Electronic devices capable of perceiving and responding to environmental changes are essential for applications in human–machine interaction, monitoring systems, and robotics. However, most existing devices suffer from the separation of sensing and actuation, leading to complex integration and limited responsiveness. In this study, the researchers introduce an intelligent thermoelectric device inspired by the interplay between sensory and muscle cells in sea anemones. The device seamlessly combines multimodal sensing with autonomous thermal actuation, enabling a closed-loop sensory–motor reflex. It demonstrates excellent temperature sensitivity (0.2 ℃) and pressure resolution (0.03 mm), owing to its three-dimensional architecture and hierarchical conductive network. Molecular dynamics simulations show that its dynamic hydrogen-bonding network enhances stress dissipation and interfacial adhesion, resulting in exceptional mechanical stability over 140,000 cycles. Furthermore, the device exhibits thermal self-adaptation, actively initiating a protection mechanism through thermoresponsive deformation to avoid high-temperature stimuli, with an adjustable actuation threshold. This work represents a significant advancement toward intelligent electronics capable of real-time decision-making and active environmental interaction.

Harvesting low-grade heat from both human metabolism and environmental waste through thermoelectric fabrics offers a sustainable pathway for wearable power generation. However, a critical challenge exists in establishing substantial temperature differentials for continuous thermoelectric generation while maintaining physiologically comfortable skin temperatures in dynamically variable environments.

With the quick development of flexible electronic devices such as foldable phones and wearable sensors, the demand for high-performance flexible transparent conductors (TCs) surges. Thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO), the traditional TCs, are increasingly constrained by their brittleness, limited indium sources, and high fabrication cost. The researchers at Hunan University and Xiamen University, China, have developed a supersaturation modulation strategy, enabling the efficient synthesis of ultra-long silver nanowires (Ag NWs) with high yield. The synthesized Ag NWs exhibit exceptional electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and mechanical flexibility, offering a promising alternative to ITO for next-generation TCs.

Triggering the anionic redox reactions at high voltage is an effective approach to boost the capacity of Li-rich layered oxides. However, the irreversible lattice oxygen release at high voltage and sluggish ion kinetics remain conundrums. Herein, a surface modifying coupling defect engineering strategy is proposed to improve the reversibility of anionic redox reactions and ion diffusion efficiency in Li-rich layered oxides. A LiNbO3 surface modification acts as an effective physical barrier to suppresses lattice oxygen release, thereby improving cycling stability of Li-rich layered oxide. Further, the oxygen vacancies in the LiNbO3 coating enhances the ion transport kinetics, strengthening rate capability. After 500 cycles, a high capacity retention of 83.3% can be achieved for the obtained cathode materials (CV-LLO) at 5 C, much higher than that of the pristine materials (LLO, 52.3%). Moreover, CV-LLO delivers a capacity of 169.9 mAh g-1 at 5 C, which was 65.1% of the capacity at 0.2 C, much higher than that of the pristine LLO (85.6 mAh g-1, 33.7%). This study provides insights into the construction of Li-rich layered oxide cathode with highly reversible anionic redox reaction and highly cycling stability for Lithium storage.

A research team from Jiangnan University has developed an engineered Escherichia coli strain capable of producing orotic acid at unprecedented levels using an innovative antibiotic-free plasmid stabilization system. The study reports a final titer of 150.48 g/L with a yield of 0.63 g/g glucose in fed-batch fermentation.

Inspired by the multimodal perception characteristics of insect antennae (for force, temperature and gas), the ECUST interdisciplinary team developed the Electronic Multifunctional Sensing Antenna (EMSA)—a flexible thin-film self-decoupling multimodal sensor fabricated via a maskless laser direct writing process. The sensor realizes intrinsic decoupling of temperature and strain, as well as simultaneous thermo-mechanical-gas trimodal monitoring, with four core technological breakthroughs.

A new review highlights how electric fields can act as a versatile "smart switch" to dynamically control friction in atomically thin two-dimensional materials. This precise manipulation, achieved through mechanisms like electrostatic regulation and mechanical resonance, is crucial for improving the reliability and lifespan of next-generation nanoelectronics and micro-machines.

Amid global energy and environmental challenges, thermoelectric generation (TEG) technology offers a green solution by converting thermal energy directly into electricity. However, traditional TEG systems are limited by low energy density and inability to operate around the clock. A joint research team has developed a bio-inspired Janus-structured metamaterial device integrating microstructured SiO₂ radiative cooling and Si photothermal layers, achieving 24-hour continuous power generation with a peak voltage of 108 mV and power density of 41.5 μW/cm², marking a major advance in sustainable energy technology.

Two-dimensional (2D) Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets, as an emerging ternary layered semiconductor, exhibit promising potential for photodetection owing to their moderate bandgap, high carrier mobility, and excellent environmental stability. However, their intrinsically high carrier concentration typically results in elevated dark currents and sluggish response speeds, thereby limiting further performance enhancement. To synergistically optimize both the response speed and sensitivity, we fabricated n-type Bi₂O₂Se nanosheets via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and integrated them into a Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunction photodetector featuring a single-sided depletion region. Benefitting from the type-II band alignment and the graphene bottom electrode, photogenerated carriers are efficiently separated and rapidly extracted. This design simultaneously shortens the carrier transit time and suppresses recombination, enabling the device to achieve high sensitivity (responsivity R of 0.47 A/W, detectivity D* of 3.21 × 10¹² Jones, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 166.09%) while maintaining ultrafast response characteristics (rise/fall times of 48.5/41.7 μs). The photodetector exhibits broadband self-powered operation across ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths (300 ~ 1050 nm). These results highlight the significant potential of Bi₂O₂Se/InSe semi-vertical heterojunctions for high-performance, low-power, self-powered broadband photodetectors spanning the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum.