Achieving high energy densities for all-solid-state lithium batteries is restricted by the poor high voltage stability of solid electrolytes. Herein, F-doping strategy is successfully employed on Li₃InCl₆ to obtain enhanced voltage stability and electrode compatability towards bare LiNi_0.7Mn_0.2Co_0.1O₂ at high voltages. The optimized Li₃InCl_5.5F_0.5 electrolyte exhibits a decreased conductivity of 1.00 mS/cm, a wider voltage window, and improved electrochemical performance in solid-state batteries when cycled at upper cut-off voltages of 4.5 and 4.8 V (vs. Li⁺/Li⁰). The generation of more stable LiInF₄ phase in the cathode mixture of Li₃InCl_5.5F_0.5-based battery ensures superior electrochemical performances compared to the Li₃InCl₆-based battery. The former battery exhibits a higher discharge capacity of 218.9 mAh/g and coulombic efficiency of 86.7% for the first cycle, and retains 80.0% of its original value after 100 cycles when cycled in the range of 3.0–4.5 V (vs. Li⁺/Li⁰). In contrast, the Li₃InCl₆-based battery exhibits lower capacities and faster degradation under the same conditions due to the formation of InCl₃ phase with poor electrochemical stability. This work facilitates the advancement of high energy density solid-state battery technologies by utilizing high-voltage cathodes.

Aryl-ether bonds are facile to attack by oxidizing radicals, thus stimulating the exploitation of ether-free polymers as proton exchange membranes (PEMs) for the long-lasting operation of fuel cells. In this study, a novel class of PEMs derived from all-carbon fluorinated backbone polymers containing sulfide-linked alkyl sulfonic acid side chains have been developed through a straightforward and effective synthetic procedure. The sulfide-linked alkyl sulfonate groups were tethered to the poly(triphenylene pentafluorophenyl) backbone through a quantified and site-specific para-fluoro-thiol click reaction. Owing to the existence of obvious phase separation morphology between hydrophobic main chain and hydrophilic sulfonate groups in the side chains, resulting PEMs demonstrated favorable proton conductivity of 142.5 mS/cm at 80 ℃, while maintaining excellent dimensional stability with an in-plane swelling ratio of <17% as well as a through-plane swelling ratio of <25%. They also exhibit elevated thermal decomposition temperatures (T_d5% exceeding 300 ℃) alongside high tensile strength (>50 MPa). Furthermore, the ether-free full-carbon fluorinated main chain and the -S- group in the side chain, which serves as an effective free-radical scavenger, providing good chemical stability during Fenton's test. The PEMs achieved a maximum power density of 407 mW/cm² in a single H₂/air fuel cell, and an open-circuit voltage decline rate of 0.275 mV/h in a durability test at 30% RH and 80 ℃. Concurrently, the hydrogen crossover current density is only 1/3 of that of Nafion 212. These findings reveal that the resulted PEMs display considerable antioxidative properties along with commendable performance, with prospective applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

For large-scale energy storage devices, all-solid-state sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been revered for the abundant resources, low cost, safety performance and a wide operating temperature range. Na-ion solid-state electrolytes (Na-ion SSEs) are the critical parts and mostly determine the electrochemical performance of SIBs. Among the studied ones, inorganic Na-ion SSEs stand out for their good safety performance and high ionic conductivity. In this review, we outline the research progress of inorganic SSEs in SIBs based on the perspectives of crystal structure, performance optimization, synthesis methods, all-solid-state SIBs, interface modification and related characterization techniques. We hope to provide some ideas for the design of future high-performance Na-ion SSEs.

Recently, CsPbBr₃ perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have garnered attention due to cost-effectiveness and reliability. However, hole transport limitations lead to charge recombination and lower power conversion efficiency (PCE). Defects in the CsPbBr₃ layer, poor hole transport at the interface with carbon electrodes, and energy level differences hinder performance. Optimizing the perovskite layer using electron-donating organic molecules containing -NH₂ groups enhances efficiency and stability by passivating defects and modulating lattice structure. In this work, tetra(4-aminophenyl)ethylene (TPE) and tetra(4-aminobiphenyl)ethylene (TPE-Ph) were employed to optimize the CsPbBr₃/carbon electrode interface. Their strong electron-donating properties and amino groups facilitate hole transfer and defect passivation, boosting PCE to 9.38% and enhancing stability.

Protein damage repair and prevention are important objectives in skin care industry. Skin protein damage or modifications such as glycation, carbonylation or oxidation, have a significant impact on its function, therefore directly influencing various skin functions or properties including skin appearance. However, there is a lack of comprehensive methods to visualize and assess the protein damage. In this article, we present a three-channel imaging approach to simultaneously visualize and quantitatively evaluate protein oxidation, protein glycation and carbonylation in a full-thickness skin model. We successfully visualized and quantified the impact of the multiple stimuli (ultraviolet radiation A (UVA) and/or methylglyoxal) as well as treatment effect of positive control (vitamins C and E) with this method. Our findings indicate that multiple stimuli exhibit synergistic effects on protein damage. Furthermore, we evaluated a unique combination of skin care ingredients which demonstrated an excellent efficacy in resisting protein damage. Further research revealed that three ingredients of the combination upregulate autophagy in cells, which may contribute to remove damaged proteins and maintain protein quality homeostasis. This method provides a holistic assessment of protein damages and can be employed to evaluate the impact of various stimuli or to assess the efficacy of skin care ingredients in mitigating such damage.

Enhancing the corrosion resistance of carriers within Fenton-like systems and inhibiting the migration and aggregation of single atoms in reaction environments are essential for maintaining both high activity and stability at catalytic sites, thus meeting fundamental requirements for practical application. The Fenton-like process of activating various strong oxidants by silicon-based single atom catalysts (SACs) prepared based on silicon-based materials (mesoporous silica, silicon-based minerals, and organosilicon materials) has unique advantages such as structural stability (especially important under strong oxidation conditions) and environmental protection. In this paper, the preparation strategies for the silicon-based SACs were assessed first, and the structural characteristics of various silicon-based SACs are systematically discussed, their application process and mechanism in Fenton-like process to achieve water purification are investigated, and the progress of Fenton-like process in density functional theory (DFT) of silicon-based derived single atom catalysts is summarized. In this paper, the preparation strategies and applications of silicon-based derived SACs are analyzed in depth, and their oxidation activities and pathways to different pollutants in water are reviewed. In addition, this paper also summarizes the device design and application of silicon-based derived SACs, and prospects the future development of silicon-based SACs in Fenton-like applications.

Molecular catalysts can effectively steer the electrocatalytic acetylene semihydrogenation into ethylene, but realizing high Faradaic efficiency (FE) at industrial current densities remains a challenge. Herein, we report a ligand engineering strategy that utilizes polymeric N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) as a hydrophobic ligand to modulate the microenvironment of Cu sites. This polymeric NHC imparts appropriate hydrophobic properties for the chelated Cu sites, thereby moderating the H₂O transport and enabling easy access of acetylene. Consequently, the polymeric NHC chelated Cu exhibits an FE_ethylene of ~97% at a current density of 500 mA/cm² in a flow cell. Particularly in a zero-gap reactor, the FE_ethylene consistently exceeds 86% across current densities from 100 mA/cm² to 400 mA/cm², reaching an optimal FE_ethylene of 98% at 200 mA/cm² and achieving durable operation for 155 h at 100 mA/cm². This work provides a promising paradigm to regulate the microenvironment of molecular catalysts for improving electrocatalytic performances under industrial current densities.

Rapid carrier recombination and slow charge transfer dynamics have significantly reduced the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Construction of heterojunctions via utilizing the sulfur-edge and metal-edge sites of metal sulfide semiconductor for improving photocatalytic activity remains a significant challenge. Herein, a novel ZnIn₂S₄/MnS S-scheme heterojunction was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis to accelerate charge carrier transfer for efficient photocatalysis. Notably, ZnIn₂S₄/MnS exhibited excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity (7.95 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) under visible light irradiation (≥420 nm), up to 4.7 times higher than that of pure ZnIn₂S₄. Additionally, cycling experiments showed that ZM-2 remained high stability after four cycles. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and in situ XPS results confirm the formation of S-scheme heterojunction, indicating that the tight interfacial contact between ZnIn₂S₄ and MnS with the presence of Mn-S bonds (the unsaturated Mn edges of MnS and the uncoordinated S atoms in the edge of ZnIn₂S₄) promoted faster charge transfer. Besides, the unsaturated S atom on the surface of MnS is an active site with strong H⁺ binding ability, which can effectively reduce the overpotential or activation barrier for hydrogen evolution. This study illustrates the critical influence of the interfacial Mn-S bond on the ZnIn₂S₄/MnS S-scheme heterojunction to achieve efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production and provides relevant guidance for carrying out rational structural/interfacial modulation.