Electrochemical CO₂ reduction offers a promising route to convert CO₂ into valuable fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity. However, most current systems rely on high-purity CO₂ feeds, whereas practical carbon sources such as industrial flue gas and air contain much lower CO₂ concentrations together with impurities including O₂, SO_x and NO_x. A team of scientists has reviewed recent advances in electrochemical capture and conversion of dilute CO₂. The review highlights two major strategies, integrated CO₂ capture and conversion and direct electrolysis of dilute CO₂, and discusses how catalyst design and electrolyzer engineering can work together to move the technology toward practical applications. Their work is published in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials on July 15, 2026.

Invasive fungal infections induced by Candida species are becoming an urgent threat to global health. While a series of antifungal vaccines have been developed, their efficiency is frequently compromised by the failure of immune stimulation. In this study, a novel antifungal vaccine was constructed by assembling β-glucan with the Candida albicans antigen candidalysin on the surface of the genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain EcS. This co-assembly was mediated by the cell surface-exposed artificial glucan-binding protein CipC-mCherry-CipC, leading to the formation of the surface glucan nanofilm with a thickness of ~ 80 nm. Upon coincubation with macrophages, the vaccine efficiently escapes from the lysosomes, leading to enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and macrophage maturation. After mouse immunization, the vaccine persists longer in lymph nodes than free candidalysin or the glucan-free complex, and induces higher levels of CD4⁺, CD8⁺, TNFα⁺/CD4⁺ and IFNγ⁺/CD4⁺ T cells in the spleen. In a murine model of invasive fungal infection,immunization with this vaccine remarkably increases the survival rate, reduces the kidney fungal burdens and attenuates inflammatory responses. This bioengineering strategy offers a potentially viable approach for developing co-assembled whole-cell vaccines and can be extended to leverage bacterial carriers for surface antigen display. The vaccine acts not only as antigens but also as adjuvants, thereby eliciting strong and specific protective immunity against invasive fungal infections.

The eight-electron transfer pathway required for CH4 formation in eCO₂RR is kinetically slow, which leads to poor reaction selectivity. In this work, a CuZn-BDC-NH2 precursor was synthesized via a facile solvothermal method, and a series of CuZn@C materials were prepared by calcination under varying temperature conditions (700°C, 800°C, 900°C) utilizing the high-temperature volatility of Zn. Among them, the CuZn800@C sample demonstrates the best CH4 electro-reduction performance, achieving a methane Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 64.5% and a partial current density of -429.1 mA/cm² at a potential of -1.7 V vs. RHE, along with excellent stability, showing only a slight performance decline after a 24-hour test. Through in situ infrared spectroscopy and DFT calculations, electrocatalytic mechanism investigations reveal that Zn and Cu form a tandem reaction system. Zn sites promote water splitting to provide protons, while Cu sites reduce the energy barrier for *CO hydrogenation. Moreover, Zn and Cu can constitute dual active sites that enhance CO₂ adsorption, thereby boosting subsequent reactions. This work develops a new strategy for designing high performance Cu-based methanation catalysts.

Driven by the global carbon neutrality goals, lithium demand has surged sharply. Salt-lake brines suffer from an extremely high Mg²⁺/Li⁺ ratio, which severely hinders conventional Li extraction technologies. Inspired by biological potassium ion channels, researchers developed a bioinspired nanofiltration membrane with an asymmetric charge structure. This novel membrane overcomes the long-standing selectivity-permeability trade-off that has plagued traditional nanofiltration membranes, delivering exceptional Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation performance. It successfully produces battery-grade lithium carbonate from simulated high-magnesium salt lake brines, laying a robust foundation for the large-scale, low-cost, and environmentally sustainable exploitation of salt lake lithium resources.

Researchers in China have developed a cobalt-free electrode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by doping calcium into a layered iron-based perovskite. The new material, Sm_0.9Ca_0.1BaFe₂O_5+δ (SCBF), shows significantly improved oxygen kinetics and electron conductivity, delivering a peak power density of 2.14 W·cm⁻² at 800 °C –the highest among reported iron-based SOFC cathodes.

This study designs a phosphorus-doped vacancy regulation and phase interface engineering strategy to fabricate a MOF-derived metal selenide@carbon dual-matrix material, denoted as P-NiSe₂/CoSe₂@NC (PNCS). By optimizing the phosphorus source doping ratio and calcination temperature, the optimal electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism is explored. The results demonstrate that through iterative optimization of doping concentration and thermal conditions, the material achieves a synergistic balance between defects and heterogeneous interfaces, leading to superior electromagnetic wave absorption performance. At a matching thickness of only 2.1 mm, an effective absorption bandwidth of 7.04 GHz is attained, and the entire X-band and Ku-band can be covered within a controllable thickness of 2.6 mm, showing significantly enhanced performance compared to analogous samples. The “dual-core driven” strategy, combining oxygen vacancies and selenide heterointerfaces, optimizes dielectric relaxation and polarization loss, offering new insights for the development and application of next generation high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.

Wearable sensors that can heal themselves after damage are critical for the next generation of human-machine interfaces. Researchers from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) have developed a sea cucumber-inspired ionotronic hydrogel that combines room-temperature self-healing, strong adhesion, and highly sensitive pressure sensing. The hydrogel can stretch to over ten times its original length, heal autonomously after cuts and punctures, and detect pressures ranging from gentle touches to firm grips. Integrated into a smart tactile glove, the sensor enables real-time tactile sensing, object-shape recognition, and directional-intent decoding for game control, demonstrating its potential for wearable electronics and seamless human-machine interaction.