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Liver fibrosis, mainly arising from chronic viral or metabolic liver diseases, is a significant global health concern. There is currently only one FDA-approved drug (Resmetirom) in the market to combat liver fibrosis. Both galectin-3 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) play important roles in liver fibrosis, while galectin-3 may interact with EGFR. Galectin-3 inhibitors, typically lactose or galactose derivatives may inhibit liver fibrosis. We hypothesized that targeting both galectin-3 and EGFR may have better effect against liver fibrosis. Here, EGFR inhibitor erlotinib was used in a series of designed galectin-3 inhibitors after hybridization with the pharmacophore structure in reported galectin-3 inhibitors to impede hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation by a typical method of click chemistry. Bioactivity test results showed that compound 29 suppressed TGF-β-induced upregulation of fibrotic markers (α-SMA, fibronectin-1, and collagen I). The preferred compound 29 displayed better binding to galectin-3 (K D =52.29 μM) and EGFR protein (K D =3.31 μM) by SPR assay. Further docking studies were performed to clarify the possible binding mode of compound 29 with galectin-3 and EGFR. Taken together, these results suggested that compound 29 could be a potential dual galectin-3 and EGFR inhibitor as leading compound for anti-liver fibrosis new drug development., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The rapid development of ocean exploration and underwater robot technology has put forward new requirements for underwater sensing methods, which can be used for hydrodynamic characteristics perception, underwater target tracking, and even underwater cluster communication. Here, inspired by the specialized undulated surface structure of the seal whisker and its ability to suppress vortex-induced vibration, a multidirectional hydrodynamic sensor based on biomimetic whisker array structure and magnetic 3D self-decoupling theory is introduced. The magnetic-based sensing method enables wireless connectivity between the magnetic functional structures and electronics, simplifying device design and endowing complete watertightness. The 3D self-decoupling capability enables the sensor, like a seal or other organisms, to perceive arbitrary whisker motions caused by the action of water flow without complex calibration and additional sensing units. The whisker sensor is capable of detecting a variety of hydrodynamic information, including the velocity (RMSE < 0.061 m s -1 ) and direction of the steady flow field, the frequency (error < 0.05 Hz) of the dynamic vortex wake, and the orientation (error < 7°) of the vortex wake source, demonstrating its extensive potential for underwater environmental perception and communication, especially in deep sea conditions., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

A novel polycyclic naphthoxazine resin (NSA-thiq) is synthesized via N, O-acetal forming reaction between o-hydroxyl naphthaldehyde and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline. The chemical structure of the monomer is investigated and confirmed by 1 H and 13 C NMR, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Besides, the ring-opening polymerization behavior similar to ordinary benzoxazine resins is observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ FT-IR analyses, leading to the formation of the phenolic cross-linked network. Notably, DSC thermograms indicate that the newly obtained polycyclic naphthoxazine resin exhibits much lower polymerization temperatures compared to many other reported benzoxazine or naphthoxazine resins. Moreover, the corresponding polybenzoxazine (poly(NSA-thiq)) shows comparable thermal stability in comparison with thermosets derived from monobenzoxazine resins. As a consequence of these unique performances, NSA-thiq is applied as a property modifier for a commercialized benzoxazine resin (BA-a). The glass transition temperature of copolymeric thermosets is enhanced without sacrificing too much thermal stability and heat resistance. Here, another series of naphthoxazine thermosetting resin is explored, which can provide more examples for constructing composites based on thermoset polymers., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The synthesis of stable polynitrogen compounds with high-energy density has long been a major challenge. The cyclo-pentazolate anion (cyclo-N 5 - ) is successfully converted into aromatic and structurally symmetric bipentazole (N 10 ) via electrochemical synthesis using highly conductive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as the substrate and sodium pentazolate hydrate ([Na(H 2 O)(N 5 )]·2H 2 O) as the raw material. Attenuated total refraction Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and density functional theory calculations confirmed the structure and homogeneous distribution of N 10 in the sidewalls of the MWCNTs (named MWCNT-N10-n m). The MWCNT-N10-2.0 m is further used as a catalyst for electrochemical oxygen reduction to synthesize hydrogen peroxide from oxygen with a two-electron selectivity of up to 95%., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

This research elucidates novel insights into the electrochemical properties and degradation phenomena of propylene carbonate (PC)-based supercapacitors at a large-scale 18650 cylindrical jelly-roll cell level. Central to our findings is the identification of 2-ethyl-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (EMD) as a hitherto undocumented decomposition by-product, highlighting the nuanced complexity of PC electrolyte stability. We further demonstrate that elevated operational voltages precipitate accelerated electrolyte degradation, underscoring the criticality of defining the operational voltage window for maximizing device longevity. Employing advanced analytical techniques, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), this study meticulously analyzes electrolyte decomposition mechanisms. The outcomes offer pivotal insights into the operational constraints and chemical resilience of PC-based supercapacitors, contributing significantly to the optimization of supercapacitor design and application. By delineating a specific decomposition pathway, this investigation enriches the understanding of electrochemical dynamics in supercapacitor systems, providing a foundation for future research and technological advancement in energy storage devices., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Scope: Ferroptosis has been demonstrated to play an important role in various tissue injuries and diseases. Flaxseed oil (FO) has been proven to have benefits for intestinal health. This study aims to explore whether FO relieved lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced intestinal injury through modulating ferroptosis signaling pathway., Methods and Results: A total of 120 weaned piglets are fed diets with 3% soybean oil (SO) or 3% FO for 4 weeks. At the end of the trial, 24 piglets selected from two dietary treatment groups are used in a 2 × 2 factorial design with oil treatment (3% SO versus 3% FO) and LPS challenge (saline versus LPS). At 4 h postinjection with LPS, 24 piglets are slaughtered and intestinal samples are collected. FO improves growth performance of pigs. After LPS treatment, FO mitigates intestinal morphological damage and functional damage. Notably, FO reverses the typical ultra-morphology and biochemical indexes of ferroptosis involving glutathione, malondialdehyde, and 4-hydroxynonenal contents. Mechanistically, FO ameliorates the changes on mRNA or protein abundance of key ferroptosis signals including transferrin receptor protein 1 (TFR1), recombinant iron responsive element binding protein 2 (IREB2), FTL, HSPB1, ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), ferroportin 1 (FPN1), SLC7A11, solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLC3A2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and arachidonate-15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15)., Conclusions: FO improves growth performance and mitigates intestinal structural and functional damage, which is involved in regulating ferroptosis signaling pathway., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Promoting the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) activity and poisoning tolerance of electrocatalysts is crucial for the large-scale application of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell. However, it is severely hindered by the scaling relations among different intermediates. Herein, lattice-contracted Pt-Rh in ultrasmall ternary L1 2 -(Pt 0.9 Rh 0.1 ) 3 V intermetallic nanoparticles (~2.2 nm) were fabricated to promote the HOR performances through an oxides self-confined growth strategy. The prepared (Pt 0.9 Rh 0.1 ) 3 V displayed 5.5/3.7 times promotion in HOR mass/specific activity than Pt/C in pure H 2 and dramatically limited activity attenuation in 1000 ppm CO/H 2 mixture. In situ Raman spectra tracked the superior anti-CO* capability as a result of compressive strained Pt, and the adsorption of oxygen-containing species was promoted due to the dual-functional effect. Further assisted by density functional theory calculations, both the adsorption of H* and CO* on (Pt 0.9 Rh 0.1 ) 3 V were reduced compared with that of Pt due to lattice contraction, while the adsorption of OH* was enhanced by introducing oxyphilic Rh sites. This work provides an effective tactic to stimulate the electrocatalytic performances by optimizing the adsorption of different intermediates severally., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Converting spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) cathode materials into environmental catalysts has drawn more and more attention. Herein, we fabricated a Co 3 O 4 -based catalyst from spent LiCoO 2 LIBs (Co 3 O 4 -LIBs) and found that the role of Al and Cu from current collectors on its performance is nonnegligible. The density functional theory calculations confirmed that the doping of Al and/or Cu upshifts the d-band center of Co. A Fenton-like reaction based on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation was adopted to evaluate its activity. Interestingly, Al doping strengthened chemisorption for PMS (from -2.615 eV to -2.623 eV) and shortened Co-O bond length (from 2.540 Å to 2.344 Å) between them, whereas Cu doping reduced interfacial charge-transfer resistance (from 28.347 kΩ to 6.689 kΩ) excepting for the enhancement of the above characteristics. As expected, the degradation activity toward bisphenol A of Co 3 O 4 -LIBs (0.523 min -1 ) was superior to that of Co 3 O 4 prepared from commercial CoC 2 O 4 (0.287 min -1 ). Simultaneously, the reasons for improved activity were further verified by comparing activity with catalysts doped Al and/or Cu into Co 3 O 4 . This work reveals the role of elements from current collectors on the performance of functional materials from spent LIBs, which is beneficial to the sustainable utilization of spent LIBs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO 2 ) batteries offer the possibility of synchronous implementation of carbon neutrality and the development of advanced energy storage devices. The exploration of low-cost and efficient cathode catalysts is key to the improvement of Li-CO 2 batteries. Herein, high-entropy alloys (HEAs)@C hierarchical nanosheet is synthesized from the simulation of the recycling solution of waste batteries to construct a cathode for the first time. Owing to the excellent electrical conductivity of the carbon material, the unique high-entropy effect of the HEAs, and the large number of catalytically active sites exposed by the hierarchical structure, the FeCoNiMnCuAl@C-based battery exhibits a superior discharge capability of 27664 mAh g -1 and outstanding durability of 134 cycles as well as low overpotential with 1.05 V at a discharge/recharge rate of 100 mA g -1 . The adsorption capacity of different sites on the HEAs is deeply understood through density functional theory calculations combined with experiments. This work opens up the application of HEAs in Li-CO 2 batteries catalytic cathodes and provides unique insights into the study of adsorption active sites in HEAs., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) are garnering increasing attention from both the academic and industrial communities due to the pressing demand of the ecosystem of Internet-of-Things. All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), emerging as a sub-type of organic photovoltaics, with the merits of great film-forming properties, remarkable morphological and light stability, hold great promise to simultaneously achieve high efficiency and long-term operation in IPV's application. However, the dearth of polymer acceptors with medium-bandgap has impeded the rapid development of indoor all-PSCs. Herein, a highly efficient medium-bandgap polymer acceptor (PYFO-V) is reported through the synergistic effects of side chain engineering and linkage modulation and applied for indoor all-PSCs operation. As a result, the PM6:PYFO-V-based indoor all-PSC yields the highest efficiency of 27.1% under LED light condition, marking the highest value for reported binary indoor all-PSCs to date. More importantly, the blade-coated devices using non-halogenated solvent (o-xylene) maintain an efficiency of over 23%, demonstrating the potential for industry-scale fabrication. This work not only highlights the importance of fine-tuning intramolecular charge transfer effect and intrachain coplanarity in developing high-performance medium-bandgap polymer acceptors but also provides a highly efficient strategy for indoor all-PSC application., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Materials published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The intramolecular coupling of dichloro-substituted helically fused anthracenes using the Yamamoto coupling yielded cyclized products with sterically congested molecular structures. The X-ray analysis and DFT calculations showed that the aromatic framework adopted a nonplanar structure with a twisted conformation about the newly formed single bond, which acts as a chiral axis. Interestingly, the X-ray structure obtained through the Hirshfeld atom refinement revealed short interatomic distances between the inner hydrogen atoms (1.648-1.692 Å), much shorter than the sum of their van der Waals radii. Owing to these unusually short contacts, the 1 H NMR spectrum exhibited a significant deshielding (12.5 ppm) and a large nuclear Overhauser effect (44 %). Additionally, the IR spectrum displayed a high-frequency shift of the C-H stretching vibration. These observations, along with the noncovalent interaction plot indicative of a characteristic steric environment, strongly support the presence of steric hindrance. Moreover, dynamic NMR measurement of the mesityl-substituted derivative yielded a barrier to helical inversion of 84 kJ mol -1 . The optical properties and crystal packing of the cyclized products are also reported., (© 2024 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The formation of ABC triblock terpolymers through solution casting is still challenging. In this study, core-shell double gyroid network structures are fabricated via solution casting using poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PTFEMA) (F)-b-[poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) (P)]-b-[polystyrene (PS) (S)] (FPS) triblock terpolymers in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Upon heat treatment, the polymer tends to form a sphere-in-lamellar structure at the F/S interface. Given the solubility properties of each component in DMF, it is anticipated that the effective volume fraction of F relative to P would increase in concentrated solutions and the effective volume fraction of S would decrease. The microphase-separated structure derived from the DMF solution consistently results in the formation of a network structure composed of a core-shell double gyroid, with F as the matrix, P as the shell, and S as the core, and their periodic lengths gradually increase to 110.8, 131.8, and 162.7 nm as increase molecular weights of PS blocks to 13.8, 20.7, and 28.8 kg mol -1 . Based on the solubility properties of the polymer components highlighted in this study, the solvent selection strategy is broadly applicable to ABC triblock terpolymers featuring various polymer components, offering a more efficient avenue for fabricating core-shell double gyroid structures., (© 2024 The Authors. Macromolecular Rapid Communications published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Electron donor (D)-electron acceptor (A) type conjugated polymers present bright prospects as dopant-free hole-transporting materials (HTMs) for perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Most of the reported D-A polymeric HTMs contain equivalent amounts of D and A units, while the appropriate excess proportion of D units could optimize the aggregation state of polymer chains and improve the hole transport properties of the polymers. Herein, a non-equivalent D-A copolymerization strategy was utilized to develop three indacenodithiophene-benzotriazole-based polymeric HTMs for PVSCs, named as F-10, F-15, and F-20, and the equivalent D-A polymer F-00 was studied in parallel. Effects of D : A ratio on the hole transport properties of these D-A type polymeric HTMs, including energy level, molecular stacking, hole mobility, and surface morphology, were investigated by theoretical simulation and test analysis. F-15 performed best due to the appropriate D : A ratio, endowing the PVSCs a champion power conversion efficiency of 20.37 % with high stability, which confirms the fine-tuning D : A ratio via non-equivalent D-A copolymerization strategy is very helpful to construct D-A type polymeric HTMs for high-performance PVSCs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The ligament, which connects bones at the joints, has both high water content and excellent mechanical properties in living organisms. However, it is still challenging to fabricate fibrous materials that possess high water content and ligament-like mechanical characteristics simultaneously. Herein, the design and preparation of a ligament-mimicking multicomponent fiber is reported through stepwise assembly of polysaccharide, calcium, and dopamine. In simulated body fluid, the resulting fiber has a water content of 40 wt%, while demonstrating strength of ≈120 MPa, a Young's modulus of ≈3 GPa, and a toughness of ≈25 MJ m -3 . Additionally, the multicomponent fiber exhibits excellent creep and fatigue resistance, as well as biocompatibility to support cell growth in vitro. These findings suggest that the fiber has potential for engineering high-performance artificial ligament., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Flexible electronics have received considerable attention in the past decades due to their promising application in rollable display screens, wearable devices, implantable devices, and other electronic applications. In particular, conjugated polymers are favored for flexible electronics due to their mechanical flexibility and potential for solution-processed fabrication techniques, such as blade-coating, roll-to-roll printing, and high-throughput printing allowing for high-performance transistor devices. Thiophene is the prevailing conjugated unit to construct these conjugated polymers due to its favorable electronic properties. On the other hand, furans are among the few conjugated moieties that are easily derived from bio renewable resources. To promote sustainability, we selectively introduced furan into the conjugated backbone of a high-mobility polymer scaffold and systematically studied the effect on the microstructure and charge transport. We show that partially and selectively replacing thiophene units with furan can yield nearly comparable performance compared to the all-thiophene polymer. This strategy offers an improvement in the sustainability of the polymer by incorporating bio-sourced furan without sacrificing the high-performance characteristics. Meanwhile, polymers with incorrect or complete furan incorporation show reduced mobilities. This work serves to develop coherent structure-morphology-performance relationships; such knowledge will establish guidelines for the future development of sustainable, furan-based conjugated materials., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The senescence of aortic valve interstitial cells (VICs) plays a critical role in the progression of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). However, the precise mechanisms underlying the senescence of VICs remain unclear, demanding the identification of a novel target to mitigate this process. Previous studies have highlighted the anti-aging potential of morusin. Thus, this study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of morusin in CAVD. Cellular experiments reveal that morusin effectively suppresses cellular senescence and cause a shift toward osteogenic differentiation of VICs in vitro. Mechanistically, morusin activate the Nrf2-mediated antiaging signaling pathway by downregulating CCND1 expression and aiding Keap1 degradation through Trim 25. This activation lead to the upregulated expression of antioxidant genes, thus reducing reactive oxygen species production and thereby preventing VIC osteogenic differentiation. In vivo experiments in ApoE -/- mice on a high-fat Western diet demonstrate the positive effect of morusin in mitigating aortic valve calcification. These findings emphasize the antiaging properties of morusin and its potential as a therapeutic agent for CAVD., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Photocatalytic oxygen reductive H 2 O 2 production is a promising approach to alternative industrial anthraquinone processes while suffering from the requirement of pure O 2 feedstock for practical application. Herein, we report a spaced double hydrogen bond (IC-H-bond) through multi-component Radziszewski reaction in an imidazole poly-ionic-liquid composite (SI-PIL-TiO 2 ) and levofloxacin hydrochloride (LEV) electron donor for highly efficient and selective photocatalytic air reductive H 2 O 2 production. It is found that the IC-H-bond formed by spaced imino (-NH-) group of SI-PIL-TiO 2 and carbonyl (-C=O) group of LEV can switch the imidazole active sites characteristic from a covered state to a fully exposed one to shield the strong adsorption of electron donor and N 2 in the air, and propel an intenser positive potential and more efficient orbitals binding patterns of SI-PIL-TiO 2 surface to establish competitive active sites for selectivity O 2 chemisorption. Moreover, the high electron enrichment of imidazole as an active site for the 2e - oxygen reduction ensures the rapid reduction of O 2 . Therefore, the IC-H-bond enables a total O 2 utilization and conversion efficiency of 94.8 % from direct photocatalytic air reduction, achieving a H 2 O 2 production rate of 1518 μmol/g/h that is 16 and 23 times compared to poly-ionic-liquid composite without spaced imino groups (PIL-TiO 2 ) and TiO 2 , respectively., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The topological diversity of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) enables considerable space for exploring their structure-performance relationships. In this study, we report a sequence of novel 1D COFs (EO, ES, and ESe-COF) with typical 4-c sql topology that can be interconnected with VIA group elements (O, S, and Se) via a modular design strategy. It is found that the electronic structures, charge delivery property, light harvesting ability, and hydrophilicity of these 1D COFs can be profoundly influenced by the bridge-linked atom ordinal. Finally, EO-COF, possessing the highest quantity of active sites, the longest lifetime of the active electron, the strongest interaction with O 2 , and the lowest energy barrier of O 2 reduction, exhibits exceptional photocatalytic O 2 -to-H 2 O 2 activity under visible light, with a production rate of 2675 μmol g -1  h -1 and a high apparent quantum yield of 6.57 % at 450 nm. This is the first systematic report on 1D COFs for H 2 O 2 photosynthesis, which enriches the topological database in reticular chemistry and promotes the exploration of structure-catalysis correlation., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is associated with a disturbance of neural circuit and network activities, while its neurophysiological characteristics have not been fully elucidated. This study utilized the high-density electroencephalogram (hd-EEG) signals to detect abnormal brain activity of PKD and provide a neural biomarker for its clinical diagnosis and PKD progression monitoring. The resting hd-EEGs are recorded from two independent datasets and then source-localized for measuring the oscillatory activities and function connectivity (FC) patterns of cortical and subcortical regions. The abnormal elevation of theta oscillation in wildly brain regions represents the most remarkable physiological feature for PKD and these changes returned to healthy control level in remission patients. Another remarkable feature of PKD is the decreased high-gamma FCs in non-remission patients. Subtype analyses report that increased theta oscillations may be related to the emotional factors of PKD, while the decreased high-gamma FCs are related to the motor symptoms. Finally, the authors established connectome-based predictive modelling and successfully identified the remission state in PKD patients in dataset 1 and dataset 2. The findings establish a clinically relevant electroencephalography profile of PKD and indicate that hd-EEG can provide robust neural biomarkers to evaluate the prognosis of PKD., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Directional organic transformation via a green, sustainable catalytic reaction has attracted a lot of attention. Herein, we report a photoelectrochemical approach for highly selective epoxidation of alkenes in a salt solution using Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl (CoOCl) as a bridge of photo-generated charge, where the lattice Cl - of CoOCl can be oxidized to generate HClO by the photo-generated holes of BiVO 4 photoanode and be spontaneously recovered by Cl - of a salt solution, which then oxidizes the alkenes into the corresponding epoxides. As a result, a series of water-soluble alkenes, including 4-vinylbenzenesulfonic acid sodium, 2-methyl-2-propene-1-sulfonic acid sodium, and 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol can be epoxidized with near 100 % conversion rate and selectivity. Through further inserting a MoO x protection layer between BiVO 4 and CoOCl, the stability of CoOCl-MoO x /BiVO 4 can be maintained for at least 120 hours. This work opens an avenue for solar-driven organic epoxidation with a possibility of on-site reaction around the abundant ocean., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

We herein evaluate a biological applicability of 1,3-substituted cuneanes as an isostere of m-substituted benzenes based on its structural similarity. An investigation of a method to obtain 1,3-substituted cuneanes by selective isomerization of 1,4-substituted cubanes enables this attempt by giving a key synthetic step to obtain a cuneane analogs of pharmaceuticals having m-substituted benzene moiety. Biological evaluation of the synthesized analogs and in silico study of the obtained result revealed a potential usage of cuneane skeleton in medicinal chemistry., (© 2023 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

High interconversion energy barriers, depressive reaction kinetics of sulfur species, and sluggish Li + transport inhibit the wide development of high-energy-density lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, differing from random mixture of selected catalysts, the composite catalyst with outer delocalized isoelectronic heterostructure (DIHC) is proposed and optimized, enhancing the catalytic efficiency for decreasing related energy barriers. As a proof-of-content, the FeCoO x S y composites with different degrees of sulfurization are fabricated by regulating atoms ratio between O and S. The relationship of catalytic efficiency and principal mechanism in DIHCs are deeply understood from electrochemical experiments to in situ/operando spectral spectroscopies i.e., Raman, XRD and UV/Vis. Consequently, the polysulfide conversion and Li 2 S precipitation/dissolution experiments strongly demonstrate the volcano-like catalytic efficiency of various DIHCs. Furthermore, the FeCoO x S y -decorated cell delivers the high performance (1413 mAh g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ). Under the low electrolyte/sulfur ratio, the high loading cell stabilizes the areal capacity of 6.67 mAh cm -2 at 0.2 A g -1 . Impressively, even resting for about 17 days for possible polysulfide shuttling, the high-mass-loading FeCoO x S y -decorated cell stabilizes the same capacity, showing the practical application of the DIHCs in improving catalytic efficiency and reaching high electrochemical performance., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) processed by nonhalogenated solvents is unsatisfactory due to the unfavorable morphology. Herein, two new small molecule acceptors (SMAs) Y6-Ph and L8-Ph are synthesized by introducing a phenyl end group in the inner side chains of the SMAs of Y6 and L8-BO, respectively, for overcoming the excessive aggregation of SMAs in the long-time film forming processed by nonhalogenated solvents. First, the effect of the film forming time on the aggregation property and photovoltaic performance of Y6, L8-BO, Y6-Ph, and L8-Ph is studied by using the commonly used solvents: chloroform (CF) (rapid film forming process) and chlorobenzene (CB) (slow film forming process). It is found that Y6- and L8-BO-based OSCs exhibit a dramatic drop in PCE from CF- to CB-processed devices owing to the large phase separation, while the Y6-Ph and L8-Ph based OSCs show obviously increased PCEs Furthermore, L8-Ph-based OSCs processed by nonhalogenated solvent o-xylene (o-XY) achieved a high PCE of 18.40% with an FF of 80.11%. The results indicate that introducing a phenyl end group in the inner side chains is an effective strategy to modulate the morphology and improve the photovoltaic performance of the OSCs processed by nonhalogenated solvents., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Transition-metal light-element compounds show superb mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties, and accurate descriptors are important to sorting targeted properties among this vast class of materials. Valence electron concentration (VEC) can track broad trends of mechanical properties, but this widely used descriptor suffers low accuracy with sorted data strongly scattered along trendlines, necessitating an improved sorting strategy. Here, elastic parameters from first-principles calculations are examined for 81 ternary transition-metal nitrides (TMN) in cubic structure and 81 ternary transition-metal diborides (TMB 2 ) in hexagonal structure and identify core electron count (CEC) of the solvent atoms as a new descriptor. Combined with VEC, the composite VEC-CEC descriptor exhibits greatly improved ability to sort elastic parameters of distinct TMN and TMB 2 compounds. Unregulated property variations under the VEC description are well-captured by CEC, which tends to enhance ductility and reduce strength at fixed VEC and rising CEC. By invoking a full-electron consideration, the VEC-CEC descriptor accounts for the impact on bonding behaviors by both core and valence electrons with much-improved accuracy and versatility in sorting mechanical properties of diverse TM compounds compared to many other commonly used descriptors, opening a fresh path for rational design and optimization of TM compounds with tailored performance benchmarks., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The lack of noninvasive imaging and modulation of a large area of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract constrain the diagnosis and treatment of many GI-related diseases. Recent advances use novel mucoadhesive materials to coat a part of the GI tract and then modulate its functions. High mucoadhesion is the key factor of the partial coating, but also the limitation for not spreading and covering the lower GI tract. Here, a bismuth-pectin organic-inorganic hybrid complex is screened and engineered into a transformable microgel network (Bi-GLUE) with high flowability and mucoadhesion, such that it can quickly transit through and coat a large area of the GI tract. In murine and porcine models, Bi-GLUE delivers contrast agents to achieve real-time, large-area GI-tract imaging under X-ray or magnetic resonance  modalities and to facilitate the non-invasive diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis. Moreover, Bi-GLUE, like an intracorporal radiation shield, decreases the radiotoxicity in a whole-abdomen irradiation rat model. This transformable microgel network offers a new direction that can modulate a large area of the GI tract and may have broad applications for GI-related conditions., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The loading of homogeneous catalysts with support can dramatically improve their performance in olefin polymerization. However, the challenge lies in the development of supported catalysts with well-defined pore structures and good compatibility to achieve high catalytic activity and product performance. Herein, we report the use of an emergent class of porous material-covalent organic framework material (COF) as a carrier to support metallocene catalyst-Cp 2 ZrCl 2 for ethylene polymerization. The COF-supported catalyst demonstrates a higher catalytic activity of 31.1×10 6  g mol -1  h -1 at 140 °C, compared with 11.2×10 6  g mol -1  h -1 for the homogenous one. The resulting polyethylene (PE) products possess higher weight-average molecular weight (M w ) and narrower molecular weight distribution (Ð) after COF supporting, that is, M w increases from 160 to 308 kDa and Ð drops from 3.3 to 2.2. The melting point (T m ) is also increased by up to 5.2 °C. Moreover, the PE product possesses a characteristic filamentous microstructure and demonstrates an increased tensile strength from 19.0 to 30.7 MPa and elongation at break from 350 to 1400 % after catalyst loading. We believe that the use of COF carriers will facilitate the future development of supported catalysts for highly efficient olefin polymerization and high-performance polyolefins., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Facile synthesis of hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with adjustable porosity and high crystallinity attracts great attention yet remains challenging. Herein, a micromolar amount of dye-based modulator (Rhodamine B (RhB)) is employed to easily and controllably tailor the pore size of a Ti-based metal-organic framework (MIL-125-NH 2 ). The RhB used in this method is easily removed by washing or photodegradation, avoiding secondary posttreatment. It is demonstrated that the carboxyl functional group and the steric effects of RhB are indispensable for enlarging the pore size of the MIL-125-NH 2 . The resulting hierarchically porous MIL-125-NH 2 (RH-MIL-125-NH 2 ) exhibits optimized adsorption and photocatalytic activity because the newly formed mesopore with defects concurrently facilitates mass transport of guest molecules (toluene) and photogenerated charge separation. This work offers a meaningful basis for the construction of hierarchically porous MOFs and demonstrates the superiority of the hierarchical pore structure for adsorption and heterogeneous catalysis., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Porous liquids (PLs), a summation of porous hosts and bulky solvents bestowing permanent cavities, are the prominent emerging materials. Despite great efforts, exploration of porous hosts and bulky solvents is still needed to develop new PL systems. Metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) with discrete molecular architectures can be considered as porous hosts; however, many of them are insoluble entities. Here we report the transformation of type III PL to type II PLs by tuning the surface rigidity of insoluble MOP, Rh 24 L 24 , in a bulky ionic liquid (IL). Functionalization of N-donor molecules on Rh-Rh axial sites ensue their solubilization in bulky IL which confer type II PLs. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal the bulkiness of IL as per the cage apertures, and the cause of their dissolution as well. The obtained PLs, capturing more CO 2 than neat solvent, have depicted higher catalytic activity for CO 2 cycloaddition compared to individual MOPs and IL., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation has been suggested as a promising therapeutic strategy to replace lost neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the low survival rate and neuronal differentiation efficiency of implanted NSCs within the lesion cavity limit the application. Furthermore, it is difficult for transplanted cells to form connections with host cells. Thus, effective and feasible methods to enhance the efficacy of cell transplantation are needed. In this study, the effect of Laponite nanoplatelets, a type of silicate nanoplatelets, on stem cell therapy is explored. Laponite nanoplatelets can induce the neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vitro within five days, and RNA sequencing and protein expression analysis demonstrated that the NF-κB pathway is involved in this process. Moreover, histological results revealed that Laponite nanoplatelets can increase the survival rate of transplanted NSCs and promote NSCs to differentiate into mature neurons. Finally, the formation of connections between transplanted cells and host cells is confirmed by axon tracing. Hence, Laponite nanoplatelets, which drove neuronal differentiation and the maturation of NSCs both in vitro and in vivo, can be considered a convenient and practical biomaterial to promote repair of the injured spinal cord by enhancing the efficacy of NSC transplantation., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Immunotherapy has been recognized as one of the most promising treatment strategies for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). As a pioneering trend of immunotherapy, dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have displayed the ability to prime an immune response, while the insufficient immunogenicity and low lymph node (LN) targeting efficiency, resulted in an unsubstantiated therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. Herein, a hybrid nanovaccine (Hy-M-Exo) is developed via fusing tumor-derived exosome (TEX) and dendritic cell membrane vesicle (DCMV). The hybrid nanovaccine inherited the key protein for lymphatic homing, CCR7, from DCMV and demonstrated an enhanced efficiency of LN targeting. Meanwhile, the reserved tumor antigens and endogenous danger signals in the hybrid nanovaccine activated antigen presenting cells (APCs) elicited a robust T-cell response. Moreover, the nanovaccine Hy-M-Exo displayed good therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of HNSCC. These results indicated that Hy-M-Exo is of high clinical value to serve as a feasible strategy for antitumor immunotherapy., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In optimizing perovskites with ionic liquid (IL), the comparative study on Lewis acid-base (LAB) and hydrogen-bonding (HB) interactions between IL and perovskite is lacking. Herein, methyl is substituted for hydrogen on 2-position of imidazolium ring of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) type IL IdH to weaken HB interactions, and the resulting N-heterocyclic olefin (NHO) type IL IdMe with softer Lewis base character is studied in both hybrid quasi-2D (Q-2D) and 3D perovskites. It is revealed that IdMe participates in constructing high-quality Q-2D perovskite (n = 4) and provides stronger passivation for 3D perovskite compared with IdH. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of Q-2D PEA 2 MA 3 Pb 4 I 13 perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) is boosted to 17.68% from 14.03%. PCE and device stability of 3D PVSCs enhances simultaneously. Both theoretical simulations and experimental results show that LAB interactions between NHO and Pb 2+ take the primary optimization effects on perovskite. The success of engineering LAB interactions also offers inspiration to develop novel ILs for high-performance PVSCs., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The photo-electrochemical (PEC) oxidation of glycerol (GLY) to high-value-added dihydroxyacetone (DHA) can be achieved over a BiVO 4 photoanode, while the PEC performance of most BiVO 4 photoanodes is impeded due to the upper limits of the photocurrent density. Here, an enhanced Mie scattering effect of the well-documented porous BiVO 4 photoanode is obtained with less effort by a simple annealing process, which significantly reduces the reflectivity to near zero. The great light absorbability increases the basic photocurrent density by 1.77 times. The selective oxidation of GLY over the BiVO 4 photoanode results in a photocurrent density of 6.04 mA cm -2 and a DHA production rate of 325.2 mmol m -2 h -1 that exceeds all reported values. This work addresses the poor ability of nanostructured BiVO 4 to harvest light, paving the way for further improvements in charge transport and transfer to realize highly efficient PEC conversion., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Organic room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials routinely incorporate polymeric components, which usually act as non-functional or "inert" media to protect excited-state phosphors from thermal and collisional quenching, but are lesser explored for other influences. Here, we report some exemplary "active roles" of polymer matrices played in organic RTP materials, including: 1) color modulation of total delayed emissions via balancing the population ratio between thermally-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) and RTP due to dielectric-dependent intersystem crossing; 2) altered air sensitivity of RTP materials by generating various surface morphologies such as nano-sized granules; 3) enhanced bacterial elimination for enhanced electrostatic interactions with negatively charged bio-membranes. These active roles demonstrated that the vast library of polymeric structures and functionalities can be married to organic phosphors to broaden new application horizons for RTP materials., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Mixing a sterically bulky, electron-transporting host material into a conventional single host-guest emissive layer is demonstrated to suppress phase separation of the host matrix while increasing the efficiency and operational lifetime of deep-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) with chromaticity coordinates of (0.14, 0.15). The bulky host enables homogenous mixing of the molecules comprising the emissive layer while suppressing single host aggregation; a significant loss channel of nonradiative recombination. By controlling the amorphous phase of the host-matrix morphology, the mixed-host device achieves a significant reduction in nonradiative exciton decay, resulting in 120 ± 6% increase in external quantum efficiency relative to an analogous, single-host device. In contrast to single host PHOLEDs where electrons are transported by the host and holes by the dopants, both charge carriers are conducted by the mixed host, reducing the probability of exciton annihilation, thereby doubling of the deep-blue PHOLED operational lifetime. These findings demonstrate that the host matrix morphology affects almost every aspect of PHOLED performance., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Water oxidation reaction leaves room to be improved in the development of various solar fuel productions, because of the kinetically sluggish 4-electron transfer process of oxygen evolution reaction. In this work, we realize reactive oxygen species (ROS), H 2 O 2 and OH⋅, formations by water oxidation with total Faraday efficiencies of more than 90 % by using inter-facet edge (IFE) rich WO 3 arrays in an electrolyte containing CO 3 2- . Our results demonstrate that the IFE favors the adsorption of CO 3 2- while reducing the adsorption energy of OH⋅, as well as suppresses surface hole accumulation by direct 1-electron and indirect 2-electron transfer pathways. Finally, we present selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol by in situ using the formed OH⋅, which delivers a benzaldehyde production rate of ≈768 μmol h -1 with near 100 % selectivity. This work offers a promising approach to tune or control the oxidation reaction in an aqueous solar fuel system towards high efficiency and value-added product., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

This study reports the exploration of a solvent-free supramolecular templated synthesis strategy toward highly core-cross-linked star-shaped polymers (CSPs). To achieve this, a kind of cross-linkable giant surfactant, based on a functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) head tethered with a diblock copolymer tail containing reactive benzocyclobutene groups, is designed and prepared. By varying the volume fraction of linear block copolymer tail, these giant surfactants can self-assemble into a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure in bulk, in which the supramolecular spheres are composed of a core of POSS cages, a middle shell of crosslinkable poly(4-vinylbenzocyclobutene) (PBCB) blocks, and a corona of inert polystyrene (PS) blocks. The solvent-free thermally induced cross-linking reaction of the benzocyclobutene groups can be finished in 5 min upon heating, resulting in well-defined polymeric spheres with over 90 linear chains surrounding the cross-linked cores. The outer PS blocks serve as the protection corona to ensure that cross-linking of giant surfactants occurs in each supramolecular spherical domain. Given the modular design and diversity of the POSS-based giant surfactants, it is believed that the strategy may enable access to a wide range of CSPs., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A porous liquid is a unique liquid medium that combines the cavity of porous solids with the fluidity of liquids. This special characteristic offers potential in various applications. Here we report a type II photoresponsive porous ionic liquid (PPIL) from dissolving a photoresponsive metal-organic polyhedron (PMOP, constructed from dicopper and azobenzene-containing carboxylate) in a polyethylene-glycol-functionalized bulky ionic liquid (IL). Owing to favorable ion interactions, bulky IL molecules encircle outside PMOP, and the inter cavities are maintained. The azobenzene moieties can be isomerized freely in the PPILs to expose and shelter active sites upon visible and UV light irradiation. Hence, the adsorption capacity of PPILs is controllable by light irradiation, and the change in CO 2 uptake is up to 30 % compared to neat IL. This study may inspire the development of new adsorption process regulated by light instead of pressure and temperature swing adsorption., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Fucosylation is one of the most common modifications of oligo-N-acetyllactosamine (oligo-LacNAc) glycans. However, none of known fucosyltransferases (FucTs) could install the α1,3-linked fucose to the oligo-LacNAc substrates in a site-specific manner. Here, we report a facile and general redox-controlled substrate engineering strategy for the site-specific α1,3-fucosylation of complex glycans containing multiple LacNAc units. This strategy takes advantage of an operationally simple oxidation enzyme module by using galactose oxidase (GOase) to convert the LacNAc unit into oxidized C6'-aldehyde LacNAc sequence, which is not a good substrate for recombinant α1,3-FucT from Helicobacter pylori strain 26695 (Hpα1,3FucT), enabling the site-specific α1,3-fucosylation at intact LacNAc sites. The general applicability and robustness of this strategy were demonstrated by the synthesis of a variety of structurally well-defined fucosides of linear and branched O- and N-linked glycans., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Over the last decade, extensive efforts have been made on utilizing advanced materials and structures to improve the properties and functionalities of flexible electronics. While the conventional ways are approaching their natural limits, a revolutionary strategy, namely metamaterials, is emerging toward engineering structural materials to break the existing fetters. Metamaterials exhibit supernatural physical behaviors, in aspects of mechanical, optical, thermal, acoustic, and electronic properties that are inaccessible in natural materials, such as tunable stiffness or Poisson's ratio, manipulating electromagnetic or elastic waves, and topological and programmable morphability. These salient merits motivate metamaterials as a brand-new research direction and have inspired extensive innovative applications in flexible electronics. Here, such a groundbreaking interdisciplinary field is first coined as "flexible metamaterial electronics," focusing on enhancing and innovating functionalities of flexible electronics via the design of metamaterials. Herein, the latest progress and trends in this infant field are reviewed while highlighting their potential value. First, a brief overview starts with introducing the combination of metamaterials and flexible electronics. Then, the developed applications are discussed, such as self-adaptive deformability, ultrahigh sensitivity, and multidisciplinary functionality, followed by the discussion of potential prospects. Finally, the challenges and opportunities facing flexible metamaterial electronics to advance this cutting-edge field are summarized., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Tissue-specific natural anisotropic microstructures play an important role in the normal functioning of tissues, yet they remain difficult to construct by current printing techniques. Herein, a stepwise algorithm-assisted bioprinting technology for the construction of biomimetic tissues with a customizable anisotropic microstructure by combining the Adaptive Mesh Generation algorithm and the Greedy Search algorithm is developed. Based on the mechanical topology optimization design mechanism, the Adaptive Mesh Generation algorithm can generate controllable anisotropic mesh patterns with the minimum free energy in plane models according to tissue-specific requirements. Subsequently, the Greedy Search algorithm can program the generated pattern data into optimized printing paths, effectively avoiding structural deformations caused by the multiple stacking of materials and reducing the printing time. The developed bioprinting technique is suitable for various types of bioinks including polymers, hydrogels, and organic/inorganic complexes. After combining with a calcium phosphorus bioink, the compound algorithm-assisted bioprinting technique successfully customizes femurs with biomimetic chemical compositions, anisotropic microstructures, and biological properties, demonstrating its effectiveness. Additionally, algorithm-assisted bioprinting is generally suitable for most commercial extrusion bioprinters that function in the geometric code (G-code) drive mode. Therefore, the algorithm-assisted extrusion bioprinting technology offers an intelligent manufacturing strategy for the customization of anisotropic microstructures in biomimetic tissues., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Automated molecule design by computers is an essential topic in materials informatics. Still, generating practical structures is not easy because of the difficulty in treating material stability, synthetic difficulty, mechanical properties, and other miscellaneous parameters, often leading to the generation of junk molecules. The problem is tackled by introducing supervised/unsupervised machine learning and quantum-inspired annealing. This autonomous molecular design system can help experimental researchers discover practical materials more efficiently. Like the human design process, new molecules are explored based on knowledge of existing compounds. A new solid-state polymer electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries is designed and synthesized, giving a promising room temperature conductivity of 10 -5 S cm -1 with reasonable thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Lipid nanovesicles (LNVs) and polymer nanovesicles (PNVs), also known as liposomes and polymersomes, are becoming increasingly vital in global health. However, the two major classes of nanovesicles both exhibit their own issues that significantly limit potential applications. Here, by covalently attaching a naturally occurring phosphate "lipid head" and a synthetic polylactide "polymer tail" via facile ring-opening polymerization on a 500 g scale, a type of "chimeric" nanovesicles (CNVs) can be easily produced. Compared to LNVs, the reported CNVs exhibit reduced permeability for small and large molecules; on the other hand, the CNVs are less hydrophobic and exhibit enhanced tolerance toward proteins in buffer solutions without the need for hydrophilic polymeric corona such as poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG), in contrast to conventional PNVs. The proof-of-concept in vitro delivery experiments using hydrophilic solutions of fluorescein-PEG, rhodamine-PEG, and anti-cancer drug doxorubicin demonstrate that these CNVs, as a structurally diverse class of nano-materials, are highly promising as alternative carriers for therapeutic molecules in translational nanomedicine., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Bioactive polysaccharides from natural resources target various biological processes and are increasingly used as potential target molecules for drug development. However, the accessibility of branched and long complex polysaccharide active domains with well-defined structures remains a major challenge. Herein we describe an efficient first total synthesis of a highly branched heptadecasaccharide moiety of the native bioactive galectin-3-targeting polysaccharide from Carthamus tinctorius L. as well as shorter fragments of the heptadecasaccharide. The key feature of the approach is that a photo-assisted convergent [6+4+7] one-pot coupling strategy enables rapid assembly of the heptadecasaccharide, whereby a photoremovable o-nitrobenzyl protecting group is used to generate the corresponding acceptor for glycosylation in situ upon ultraviolet radiation. Biological activity tests suggest that the heptadecasaccharide can target galectin-3 and inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Subwavelength optical resonators with spatiotemporal control of light are essential to the miniaturization of optical devices. In this work, chemically synthesized transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanowires are exploited as a new type of dielectric nanoresonators to simultaneously support pronounced excitonic and Mie resonances. Strong light-matter couplings and tunable exciton polaritons in individual nanowires are demonstrated. In addition, the excitonic responses can be reversibly modulated with excellent reproducibility, offering the potential for developing tunable optical nanodevices. Being in the mobile colloidal state with highly tunable optical properties, the TMDC nanoresonators will find promising applications in integrated active optical devices, including all-optical switches and sensors., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A majority of soft-body creatures evolve armor or shells to protect themselves. Similar protection demand is for flexible electronics working in complex environments. Existing works mainly focus on improving the sensing capabilities such as electronic skin (E-skin). Inspired by snakeskin, a novel electronic armor (E-armor) is proposed, which not only possesses mechanical flexibility and electronic functions similar to E-skin, but is also able to protect itself and the underlying soft body from external physical damage. The geometry of the kirigami mechanical metamaterial (Kiri-MM) ensures auxetic stretchability and meanwhile large areal coverage for sufficient protection. Moreover, to suppress the inherent but undesired out-of-plane buckling of conventional Kiri-MMs for conformal applications, soft hinges are used to form a distinct soft (hinges)-rigid (tiles) configuration. Analytical, computational, and experimental studies of the mechanical behaviors of the soft-hinge Kiri-MM E-armor demonstrate the merits of this design, i.e., stretchability, conformability, and protectability, as applied to flexible electronics. Deploying a conductive soft material at the hinges enables facile wiring strategies for large-scale circuit arrays. Functional E-armor systems for controllable display and sensing purposes provide simple examples of a wide spectrum of applications of this concept., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Inspired by the striated structure of skeletal muscle fibers, a polymeric actuator by assembling two symmetric triblock copolymers, namely, polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid)-b-polystyrene (SAS) and polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene (SES) is developed. Owing to the microphase separation of the triblock copolymers and hydrogen-bonding complexation of their middle segments, the SAS/SES assembly forms a lamellar structure with alternating vitrified S and hydrogen-bonded A/E association layers. The SAS/SES strip can be actuated and operate in response to environmental pH. The contraction ratio and working density of the SAS/SES actuator are approximately 50% and 90 kJ m -3 , respectively; these values are higher than those of skeletal muscle fibers. In addition, the SAS/SES actuator shows a "catch-state", that is, it can maintain force without energy consumption, which is a feature of mollusc muscle but not skeletal muscle. This study provides a biomimetic approach for the development of artificial polymeric actuators with outstanding performance., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Robust superlubricity (RSL), defined by concurrent superlow friction and wear, holds great promise for reducing material and energy loss in vast industrial and technological operations. Despite recent advances, challenges remain in finding materials that exhibit RSL on macrolength and time scales and possess vigorous electrical conduction ability. Here, the discovery of RSL is reported on hydrated NbB 2 films that exhibit vanishingly small coefficient of friction (0.001-0.006) and superlow wear rate (≈10 -17 m 3 N -1 m -1 ) on large length scales reaching millimeter range and prolonged time scales lasting through extensive loading durations. Moreover, the measured low resistivity (≈10 -6 Ω m) of the synthesized NbB 2 film indicates ample capability for electrical conduction, extending macroscale RSL to hitherto largely untapped metallic materials. Pertinent microscopic mechanisms are elucidated by deciphering the intricate load-driven chemical reactions that generate and sustain the observed superlubricating state and assessing the strong stress responses under diverse strains that produce the superior durability., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The homogeneous exciton linewidth, which captures the coherent quantum dynamics of an excitonic state, is a vital parameter in exploring light-matter interactions in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). An efficient control of the exciton linewidth is of great significance, and in particular of its intrinsic linewidth, which determines the minimum timescale for the coherent manipulation of excitons. However, such a control is rarely achieved in TMDs at room temperature (RT). While the intrinsic A exciton linewidth is down to 7 meV in monolayer WS 2 , the reported RT linewidth is typically a few tens of meV due to inevitable homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening effects. Here, it is shown that a 7.18 meV near-intrinsic linewidth can be observed at RT when monolayer WS 2 is coupled with a moderate-refractive-index hydrogenated silicon nanosphere in water. By boosting the dynamic competition between exciton and trion decay channels in WS 2 through the nanosphere-supported Mie resonances, the coherent linewidth can be tuned from 35 down to 7.18 meV. Such modulation of exciton linewidth and its associated mechanism are robust even in presence of defects, easing the sample quality requirement and providing new opportunities for TMD-based nanophotonics and optoelectronics., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Island-bridge architectures represent a widely used structural design in stretchable inorganic electronics, where deformable interconnects that form the bridge provide system stretchability, and functional components that reside on the islands undergo negligible deformations. These device systems usually experience a common strain concentration phenomenon, i.e., "island effect", because of the modulus mismatch between the soft elastomer substrate and its on-top rigid components. Such an island effect can significantly raise the surrounding local strain, therefore increasing the risk of material failure for the interconnects in the vicinity of the islands. In this work, a systematic study of such an island effect through combined theoretical analysis, numerical simulations and experimental measurements is presented. To relieve the island effect, a buffer layer strategy is proposed as a generic route to enhanced stretchabilities of deformable interconnects. Both experimental and numerical results illustrate the applicability of this strategy to 2D serpentine and 3D helical interconnects, as evidenced by the increased stretchabilities (e.g., by 1.5 times with a simple buffer layer, and 2 times with a ring buffer layer, both for serpentine interconnects). The application of the patterned buffer layer strategy in a stretchable light emitting diodes system suggests promising potentials for uses in other functional device systems., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)