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Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ in acidic conditions offers high utilization but is hindered by competing hydrogen evolution. Here, the authors demonstrate a nickel-based catalyst that regulates interfacial water, enabling efficient and durable CO₂ conversion to CO.

Radiative cooling is an emerging technology for cooling with reduced energy consumption. Here the authors present photoluminescent composites that combine subambient cooling with aesthetic colour, hydrophobicity and durability.

Optimizing the crystallization of the active materials in organic solar cells is challenging. Fu et al. use an acenaphthene additive to induce a two-step crystallization of the non-fullerene acceptor, achieving a certified 20.5% power conversion efficiency.

Molecular engineering has increased the power conversion efficiency of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), surpassing that of regular PSCs. Here, the symmetric molecule (2-(pyren-2-yl)ethyl)phosphonic acid (pPy) enables long-range-ordered π–π stacking, enhancing charge transport. pPy films show face-on orientation and uniform distribution, yielding PSCs with power conversion efficiencies of 26.6%.

An approach that integrates electrochemical CO₂ reduction and biological denitrification provides a new solution for nitrogen removal, where the formate obtained from CO₂ is used directly as the carbon source in the denitrification process in wastewater treatment.

Cross-linkable co-SAMs improve hole-selective SAM stability, preventing defects and thermal degredation in perovskite solar cells, enabling 26.92% efficiency with high heat durability, and guiding the design of more efficient and durable solar cells.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are attractive electrocatalysts, yet their synthesis is hindered by long reaction times, high temperatures, and the use of organic solvents. This works reports the use of supercritical CO₂ to prepare efficient COF catalysts for the two electron oxygen reduction.

Strain engineering is effective in modulating catalyst activity. Here, authors report a high-dimensional biaxial strained dichalcogenide catalyst to unlock inner metal sites, which accelerates sulfur redox kinetics and enables lithium–sulfur pouch cells with increased capacity and cycling stability.

The authors quantify terrestrial temperature evolution over the past 2 million years by fossil lipids preserved in an ancient lake in East Asia. They showed a long-term warming trend that diverges from the contemporaneous global sea surface cooling.

Securing edge devices is challenging. The authors present a solution using reconfigurable physical unclonable functions built with carbon nanotube transistors, offering robust security against machine learning attacks and brute force cracking.

Yu et al. report a parameter for screening photoactive materials for semitransparent organic photovoltaics, enabling a light utilization efficiency of 6.05%. Geographical analysis are also conducted and indicates that the hot summer/warm winter zone is more suitable for deploying smart windows.

Low conductivity and poor thermal safety limit solid polymer electrolytes for lithium metal batteries. Here, authors present a puzzle-like molecular design that enhances salt dissociation and stability, enabling safe, high-voltage batteries with improved cycling performance.

This study reports that the gene SMPED1, located in a previously identified dichogamy-determining region in Alpinia species, controls the timing of sex-organ synchrony, improving our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of plant sexual diversity.

Authors present a bispecific antiviral design targeting the virus and the host that simultaneously offers broad-spectrum protection against multiple existing transmissible human-pathogenic coronaviruses, including the Paxlovid-resistant SARS-CoV-2 mutants.

Electrochemical conversion of waste into valuable chemicals offers a sustainable alternative to traditional manufacturing routes. Here, the authors report a strategy for durable formamide synthesis from plastic-derived ethylene glycol and ammonia using commercial platinum foil catalysts.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Delamination and cracking hinder the durability of air electrodes in ceramic cells. Here, the authors introduce oxide wedging at particle interfaces to enhance mechanical robustness and thermal compatibility, significantly improving electrode longevity.

The authors present a PAM-PVP hydrogel ionic thermoelectric device using KI₃/KI and K₃Fe(CN)₆/K₄Fe(CN)₆ redox couples to harvest time-domain thermal energy without external charging, reaching 4% relative Carnot efficiency from 60 °C to 10 °C.

This work develops CRISP, a framework using foundation models to predict drug responses in previously unseen cell types at single-cell resolution, advancing drug repurposing and drug screening capabilities.

Hong Kong experienced a severe wave of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2022. Here, the authors use genomic and serosurveillance data and show that this wave was dominated by the Omicron BA.2 sublineage, and that low protective immunity, particularly in older age groups, contributed to its severity.

The stabilization of perovskites in both solution and solid phases is critical to the fabrication of solution-processed perovskite solar cells. Here, 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenylhydrazine is introduced to enhance storage stability, achieving consistent high efficiency of 26.0% in stable devices.

Charge transport and extraction in polycrystalline perovskite films are often hindered by inefficient carrier transfer across grain domain boundaries (GDBs). Here, authors employ supramolecular assisted Rb+ delivery for in-situ GDB bridging, achieving efficiency of 26.02% for perovskite solar cells.

Gong et al. report an all-perovskite photovoltaic-powered battery using ethyl viologen diiodide and its derivative to modify the perovskite solar cell and the battery cathode, enabling an overall energy conversion efficiency of 18.54%. The flexible version powers a wearable glucose monitor for 24 h.

The inherent scaling relationships among the adsorption energies of intermediates limit the efficiency of oxygen electrocatalysis. Here, a dual-atom catalyst with aligned orbital energy level is developed, driving the dissociative pathway to bypass scaling relationships towards enhanced performance.

An alternating current paired photo-electrocatalysis approach, integrating electrochemistry, ligand-to-metal charge transfer photocatalysis and asymmetric nickel catalysis, enables enantioselective C(sp³)–C(sp²) cross-coupling of alcohols. This approach has high catalytic efficiency and stability, achieving up to 99% enantiomeric excess with broad substrate compatibility, and is suitable for late-stage functionalization of complex molecules.

The detailed structure of the native dystrophin–glycoprotein complex provides mechanistic insights into mutations underlying muscular dystrophy.

Adverse events resulting from COVID-19 vaccination are a public health concern and it is not known whether pre-existing conditions may impose an increased risk. Here, using electronic health records from Hong Kong, the authors show that adverse events are rare for all groups, and there is no evidence of risk modification due to multimorbidity.

A rare variation in the promoter of qRBG1/OsBZR5 is associated with larger rice grains. OsBZR5 is found to negatively regulate grain size in rice, a biological role opposite to other OsBZR members. A regulatory module of OsGSK2–qRBG1–OsBZR1–D2–OFP1 is further revealed.

Aqueous zinc batteries possess advantages in safety, cost and environmental friendliness. To address side reaction, limited cycle life and other challenges, the authors formulate a dual-salt electrolyte that decouples the interfacial electrolyte from the bulk, enabling suppressed hydrogen evolution, fast zinc transport and resilience against low temperature.

In this Stage 2 Registered Report, Buchanan et al. show evidence confirming the phenomenon of semantic priming across speakers of 19 diverse languages.

All-solid-state batteries face complex chemo-mechanical degradation. Here, authors reveal how interfacial chemical reactions in Ni-rich oxides govern reaction dynamics and microstructural changes and unveil that coatings enhance uniformity and durability.

Hydroxyl groups are among the most abundant functional groups, and thus, the development of efficient reactions for their conversion has significant importance in medicinal and process chemistry. Here, we present a redox-neutral Giese reaction via anodic oxidation to generate phosphonium ions in combination with a cathodic reduction to yield low-valent Fe-catalysts.

In this large-scale study, the authors used multimodal neuroimaging and cognitive data from UK Biobank participants to examine the relationship between regional adiposity and brain health.

Tetrandrine is one of the most potent inhibitors of Ebola Virus infection. Here the authors identify LIMP-2 as a direct cellular target of Tetrandrine and establish a functional connection between lysosomal sphingosine homeostasis and calcium regulation.

Current yeast extracellular secretion measuring tools lack the sensitivity, throughput, and speed required for large-scale metabolic analysis. Here, the authors introduce molecular sensors on mother yeast cell membranes to screen for single-cell secretions and rapidly isolate productive strains.

Influenza A virus neuraminidase (NA) is an important target for universal influenza vaccines. Here, the authors identify two monoclonal antibodies, CAV-F6 and CAV-F34, that inhibit NA activity across multiple subtypes, offering protection against seasonal and emerging avian influenza strains, thus advancing the development of broadly protective vaccines and therapeutics.

The development of catalysts for selective CO2 electroreduction to ethanol at industrial current densities is vital for industrialization. Here, the authors report a surface stabilized tandem catalyst for efficient electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion.

Tandem catalysts are important in electrocatalysis but suffer from uncontrollable interfaces, limited crystal phases, and complex synthesis. Here, the authors report the facile synthesis of hetero-phase 4H/fcc Au–Cu tandem catalysts with tunable interfaces for ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate.

Discovering hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts is challenging yet vital for energy and potentially synthesis. Here alkali metal–cobalt Salen systems with high HER activity is developed and is repurposed for C–H functionalization.

Achieving a balance between molecular packing density, charge transport efficiency, and defect passivation remains a challenge for perovskite solar cells. Here, authors synthesize self-assembled molecules with flexible head groups and rigid linkers, achieving maximum device efficiency of over 26%.

Native crystallographic defects are often introduced during synthesis of battery materials, but has been overlooked. Here, using in situ synchrotron X-ray probes and electron microscopy, the authors have revealed their adverse effect during battery operation.

Near-infrared mechanoluminescence can be used in biostress imaging, but is subject to limitations in terms of the pre-irradiation process and low intensity. Here, the authors have circumvented these limitations by constructing an MgO/MgF₂:Cr³⁺ heterojunction piezo-photonics system.

In a large multinational cohort study, maternal, gestational or pregestational diabetes was associated with only a small-to-moderate risk of ADHD in offspring, contrary to previous estimates that showed stronger effect sizes, attributing the differences in findings to confounding by shared genetic and familial factors.