This review focuses on recent progress in optimizing the energy storage performance of dielectric ceramic and indicates the correlation between performance and the designed microstructure. Principles and key parameters of dielectric energy storage are described, and optimized strategies on microstructure with improving energy storage performance are briefly collected, named domain engineering, grain refining strategy, textured ceramic design, multi-phase engineering, core-shell structure design, and multilayer structural design. Conclusion with existing challenges and perspectives of microstructure control on optimizing energy storage performance dielectric ceramic are finally presented.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced by various dimensional nanoscale reinforcements (ranging from 0D to 3D) have gained significant importance in numerous fields such as electronic circuits, aerospace and new energy vehicles due to their exceptional mechanical and functional properties. Despite their widespread applications, the inherent disparity in properties between the matrix and nanoscale reinforcements often results in a trade-off between strength and plasticity, as well as diminished physical characteristics. This dilemma significantly impedes the advancement of MMCs. This review aims to discuss the current state of research on MMCs reinforced by nanoscale reinforcements, highlighting the intricately designed approaches for achieving high strength-ductility matching or enhanced physical properties. Furthermore, the review systematically examines the factors influencing strengthening, toughening mechanisms and deformation behavior, as supported by current experimental and theoretical research across various reinforcement dimensions. Analyzing and evaluating the internal mechanisms and influencing factors that govern the distinctive dimensional design to achieve specific properties can provide fundamental principles for designing and fabricating high-performance composite materials, facilitating the extensive application of the MMCs in cutting-edge fields such as aerospace, electronic communications, and artificial intelligence.

Failure of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) under subfreezing conditions limits their further development in aerospace and military applications, including severe capacity degradation, poor charge ability, and safety issue. Sluggish electrochemical reaction kinetics in the cathode-electrolyte interphases (CEI) would restrict the diffusion transfer of electric charge and Li⁺ ions, which is regarded as the main factor contributing to the low-temperature electrochemical failure issue. This review introduces and discusses the latest important interfacial CEI engineering on the layered oxide cathode in enhancing the low-temperature performance of LIBs based on the electrolyte modulation strategies. Firstly, the interfacial issues of layered oxide cathodes and the formation mechanism of CEI film under subzero temperatures are introduced. Secondly, recent progress about the interfacial engineering on inducing CEI construction under low temperature is summarized in terms of the components mainly involved in anions of Li salt, solvent molecule and additive. Thirdly, considering the unique composition and structure of CEI films, advanced interfacial characterization techniques and analysis are summarized. Finally, a perspective of electrolyte design matched with layered cathode materials in low-temperature LIBs is further presented, which may supply a new sight into designs and manufacture of LIBs and other devices for subzero-temperature applications.

Chalcogenide phase-change materials are capable of switching rapidly between a disordered amorphous phase and an ordered crystalline phase, associating with the pronounced differences in electrical and optical properties. The resistance contrast is widely used for data storage in phase-change memories (PCMs). As the most promising emerging non-volatile memory, PCMs have been intensively explored for embedded data storage applications. The key challenge of embedded PCMs (ePCMs) is to realize reliable electrical switching performance in an environment with high thermal budget, in which the thermal stability of chalcogenide phase-change materials is crucial to retain the encoded information. We present a review of the material engineering of chalcogenide phase-change materials by doping to address the high thermal stability challenge. The mechanism of performance optimization and industrial applications of the chalcogenide materials are also included, which are important for the development of ePCMs with high thermal stability and excellent performance.