Light management is essential for military stealth, optical information communication, and energy-efficient buildings. However, current light management materials face challenges of limited optical modulation range and poor mechanical properties. Herein, we report a locally confined polymerization (LCP) approach to develop hierarchical network-augmented hydroglasses (HNAH) based on poly(methacrylic acid) for broadband light management as well as mechanical enhancement. The dynamic geometry of the networks ranging from nano- to micro-scale enables to manage the light wavelength over three orders of magnitude, from the ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) band, and reversibly switches transmittance in the visible region. A smart hydroglass window is developed with elasticity, outstanding robustness, self-healing, notch resistance, biosafety by blocking UV radiation, and high solar energy shielding efficacy with a temperature drop of 13°C. Compared to current inorganic glasses and Plexiglas, the hydroglass not only is a promising and versatile candidate but also provides novel insights into the molecular and structural design of broadband light management and optimized mechanical properties.

We explore a potential LISA-Taiji network to fast and accurately localize the coalescing massive black hole binaries. For an equal-mass binary located at redshift of 1 with a total intrinsic mass of 10^5{M}_{\odot }, the LISA-Taiji network may achieve almost four orders of magnitude improvement on the source localization region compared to an individual detector. The precision measurement of sky location from the gravitational-wave signal may completely identify the host galaxy with low redshifts prior to the final black hole merger. Such identification of the host galaxy is vital for the follow-up variability in electromagnetic emissions of the circumbinary disc when the binary merges to a new black hole and enables the coalescing massive black hole binaries to be used as a standard siren to probe the expansion history of the Universe.

Recent progress has been made on the synthesis and characterization of metal halide perovskite magic-sized clusters (PMSCs) with ABX₃ composition (A=\text{C}{\text{H}}_3\text{N}{{\text{H}}_3}^{+} or Cs⁺, B=\text{P}{\text{b}}^{2+}, and X=\text{C}{\text{l}}^{-}, Br^-, or I^-). However, their mechanism of growth and structure is still not well understood. In our effort to understand their structure and growth, we discovered that a new species can be formed without the CH₃NH₃⁺ component, which we name as molecular clusters (MCs). Specifically, CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ PMSCs, with a characteristic absorption peak at 424 nm, are synthesized using PbBr₂ and CH₃NH₃Br as precursors and butylamine (BTYA) and valeric acid (VA) as ligands, while MCs, with an absorption peak at 402 nm, are synthesized using solely PbBr₂ and BTYA, without CH₃NH₃Br. Interestingly, PMSCs are converted spontaneously overtime into MCs. An isosbestic point in their electronic absorption spectra indicates a direct interplay between the PMSCs and MCs. Therefore, we suggest that the MCs are precursors to the PMSCs. From spectroscopic and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) results, we propose some tentative structural models for the MCs. The discovery of the MCs is critical to understanding the growth of PMSCs as well as larger perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) or nanocrystals (PNCs).

There is a rising prospective in harvesting energy from the environment, as in situ energy is required for the distributed sensors in the interconnected information society, among which the water flow energy is the most potential candidate as a clean and abundant mechanical source. However, for microscale and unordered movement of water, achieving a sustainable direct-current generating device with high output to drive the load element is still challenging, which requires for further exploration. Herein, we propose a dynamic PN water junction generator with moving water sandwiched between two semiconductors, which outputs a sustainable direct-current voltage of 0.3 V and a current of 0.64  μA. The mechanism can be attributed to the dynamic polarization process of water as moving dielectric medium in the dynamic PN water junction, under the Fermi level difference of two semiconductors. We further demonstrate an encapsulated portable power-generating device with simple structure and continuous direct-current voltage output of 0.11 V, which exhibits its promising potential application in the field of wearable devices and the IoTs.

The issue of information security is closely related to every aspect of daily life. For pursuing a higher level of security, much effort has been continuously invested in the development of information security technologies based on encryption and storage. Current approaches using single-dimension information can be easily cracked and imitated due to the lack of sufficient security. Multidimensional information encryption and storage are an effective way to increase the security level and can protect it from counterfeiting and illegal decryption. Since light has rich dimensions (wavelength, duration, phase, polarization, depth, and power) and synergy between different dimensions, light as the input is one of the promising candidates for improving the level of information security. In this review, based on six different dimensional features of the input light, we mainly summarize the implementation methods of multidimensional information encryption and storage including material preparation and response mechanisms. In addition, the challenges and future prospects of these information security systems are discussed.

Acoustic tweezers have great application prospects because they allow noncontact and noninvasive manipulation of microparticles in a wide range of media. However, the nontransparency and heterogeneity of media in practical applications complicate particle trapping and manipulation. In this study, we designed a 1.04 MHz 256-element 2D matrix array for 3D acoustic tweezers to guide and monitor the entire process using real-time 3D ultrasonic images, thereby enabling acoustic manipulation in nontransparent media. Furthermore, we successfully performed dynamic 3D manipulations on multiple microparticles using multifoci and vortex traps. We achieved 3D particle manipulation in heterogeneous media (through resin baffle and ex vivo macaque and human skulls) by introducing a method based on the time reversal principle to correct the phase and amplitude distortions of the acoustic waves. Our results suggest cutting-edge applications of acoustic tweezers such as acoustical drug delivery, controlled micromachine transfer, and precise treatment.

PbS is a latent substitute of PbTe thermoelectric materials, which is on account of its superiority in low cost and earth abundance. Here, the thermoelectric transport properties of p-type PbS by doping alkali metals (Na and Li) are investigated and it is verified that Li is a more effective dopant than Na. By introducing Li, the electrical and thermal transport properties were optimized collectively. The electrical transport properties were boosted remarkably via adjusting carrier concentration, and the maximum power factor (PF_max) of ~11.5  μW/cmK² and average power factor (PF_ave) ~9.9  μW/cmK² between 423 and 730 K in Pb_0.99Li_0.01S were achieved, which are much higher than those (~9.5 and ~7.7  μW/cmK²) of Pb_0.99Na_0.01S. Doping Li and Na can weaken the lattice thermal conductivity effectively. Combining the enlarged PF with suppressed total thermal conductivity, a maximum ZT ~0.5 at 730 K and a large average ZT ~0.4 at 423-730 K were obtained in p-type Pb_0.99Li_0.01S, which are higher than ~0.4 and ~0.3 in p-type Pb_0.99Na_0.01S, respectively.

With the advent of diverse electronics, the available energy may be light, thermal, and mechanical energies. Multieffect coupled nanogenerators (NGs) exhibit strong ability to harvest ambient energy by integrating various effects comprising piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, thermoelectricity, optoelectricity, and triboelectricity into a standalone device. Interaction of multitype effects can promote energy harvesting and conversion by modulating charge carriers’ behaviour. Multieffect coupled NGs stand for a vital group of energy harvesters, supporting the advances of an electronic device and promoting the resolution of energy crisis. The matchless versatility and high reliability of multieffect coupled NGs make them main candidates for integration in complicated arrays of the electronic device. Multieffect coupled NGs can also be employed as a variety of self-powered sensors due to their rapid response, high accuracy, and high responsivity. This article reviews the latest achievements of multieffect coupled NGs. Fundamentals mainly including basic theory and materials of interest are covered. Advanced device design and output characteristics are introduced. Potential applications are described, and future development is discussed.

Microneedles represent a cutting-edge and idea-inspiring technology in biomedical engineering, which have attracted increasing attention of scientific researchers and medical staffs. Over the past decades, numerous great achievements have been made. The fabrication process of microneedles has been simplified and becomes more precise, easy-to-operate, and reusable. Besides, microneedles with various features have been developed and the microneedle materials have greatly expanded. In recent years, efforts have been focused on generating smart microneedles by endowing them with intriguing functions such as adhesion ability, responsiveness, and controllable drug release. Such improvements enable the microneedles to take an important step in practical applications including household drug delivery devices, wearable biosensors, biomedical assays, cell culture, and microfluidic chip analysis. In this review, the fabrication strategies, distinctive properties, and typical applications of the smart microneedles are discussed. Recent accomplishments, remaining challenges, and future prospects are also presented.

Metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have achieved great progress in recent years. However, bright and spectrally stable blue perovskite LED remains a significant challenge. Three-dimensional mixed-halide perovskites have potential to achieve high brightness electroluminescence, but their emission spectra are unstable as a result of halide phase separation. Here, we reveal that there is already heterogeneous distribution of halides in the as-deposited perovskite films, which can trace back to the nonuniform mixture of halides in the precursors. By simply introducing cationic surfactants to improve the homogeneity of the halides in the precursor solution, we can overcome the phase segregation issue and obtain spectrally stable single-phase blue-emitting perovskites. We demonstrate efficient blue perovskite LEDs with high brightness, e.g., luminous efficacy of 4.7, 2.9, and 0.4 lm W^-1 and luminance of over 37,000, 9,300, and 1,300 cd m^-2 for sky blue, blue, and deep blue with Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.068, 0.268), (0.091, 0.165), and (0.129, 0.061), respectively, suggesting real promise of perovskites for LED applications.