Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) is an excellent candidate for engineering ceramics; however, its toughness and hardness are fundamentally limited by the inherent incompatibility between the hard α-phase and the tough β-phase. Si₃N₄ ceramics with a columnar-cluster microstructure are reported, achieving combination of toughness of 10.2 ± 0.3 MPa·m^1/2and 20.1 ± 0.3 GPa hardness. Those values represent the state-of-the-art among Si₃N₄ ceramics fabricated via liquid-phase sintering reported to date. The formation of the columnar clusters is driven by a high-pressure-induced coarsening process. The metastable growth mechanism may open a new pathway for preparing a new generation of Si₃N₄ ceramics with superior performance.

In the realm of pulse power capacitors, dielectric energy storage materials are undeniably the "heart." As global demand surges for rapid charge-discharge capabilities, high operating voltages, and long service lives, these materials play a pivotal role in sectors ranging from hybrid electric vehicles to high-energy weapon ignition systems.

However, Barium Titanate (BaTiO₃, or BT), the poster child for lead-free ferroelectrics, faces a classic trade-off. While blessed with high polarization strength, it has long been plagued by a "shortcoming": low breakdown strength (typically E_b<1000 kV cm⁻¹).

It is akin to a "seesaw" dilemma: achieving high energy storage density often comes at the expense of breakdown strength, while striving for high voltage tolerance can lead to insufficient polarization. Consequently, the key scientific hurdle for researchers is how to actively construct functional nanodomain structures within the BT system while maintaining its high polarization performance.

Researchers at Shaanxi Normal University have developed a flexible electrode with atomically tuned the composition of Ti_xCr_1−xN solid-solution nanoparticles for lithium-sulfur batteries. Such cathode enhances polysulfide trapping and conversion via d-band electronic regulation, achieving high-rate capacity (801 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 C) and ultralow capacity decay (0.012% per cycle at 2 C). This work provides a practical strategy for the preparation of composite cathode in high-energy Li-S batteries.

Passive radiative cooling (PRC) represents a pivotal zero-energy solution for addressing global cooling demands, the energy crisis, and carbon emission challenges. While traditional Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ ceramics possess significant theoretical potential owing to their wide bandgap and abundant phonon modes, their practical performance is severely constrained by phonon-polariton resonance, which compromises infrared emissivity. To surmount this bottleneck, a novel strategy combining phonon engineering and bandgap engineering is proposed. A series of Y³⁺-doped Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈ ceramics were rationally designed and synthesized to effectively suppress phonon-polariton resonance and widen the bandgap, thereby significantly enhancing both atmospheric window emissivity and solar reflectivity. The optimized material exhibits exceptional daytime cooling performance, achieving a maximum temperature reduction of 16.5 °C and an average net cooling power of 113.1 W·m^-2. This study presents a low-cost, eco-friendly, and highly stable inorganic ceramic solution for large-scale PRC applications, paving a new avenue for the development of next-generation sustainable cooling materials.