Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) exhibit high energy density and high theoretical specific capacity, approximately one order of magnitude higher than traditional lithium-ion batteries. However, the shuttling effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) generated during the charge-discharge process severely compromises battery performance and hinders commercialization. In this paper, a 3D porous carbon gel sulfur host, M@rGO-PCG (M = Ni, Co), composed of transition metal particles and redox graphene, was fabricated through gelation and freeze-drying techniques. This material enhances the conductivity of the cathode, buffers the volume expansion of the electrode, and further accelerates the catalytic conversion of LiPSs. The assembled Ni@rGO-PCG/S and Co@rGO-PCG/S batteries deliver initial discharge specific capacities of 1390.0 mA·h·g^-1 and 1603.6 mA·h·g^-1 at a current rate of 0.1C, respectively. The findings provide valuable insights into the synergistic suppression of the shuttling effect through multiple functions.

A series of (Sr_0.4Ce_0.4)TiO₃ + 4% (in mass) Sr₂CeO₄ + x% B₂O₃ (SCTO + 4% SCO + x% B₂O₃ for 1≤ x ≤ 5) composites were synthesized via solid-state reaction to investigate the effects of Sr₂CeO₄ and B₂O₃ additives on their structural evolution and microwave dielectric properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement confirmed the dominant orthorhombic phase (O-phase), with SCO as a secondary phase, indicating a chemically stable composite system. HRTEM and SAED analyses further confirmed the formation of the O-phase through direct observation of the superlattice reflections. Microstructural evolution demonstrated B₂O₃-assisted liquid-phase sintering, reducing porosity (0.017 → 0.006) and increasing grain size (3.34 → 6.01 μm) with increasing x% (in mass). Raman spectroscopy verified octahedral tilting and Ce-O stretching, while B₂O₃ incorporation modified the TiO₆ network via BO₃/BO₄ interactions. The ε_r decreased from 113 (SCTO) to 27 at x = 5%, while τ_f improved from +213 to +12 × 10^-6/℃. The reduction in ε_r arises from a complex interplay of internal factors (ionic polarizability) and external factors (porosity, and density), whereas the variation in τ_f is governed by compensating effects from Sr₂CeO₄ and B₂O₃. Optimal microwave performance was achieved at x = 5%, with Q×f = 43,603 GHz, ε_r = 27, and τ_f of +12 × 10^-6/℃. The study demonstrates that SCO and B₂O₃ act as effective modifiers, enhancing densification and dielectric properties in SCTO-based microwave ceramics.

BiFeO₃-BaTiO₃ lead-free piezoelectric ceramics exhibit superior piezoelectric properties while preserving a high Curie temperature. However, given the inherent Gibbs free energy law of BiFeO₃, the system is difficult to avoid heterogeneous phases such as Bi₂₅FeO₃₉ and/or Bi₂Fe₄O₉, which are accompanied by the volatilization of Bi³⁺ and the change of Fe³⁺, resulting in low insulating properties and high dielectric loss. These factors hinder the enhancement of polarizability and the overall performance at elevated temperatures and electric field conditions. The present study focuses on a highly leaky 0.75BiFeO₃-0.25BaTiO₃ ceramic, in which the Fe content is deliberately designed to be both severely excessive and deficient, and is prepared using a one-step low-temperature sintering process. It is noteworthy that the structural stability and defect suppression, even in this challenging system, are achieved via the one-step low-temperature sintering. This samples exhibit a distinctive self-tuning property and an excellent stability over a wide compositional range. First-principles density functional theory calculations and XPS analysis have for the first time confirmed that suppressing oxygen vacancies and Fe³⁺ valence states can reduce the concentration and mobility of hole carriers, thereby effectively reducing leakage current, with the mechanism shifting from ohmic conduction to space-charge-limited conduction. Even under the extreme compositional conditions of x = ± 5 and a low sintering temperature, the piezoelectric coefficients d₃₃ reach 132 pC/N and 110 pC/N, respectively. These are significantly higher than those of the most stoichiometric 0.75BiFeO₃-0.25BaTiO₃ counterparts, setting a new performance record.

Chemical doping represents a crucial and effective approach for controlling electricity and also many other properties, but the underlying mechanisms connecting dopant-induced structural evolutions to emergent functionalities remain incompletely understood. To address this knowledge gap, the atomiclevel mechanism of the enhanced electric polarization in a typical perovskite ferroelectric oxide BiFeO₃ (BFO) is unveiled. B-site Mn-dopping, with bringing about atomic-level lattice and charge evolutions, clearly accelerates the local lattice distortion i.e. enhanced Fe/Mn displacement and (Fe/Mn)O₆ octahedral rotation. This facilitates large-scale polarization orientation alignment to create the enhanced collective polarity while manifesting an overall ferroelectric polarization of up to ~160 μC/cm². Local lattice distortion also promotes the Jahn-Teller effect because of the increasing proportion in Mn³⁺ (3d⁴ configuration) that could instigate symmetry-breaking stretching and bending distortions of (Fe/Mn)O₆ octahedra with showing improved magnetic moments. Our findings uncover the ferroelectricity-enhanced origination and offer a new paradigm for principally designing ferroelectric functions.

Over the past decade, the field of high-entropy ceramics (HECs) has expanded rapidly to encompass a broad range of oxides, borides, silicides, and other ceramic solid solutions. In 2020, we proposed extending HECs to compositionally complex ceramics (CCCs), where non-equimolar compositions and the presence of long- or short-range order, although reducing configurational entropy, create new opportunities to tailor and enhance properties, often surpassing those of higher-entropy counterparts. Along these lines, several fundamental scientific questions arise. Is the entropy in HECs truly high? Is maximizing entropy always desirable? In this perspective article, I revisit key concepts and terminologies and highlight emerging directions, including dual-phase CCCs, ultrahigh-entropy phases, and novel processing routes such as ultrafast reactive sintering. I propose that exploring compositional complexity across vast non-equimolar spaces, together with exploiting correlated disorder (coupled chemical and structural short-range order), represents a transformative strategy for designing ceramics with superior performance.

Data-driven approaches are attracting wide attention in the field of materials science due to their capacity to unravel complex structure-activity relationships deriving from nonlinear interplay of materials properties across multiple scales. However, unlocking their potential in materials discovery and design requires addressing two main challenges: multi-disciplinary knowledge barriers across the entire materials data lifecycle (acquisition, processing, and analysis), and the absence of an infrastructure that can accommodate the continuous proliferation of data volume, algorithms, and models. Here, we propose a multirole collaborative and co-constructive materials design ecosystem that restructures both the productive forces and the relations of production in materials design. By establishing a structured division of labor and a customized materials design infrastructure with a workflow system that decouples control and data flows, our framework reduces inter-module dependencies and enables the flexible, scalable integration of heterogeneous resources. A case study on electrochemical storage materials design demonstrates that this approach can improve streamlined collaborative efficiency by at least 50%, highlighting its potential to accelerate materials design. This work establishes a new paradigm for building intelligent materials design platforms, characterized by dynamic composability instead of static integration, thereby fostering an open and sustainable ecosystem for future materials discovery.