Artificial photosynthesis is highly desired to enhance natural photosynthesis through enhanced photoelectron transfer from photocatalysts to natural photosystems. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄ or CN), a biocompatible organic polymer semiconductor, has emerged as a promising candidate for boosting natural photosynthesis, paving the way for sustainable agricultural technologies to increase crop yields.

Double transition metal nitrides and carbides (MXene) have garnered significant attention in the field of electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption due to their distinctive structural properties. The design of efficient MXene-based EMW absorbers remains a formidable challenge in light of the high conductivity and strong van der Waals forces. In this work, we report for the first time the approach of the double-doping non-metal N and rare earth metal Ce-4f into Mo-MXene to construct Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce system. This process enables partial in-situ oxidation of Mo-MXene, thereby forming a heterostructure and enhancing the interface polarization. The introduction of Ce facilitates the hybridization between the 4f orbitals of rare earth Ce and the 4d orbitals of Mo, altering the electronic structure of Ce and Mo-MXene and promoting electron migration, which contributes to polarization loss. Furthermore, incorporating melamine into the precursor can induce N doping in Mo-MXene, thereby promoting dipolar polarization. Consequently, the double-doping of N and Ce enables the synergistic effects of interface polarization, dipole polarization, and conduction loss, leading to efficient EMW absorption. Therefore, at a frequency of 13.43 GHz and a matching thickness of 4.685 mm, the optimal reflection loss (R_L) value of Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce reaches -57.46 dB, which exceeds a large number of reported MXene-based absorbers. This research confirms that Mo-MXene/MoO₂-N/Ce is a promising EMW absorption material and provides valuable insights into modulating MXene-based EMW absorbers using rare earth elements.

A team of researchers has developed a new class of ultrafast nanomotors powered by near-infrared (NIR) light, opening new possibilities for precise nanoscale transport in water — without the need for chemical fuels.

Advances in molecular diagnostics have driven multiplex biomarker detection as a critical approach for enhanced diagnostic accuracy. The simultaneous quantification of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and microRNA-21 (miR-21) holds particular clinical value in tumor diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and therapeutic monitoring. Peptide self-assembly technology has emerged as a promising biosensing platform, leveraging its unique molecular recognition capabilities and intrinsic signal amplification properties. Compared to conventional nanomaterials, peptide-engineered structures demonstrate superior biocompatibility, precise controllability, and spontaneous self-assembly into functional nanostructures under mild conditions. By designing dual-functional peptides that merge target recognition with signal amplification, researchers developed an electrochemical biosensor based on peptide self-assembly engineering signal amplification (PSA-e-SA). This innovation achieves ultrasensitive simultaneous detection of CEA and miR-21, addressing the critical need for early cancer diagnosis when biomarker concentrations are extremely low.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI) remains a major therapeutic challenge in acute myocardial infarction due to the lack of effective treatment options. Although mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their derivatives have shown promise in cardiac repair, their clinical translation is limited by poor delivery efficiency and reduced bioactivity. In this study, researchers developed nanoscale artificial cell-derived vesicles (Rg1-ACDVs) via mechano-extrusion of MSCs preconditioned with ginsenoside Rg1, a bioactive phytochemical. Compared to conventional extracellular vesicles (Rg1-EVs) and unprimed ACDVs, Rg1-ACDVs demonstrated superior therapeutic performance by promoting cell cycle progression and facilitating DNA damage repair, as revealed by multi-omics analyses. Functional assays confirmed their dual ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and safeguard genomic stability in both in vitro and in vivo models. This work underscores the synergistic potential of phytochemical priming and nanoscale bioengineering, establishing Rg1-ACDVs as a scalable and effective platform for advancing MI/RI therapy toward clinical application.

Significant relationship between vagus nerve and bone remodeling was identified through artificial intelligence (AI)-based knowledge mining. Iron oxide nanoparticles incorporated injectable hydrogels (termed M-Gels) were applied to rats' left neck vagus nerves, showing at least 20-week retention. Magnetic vagus nerve stimulation (mVNS) at 20 Hz twice daily for 16 weeks enhanced bone metabolism. AI analysis identified gut microbiota as a contributing factor, highlighting mVNS's potential for osteoporosis treatment.

The direct synthesis of semi-conductive quantum dot (QD) inks coordinated by inorganic ions in polar phases presents potential advantages such as low cost and scalability, making it an ideal approach for realizing QDs-based optoelectronic applications. However, the weak repulsive forces between QDs coordinated by inorganic ions can easily lead to agglomeration, significantly limiting size control during the synthesis process. Distinct from the traditional high-temperature injection and low-temperature growth strategy used in the synthesis of QDs with long-chain organic ligands, we discover that low-temperature injection nucleation and high-temperature growth is an effective strategy to achieve controllable tuning of reactive monomers and ligand ions in the direct synthesis system of inorganic ion-liganded QD inks, which in turn realizes the scalable, low-cost, and direct synthesis of uniform and size-tunable short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) PbS QD inks. The yield of single synthesis can be more than 10 g. Compared with the traditional ligand exchange method, the yield is improved by nearly 3 times and the cost is reduced to 7 times. Finally, the solar cell devices fabricated using these PbS SWIR QD inks achieved a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of approaching 9%, confirming the excellent optoelectronic performance of the synthesized PbS QD materials.

In photodetection systems, the ability to simultaneously measure light intensity, wavelength, and polarization is critical for advanced optical applications. A groundbreaking study introduces a novel photodetector leveraging halide perovskites, which uniquely combine electro-optic modulation with polarization-sensitive detection. By utilizing ultrafine nanoripples and micron-sized crystals in perovskite materials, this device achieves precise polarization response and electro-optic modulation. These properties, enhanced by the material’s superior optoelectronic performance, enable multidimensional polarization current generation and visualization key advancements for integrated optical systems. The innovation holds promise for applications in machine learning-driven optical technologies and compact photonic devices, marking a significant step toward multifunctional, high-efficiency optoelectronics.