Journal of Advanced Ceramics•2026•DOI: 10.26599/JAC.2026.9221348
Advanced temperature-sensitive materials are critical for hypersonic propulsion and next-generation energy systems, yet long-term stability above 1000 °C remains a formidable barrier. Conventional transition-metal spinel oxides (e.g., Ni–Mn–Co–O) suffer phase decomposition and cation migration above 300 °C, causing exponential resistance drift. This work develops a Mo-regulated high-entropy ferroelastic niobate strategy for ultrawide-temperature negative-temperature-coefficient (NTC) thermosensitive ceramics. Density functional theory calculations reveal that A-site high-entropy facilitates Mo doping in (Ca0.2La0.2Ce0.2Eu0.2Gd0.2)NbO4. Mo doping broadens local atomic configurations, modulates ferroelastic domain structures, and increases atomic-scale displacement disorder, redistributing Hall transport contributions and reducing grain/grain-boundary transport barrier mismatch. The optimized HEN-0.2Mo ceramic exhibits highly linear Arrhenius behavior (R² = 0.99907) from −50 to 1250 °C with a B-value fluctuation of only 4.44%. High-temperature impedance analysis confirms closely matched grain and grain-boundary activation energies (Eg = 1.209 eV, Egb = 1.218 eV; ΔEa ≈ 0.009 eV). During 1250 °C aging, postdensification and strain redistribution yield a stabilized-stage resistance drift of only 1.09% after 1000 h. These findings demonstrate that entropy-stabilized defect engineering decouples sensitivity from degradation in functional ceramics under thermal stress.
Chinese Journal of Energetic Materials (含能材料)•2026•DOI: 10.11943/CJEM2026118
Underwater contact explosions from torpedoes and mines pose severe threats to ship survivability. The coupled effects of shock waves, bubbles, and secondary fragments induce complex structural damage. This review first analyzes the load characteristics of underwater contact explosions, detailing the spatial-temporal evolution of shock waves, bubbles, and secondary fragments. Subsequently, it examines protective mechanisms from two perspectives: multi-cabin structural protection and composite structure/material protection, focusing on damage suppression and energy dissipation. Finally, key technical challenges are summarized to guide future research. The review highlights that shock waves cause initial indentation and perforation of the outer plate, while bubble pulsation and collapse jets dominate subsequent large deformation and tearing of bulkheads. Experimental studies show that stiffened plates exhibit significant strain growth during bubble pulsation, potentially exceeding shock wave effects. Multi-cabin designs, such as liquid-filled compartments, effectively mitigate damage through energy absorption and impedance mismatch. Composite materials offer enhanced blast resistance but face scalability issues. The paper underscores the need for high-fidelity numerical methods and experimental validation to resolve controversies regarding dominant damage mechanisms. This work provides a comprehensive reference for advancing ship structural protection against underwater contact explosions.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2026•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2026.01.002
To address the deviation between rigid confining pressure experiments and actual engineering conditions of deep backfill mining, where backfill near the working face has less confining pressure, while that in deep goaf areas is under high confining pressure, this study investigates the load-bearing characteristics of rock granular materials under flexible passive confining pressure. Customized PC molds with varying wall thicknesses and rigid steel molds were used to construct a gradient confining pressure environment. Compression tests were conducted, combined with the characterization of acoustic emission (AE) monitoring, strain measurement, particle sieving, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. The results show that flexible passive confining pressure divides the particle compression process into three stages that are different from those under traditional rigid constraints, namely the initial compaction stage, the crushing failure stage, and the lateral confinement-dominated stage. AE signals exhibit a bimodal energy distribution, and the time interval between the two can vary by more than 4 times with changes. The failure modes transition from shear to tension. Compared with intact materials, granular materials under lateral confinement maintain continuous volume contraction, and can even maintain a continuous volume contraction trend at least when the strain reaches 8%. And lateral confinement stiffness significantly enhances axial bearing capacity: when the axial strain reaches 30%, the axial stress in the rigid confinement group is nearly 5 times that in the flexible confinement group. Fractal dimension increases from 1.94 to 2.39 as the confinement stiffness rises. This study clarifies the influence mechanism of lateral confinement stiffness on granular mechanics, providing fundamental support for optimizing backfill design based on goaf locations and improving surrounding rock control in deep green mining.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01781-6
Designing high-performance electrocatalysts is one of the key challenges in the development of microbial electrochemical hydrogen production. Transition metal-based (TM-based) electrocatalysts are introduced as an astonishing alternative for future catalysts by addressing several disadvantages, like the high cost and low performance of noble metal and metal-free electrocatalysts, respectively. In this critical review, a comprehensive analysis of the major development of all families of TM-based catalysts from the beginning development of microbial electrolysis cells in the last 15 years is presented. Importantly, pivotal design parameters such as selecting efficient synthesis methods based on the type of material, main criteria during each synthesizing method, and the pros and cons of various procedures are highlighted and compared. Moreover, procedures for tuning and tailoring the structures, advanced strategies to promote active sites, and the potential for implementing novel unexplored TM-based hybrid structures suggested. Furthermore, consideration for large-scale application of TM-based catalysts for future mass production, including life cycle assessment, cost assessment, economic analysis, and recently pilot-scale studies were highlighted. Of great importance, the potential of utilizing artificial intelligence and advanced computational methods such as active learning, microkinetic modeling, and physics-informed machine learning in designing high-performance electrodes in successful practices was elucidated. Finally, a conceptual framework for future studies and remaining challenges on different aspects of TM-based electrocatalysts in microbial electrolysis cells is proposed.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01753-w
Joint health is critical for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions that are affecting approximately one-third of the global population. Monitoring of joint torque can offer an important pathway for the evaluation of joint health and guided intervention. However, there is no technology that can provide the precision, effectiveness, low-resource setting, and long-term wearability to simultaneously achieve both rapid and accurate joint torque measurement to enable risk assessment of joint injury and long-term monitoring of joint rehabilitation in wider environments. Herein, we propose a piezoelectric boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs)-based, AI-enabled wearable device for regular monitoring of joint torque. We first adopted an iterative inverse design to fabricate the wearable materials with a Poisson’s ratio precisely matched to knee biomechanics. A highly sensitive piezoelectric film was constructed based on BNNTs and polydimethylsiloxane and applied to precisely capture the knee motion, while concurrently realizing self-sufficient energy harvesting. With the help of a lightweight on-device artificial neural network, the proposed wearable device was capable of accurately extracting targeted signals from the complex piezoelectric outputs and then effectively mapping these signals to their corresponding physical characteristics, including torque, angle, and loading. A real-time platform was constructed to demonstrate the capability of fine real-time torque estimation. This work offers a relatively low-cost wearable solution for effective, regular joint torque monitoring that can be made accessible to diverse populations in countries and regions with heterogeneous development levels, potentially producing wide-reaching global implications for joint health, MSK conditions, ageing, rehabilitation, personal health, and beyond.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01710-7
Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have attracted significant attention due to their high theoretical energy density and low-cost raw materials. However, LSBs still face various challenges in practical applications, particularly the shuttle effect, electrode passivation, and slow kinetics. In recent years, trisulfur radicals (TRs), important intermediates in LSBs, have emerged as a promising and beyond-traditional solution to these problems, which serves as a mediated catalyst to improve the electrochemical performance of LSBs. As a system that is inconsistent with the catalytic conversion process discussed in the traditional LSBs, this review focuses on the generation, detection, promotion, and catalytic roles of TRs, especially emphasizing the formation of TRs in solid-state lapis lazuli analogs and discussing the pros and cons of high donor number solvents and/or their co-solvents in stabilizing TRs. Strategies involving homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysts are discussed for increment of TRs and enhancing catalytic reactions in LSBs. Ultimately, given TRs’ significant potential as a key factor in enhancing the performance of LSBs, future perspectives and outlooks are provided to guide the further development of TRs in LSBs. This review provides valuable insights into the design of electrolytes and catalysts for increment of TRs, paving the new practical direction and way for advanced LSBs.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2024-39-03-09)
Metal chloride-intercalated graphite with excellent conductivity and a large interlayer spacing is highly desired for use in sodium ion batteries. However, halogen vapor is usually indispensable in initiating the intercalation process, which makes equipment design and experiments challenging. In this work, SO2Cl2 was used as a chlorine generator to intensify the intercalation of BiCl3 into graphite (BiCl3-GICs), which avoided the potential risks, such as Cl2 leakage, in traditional methods. The operational efficiency in the experiment was also improved. After the reaction of SO2Cl2, BiCl3, and graphite at 200 °C for 20 h, the synthesized BiCl3-GICs had a large interlayer spacing (1.26 nm) and a high amount of BiCl3 intercalation (42%), which gave SIBs a high specific capacity of 213 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 and an excellent rate performance (170 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1). In-situ Raman spectra revealed that the electronic interaction between graphite and intercalated BiCl3 is weakened during the first discharge, which is favorable for sodium storage. This work broadly enables the increased intercalation of other metal chloride-intercalated graphites, offering possibilities for developing advanced energy storage devices.
New Carbon Materials (新型炭材料)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/S1872-5805(NCM2026-41-02-06)
The poor interface contact between Bi nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hinders the transfer of ions/electrons for lithium-ion batteries. We propose an innovative approach for fabricating ultrafine bismuth nanocrystals chemically bonded to reduced graphene oxide (Bi-rGO) by liquid-phase pulsed laser irradiation followed by a solvothermal reaction with graphene oxide. Metastable Bi nanocrystals synthesized by a laser (5.5 nm) are then combined with graphene oxide in a solvothermal process, undergoing lattice restructuring and shrinking to a record-small size of 2 nm, which is the smallest reported for Bi/C composites as far as we know. The Bi nanocrystals are uniformly anchored onto rGO nanosheets by strong Bi—O—C bonds, which not only suppress particle aggregation but also establish efficient ion/electron transport channels and alleviate volume expansion during lithiation. As a result, the Bi-rGO-2 anode consisting of 2 nm Bi nanocrystals has an exceptional reversible capacity of 586.7 mAh g−1 over 500 cycles under a current density of 100 mA·g−1, nearly doubling that of a Bulk Bi/rGO composite anode (318 mAh·g−1). Theoretical calculations confirm a higher binding energy between Bi and rGO at small particle sizes, while kinetic analysis reveals accelerated Li+ diffusion. This work provides a scalable way to design high-performance alloy anodes through metastable nanocrystal engineering and covalent interface coupling.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2025•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2025.12.006
In deep coal mining, surrounding rock is subjected to both high in-situ stress and intense mining disturbances, leading to significant time-dependent behavior. Accurately capturing this behavior is essential for predicting long-term roadway stability, necessitating the development of a reliable constitutive creep model and numerical simulation approach. In this study, creep experiments were conducted on pre-damaged rock with varying initial damage levels to investigate the time-dependent mechanical properties. Based on the experimental results, an accelerated-creep criterion was proposed, and an elastic-viscoplastic creep damage model (EVPCD) was established that simultaneously considers the effects of time-dependent damage and instantaneous damage caused by stress disturbances on rock creep behavior. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the proposed creep model was verified using experimental data, and the secondary development of the EVPCD model was completed based on the FLAC3D platform. Following this, a long-term stability analysis method of deep surrounding rock that accounts for excavation-and mining-induced disturbances was proposed. Using the main roadway of Xutuan Coal Mine as a case study, numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the time-dependent deformation and failure characteristics of the surrounding rock following excavation and mining disturbance. Combined with on-site monitoring of the surrounding rock damage areas, the results indicate that the EVPCD outperforms the CVISC and Nishihara models in predicting the time-dependent behavior of deep surrounding rock.
Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering•2025•DOI: 10.1186/s10033-025-01274-y
Intelligent manufacturing (IM), a driving force behind the fourth industrial revolution, is reshaping the manufacturing sector by enhancing productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. Despite the rapid technological advancements in IM, comprehensive bibliometric reviews remain limited. This article systematically reviews the latest research in IM, addressing emerging hotspots, key technologies, and their applications across the entire product manufacturing cycle. Bibliometric analysis is employed to identify research trends visualize publication volume, collaboration patterns, research domains, co-citations, and emerging areas of interest. The article then examines key technologies supporting IM, including sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, and virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR). Furthermore, it explores the application of these technologies throughout the manufacturing cycle—from intelligent reliability design, material transportation and tracking, to intelligent planning and scheduling, machining and fabrication, monitoring and maintenance, quality inspection and control, warehousing and management, and sustainable green manufacturing—through specific case studies. Lastly, the article discusses future research directions, highlighting the increasing global market and the need for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, technological integration, computing power upgrades, and attention to security and privacy in IM. This study provides valuable insights for scholars and serves as a guide for future research and strategic investment decisions, offering a comprehensive view of the IM field.
Journal of Central South University•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s11771-025-6080-6
Under the influence of the upper coal pillars and dynamic pressure of coal mining, the roadway of the lower coal seam is prone to large deformation failure. In this paper, a novel control method and key technologies of automatically formed roadway (AFR) by roof cutting and confined concrete column in extremely close-distance coal seam are proposed. Furthermore, a numerical model is established to analyze the structure characteristics of overlying roof strata. Based on numerical results, the roof structure model of “voussoir beam of upper layer + short cantilever beam of lower layer” of this method is proposed. What’s more, the calculation equation of the roof bending moment and evaluation indexes is established, and the influence of different factors on roof stability control of AFR is studied. Finally, a field test is conducted to verify the effectiveness of this novel method. Field results were as follows: 1) The maximum and average support stress of working face obviously decreased; 2) The confined concrete column can provide high-strength support in dynamic influence zone; 3) The maximum deformation of AFR safety requirement can be met. This study can provide effective guidance for the application of this method in extremely close-distance coal seam.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-025-3276-6
The development of efficient and robust oxygen non-precious catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a critical scientific hurdle in realizing cost-effective renewable energy conversion systems. Herein, we present a rapid laser irradiation synthesis strategy for the successful fabrication of sub-10 nm FeCoNiMnCr high-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) on multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) paper, serving as highly efficient OER electrocatalysts. The synthesis of high-entropy alloy nanoparticles with precise control was accomplished through systematic optimization of laser processing parameters. Structural characterization via X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy collectively verified the formation of a phase-pure face-centered cubic crystal structure with homogeneous elemental mixing at the atomic scale. Furthermore, COMSOL Multiphysics simulations confirm that this rapid and discontinuous laser irradiation approach enables the precursor material to undergo ultrafast heating and quenching processes, effectively suppressing Ostwald ripening phenomena, which is conducive to the formation of ultrafine (sub-10 nm) high-entropy alloy nanoparticles. The synthesized HEA-NPs catalyst demonstrates exceptional oxygen evolution activity in alkaline electrolyte (1 M KOH), achieving a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 at a low overpotential of 255 mV while maintaining remarkable stability with negligible activity decay during prolonged operation (>100 h), representing state-of-the-art performance among non-precious metal catalysts. This study provides perspectives on the rapid preparation and performance regulation of HEA-NPs catalysts.
Int. Journal of Mining Science and Technology (采矿与安全工程)•2024•DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmst.2024.12.005
With resource exploitation and engineering construction gradually going deeper, the surrounding rock dynamic disaster becomes frequent and violent. The anchorage support is a common control method of surrounding rock in underground engineering. To study the dynamic damage characteristics of anchored rock and the energy absorption control mechanism of dynamic disasters, a new type of constant resistance and energy absorption (CREA) material with high strength, high elongation and high energy absorption characteristics is developed. A contrast test of rockbursts in anchored rock with different support materials is conducted. The test results show that the surface damage rates and energy release degree of anchored rock with common bolt (CB) and CREA are lower than those of unanchored rock, respectively. The total energy, average energy and maximum energy released by CREA anchored rock are 30.9%, 94.3% and 84.4% lower than those of CB anchored rock. Compared with unanchored rock, the rockburst peak stress in the CREA anchored rock is increased by 39.9%, and the rockburst time is delayed by 53.2%. Based on the rockburst energy calculation model, the evolution law of rockburst peak stress and energy release is investigated. The control mechanism of CREA support units on rock dynamic failure is clarified.