The commercialization of liquid lithium-ion batteries has revolutionized the consumer electronics industry. However, conventional lithium-ion batteries with graphite anodes and organic electrolytes are approaching their intrinsic performance limits and struggle to meet the growing demands for higher energy density, reliability, and safety in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage. Solid-state batteries utilizing lithium or sodium metal anodes are considered promising next-generation energy storage solutions. Despite this potential, the formation of dendrites during charge–discharge cycling remains a critical challenge. Dendrite growth can initiate a destructive feedback loop of crack propagation and further dendrite intrusion, ultimately leading to battery failure and performance degradation. Previous studies have predominantly focused on single physical domains, such as electrochemical, stress, or thermal fields. However, such single-physics approach limits the understanding of dendrite evolution under realistic, coupled multiphysics conditions. This review first compares the morphological characteristics of dendrites in liquid and solid-state metal batteries. It then critically examines the key factors and predictive models of dendrite formation, initially from single-physics and subsequently from an integrated multiphysics perspective. Finally, strategies for mitigating dendrite growth via multiphysics field regulation are summarized. By establishing a comprehensive framework that integrates morphology evolution, multiphysics modeling, and suppression strategies, this work provides a foundational theoretical understanding for addressing dendrite formation in solid-state lithium and sodium metal batteries.

Masato Ota, Assistant Professor at the National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes for Natural Sciences (at the time of the research, a graduate student at the Graduate School of Science, Osaka University); Youichi Sakawa, Associate Professor at the Institute of Laser Science, Osaka University; Ryutaro Matsui, Specially Appointed Associate Professor at the National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes for Natural Sciences (at the time of the research, Assistant Professor at Kyoto University); Yasuaki Kishimoto, Program-Specific Researcher at the Institute for Chemical Research and Program-Specific Professor at the Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University; Toshinori Yabuuchi, Chief Scientist at the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute; and Yuji Fukuda, Senior Principal Researcher at the Kansai Institute for Photon Science (KPSI), National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST)—has developed a new measurement technique that simultaneously captures diffraction signals ranging from ultra-small angles to wide angles with a single camera when a single X-ray pulse is irradiated onto a structure. By combining this method with an X-ray free-electron laser, the team derived the rarefaction velocity of high-energy-density plasma on a picosecond timescale across a broad range of spatial scales—from nanometers to submicrometers. A comparison of experimental results and numerical simulations revealed that even an increase of just a few nanometers in the size of the initial plasma on a solid surface reduces the efficiency with which the laser is absorbed by the microstructured solid to approximately one-fourth.

Conventional second-harmonic generation microscopy is highly sensitive to symmetry, but it usually cannot directly read phase information. Researchers at Beijing Normal University developed an angular-polarization-engineered interferometric SHG microscope that uses a rotatable monolayer MoSe₂ reference placed between the objective and the sample. The system enables high-contrast phase-sensitive imaging of MoS₂ inversion twins and achieves an interference contrast as high as 0.96.

A research team from the Beijing Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Minzu University of China, has proposed a paradigm-shifting hyperspectral imaging system that completely decouples spectral modulation from the detection process. Central to this system is a pixel-level spectrally programmable light-emitting diode that enables continuous, dynamic spectral tuning across the entire visible spectrum within a single, monolithic pixel, achieved via an innovative charge-generation layer architecture. Serving as an intelligent active illumination source, this programmable device works in concert with a standard commercial CMOS sensor and advanced reconstruction algorithms. The fully decoupled architecture achieves a remarkable 2 nm spectral resolution dictated entirely by the emitting device, alongside a 3072 × 2048 spatial resolution and a 60.9 fps raw frame rate—both dictated by the hardware limits of the CMOS sensor. By eliminating the need for light-dispersing or encoding optical elements, this system fundamentally shatters the traditional trade-offs among spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, avoids penalizing optical throughput, and circumvents complex micro-nano fabrication, thereby establishing a transformative path for high-performance hyperspectral imaging.

The aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) are famous for high-safety and high-energy-density, but limited by severe challenges around the Helmholtz plane layer such as the strong ion–dipole interactions between Zn²⁺ and H₂O, resulting in slow desolvation processes and limited transport kinetics as well as corresponding higher barriers. To reconstruct the ion–dipole surroundings, the interface chemistry of employing a high permanent dipole moment of L-Carnosine (L-CN) has been proposed, weakening the interactions between Zn²⁺ and H₂O to realize a crowded Zn²⁺-conductive structure, accelerating the desolvation kinetics. As revealed, the strong affinity between L-CN and Zn²⁺ enables the L-CN molecules to repulse H₂O, reconfiguring the inner Helmholtz plane layer, thereby inhibiting the active water molecular to form hydrogen evolution reactions. Consequently, the Zn//Zn symmetric cells with Helmholtz plane modulation achieve a long lifespan up to 7000 h, a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.72%, and a high stabilization at high depth of discharge (85.4%). The assembled Zn//V₂O_5−x full cell with optimal electrolyte delivers the capacity of 289 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹ under an N/P ratio of 3.98. Impressively, the large-scale pouch cell with optimal electrolyte stabilizes for 200 cycles, offering the bright future of reconstructing Helmholtz plane for achieving high-performance AZMBs.

A synergistic paradigm to drive reactive chlorine chemistry inside porphyrinic zirconium frameworks is provided, and a avenue to merge catalytic, photothermal, and oxidative modes for enhanced antibacterial, detoxifying, and antitumor activities is opened.

A new light-controlled organic semiconductor developed at Osaka Metropolitan University shows charge-transport performance comparable to leading organic semiconductor materials, offering promise for future “flexible” electronics.