The core of this article is to explore the mechanism by which the ruthenium (Ru) integration effect influences ruthenium-cobalt (RuCo) bimetallic nanoparticles in enhancing water-splitting properties. The research team synthesized RuCo bimetallic nanoparticles (RuCo@NC) with atomically dispersed Ru on nitrogen-doped carbon. They found that atomically dispersed Ru not only serves as the primary active site for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but also promotes the oxidation of the Co surface to CoOOH*, thereby becoming a highly active site for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The optimized catalyst, RuCo@NC-1, exhibited outstanding performance. In alkaline conditions, it required only 217 and 96 mV of overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA‧cm⁻² for OER and HER, respectively. This study offers valuable insights into the design of Ru-based electrocatalysts for water splitting.

In this study, the controllable synthesis of highly stable Ag₅₆ clusters was achieved using 4-vinylbenzoic acid (abbreviated as p-VBA) and tert-butyl mercaptan as ligands by precisely regulating reaction parameters such as temperature and solvent. Furthermore, the intermediates Ag₂₀, Ag₃₁, Ag₃₂ and the dimers of the intermediate Ag₃₁/Ag₃₂, Ag₃₀-bpbenz (bpbenz, 1,4-di(4-pyridyl)benzene) and Ag₃₁-bpe (bpe, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)) were successfully captured. This series of nanoclusters exhibited a unique fluorescence aggregation-induced redshift phenomenon as the π–π interaction of the ligand. In addition, the Ag₅₆ nanocluster can be used as near infrared fluorescence sensors for Br⁻/I⁻ and their detection limits were as low as 85 and 105 nM, respectively. The results of this study provide new ideas and methods for the synthesis of metal clusters and their applications in the field of ion sensing.

Monoclonal antibodies like etesevimab have lost efficacy against Omicron subvariants, necessitating innovative solutions. George Fu Gao's team developed BAADesign, a strategy combining structural analysis, computational design, and experimental validation to restore antibody activity. Using this method, they reengineered etesevimab into CB6-IV, achieving broad-spectrum neutralization against Omicron subvariants.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are regarded as one of the most promising rivals in the upcoming high-energy secondary battery market because of their safety and non-toxicity. However, the zinc dendrites growth and hydrogen evolution corrosion of the Zn anode have seriously restricted the application of AZIBs. Herein, a 3D porous PFA-COOH-CNT artificial solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) film with high hydrophobic and zincophilic bi-properties effectively induces Zn²⁺ uniform deposition and inhibit Zn dendrite growth and HER corrosions, contributing to the PFA-COOH-CNT@Zn anode with excellent cycling performances, which provides a broad prospect for highly stable zinc anode, and can also be extended to other energy storage systems based on metal anodes.

High-entropy carbides (HECs) exhibit exceptional mechanical properties and ultrahigh thermal stability, making them promising materials for high-temperature extreme environments, such as hypersonic vehicles and nuclear reactors. The fabrication of complex-shaped components for these applications involves the HECs joints and requires these joints capable of withstanding extreme service temperatures. However, developing such joints presents significant challenges: the stability and sluggish diffusion characteristics of HECs hinder solid-phase diffusion, while using liquid alloys at bonding interfaces typically introduces low-melting-point compounds that compromise thermal durability. Consequently, developing HEC joints with superior high-temperature endurance remains a critical challenge in materials engineering.

Timely monitoring abnormal gaits of teenagers is crucial for their physical health and development. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are widely used in the wearable field. Choosing high-performance and safe triboelectric materials to monitor abnormal gaits remains challenging. Polyoxometalates (POMs) nanomaterials can effectively serve as triboelectric materials due to rich surface morphology and large specific surface area. The team designed a TENG using POMs nanorods as triboelectric materials by changing the morphology of POMs, achieving an improvement in TENG performance. The optimized TENG has achieved significant results in gait monitoring of teenagers, promoting research in this field.

MXene, as a rising star among two-dimensional electromagnetic wave materials, faces urgent challenges in addressing its self-stacking issue and regulating its conductivity. Herein, a micro-macro collaborative design strategy was proposed to regulate heterogeneous interface engineering in MXene-based absorbers. Biomass-based cotton was introduced as three-dimensional (3D) framework for constructing a porous structure, TiO₂ was in-situ generated and nitrogen atom was doped on Ti₃C₂T_x MXene to regulate its dielectric properties, a 3D N-doped carbon fiber/MXene/TiO₂ (N-CMT) nano-aerogel was successful constructed. The synergistic effects of diverse components and structural designs, porous frameworks and TiO₂ lattice contraction can significantly adjust the density of the conductive network and create abundant heterogeneous interfaces, as well as the lattice defects induced by nitrogen atom doping can enhance polarization loss, ultimately leading to the excellent microwave absorption performance of 3D N-CMT nano-aerogels. The optimized N-CMT 30% aerogel exhibited a minimum reflection loss of −72.56 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.92 GHz at 2.23 mm. These results demonstrate that 3D N-CMT nano-aerogel relying on interface engineering design exhibits significant potential in the field of electromagnetic protection, providing an important reference for future efficient absorbers.

This study presents an integrated study combining global proteomics, lactylome, and genome-wide RNA sequencing to elucidate the role of lactylation throughout postnatal heart development. They demonstrate a remarkable increase in non-histone lactylation levels as early from 1 week (1 w) to 6 weeks (6 w) postpartum and remained elevated from 6 months (6 m) onwards. However, the histone lactylation showed the opposite trend.In particular, histone 4 lysine 12 lactylation (H4K12la) acts as a pivotal upstream regulatory element in the early postnatal mouse heart, from 1 w to 6 w postpartum. These findings strongly suggest a significant connection between lactylation and postnatal cardiac development and highlight its involvement in gene expression regulation, thus offering potential mechanisms for targeting heart diseases.

A study in Forest Ecosystems predicts that China’s natural forests will store 10.46 Pg C by 2060, but their carbon sequestration rate will decline as mature. Using satellite data and field surveys, researchers found that younger natural forests have higher carbon storage potential, while older natural forests are reaching their limit. The findings highlight the need to prioritize protecting mature forests alongside preserving and restoring young natural forest areas to sustain China’s high carbon sequestration capacity.