This study presents a laser-engineered ruthenium–carbon core–shell catalyst that dramatically lowers the energy barrier for hydrogen production. The material accelerates both the hydrogen evolution reaction and the hydrazine oxidation reaction, enabling large hydrogen yields at exceptionally low voltages. Its optimized Ru@C-200 configuration exhibits rapid reaction kinetics, high durability, and effective degradation of toxic hydrazine. When integrated into a hydrazine-splitting electrolyzer or a rechargeable zinc–hydrazine battery, the catalyst supports stable hydrogen output while simultaneously purifying contaminated hydrazine-containing streams. The findings highlight a promising strategy to combine green energy generation with pollutant removal using a single multifunctional electrocatalyst.

Scientists have developed a way to precisely tune atomic-scale platinum “skin” layers on porous PtCu nanodendrites—revealing how these ultrathin shells reshape catalytic behavior in fuel cells. By gradually thickening or thinning the Pt shell, the team uncovered a striking parabolic shift in the d-band center, showing how geometric strain and electron transfer interplay to govern reaction kinetics. At the heart of this curve lies a sweet spot: a two-layer Pt-skin that delivers the fastest oxygen reduction, exceptional durability, and record-high activity. This work not only pinpoints why this configuration excels but also establishes a roadmap for constructing more efficient, low-Pt catalysts for clean energy systems.

Silicon stands as a key anode material in lithium-ion battery ascribing to its high energy density. Nevertheless, the poor rate performance and limited cycling life remain unresolved through conventional approaches that involve carbon composites or nanostructures, primarily due to the un-controllable effects arising from the substantial formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the cycling. Here, an ultra-thin and homogeneous Ti doping alumina oxide catalytic interface is meticulously applied on the porous Si through a synergistic etching and hydrolysis process. This defect-rich oxide interface promotes a selective adsorption of fluoroethylene carbonate, leading to a catalytic reaction that can be aptly described as “molecular concentration-in situ conversion”. The resultant inorganic-rich SEI layer is electrochemical stable and favors ion-transport, particularly at high-rate cycling and high temperature. The robustly shielded porous Si, with a large surface area, achieves a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.7% and delivers exceptional high-rate performance at 25 A g⁻¹ (692 mAh g⁻¹) and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 1000 cycles. The robust SEI constructed through a precious catalytic layer promises significant advantages for the fast development of silicon-based anode in fast-charging batteries.

Dendrite growth represents one of the most significant challenges that impede the development of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Herein, Gd³⁺ ions are introduced into conventional electrolytes as a microlevelling agent to achieve dendrite-free zinc electrodeposition. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that these Gd³⁺ ions are preferentially adsorbed onto the zinc surface, which enables dendrite-free zinc anodes by activating the microlevelling effect during electrodeposition. In addition, the Gd³⁺ additives effectively inhibit side reactions and facilitate the desolvation of [Zn(H₂O)₆]²⁺, leading to highly reversible zinc plating/stripping. Due to these improvements, the zinc anode demonstrates a significantly prolonged cycle life of 2100 h and achieves an exceptional average Coulombic efficiency of 99.72% over 1400 cycles. More importantly, the Zn//NH₄V₄O₁₀ full cell shows a high capacity retention rate of 85.6% after 1000 cycles. This work not only broadens the  application of metallic cations in battery electrolytes but also provides fundamental insights into their working mechanisms.

Precise regulation of the platform capacity/voltage of electrode materials contributes to the efficient operation of sodium-ion fast-charging devices. However, the design of such electrode materials is still in a blank stage. Herein, based on tunable metal–organic frameworks, we have designed a novel material system—two-dimensional high-entropy metal–organic frameworks (HE-MOFs), which exhibits unique properties in sodium storage and is of vital importance for realizing fast-charging batteries. Furthermore, we have found that the high-entropy effect can regulate the electronic structure, the sodium-ion migration environment, and the sodium-ion storage active sites, thereby meeting the requirements of electrode materials for sodium-ion fast-charging devices. Impressively, the HE-MOFs material still maintains a reversible specific capacity of 89 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 20 A g⁻¹. It presents an ideal sodium storage voltage plateau of approximately 0.5 V, and its platform capacity is increased to 122.7 mAh g⁻¹, far superior to that of Mn-MOFs (with no platform capacity). This helps to reduce safety hazards during the fast-charging process and demonstrates its great application value in the fields of fast-charging sodium-ion batteries and capacitors. Our research findings have broken the barriers to the application of non-conductive MOFs as energy storage materials, enhanced the understanding of the regulation of platform capacity and voltage, and paved the way for the realization of high-security sodium-ion fast-charging devices.

What if artificial intelligence could turn centuries of scientific literature—and just a few lab experiments—into a smarter, faster way to produce clean energy from waste? That’s exactly what Dr. Yeqing Li and Dr. Junting Pan have achieved with their innovative “knowledge-based machine learning loop framework” (KMLLF), a breakthrough now published in the open-access journal Carbon Research (Volume 4, Article 71, December 16, 2025). Their work redefines how scientists design biochar—the charcoal-like material increasingly used to turbocharge anaerobic digestion (AD), a key process for turning organic waste into renewable biogas.

Incomplete water disinfection may unintentionally accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environments, according to a new study published in Biocontaminant.