The rapid advancement of solid-state lighting technology has made white LEDs the preferred choice for energy-efficient illumination. Nevertheless, commercial white LEDs based on blue chips and yellow phosphors suffer from inadequate red components and poor spectral continuity, leading to low color rendering index (CRI). Lead-free Cs-Cu-I perovskites, with their unique self-trapped exciton (STE) emission, offer a promising single-component white-light platform, yet their low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) remains a major obstacle. Therefore, enhancing both the PLQY and spectral coverage of Cs-Cu-I is critically important.

A team led by Aiwei Tang professor from Beijing Jiaotong University recently reported a Zn²⁺ doping strategy for Cs-Cu-I perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) to achieve high-CRI white LEDs, advancing eco-friendly solid-state lighting.

Prof. Jun Bao’s team developed a synergistic PtPd-Al₂O₃ catalyst for highly selective (96%) and durable (>20 h, FE >80%) electrochemical H₂O₂ production via the 2e⁻ oxygen reduction pathway under neutral conditions. In-situ synchrotron and DFT studies revealed that Pd modulates Pt’s electronic structure, upshifts the d-band center, optimizes *OOH adsorption, and suppresses O–O cleavage, while also stabilizing the alloy structure during operation. This work offers a general strategy for designing stable noble-metal catalysts for various electrochemical transformations.

Extreme-environment protection requires lightweight materials that can simultaneously provide thermal insulation, mechanical resilience, and impact resistance. Inspired by the hierarchical structure of bamboo, researchers at Donghua University developed a biomimetic polyimide composite aerogel with cross-scale molecular crosslinking, nanofiber interlocking, and porous scaffold support, enabling rigid–flexible coupling and integrated thermo-mechanical protection for aerospace, firefighting, and other harsh-environment applications.

The research group led by Mingyu Li at Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) developed a bayberry-like AgMP/AgNP micro–nano composite sintered silver paste (AgPs-BM), in which bayberry-like porous silver microparticles serve as the primary structural framework and silver nanoparticles act as the filling and interconnecting phase. The bayberry-like AgMPs feature a low surface organic content, a relatively high specific surface area, and abundant surface pores. The AgNPs not only fill the large voids formed by the packing of AgMPs but are also distributed between adjacent AgMPs and at particle–interface regions, thereby increasing the number of effective contact sites and establishing interparticle connections. In addition, the AgNPs can fill the surface pores of the AgMPs, shifting the sintering behavior of the AgMPs from predominantly individual-particle self-sintering toward the growth of an interparticle interconnected network.

Growing demand for clean energy conversion has increased interest in protonic ceramic fuel cells, but sluggish proton-coupled oxygen reduction at the cathode remains a major barrier. A team led by Jie Hou at the University of South China addressed this challenge by coordinating d-band center regulation with Fe 3d-O 2p orbital alignment in K₂NiF₄-type La_0.5Sr_1.5FeO_4+δ. This strategy promotes oxygen-defect formation, proton incorporation and transport, and ORR kinetics. The optimized cathode achieved 2.2 W cm⁻² and 0.04 Ω cm² at 700 °C and operated stably for over 400 h, offering a promising route for advanced PCFC cathode design.