Soft electronics, known for their bendable, stretchable, and flexible properties, are revolutionizing fields such as biomedical sensing, consumer electronics, and robotics. A primary challenge in this domain is achieving low power consumption, often hampered by the limitations of the conventional von Neumann architecture. In response, the development of soft artificial synapses (SASs) has gained substantial attention. These synapses seek to replicate the signal transmission properties of biological synapses, offering an innovative solution to this challenge. This review explores the materials and device architectures integral to SAS fabrication, emphasizing flexibility and stability under mechanical deformation. Various architectures, including floating-gate dielectric, ferroelectric-gate dielectric, and electrolyte-gate dielectric, are analyzed for effective weight control in SASs. The utilization of organic and low-dimensional materials is highlighted, showcasing their plasticity and energy-efficient operation. Furthermore, the paper investigates the integration of functionality into SASs, particularly focusing on devices that autonomously sense external stimuli. Functionalized SASs, capable of recognizing optical, mechanical, chemical, olfactory, and auditory cues, demonstrate promising applications in computing and sensing. A detailed examination of photo-functionalized, tactile-functionalized, and chemoreception-functionalized SASs reveals their potential in image recognition, tactile sensing, and chemosensory applications, respectively. This study highlights that SASs and functionalized SAS devices hold transformative potential for bioelectronics and sensing for soft-robotics applications; however, further research is necessary to address scalability, long-time stability, and utilizing functionalized SASs for prosthetics and in vivo applications through clinical adoption. By providing a comprehensive overview, this paper contributes to the understanding of SASs, bridging research gaps and paving the way toward transformative developments in soft electronics, biomimicking and biointegrated synapse devices, and integrated systems.

Fluorescence imaging, a highly sensitive molecular imaging modality, is being increasingly integrated into clinical practice. Imaging within the second near-infrared biological window (NIR-II; 1,000 to 1,700 nm), also referred to as shortwave infrared, has received substantial attention because of its markedly reduced autofluorescence, deeper tissue penetration, and enhanced spatiotemporal resolution as compared to traditional near-infrared (NIR) imaging. Indocyanine green (ICG), a US Food and Drug Administration-approved NIR fluorophore, has long been used in clinical applications, including blood vessel angiography, vascular perfusion monitoring, and tumor detection. Recent advancements in NIR-II imaging technology have revitalized interest in ICG, revealing its extended tail fluorescence beyond 1,000 nm and reaffirming its potential as a clinically translatable NIR-II fluorophore for in vivo imaging and theranostic applications for diagnosing various diseases. This review emphasizes the notable advances in the use of ICG and its derivatives for NIR-II imaging and image-guided therapy from both fundamental and clinical perspectives. We also provide a concise conclusion and discuss the challenges and future opportunities with NIR-II imaging using clinically approved fluorophores.

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.

Electromagnetic (EM) metamaterials represent a cutting-edge field that achieves anomalously macroscopic properties through artificial design and arrangement of microstructure arrays to freely manipulate EM fields and waves in desired ways. The unit cell of a microstructure array is also called a meta-atom, which can construct effective medium parameters that do not exist in traditional materials or are difficult to realize with traditional technologies. By deep integration with digital information, the meta-atom is evolved to a digital meta-atom, leading to the emergence of information metamaterials. Information metamaterials break the inherent barriers between the EM and digital domains, providing a physical platform for controlling EM waves and modulating digital information simultaneously. The concepts of meta-atoms and metamaterials are also introduced to high-frequency integrated circuit designs to address issues that cannot be solved by traditional methods, since lumped-parameter models become unsustainable at microscopic scales. By incorporating several meta-atoms to form a metachip, precise manipulation of the EM field distribution can be achieved at microscopic scales. In this perspective, we summarize the physical connotations and main classifications of meta-atoms and briefly discuss their future development trends. Through this article, we hope to draw more research attention to explore the potential values of meta-atoms, thereby opening up a broader stage for the in-depth development of metamaterials.

The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) at industrial-level current densities provides a sustainable approach to converting CO₂ into value-added fuels and feedstocks using renewable electricity. However, the CO₂RR conducted typically in alkaline and neutral electrolytes encounters some challenges due to the inevitable reaction between CO₂ and OH⁻ ions, which undermines CO₂ utilization and leads to poor operational stability. Acidic media present a viable alternative by reducing (bi)carbonate production, thereby enhancing the carbon efficiency and stability in CO₂RR. The objective of this paper is to provide a concise account of the recent advancements and challenges in the field of acidic CO₂RR, with an emphasis on future developments and opportunities.

Increasing evidence has shown that physical exercise remarkably inhibits oncogenesis and progression of numerous cancers and exercise-responsive microRNAs (miRNAs) exert a marked role in exercise-mediated tumor suppression. In this research, expression and prognostic values of exercise-responsive miRNAs were examined in breast cancer (BRCA) and further pan-cancer types. In addition, multiple independent public and in-house cohorts, in vitro assays involving multiple, macrophages, fibroblasts, and tumor cells, and in vivo models were utilized to uncover the tumor-suppressive roles of miR-29a-3p in cancers. Here, we reported that miR-29a-3p was the exercise-responsive miRNA, which was lowly expressed in tumor tissues and associated with unfavorable prognosis in BRCA. Mechanistically, miR-29a-3p targeted macrophages, fibroblasts, and tumor cells to down-regulate B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) expression. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) demonstrated that miR-29a-3p attacked the armored and cold tumors, thereby shaping an immuno-hot tumor microenvironment (TME). Translationally, liposomes were developed and loaded with miR-29a-3p (lipo@miR-29a-3p), and lipo@miR-29a-3p exhibited promising antitumor effects in a mouse model with great biocompatibility. In conclusion, we uncovered that miR-29a-3p is a critical exercise-responsive miRNA, which attacked armored and cold tumors by inhibiting B7-H3 expression. Thus, miR-29a-3p restoration could be an alternative strategy for antitumor therapy.

The management of wound exudate is of vital importance for wound healing. Exudate accumulation around wound prolongs inflammation and hinders healing. Although traditional dressings can absorb wound exudate, they are unable to drain exudate in time, often resulting in a poor feature with wound healing. In recent years, the appearance of asymmetric wettability dressings has shown great potential in exudate management. Here, we summarize the latest progress of 3 kinds of asymmetric wettability wound dressings in exudate management, including Janus structure, sandwich structure, and gradient structure. The most common Janus structural dressing among asymmetric wettability dressings is highlighted from 2 aspects: single-layer modified Janus structure and double-layer Janus structure. The challenges faced by asymmetric wettability wound dressings are discussed, and the developing trends of smart wound dressings in this field are prospected.

As global populations become increasingly aged, existing elderly care models are proving insufficient. The development and application of nursing robots have shown potential in addressing the challenges of elder care in aging societies. This perspective outlines current state and potential applications of nursing robots in promoting healthy aging. Given this background, a networked intelligent elderly care model for nursing robots, which integrates technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and nursing robotics, is proposed. This model would synergistically combine elderly health monitoring, capability assessment, and intelligent allocation functions to revolutionize global elderly care practices and promote healthy aging.

Edge contact is essential for achieving the ultimate device pitch scaling of stacked nanosheet transistors with monolayer 2-dimensional (2D) channels. However, due to large edge-contact resistance between 2D channels and contact metal, there is currently a lack of high-performance edge-contact device technology for 2D material channels. Here, we report high-performance edge-contact monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) field-effect transistors (FETs) utilizing well-controlled plasma etching techniques. Plasma etching with pure argon improves the edge dangling bonds and thus improves the edge-contact quality. Edge-contact monolayer MoS₂ FET shows good ohmic contact even at cryogenic temperatures (20 K), achieving a record-low contact resistance (R_c) of 1.25 kΩ·μm among all edge-contact MoS₂ devices. The record-high on-state current of 436 μA/μm and transconductance of 123 μS/μm at V_ds = 1 V are achieved on an edge-contact monolayer MoS₂ FET with L_ch = 120 nm. This work highlights the great potential of edge contacts for high-performance monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material electronics.