MAX phase ceramics are promising candidates for high-temperature structural applications, yet the synthesis of o-MAX phases with out‑of‑plane chemical ordering is constrained by strict elemental compatibility. A research team led by Associate Professors Cheng-Feng Du and Hong Yu from Northwestern Polytechnical University recently reported a series of Cr₂(Ti_1-xV_x)AlC₂ (x = 0–0.6) quinary o-MAX materials. They established the V solubility threshold at x = 0.5, beyond which an order-disorder transition occurs. The optimal composition achieves 16.4% higher nanoindentation hardness, 35.2% higher Vickers hardness, and 5.1% higher fracture toughness, demonstrating that site-selective solid solution is a viable route to high-performance MAX ceramics.

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction to formate is a promising route to convert greenhouse gases into value-added liquid chemicals, but persistent cell voltage rise during operation has long limited high-concentration product accumulation and long-term stability. A research team led by scientists from the University of Science and Technology Beijing has identified that unidirectional cation migration across the ion exchange membrane is the dominant cause of voltage growth, and proposed a simple yet effective "concentration-gradient" strategy. By pairing high-concentration anolyte (3.37 mol·L⁻¹) with low-concentration catholyte (0.5 mol·L⁻¹) to generate reverse diffusion potential, the strategy confines cell voltage fluctuations within ±0.5 V and enables over 30 hours of continuous stable operation — 3 to 4 times longer than conventional systems. Normalized formate productivity reaches 200% of the average level, and the strategy works universally across cation-based electrolyte systems.

Phosphine (PH₃) is a deadly industrial byproduct that poses a severe threat to human health and the environment. A research team from Yunnan Minzu University and Kunming University of Science and Technology has developed a sustainable "waste-to-wealth" strategy that captures toxic PH₃ tail gas and transforms it in situ into a robust Ni₂P/Ni₅P₄ heterostructure electrocatalyst. This innovative approach not only achieves high-efficiency gas purification but also provides a low-cost, high-performance solution for green hydrogen production, bridging the gap between pollution control and clean energy.

Professor Zhang Yuxin's team from Chongqing University, specializing in new silicon algae material innovation, used natural diatom (DE) as the base to in-situ grow layered hierarchical SZIF-8 carriers, loaded sodium molybdate corrosion inhibitor to construct Na₂MoO₄@SZIF-8-DE intelligent filler, and combined with E51 epoxy resin to prepare an adaptive anti-corrosion coating.

Flexible thermoelectric generators offer a promising route to harvest body heat for wearable electronics, but balancing high output, mechanical flexibility, and long-term stability remains challenging. A research team has developed Bi₂Te₃/HPMC@paper-based flexible thermoelectric generators with planar and multilayer-stacked architectures, achieving enhanced flexibility and thermoelectric performance. The Level-III stacked device delivered a device-level Seebeck coefficient of 11,330.25 μV·K^-1 and a maximum output power of 617.4 nW, demonstrating potential for wearable thermal energy harvesting.