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The mechanical reliability and scalability of flexible perovskite solar cells remain challenging. Mingzhu He et al. design β-cyclodextrin derivatives to reinforce grain boundaries, enhancing both the efficiency and stability of cells and modules.

The intrinsic instability of non-fullerene acceptors caused by exocyclic vinyl linkages hampers operational lifetime of organic solar cells. Here, authors introduce F···H interaction in fluoroacetonitrile-containing terminal group for a more planar structure, achieving device efficiency of 19.31%.

The authors propose a sustainable route for acetone synthesis by directly reacting propane and water with PtSn nanoparticles on γ-Al₂O₃ as the catalyst

The impact of facets on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has primarily been explored through theoretical studies or on single-crystal surfaces, lacking experimental data on practical catalysts. Here, the authors provide experimental evidence of the facet sensitivity of iron carbides during syngas conversion by creating {202} and {112} χ-Fe₅C₂ facets.

The burden of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is exacerbated due to the emergence of antiviral drug resistance and a lack of effective antibodies. Here the authors construct a bispecific nanobody that blocks receptor binding and prevents gD-gH/gL interaction, and show that it protects against HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection in mice.

It is a challenge to control composition gradient of ferroelectric films. Here, the authors develop a solution epitaxy strategy to produce compositionally-graded ferroelectric films with excellent dielectric stability and high pyroelectric property.

The authors develop lattice defect engineering through Cu doping to realize a high figure of merit in n-type polycrystalline PbSe, finding that Cu induced interstitial defects and nanoprecipitates simultaneously optimize electron and phonon transport properties.

Ru nanoparticles on HZSM-5 catalysed solvent- and hydrogen-free upcycling of high-density polyethylene into a separable distribution of linear (C₁ to C₆) and cyclic (C₇ to C₁₅) hydrocarbons.

The integration of Pt-oxide catalyst systems with zeolites demonstrates considerable promise for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions at low temperatures from fossil-fuel or hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines.

Generic synthesis of metal-N4 moieties is interesting but challenging. Here the authors report an interfacial-fixing strategy to prepare neighboring metal-N4 sites, such as Fe2-N6, for oxygen reduction reaction.

The conversion of CO2 by renewable power-generated hydrogen is a promising approach to a sustainable production of long-chain olefins. Here the authors report a Cu-Fe catalyst which achieves the hydrogenation of CO2 into long-chain olefins under ambient pressure via the synergy of carbide mechanism and CO insertion mechanism.

Single-atom catalysts are receiving much attention, but insights into their active sites or the differences in reactivity with conventional nanoparticles are still controversial. Now, operando studies on CO oxidation with Ir/MgAl₂O₄ accompanied by computational investigations reveal important features of this class of catalyst.

Bietti crystalline corneoretinal dystrophy (BCD) is an autosomal recessive chorioretinal degenerative disease without approved therapeutic drug. Here, the authors show a promising CRISPR/Cas9 mediated homology-independent targeted integration therapy in patient derived cells and humanized mice carrying BCD mutations.

Polar skyrmions are a topological polarization texture. While they have now been detected in numerous material systems, near universally these have required careful strain engineering. Here, Xue, Zhang, Zheng, Tong, Wang and coauthors observe polar skyrmions in the van der Waals ferroelectric CuInP2S6, without strain-engineering.

The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is known to regulate differentiation and function of immune cells. Here the authors show that IRF8 is upregulated in the hypertrophic heart in humans and mice, where it suppresses cardiac remodelling by inhibiting calcineurin signalling.

Neighbouring Pt monomers work in synergy, leading to a distinct CO₂ hydrogenation pathway and enhanced activity.

DsbA-L upregulation prevents lipid-induced renal injury in diabetic nephropathy. Here, the authors show that DsbA-L knockout attenuates tubulointerstitial fibrosis in mice, and show that this occurs via activation of Smad3 and p53, which result in modulation of CTGF, a regulator of kidney fibrosis.

TRAF6 is a ubiquitin E3 ligase regulating a number of biological processes. Here the authors show that ROS, generated during pathological cardiac stress, induces TRAF6 auto-ubiquitination and activation, promoting its interaction with and ubiquitination of TAK1 that contributes to development of cardiac hypertrophy.

Precious metal free catalysts for aerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons are industrially useful materials. Here, the authors report a mesoporous maganese-cerium oxide solid solution that is highly active for the selective oxidation of C-H bonds in hydrocarbons under mild conditions.

How to melt and quench the largest subclass of MOFs, metal carboxylate frameworks, into glasses is a major challenge. Here, the authors develop a strategy by grafting the zwitterions onto the carboxylate ligands and incorporating organic acids into the framework channels to realize the glass formation.

Electrochemical extraction of uranium from seawater is a promising strategy for the sustainable impurities. Herein, Guo et al construct a synergistic coordination-reduction interface, achieving electrochemical extraction of black UO2 product from seawater.

Sustained catalytic performance wound benefit the applications of nanozymes, but the catalytic activity of some nanozymes depletes with time. Here the authors report Prussian blue nanozymes that exhibit self-increasing catalytic activity and elucidate the underlying catalytic mechanisms.

Blood vessels respond to injury by thickening the supportive smooth muscle layer in a process known as neointima formation. Here the authors describe a novel regulatory pathway of neointima formation that involves a transcription factor, Interferon Regulating Factor 9, and its downstream target, the deacetylase SIRT1.

Reported wearable dry electrodes have limited long-term use due to their imperfect skin compliance and high motion artifacts. Here, the authors report an intrinsically conductive, stretchable polymer dry electrode with excellent self-adhesiveness for long-term high-quality biopotential detection.

Electrolytic water splitting under harsh conditions is limited by poor lifespan of the electrodes. Here, authors report alternating electrolysis approaches that realize prompt and periodic repair of a Ni electrode via the co-action of Co²⁺ and Na⁺ ions, leading to prolonged operation times.

Well-defined single-atom alloy (SAA) nanocrystals possess isolated atom centres and tunable electronic properties but are challenging to synthesize. Here, a direct solution-phase synthesis of Cu/CuAu core/shell nanocubes with tunable SAA layers is reported. The Cu/CuAu nanomaterial is highly active for the electrocatalytic conversion of nitrate into ammonia.

Volatile organic compounds such as benzene are toxic pollutants that cause health issues even at trace concentrations. Here, a double-walled metal–organic framework is presented that demonstrates high uptake at very low pressures (<10 Pa), allowing the removal of benzene to below acceptable indoor limits.

While single-atom catalysts exhibit intriguing catalytic performances and electronic structures, syntheses are often tailored to a particular system. Here, authors report electrochemical deposition as a universal approach for the fabrication of single-atom catalysts over range of metals and supports.

Although superwetting membranes have achieved great success in the separation of layered liquids and emulsions, their application to the separation of miscible liquids has been challenging. In this Perspective, the authors highlight recent advances in superwetting membranes for liquid-liquid separation, focusing on mechanisms across immiscible, partially miscible, and fully miscible systems, providing insight into optimization strategies, and discussing challenges in scalable fabrication for industrial applications.

Grain of indica rice accumulates more toxic cadmium (Cd) than japonica, but the underlying genetic basis is unclear. Here, the authors show that natural variation of OsCd1 contributes to divergence in grain Cd accumulation and transferring japonica allele to indica rice leads to reduced Cd accumulation.

Developing low-temperature solution epitaxy and elucidating its underlying mechanisms is highly desired for low-cost fabrication of single-crystal ferroelectric films. Here, the authors show that a polarization screening between ferroelectrics and substrates can tailor the interface energy and drive the solution epitaxy of polarization-gradient ferroelectric oxide films, demonstrating a remarkable photovoltaic effect.

The cleavage and functionalization of C-S bonds has become a hot topic. Here the authors report a novel and efficient protocol that enables direct oxidative cleavage and ammoxidation of organosulfur compounds by heterogeneous nonprecious-metal Co-N-C catalyst comprising graphene encapsulated Co nanoparticles and Co-Nx sites.

Administration of the clinically approved iron oxide nanoparticle drug ferumoxytol in vitro results in an anti-leukaemia effect and in vivo extended overall survival in part due to the low expression of the iron export protein ferroportin.

Machine learning is a powerful tool for screening electrocatalytic materials. Here, the authors reported a seamless integration of machine-learned physical insights with the controlled synthesis of structurally ordered intermetallic nanocrystals and well-defined catalytic sites for efficient nitrate reduction to ammonia.

Analyses of genetic variation and population structure based on over 3,000 cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) genomes reveal subpopulations that correlate with geographic location and patterns of introgression consistent with multiple rice domestication events.