This paper reviews recent developments and key advances in terahertz (THz) science, technology, and applications, focusing on 3 core areas: astronomy, telecommunications, and biophysics. In THz astronomy, it highlights major discoveries and ongoing projects, emphasizing the role of advanced superconducting technologies, including superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) mixers, hot electron boundedness spectroscopy (HEB), transition-edge sensors (TESs), and kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), while exploring prospects in the field. For THz telecommunication, it discusses progress in solid-state sources, new communication technologies operating within the THz band, and diverse modulation methods that enhance transmission capabilities. In THz biophysics, the focus shifts to the physical modulation of THz waves and their impact across biological systems, from whole organisms to cellular and molecular levels, emphasizing nonthermal effects and fundamental mechanisms. This review concludes with an analysis of the challenges and perspectives shaping the future of THz technology.

The engineering design and construction of active interfaces represents a promising approach amidst numerous initiatives aimed at augmenting catalytic activity. Herein, we present a novel approach to incorporate interconnected pores within bulk single crystals for the synthesis of macroscopic porous single-crystalline rutile titanium oxide (R-TiO₂). The porous single crystal (PSC) R-TiO₂ couples a nanocrystalline framework as the solid phase with pores as the fluid phase within its structure, providing unique advantages in localized structure construction and in the field of catalysis. We successfully construct well-defined Ni cluster/TiO₂ active interfaces by directly confining Ni clusters on the continuous lattice surface of PSC R-TiO₂. We confirm that the lattice oxygen connected to the Ni clusters exhibits exceptional activation capability at temperatures close to room temperature compared to the pure phase PSC R-TiO₂ monoliths. The PSC Ni/TiO₂ catalyst demonstrates complete CO oxidation and stable catalytic performance during continuous operation in air at ~80 °C for 200 h.

In 2001, Tang's team discovered a unique type of luminogens with substantial enhanced fluorescence upon aggregation and introduced the concept of “aggregation-induced emission (AIE)”. Unlike conventional fluorescent materials, AIE luminogens (AIEgens) emit weak or no fluorescence in solution but become highly fluorescent in aggregated or solid states, due to a mechanism known as restriction of intramolecular motions (RIM). Initially considered a purely inorganic chemical phenomenon, AIE was later applied in biomedicine to improve the sensitivity of immunoassays. Subsequently, AIE has been extensively explored in various biomedical applications, especially in cell imaging. Early studies achieved nonspecific cell imaging using nontargeted AIEgens, and later, specific cellular imaging was realized through the design of targeted AIEgens. These advancements have enabled the visualization of various biomacromolecules and intracellular organelles, providing valuable insights into cellular microenvironments and statuses. Neurological disorders affect over 3 billion people worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for advanced diagnostic and therapeutic tools. AIEgens offer promising opportunities for imaging the central nervous system (CNS), including nerve cells, neural tissues, and blood vessels. This review focuses on the application of AIEgens in CNS imaging, exploring their roles in the diagnosis of various neurological diseases. We will discuss the evolution and conclude with an outlook on the future challenges and opportunities for AIEgens in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics of CNS disorders.

Solar-driven CO₂ photoreduction holds promise for sustainable fuel and chemical productions, but the complex proton-coupled multi-electron transfer processes and sluggish oxidation half-reaction kinetics substantially hinder its efficiency. Here, we devised a rational catalyst design to address these challenges by fabricating ferrocene carboxylic acid-functionalized Cs₃Sb₂Br₉ nanocrystals (CSB-Fc NCs), which facilitate simultaneous benzyl alcohol oxidation and CO₂ reduction reactions under visible-light irradiation. The synchronized proton-coupled electron transfer processes between the reduction and oxidation half-reactions on CSB-Fc NCs resulted in a 5-fold increase in the CO₂ reduction rate (45.56 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, 97.9% CO selectivity) and a 5.8-fold enhancement in benzyl alcohol conversion (97.7% selectivity for benzaldehyde) compared to the CSB. In situ Raman and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the dynamic Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox loop within the Fc unit serves as the actual active site, facilitating the activation of substrate molecules. More importantly, in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry spectroscopy, with isotope labeling of Deuteron-benzyl alcohol and ¹³CO₂, confirmed that proton transfer from the hydroxyl group generates reactive protons at the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ site, enabling efficient CO₂ photoreduction through subsequent protonation steps. This work offers a cost-effective and efficient approach for synergetic CO₂ photoreduction driven by organic synthesis, advancing solar energy utilization.

Comorbid anxiety in chronic pain is clinically common, with a comorbidity rate of over 50%. The main treatments are based on pharmacological, interventional, and implantable approaches, which have limited efficacy and carry a risk of side effects. Here, we report a terahertz (THz, 10¹² Hz) wave stimulation (THS) technique, which exerts nonthermal, long-term modulatory effects on neuronal activity by reducing the binding between nano-sized glutamate molecules and GluA2, leading to the relief of pain and comorbid anxiety-like behaviors in mice. In mice with co-occurring anxiety and chronic pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injection, hyperactivity was observed in glutamatergic neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC^Glu). Using whole-cell recording in ACC slices, we demonstrated that THS (34 THz) effectively inhibited the excitability of ACC^Glu. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations showed that THS reduced the number of hydrogen bonds bound between glutamate molecules and GluA2. Furthermore, THS target to the ACC in CFA-treatment mice suppressed ACC^Glu hyperactivity and, as a result, alleviated pain and anxiety-like behaviors. Consistently, inhibition of ACC^Glu hyperactivity by chemogenetics mimics THS-induced antinociceptive and antianxiety behavior. Together, our study provides evidence for THS as an intervention technique for modulating neuronal activity and a viable clinical treatment strategy for pain and comorbid anxiety.

Background and Aims: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a progressive metabolic disease characterized by obesity and multiple metabolic disorders. Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid, and its metabolism is linked to numerous physiological functions and diseases. However, the mechanisms by which Trp affects MS are not fully understood.

Methods and Results: In this study, experiments involving a high-fat diet (HFD) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) were conducted to investigate the role of Trp in regulating metabolic disorders. In a mouse model, Trp supplementation inhibited intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling and promoted hepatic bile acid (BA) synthesis and excretion, accompanied by elevated levels of conjugated BAs and the ratio of non-12-OH to 12-OH BAs in hepatic and fecal BA profiles. As Trp alters the gut microbiota and the abundance of bile salt hydrolase (BSH)-enriched microbes, we collected fresh feces from Trp-supplemented mice and performed FMT and sterile fecal filtrate (SFF) inoculations in HFD-treated mice. FMT and SFF not only displayed lipid-lowering properties but also inhibited intestinal FXR signaling and increased hepatic BA synthesis. This suggests that the gut microbiota play a beneficial role in improving BA metabolism through Trp. Furthermore, fexaramine (a gut-specific FXR agonist) reversed the therapeutic effects of Trp, suggesting that Trp acts through the FXR signaling pathway. Finally, validation in a finishing pig model revealed that Trp improved lipid metabolism, enlarged the hepatic BA pool, and altered numerous glycerophospholipid molecules in the hepatic lipid profile.

Conclusion: Our studies suggest that Trp inhibits intestinal FXR signaling mediated by the gut microbiota–BA crosstalk, which in turn promotes hepatic BA synthesis, thereby ameliorating MS.

Cryogenic crystal bolometer plays a crucial role in searching for neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay, which is a rare process that could determine the Majorana nature of neutrinos. The flagship bolometer experiment—CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events)—operating at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS)] as the world's first ton-scale bolometric detector has achieved great success and well demonstrated advantages of the bolometric technology for the 0νββ study. The proposed upgrade of CUORE—the CUPID project—aims to achieve higher sensitivity with orders of magnitude background reduction by utilizing scintillating crystals and dual readout technology to exclude most of the background events dominated by alpha particles. Although CUPID has outstanding advantages over CUORE, further increasing the detection capability to fully explore the effective neutrino mass region for the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy and possibly to discover Majorana neutrinos remains a technical challenge ahead. In this prospective, we discuss strategies toward future technology development to further enhance the experimental sensitivity.

Living microorganisms can perform directed migration for foraging in response to a chemoattractant gradient. We report a biomimetic strategy that rotary F_oF₁-ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase)-propelled flasklike colloidal motors exhibit positive chemotaxis resembling the chemotactic behavior of bacteria. The streamlined flasklike colloidal particles are fabricated through polymerization, expansion, surface rupture, and re-polymerizing nanoemulsions composed of triblock copolymers and ribose. The as-synthesized particles enable the incorporation of thylakoid vesicles into the cavity, ensuring a geometric asymmetric nanoarchitecture. The chemical gradient in the neck channel across flasklike colloidal motors facilitates autonomous movement at a speed of 1.19 μm/s in a ΔpH value of 4. Computer simulations reveal the self-actuated flasklike colloidal motors driven by self-diffusiophoretic force. These flasklike colloidal motors display positive directional motion along an adenosine diphosphate (ADP) concentration gradient during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. The positive chemotaxis is ascribed that the phosphorylation reaction occurring inside colloidal motors generates 2 distinct phoretic torques at the bottom and the opening owing to the diffusion of ADP, thereby a continuous reorientation motion. Such a biophysical strategy that nanosized rotary protein molecular motors propel the directional movement of a flasklike colloidal motor holds promise for designing new types of biomedical swimming nanobots.

The contact time of the droplet impacting on solid surfaces can be markedly reduced by 40% to 50% by breaking the symmetric behaviors with the help of the surface structures and motion, which is crucial to diverse applications involving anti-icing, anti-erosion, self-cleaning, etc. Herein, it is interesting to note that the contact time can be further decreased up to 60% on a moving ridge surface because of corresponding synergy, inspired by flying insects or wind-dispersal seeds. In the present work, the synergistic mechanisms of the reduction in contact time have been revealed by analyzing the 3 basic features, called Leaf-type, Ear-type, and Butterfly-type, according to their morphological and dynamical behaviors. Therefore, a universal theoretical model has arrived by introducing normal and tangential Weber numbers, beyond previous descriptions. Importantly, our study discovers a generalized scaling law of −0.52 between the contact time and new composite Weber number (We_com), which is feasible to stationary and moving surfaces, suggesting that the limit reduction rate on a moving ridge surface tends to 78%. The present work provides an insight to optimize the corresponding application efficiency by coupling the surface structure and motion.

The wide-bandgap semiconductor material Ga₂O₃ exhibits great potential in solar-blind deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photodetection applications, including none-line-of-sight secure optical communication, fire warning, high-voltage electricity monitoring, and maritime fog dispersion navigation. However, Ga₂O₃ photodetectors have traditionally faced challenges in achieving both high responsivity and fast response time, limiting their practical application. Herein, the Ga₂O₃ solar-blind DUV photodetectors with a suspended structure have been constructed for the first time. The photodetector exhibits a high responsivity of 1.51 × 10¹⁰ A/W, a sensitive detectivity of 6.01 × 10¹⁷ Jones, a large external quantum efficiency of 7.53 × 10¹² %, and a fast rise time of 180 ms under 250-nm illumination. Notably, the photodetector achieves both high responsivity and fast response time simultaneously under ultra-weak power intensity excitation of 0.01 μW/cm². This important improvement is attributed to the reduction of interface defects, improved carrier transport, efficient carrier separation, and enhanced light absorption enabled by the suspended structure. This work provides valuable insights for designing and optimizing high-performance Ga₂O₃ solar-blind photodetectors.