Transition metal carbides are prized for their exceptional hardness and stability under extreme conditions, but they are notoriously brittle. This intrinsic trade-off between hardness and toughness has long hindered their application in demanding fields. A research team has developed a novel strategy that uses nitrogen doping to fundamentally re-engineer the microstructure of (Ti, Zr)C ceramics. This approach unleashes a powerful toughening mechanism during a process called spinodal decomposition, resulting in a remarkable simultaneous increase of approximately 40% in hardness and 50% in toughness. This breakthrough provides a new blueprint for designing next-generation ceramics with superior reliability.

The development of proton conductors that demostrate high conductivity with mechanical resilience is critical for advancing energy devices operating under harsh conditions. Polymer nanocomposites offer a promising route to reconcile these competing requirements through strategic material design. In this work, we report an anhydrous proton-conducting nanocomposite composed of a comb-like crosslinked polymer network and superacidic polyoxometalate (POM) clusters. The modular tunability of both polymer topology and inorganic clusters establishes this approach as a generalizable platform for tailoring ion-transport materials and opens new avenues for high-performance energy technologies.

Photocatalytic conversion of plastic waste into valuable chemicals represents a groundbreaking approach to addressing global plastic pollution while generating clean energy. Nickel-substituted polyoxometalates (Ni-POMs), when combined with cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanospheres, create highly efficient single-cluster catalysts that enable simultaneous hydrogen production and plastic degradation under visible light irradiation. The optimized Ni₉@CdS-10 catalyst demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving a hydrogen evolution rate of 22.29 mmol g⁻¹ alongside 19.01 mmol g⁻¹ of pyruvate production from polylactic acid (PLA) degradation. This innovative system, developed by researchers at Tianjin University of Technology, offers a sustainable solution for plastic waste management through its unique electron-sponge mechanism that enhances charge separation efficiency by 160-fold compared to conventional CdS catalysts.

Owing to their tunable structures and strong emission, chiral metal–organic frameworks (CMOFs) incorporating rare-earth ions hold great promise for circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Herein, enantiomeric rare-earth CMOFs are synthesized via the direct self-assembly of optically pure ligands (1,3-bis((S)- and (R)-1-carboxyethyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium chlorides) with Tb³⁺ ions and shown to exhibit CPL with a dissymmetry factor (|g_lum|) of 0.016, which is attributed to efficient chirality transfer and the antenna effect. The introduction of a luminescent guest (MnCl₄²⁻) into the framework channels markedly enhances CPL and increases |g_lum| to 0.071. The results of control experiments and spectral analysis indicate that this enhancement arises from the synergy between host–guest energy transfer and chirality transfer. This work describes a modular strategy for constructing CPL-active rare-earth CMOFs and provides a general design principle for tuning their chiroptical properties through host–guest interactions.

Tendinopathy is a common and complex musculoskeletal disorder, unfortunately current clinical strategies for tendinopathy have low therapeutic efficacy because of complicated pathogenesis. Oxidative stress is considered as the major cause of tendinopathy as well as the important target, but still lacking ideal antioxidant solution. To this end , an efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) biocatalyst, PtIrRuRhCu high-entropy alloy nanozyme (HEANZ), has been designed for treatment of tendinopathy. The non-ionic block copolymer (polyvinyl pyrrolidone) coated PtIrRuRhCu HEANZ with size of ~4.0 nm exhibit good biocompatibility and multiple enzyme-like antioxidant activity (including peroxidase, catalase and SOD-like) to modulate ROS. The therapeutic efficacy of PtIrRuRhCu HEANZ in tendinopathy has been systematically demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.  PtIrRuRhCu HEANZ can alleviate the TBHP(t-Butyl Hydroperoxide) stimulated tendinopathy by clearing ROS, reducing inflammation and restoring mitochondrial autophagy. Using PGAM5 siRNA and FUNDC1 siRNA for intervention, we clearly revealed that PtIrRuRhCu HEANZ promoted mitochondrial autophagy through upregulating the PGAM5/FUNDC1/GPX4 axis. This study provides a nanozyme strategy for the antioxidant treatment of tendinopathy and provides insights into the therapeutic mechanism. 

The accurate and efficient detection of biomarker such as dopamine (DA) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is crucial for clinical diagnosis, while the demand for materials with concurrent antibacterial activity remains urgent in medical and biological fields. In this study, a novel multifunctional PW₁₂@ZIF-67-Au (PZA) nanoreactor was successfully synthesized. This nanoreactor not only enables sensitive and reliable multivariate sensing of DA (a key neurotransmitter associated with neurological diseases) and AFP (a vital tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma), but also exhibits excellent antibacterial performance against common pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The research provides a promising integrated solution for biomolecular detection and antibacterial protection, laying a solid foundation for its potential applications in clinical diagnostic and related fields.

Food and medicine homology (FMH) products are dual-functional substances that play both therapeutic and dietary roles and are integrated into daily cuisine for disease prevention and health maintenance.The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory argues that body constitution types are associated with specific disease susceptibilities and regulating body constitution can prevent disease. Under the guidance of the TCM constitution theory, FMH products can regulate unbalanced constitutions to prevent and treat diseases, enabling precise and effective health management

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich have developed URNet, a novel artificial intelligence model that helps autonomous driving systems perceive their surroundings more clearly—even in dark, fast-changing environments. By combining an unconventional “event camera” with a self-aware framework, URNet allows vehicles to build reliable 3D maps that measure how far objects are—a process known as depth estimation—while understanding how confident they should be about what they “see.” This innovation could make next-generation self-driving cars safer and more capable of navigating complex real-world conditions.

In the study, (Hf_(1-X)/4Zr_(1-X)/4Nb_(1-X)/4Ta_(1-X)/4Co_X)C (X=0.14, 0.18, and 0.20) high-entropy ceramic powders were successfully synthesized via a polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) method at 1700-1900 °C. Structural analysis (XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS) confirmed the formation of single-phase rock-salt structures with homogeneous elemental distribution and significant lattice distortion. The (Hf_0.215Zr_0.215Nb_0.215Ta_0.215Co_0.140)C ceramic prepared at 1700°C exhibited excellent reflection loss (RL) of -37.95 dB at 14.01 GHz with a thickness of 3.10 mm. The introduction of the magnetic element cobalt optimized the permeability and dielectric constant of the sample, significantly enhancing the dielectric-magnetic loss synergy. This work bridges the gap in systematic research on incorporating Co into high-entropy carbide ceramics and provides new insights for designing high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.

Silicon carbide (SiC) fiber aerogels have shown promising prospects in fields such as thermal protection, electromagnetic wave absorption, and environmental remediation. However, existing research largely relies on single-scale fiber assembly, resulting in a uniform pore structure that hinders multiscale synergy and limits performance enhancement. Furthermore, current studies primarily focus on flexible applications, while the development of rigid, high-strength aerogels for high-temperature load-bearing scenarios remains insufficient. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop SiC aerogels that integrate a multiscale pore structure with high mechanical strength.