Wen-Jun Wang

Spatially resolved electroluminescent (EL) textiles are highly desirable for flexible hazard detection, yet conventional systems limit real‐time localization of dynamic stimuli. Inspired by insect olfaction, where spatial information emerges from distributed sensing and spatiotemporal signal differences, we report a cellulose‐based EL sensing textile for real‐time gas leak localization via material‐architecture‐governed spatial encoding. Plant‐derived cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) serve as fundamental building blocks, organizing functional components through blending or surface modification and being assembled via wet‐spinning into continuous fibers with hierarchical porosity, flexibility, and volumetric stimulus accessibility essential for rapid gas sensing. Conductive fibers are fabricated through in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) on CNF surfaces, enabling reversible, gas‐responsive electrical modulation with detection limits of 1 ppm for HCl and 3.6 ppm for NH ₃ . Coaxial electroluminescent fibers comprising a PANI@CNF conductive core and ZnS‐embedded CNF shell provide stable light emission over 100 h of continuous operation. Intersections between these fibers form self‐defined units that translate localized gas exposure into spatiotemporally resolved EL patterns, mapping propagation pathways with a naked‐eye detection threshold of 100 ppm, while maintaining stable emission after washing and bending. This work establishes a bio‐inspired, architecture‐driven strategy for smart textiles, highlighting cellulose‐based nanocomposites as key components for next‐generation smart technologies.

Esterification-driven thermoplastic lignin infiltrates hemicellulose-bridged nanocellulose to form dense all-biomass films with superior dry/wet strength, barrier performance, UV/antibacterial shielding, and leak-proof thermal welding.

Thermoelectric materials convert heat directly into electricity, providing a solution for energy harvesting and self-powered systems. Despite the progress, challenges remain in balancing efficiency, flexibility, and stability for practical applications. Nanocellulose offers a versatile platform with a high aspect ratio, mechanical robustness, and tunable surface chemistry. This account highlights how assembly strategies translate these properties into functional materials for energy conversion. By integrating top-down processing, bottom-up macroscopic/microscopic assembly, and molecular-level modification, hierarchical interfaces and structures can be engineered to optimize phonon scattering, carrier transport, and mechanical strength. Such control enables flexible, conformal, and stretchable devices for wearable electronics, solar-thermoelectric generators, radiative cooling, and multifunctional self-powered sensors. We examine how different assembly approaches shape morphology and interfaces, directly linking the structural design to device function. This framework emphasizes scalable and sustainable strategies for nanocellulose-based thermoelectrics, guiding the development of efficient, flexible, and environmentally friendly energy harvesting systems from fundamental research to practical applications.

Designing humidity-driven actuators with rapid, programmable motion remains challenging due to limited responsiveness and poor mechanical integrity in conventional materials. Here, we demonstrate a strategy that transforms one-dimensional (1D) cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) into mechanically robust two-dimensional films through premodification, which simultaneously directs the controlled growth of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to produce tunable, moisture-responsive surfaces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , ζ-potential, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analyses confirm uniform modification and distinct COF nanostructures: covalent anchoring on reactive CNFs generates vertically aligned nanoflakes, whereas electrostatic catalysis on charged CNFs yields densely packed nanorods. The resulting COF@CNF films exhibit enhanced tensile strength (∼230 MPa vs 150 MPa for pristine CNFs), folding endurance (up to 1.6 × 10⁴ cycles vs under 4 × 10³ cycles on COF@polypropylene), and hydrophobicity (∼110°) while maintaining flexibility. Asymmetric COF deposition enables programmable humidity-driven bending and complex motions, including self-oscillation and S-shaped deformation. This work illustrates how the precise nanoscale design of 1D building blocks drives emergent bulk properties, offering a versatile platform for high-performance, programmable actuators.

SnTe has attracted significant research interest as a lead-free alternative to PbTe; however, its intrinsically high hole concentration results in an undesirably low Seebeck coefficient and elevated electronic thermal conductivity, thus significantly limiting its thermoelectric (TE) performance. Herein, we present a cost-effective, binary thiol-amine-mediated colloidal synthesis method to synthesize Bi-doped SnTe nanoparticles, eliminating the use of tri-n-octylphosphine-based precursors. The introduction of an electron-rich Bi dopant reduces the hole concentration and increases the Seebeck coefficient. Furthermore, post-synthetic surface treatment with chalcogenidocadmate complexes promotes atomic interdiffusion during annealing and consolidation, leading to compositional redistribution and modulation of the electronic band structure. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that co-modification via Bi doping and CdSe-derived chalcogen incorporation reduces the energy offset at the valence band maxima from 0.30 eV to 0.10 eV, thereby enhancing valence band degeneracy. The synergistic structural and electronic band structure modulations produce an SnTe-based material with a record high power factor of 2.1 mW m^-1 K^-2 at 900 K, a maximum TE figure of merit (zT) of 1.2, and a promising theoretical conversion efficiency of 8.3%. This study reports a versatile and scalable colloidal synthesis strategy that integrates hierarchical structural modulation with electronic band engineering, offering a synergistic route to significantly enhance the TE performance.