptional cyclability, capacity, and rate performance. Moreover, the intrinsic pseudocapacitive behavior stemming from the porous carbon substrate of ZTO-G-C further boosts its overall K-storage capacity. It is anticipated that the insights gained from this study offer fresh perspectives for developing next-generation high-performance KIB anodes.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-025-3087-9
NaTi2(PO4)3 (NTP) is a material with a NASICON structure, a three-dimensional open type skeleton, and suitable negative voltage window, which is widely regarded as a magnetic anode material for aqueous sodium ion batteries (ASIBs). However, NTP’s intrinsically poor conductivity hampers their use in ASIBs. Herein, bimetallic doped carbon material was designed and combined with the sol–gel method to prepare NaTi2(PO4)3–C–FeNi (NTP–C–FeNi) composite materials. This bimetallic doped carbon composite NTP material not only has a large specific surface area, but also effectively improves conductivity and promotes rapid migration of Na+. Following the rate performance test, NTP–C–FeNi retained a reversible capacity of 116.75 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1, representing 95.9% of the first cycle capacity. After 500 cycles at 1.5 A·g−1, the cycle fixity was 85.3%. The enhancement of electrochemical performance may owe to the widening of pathways and acceleration of Na+ insertion/extraction facilitated by FeNi–C doping, while the carbon coating effectively promotes electrode charge transfer. The results indicate that the bimetallic doped carbon composite NaTi2(PO4)3 holds potential for practical applications in novel aqueous sodium ion battery systems.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-025-3125-7
The application of hydrogen gas in the pre-reduction of manganese ore may replace fossil carbon consumption and reduce CO2 emissions in manganese ferroalloy production. The pre-reduction behavior of Nchwaning manganese ore was investigated using a fixed-bed reactor. The reduction rates at different temperatures and temperature programs were investigated, and the particles were sieved after reduction to measure the decrepitation. The reduction rate was measured by adding a tracer gas to the reducing gas and quantifying the off-gas. Samples with different particle-size distributions of the input material were reduced to investigate the effect of particle size on the reduction rate. Chemical analyses and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the raw and reduced materials. The effects of particle size distribution and temperature on the oxygen removal rate were investigated. Manganese oxides were mostly reduced to MnO in the samples, whereas some iron oxides and carbonates remained. The degree of reduction was improved by using smaller particles and increasing the temperature.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-024-3030-5
This study successfully developed a series of carbon-sol-reinforced copper (Cu-CS) composite coatings by electrodeposition employing a superiorly dispersed carbon sol (CS) to avoid nanoparticle aggregation. The CS, characterized using transmission electron microscopy and zeta potential analysis, consisted of carbon particles with an approximate diameter of 300 nm uniformly distributed in the electrolytes. The characteristics of the composite coatings were examined via scanning electron microscopy to observe its microstructures, X-ray diffraction to detect its phase constituents, and durability testing to determine the wear and corrosion resistance. Results indicated a significant improvement in coating thickness, density, and uniformity achieved for the Cu-CS composite coating with the addition of 20 mL/L CS. Moreover, the Cu-CS composite coating exhibited a low wear volume (1.15 × 10−3 mm3), a high hardness (HV0.5 137.1), and a low corrosion rate (0.191 mm/a). The significant contribution of carbon particles to the improvement of coating performance is mainly influenced by two factors, namely, the strengthening and lubricating effects resulting from the incorporated carbon particles. Nevertheless, overdosage of CS can compromise the microstructure of the Cu-CS composite coating, creating defects and undermining its functionality.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-025-3094-x
Replacing solid carbon with hydrogen gas in ferromanganese production presents a forward-thinking, sustainable solution to reducing the ferro-alloy industry’s carbon emissions. The HAlMan process, a groundbreaking and eco-friendly method, has been meticulously researched and scaled up from laboratory experiments to pilot tests, aiming to drastically cut CO2 emissions associated with ferromanganese production. This innovative process could potentially reduce CO2 emissions by about 1.5 tonnes for every tonne of ferromanganese produced. In this study, a lab-scale vertical thermogravimetric furnace was used to carry out the pre-reduction of Nchwaning manganese ore, where direct reduction occurred with H2 gas under controlled isothermal conditions at 700, 800, and 900°C. The results indicated that higher pre-reduction temperatures (800 and 900°C) effectively converted Fe2O3 to metallic iron and Mn2O3 to MnO. By continuously monitoring the mass changes during the reduction, both the rate and extent of reduction were assessed. A second-order reaction model was applied to validate the experimental outcomes of H2 reduction at various temperatures, showing apparent activation energies of 29.79 kJ/mol for dried ore and 61.71 kJ/mol for pre-calcined ore. The reduction kinetics displayed a strong dependence on temperature, with higher temperatures leading to quicker and more complete reductions. The kinetics analysis suggested that the chemical reaction at the gas–solid interface between hydrogen and the manganese ore is likely the rate-limiting step in this process.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01573-4
Global interest in lithium–sulfur batteries as one of the most promising energy storage technologies has been sparked by their low sulfur cathode cost, high gravimetric, volumetric energy densities, abundant resources, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is significantly impeded by several serious issues that arise at the cathode–electrolyte interface, such as interface structure degradation including the uneven deposition of Li2S, unstable cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI) layer and intermediate polysulfide shuttle effect. Thus, an optimized cathode–electrolyte interface along with optimized electrodes is required for overall improvement. Herein, we comprehensively outline the challenges and corresponding strategies, including electrolyte optimization to create a dense CEI layer, regulating the Li2S deposition pattern, and inhibiting the shuttle effect with regard to the solid–liquid–solid pathway, the transformation from solid–liquid–solid to solid–solid pathway, and solid–solid pathway at the cathode–electrolyte interface. In order to spur more perceptive research and hasten the widespread use of lithium–sulfur batteries, viewpoints on designing a stable interface with a deep comprehension are also put forth.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01577-0
Harvesting the immense and renewable osmotic energy with reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology shows great promise in dealing with the ever-growing energy crisis. One key challenge is to improve the output power density with improved trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity. Herein, polyelectrolyte hydrogels (channel width, 2.2 nm) with inherent high ion conductivity have been demonstrated to enable excellent selective ion transfer when confined in cylindrical anodized aluminum pore with lateral size even up to the submillimeter scale (radius, 0.1 mm). The membrane permeability of the anti-swelling hydrogel can also be further increased with cellulose nanofibers. With real seawater and river water, the output power density of a three-chamber cell on behalf of repeat unit of RED system can reach up to 8.99 W m−2 (per unit total membrane area), much better than state-of-the-art membranes. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of polyelectrolyte hydrogel-based ion-selective membranes, owning broad application prospects in the fields of osmotic energy collection, electrodialysis, flow battery and so on.
Journal of Semiconductors (半导体学报 - 中国科学院半导体研究所)•2024•DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/24120034
This paper presents the design of a low-power multi-channel analog front-end (AFE) for bio-potential recording. By using time division multiplexing (TDM), a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) is shared among all 20 channels. A charge-sharing multiplexer (MUX) is proposed to transmit the output signals from the respective channels to the ADC. By separately pre-sampling the output of each channel, the sampling time of each channel is greatly extended and additional active buffers are avoided. The AFE is fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process, and the whole system consumes 28.2 μW under 1 V supply. Each analog acquisition channel consumes 1.25 μW and occupies a chip area of 0.14 mm2. Measurement results show that the AFE achieves an input referred noise of 1.8 μV∙rms in a 350 Hz bandwidth and a noise efficiency factor (NEF) of 4.1. The 12-bit SAR ADC achieves an ENOB of 9.8 bit operating at 25 kS/s. The AFE is experimented on real-world applications by measuring human ECG and a clear ECG waveform is captured.