A research team from Tsinghua University and Tongji University has proposed a “100-Kilometer Coastal Desalination for Short-cut Water Cycle (100K-CDS)” strategy to address China’s growing water scarcity. The authors reposition seawater desalination as a transformative solution, highlighting how the integration of reverse osmosis and renewable energy has cut costs and enabled a 57.5~98.3% reduction in carbon emissions. By industrializing water production along the coast—home to 40% of China's population and over half its GDP—this approach treats freshwater as a manufacturable resource, decoupling water security from natural constraints and offering a scalable model for arid regions worldwide.

The extensive utilization of fossil fuels has led to a significant increase in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, contributing to global warming and environmental pollution, which pose major threats to human survival. To mitigate these effects, many researchers are actively employing state-of-the-art technologies to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals and fuels, thereby supporting sustainable development. However, few studies have employed bibliometric methods to systematically analyze research trends in CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), resulting in limited macroscopic insights into this field. This study aims to conduct a scientometric analysis of academic literature on electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and thermocatalytic CO₂RR from 2015 to 2023. Utilizing bibliometric analysis tools Citespace, Bibliometrix, and Vosviewer for data visualization, it establishes a knowledge framework for catalytic CO₂RR. The results show that China, the United States, and India are the top three countries with the highest number of published papers in this field, with China and the United States having the highest levels of collaboration. The journal Applied Catalysis B-Environmental published the most articles and received the highest citation count, with 3.4% of the articles in this field appearing in the journal and a total of 62526 citations. Keyword analysis revealed that terms like “CO₂RR,” “CO₂,” “conversion,” and “reduction” are the most frequently occurring, indicating key areas of focus. Additionally, “selectivity” and “heterojunction” emerged as prominent research hotspots. The discussion section highlights the current challenges in the field and proposes potential strategies to address these obstacles, providing valuable insights for research in the field of catalytic CO₂RR.

The utilization of solar energy to address energy and environmental challenges has a seen a significant growth in recent years. Metal halides, which offer unique advantages such as tunable bandgaps, high light absorption efficiencies, favorable product release rates, and low exciton binding energies, have emerged as excellent photocatalysts for energy conversion. This paper reviews the recent advancements in both all-inorganic and organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide photocatalytic materials, including the fundamental mechanisms of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, various synthesis strategies for metal halide photocatalysts, and their applications in the field of photocatalysis. Finally, it examines the current challenges associated with metal halide materials and explores potential solutions for metal halide materials, along with their future prospects in photocatalysis applications.

Directly correlating the morphology and composition of interfacial water is vital not only for studying water icing under critical conditions but also for understanding the role of protein–water interactions in bio-relevant systems. In this study, we present a model system to study two-dimensional (2D) water layers under ambient conditions by using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) supporting the physisorption of the Cytochrome C (Cyt C) protein layer. We observed that the 2D island-like water layers were uniformly distributed on the SAMs as characterized by atomic force microscopy, and their composition was confirmed by nano-atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, these 2D flakes could grow under high-humidity conditions or melt upon the introduction of a heat source. The formation of these flakes is attributed to the activation energy for water desorption from the Cyt C being nearly twofold high than that from the SAMs. Our results provide a new and effective method for further understanding the water–protein interactions.

Photocatalytic seawater splitting is an attractive way for producing green hydrogen. Significant progresses have been made recently in catalytic efficiencies, but the activity of catalysts can only maintain stable for about 10 h. Here, we develop a vacancy-engineered Ag₃PO₄/CdS porous microreactor chip photocatalyst, operating in seawater with a performance stability exceeding 300 h. This is achieved by the establishment of both catalytic selectivity for impurity ions and tailored interactions between vacancies and sulfur species. Efficient transport of carriers with strong redox ability is ensured by forming a heterojunction within a space charge region, where the visualization of potential distribution confirms the key design concept of our chip. Moreover, the separation of oxidation and reduction reactions in space inhibits the reverse recombination, making the chip capable of working at atmospheric pressure. Consequently, in the presence of Pt co-catalysts, a high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.81% can be achieved in the whole durability test. When using a fully solar-driven 256 cm² hydrogen production prototype, a H₂ evolution rate of 68.01 mmol h⁻¹ m⁻² can be achieved under outdoor insolation. Our findings provide a novel approach to achieve high selectivity, and demonstrate an efficient and scalable prototype suitable for practical solar H₂ production.

The state-of-the-art anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) require highly stable electrodes for prolonged operation. The stability of the electrode is closely linked to the effective evacuation of H₂ or O₂ gas generated from electrode surface during the electrolysis. In this study, we prepared a super-hydrophilic electrode by depositing porous nickel–iron nanoparticles on annealed TiO₂ nanotubes (NiFe/ATNT) for rapid outgassing of such nonpolar gases. The super-hydrophilic NiFe/ATNT electrode exhibited an overpotential of 235 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution, and was utilized as the anode in the AEMWE to achieve a current density of 1.67 A cm⁻² at 1.80 V. In addition, the AEMWE with NiFe/ATNT electrode, which enables effective outgassing, showed record stability for 1500 h at 0.50 A cm⁻² under harsh temperature conditions of 80 ± 3 °C.

Researchers in China have discovered that a combination of bone biochar and humic acid can dramatically improve coastal saline soils and help olive trees thrive in these challenging environments. The study, published in Biochar, uncovers how these soil amendments work together to enhance soil structure, rebalance essential nutrients, and support healthy plant growth.

Every year, millions of newborns — especially those born premature, underweight or sick — are at risk of neonatal hypoglycemia, a dangerous drop in blood sugar that can lead to seizures, brain injury and lifelong developmental challenges if not detected quickly. Early testing and treatment are essential, but many hospitals around the world lack access to reliable devices designed specifically for newborns. A new study led by researchers at Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, in collaboration with global clinical partners, offers a promising path forward. Published in BMC Pediatrics, the research systematically evaluated the accuracy and reliability of 11 commonly available point-of-care glucometers — small handheld devices widely used at home to monitor diabetes in adults — to determine which could safely be adapted for neonatal care in resource-constrained settings.

As financial technology matures and cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular, the security of blockchains used to process these transactions has emerged as a significant concern. Prof. Allen Men Ho AU, Associate Head (Research and Development) and Professor of the Department of Computing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has introduced the Regulatable Privacy-Preserving Smart Contracts (RPSC), a smart contract system that effectively balances privacy with public transparency. RPSC’s compatibility has been demonstrated on Ethereum smart contract. As financial technology matures and cryptocurrencies become increasingly popular, the security of blockchains used to process these transactions has emerged as a significant concern. Prof. Allen Men Ho AU, Associate Head (Research and Development) and Professor of the Department of Computing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has introduced the Regulatable Privacy-Preserving Smart Contracts (RPSC), a smart contract system that effectively balances privacy with public transparency. RPSC’s compatibility has been demonstrated on Ethereum smart contract.