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.

Two-dimensional semiconductors could enable highly scaled, low-power electronic devices, but their performance is often limited by damaged metal–semiconductor interfaces and severe Fermi-level pinning. Researchers at Beijing Institute of Technology have developed a reactive phase-transformed contact strategy that protects the semiconductor during metal deposition and subsequently converts the protective layer into a conductive PdTe₂ electrode. The approach reduces contact resistance in MoTe₂ transistors and restores ambipolar transport in WSe₂ devices, offering a scalable pathway toward high-performance 2D electronics.

Valleytronics, which uses the valley degree of freedom of electrons to encode information, offers a promising route toward next-generation low-power electronic and optoelectronic devices. Researchers from Xiamen University have now shown that introducing graphene into a WS₂/CrBr₃ van der Waals heterostructure can dramatically accelerate interlayer spin-charge transfer, leading to giant valley polarization splitting and markedly improved circularly polarized light detection.

The design of unique fluorescent probes is of paramount importance for boosting the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and improving the sensitivity toward target analytes. Herein, researchers from the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported a hydrogen-bond-driven self-assembled sensing system (CdSe/ZnS QDs@FNAC) composed of quantum dots (QDs) capped with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (CdSe/ZnS QDs@MPA) and a naphthol-based molecular probe (FNAC). This system enables a ratiometric fluorescent dual-signal response toward KMnO₄ based on the synergistic mechanism of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), featuring excellent sensing performance including a fast response speed (1 s), high sensitivity (4.80 nM), a favorable SNR, and negligible interference from other oxidants. The practicality of CdSe/ZnS QDs@FNAC was further verified by integrating a CdSe/ZnS QDs@FNAC-embedded hydrogel-based sensing chip into a portable detector, which enabled the on-site identification of ng-level KMnO₄ particles with high selectivity.

With the rapid development of electronic communication, aerospace, military and medical equipment, the demand for high‑performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials has grown dramatically. A review article led by Prof. Ming‑Guo Ma from Beijing Forestry University systematically summarizes the latest progress in MXene/nanocellulose composites for EMI shielding. The work focuses on three key aspects: preparation strategies, toughening mechanisms (physical, chemical and synergistic), and multidimensional structural design (1D fibers, 2D layered films and 3D networks). The review also analyses current technological limitations and proposes future research directions, offering a roadmap for the rational design of high‑performance, flexible and lightweight EMI shielding composites.