A review published in eGastroenterology highlights the rapid evolution of in vitro liver disease models are rapidly evolving from simple 2D hepatocyte cultures to multicellular organoids, precision-cut liver slices, and microfluidic liver-on-a-chip systems. Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin argue that next-generation platforms should prioritise pathophysiological “states” (e.g., lipotoxic stress, fibrogenesis, cholestasis, viral injury) and deliver biologically meaningful, decision-ready readouts under controlled conditions. Model selection, they stress, must be fit-for-purpose, balancing fidelity, cost, and throughput.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) ceramics possess high thermal conductivity, excellent electrical insulation, and good thermal and chemical stability, showing great potential for high-end electronics and thermal management. Current industrial production relies on hot pressing, which limits product size and yield with high costs. Pressureless sintering is simple, low-cost, and suitable for large or complex shapes. However, due to the extremely low self-diffusion coefficient of h-BN, densification via pressureless sintering is difficult, with relative densities typically below 90%. Therefore, achieving densification of h-BN by pressureless sintering has remained a key challenge for over half a century since its first synthesis.

For a century, light’s wave-particle duality has reshaped physics, yet spectrometers have long relied solely on light’s wave nature—resulting in unavoidable tradeoffs between resolution, spectral range, and device size. A team from Tsinghua University presents a comprehensive review, featured on the cover of Nano Research, that, for the first time, systematically explores the evolution of spectrometer designs through the lens of wave-particle duality, contrasting traditional wave-based methods with innovative particle-based approaches that enhance performance while minimizing device size. By examining the principles and advancements in both paradigms, the review provides valuable insights into the future of compact and high-performance spectral detection technologies.

Hydrogen purification is a critical challenge for clean energy. The Sun and Kang’s group have now developed a novel composite membrane using a "mortar-and-brick" strategy. This membrane combines a metal-organic framework (MOF) as the "bricks" with a hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) as the "mortar," creating an all-nanoporous hierarchical structure. Hetero-MOF facilitates the hetero-nucleation, and the systematic rule of HOF’s crystal growth interfered by hetero-phase is established: suppressing the homo-nucleation, balancing nucleation driving force with molecular attachment rates, and optimizing the nutrients supplement and demand. The optimized membrane shows a 562% increase in hydrogen permeance and 241% improve in hydrogen/methane selectivity compared to a pure HOF membrane, offering a new blueprint for next-generation gas separation materials that combine easy processing with high performance.

Albeit surface reconstruction of precatalysts for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is extensively studied, the dynamic structure evolution and true active phase in neutral media remains largely unexplored. Here, the activation behaviors in neutral and alkaline media are comparatively studied using NiMoO₄ as a model precatalyst. The results reveal that, when electrochemically activated in harsh alkaline conditions, NiMoO₄ undergoes rapid and complete reconstruction with the formation of considerable NiOOH active phase. On the other hand, direct activation in neutral media only results in weak reconstruction with a thin NiOOH layer on NiMoO₄ surface. Accordingly, the electrode oxidized in basic electrolyte yields a superior OER performance compared to that directly treated mild pH condition. Our study deepens the understanding of the neutral water oxidation reaction, which provides insightful guidelines for further development of efficient electrocatalysts for neutral water electrolysis with self-reconstruction.

Research Team from The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University Reports: Ce-Myricetin Nanoparticles Alleviate Inflammation and Multi-organ Damage through ROS Clearance and Macrophage Reprogramming in Sepsis

Harnessing solar energy to produce usable power is not new, but the technology is constantly evolving and improving. A major development in recent times is the use of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are low-weight, highly efficient, flexible solar cells using perovskite (typically a metal-halide material with a specialized structure) crystal structures to absorb light. Though a promising concept, improvements are necessary for PSCs to be able to reach their full potential. Researchers approach these improvements by introducing an additive, 1H-indole-3-carbohydrazide (1H-CBH) to effectively alleviate the main obstacle of PSCs, which are defects leading to loss of energy and efficiency in the cell.

There is a growing demand for high-performance THz shielding and absorbing materials to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) or pollution. Inspired by staggered cellular structures, a bioinspired strategy was proposed to fabricate multilayer-MXene (m-Ti₃C₂T_x)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) aerogel frameworks with staggered stacking architectures via direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing technology for enhanced THz shielding and absorption performance. The framework exhibits an excellent maximum reflection loss (RL) of 54.01 dB in the 0.5-3.0 THz range (100% qualified bandwidth) and a high absorption of 99.40%. It realizes a high green shielding index (g_s), the range of g_s > 9 that meets the standard for excellent green EMI shielding up to 2.5 THz. Meanwhile, it demonstrates high shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeding 40 dB across a broad gigahertz (GHz) frequency range from 3.9 to 18 GHz, particularly reaching an excellent 101.84 dB in the Ku band. This bionic strategy of staggered structures achieved via 3D printing technology demonstrates significant potential for fabricating high-design-freedom shielding components with excellent THz shielding and absorption properties.

This study develops a novel bismuth layer-structured 0.3Na_0.5Bi_2.5Nb₂O₉-0.7Bi₃Ti_1-x(W_1/3Cr_2/3)_xNbO₉ solid solution via a solid-state reaction method. By B-site (W, Cr) co-doping, the optimized x=0.04 ceramics achieve a remarkable piezoelectric constant (d₃₃=20.3 pC/N) alongside a high Curie temperature (T_C=845.9 ^oC). The synergistic effect of [Nb/Ti]O₆ octahedral distortion and (CrTi'-VO∙∙) defect dipole formation significantly enhances domain stability while effectively suppressing the oxygen vacancy concentration. Consequently, the material exhibits superior high-temperature resistivity (7.3×10⁷ Ω·cm at 500 °C) and excellent thermal stability, retaining 93.1% of its initial d₃₃ after annealing at 600 °C. These findings highlight its exceptional potential for advanced high-temperature piezoelectric sensors.

Harvesting distributed wind energy in complex environments remains a major challenge. Researchers from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Tsinghua University, and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems proposed a vortex-induced vibration-based triboelectric nanogenerator (VIV-TENG). The device can collect wind energy from all directions and operate efficiently under low wind speeds and high humidity. At 3.5 m/s, it delivers an average output power of 49.5 μW, demonstrating its potential for powering small electronic devices and enabling self-powered systems in urban environments.