Scientists used molecular simulations to reveal how polymer chains adhere to alumina surfaces. Adhesion depends on both polymer chemistry and surface termination, with different responses before and after yielding. These insights clarify metal–plastic bonding mechanisms and offer guidelines for designing stronger, lighter, and more sustainable hybrid materials for use in transportation.

Chloride-based solid electrolytes are considered promising candidates for next-generation high-energy–density all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). However, their relatively low oxidative decomposition threshold (~ 4.2 V vs. Li⁺/Li) constrains their use in ultrahigh-voltage systems (e.g., 4.8 V). In this work, ferroelectric BaTiO₃ (BTO) nanoparticles with optimized thickness of ~ 50–100 nm were successfully coated onto Li_2.5Y_0.5Zr_0.5Cl₆ (LYZC@5BTO) electrolytes using a time-efficient ball-milling process. The nanoparticle-induced interfacial ionic conduction enhancement mechanism contributed to the preservation of LYZC’s high ionic conductivity, which remained at 1.06 mS cm⁻¹ for LYZC@5BTO. Furthermore, this surface electric field engineering strategy effectively mitigates the voltage-induced self-decomposition of chloride-based solid electrolytes, suppresses parasitic interfacial reactions with single-crystal NCM811 (SCNCM811), and inhibits the irreversible phase transition of SCNCM811. Consequently, the cycling stability of LYZC under high-voltage conditions (4.8 V vs. Li⁺/Li) is significantly improved. Specifically, ASSB cells employing LYZC@5BTO exhibited a superior discharge capacity of 95.4 mAh g⁻¹ over 200 cycles at 1 C, way outperforming cell using pristine LYZC that only shows a capacity of 55.4 mAh g⁻¹. Furthermore, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that Metal-O-Cl by-products from cumulative interfacial side reactions accounted for 6% of the surface species initially, rising to 26% after 200 cycles in pristine LYZC. In contrast, LYZC@5BTO limited this increase to only 14%, confirming the effectiveness of BTO in stabilizing the interfacial chemistry. This electric field modulation strategy offers a promising route toward the commercialization of high-voltage solid-state electrolytes and energy-dense ASSBs.

Researchers have developed miniature magnetic robots that mimic fish behavior, working together as coordinated swarms to deliver drugs precisely and efficiently to tissue. The breakthrough could transform treatment of conditions where individual tiny robots lack sufficient coverage area for effective therapy.

Professor Xiaokong Liu's team at Jilin University proposed an "activation-quenching" strategy for dynamic covalent chemistry, achieving precise and controllable "on-off" switching of dynamic bond exchange reactions in dynamic covalent polymers (covalent adaptive networks or CANs). This strategy enables the polymer network to reversibly switch between a remodelable dynamic state and a highly stable thermosetting state on demand, effectively balancing the material's remodeling processability and thermal stability, and providing a novel approach to resolving the contradiction between sustainability and stability in dynamic covalent polymers.  The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.