Limin Zhang

The discovery of mechanical regulation to neuronal behavior offers a novel perspective for understanding nervous system function and advancing neural engineering. A key challenge lies in achieving precise mechanical control of neurons while simultaneously monitoring their activity in real time. Here, we engineered a novel molecular machine equipped with self‐reporting capability, MM‐VSD1, enabling stable anchoring into the plasma membrane. This integrated molecular tool comprises a light‐driven rotary molecular motor (MM), which delivers localized mechanical force to neuronal membranes. Concurrently, a tethered near‐infrared voltage‐sensitive dye (VSD1) module provides real‐time fluorescent feedback on changes in membrane potentials with millisecond temporal and subcellular spatial resolution. Utilizing this bifunctional molecular device, we demonstrate that MM‐VSD1 effectively activates mechanosensitive TRPV1 ion channels in hippocampal neurons, triggering calcium influx and action potential (AP) firing. This mechanical modulation induced by MM‐VSD1 is persistent and can be evoked in vivo up to one week, providing the potential of MM‐VSD1 for alleviating depression‐like behaviors in mice. By bridging mechanical manipulation with functional readouts at high spatiotemporal resolution, our work opens an avenue for mechano‐based therapeutic interventions in neurological disorders.

The discovery of mechanical regulation to neuronal behavior offers a novel perspective for understanding nervous system function and advancing neural engineering. A key challenge lies in achieving precise mechanical control of neurons while simultaneously monitoring their activity in real time. Here, we engineered a novel molecular machine equipped with self‐reporting capability, MM‐VSD1, enabling stable anchoring into the plasma membrane. This integrated molecular tool comprises a light‐driven rotary molecular motor (MM), which delivers localized mechanical force to neuronal membranes. Concurrently, a tethered near‐infrared voltage‐sensitive dye (VSD1) module provides real‐time fluorescent feedback on changes in membrane potentials with millisecond temporal and subcellular spatial resolution. Utilizing this bifunctional molecular device, we demonstrate that MM‐VSD1 effectively activates mechanosensitive TRPV1 ion channels in hippocampal neurons, triggering calcium influx and action potential (AP) firing. This mechanical modulation induced by MM‐VSD1 is persistent and can be evoked in vivo up to one week, providing the potential of MM‐VSD1 for alleviating depression‐like behaviors in mice. By bridging mechanical manipulation with functional readouts at high spatiotemporal resolution, our work opens an avenue for mechano‐based therapeutic interventions in neurological disorders.

Biofilm‐associated infections pose a critical clinical challenge due to their inherent antibiotic resistance and limited therapeutic penetrability. Herein, we engineered a mechano‐piezoelectric nano‐urchin system, NiCo ₂ S ₄ @UiO‐66, which utilizes ultrasound to achieve mechanical biofilm disruption and spatially hierarchical reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation for synergistic antimicrobial therapy. The spiky architecture of NiCo ₂ S ₄ nano‐urchins acts as physical penetrators, mechanically compromising biofilm integrity. Under ultrasound activation, a graded ROS generation mechanism is greatly enhanced via two distinct pathways. Externally, the NiCo ₂ S ₄ nanozyme activated by piezoelectric UiO‐66 successfully catalyzes pathogenic H ₂ O ₂ at the biofilm periphery into highly destructive ·OH radicals, which not only degrade the extracellular polymeric matrix, but avoids additional oxidative stress. Internally, the mechanically driven piezoelectric UiO‐66 component generates long‐diffusing singlet oxygen ( ¹ O ₂ ), capable of targeting and eliminating bacteria embedded deep within the biofilm. Driven by the nano‐urchin mechanical action, this hierarchical ROS mechanism integrates intra‐biofilm ¹ O ₂ production with peripheral ·OH‐mediated decomposition, ensuring robust and comprehensive biofilm eradication. In a murine model of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ) infected wounds, the system achieved rapid biofilm clearance and accelerated tissue repair through immunomodulation and angiogenesis promotion. This strategy addresses key limitations of conventional antimicrobial therapies and offers an effective approach for treating multidrug‐resistant biofilm infections.

Supercapacitors are increasingly being explored for bioelectronic systems due to their high power density, rapid charge–discharge capability, and excellent biocompatibility, making them promising for tissue–device interfaces. This review summarizes recent advances in supercapacitor materials and device architectures, with particular emphasis on their electrochemical performance, biocompatibility, and multifunctionality in biological applications. To meet diverse application requirements, various one-dimensional fibers, two-dimensional planar structures, and three-dimensional materials have been developed. These supercapacitors can also be integrated with bioelectronic devices such as biofuel cells, enabling combined bioelectrochemical energy conversion and capacitive energy storage. Importantly, many supercapacitors designed for biomedical use exhibit excellent biocompatibility, and some are even biodegradable, thereby providing a solid foundation for in vivo applications. In addition, supercapacitor-based platforms have been engineered to simultaneously deliver energy and provide electrical stimulation to cells, tissues, and in vivo environments. Consequently, supercapacitor-driven bioelectronics are steadily advancing toward wearable and implantable biomedical devices.

The spontaneous assembly of nanoparticles at liquid-liquid interfaces (LLIs) to form uniform and defect-free SERS substrates has garnered considerable attention in analytical sensing. However, the soft nature of these interfaces imposes stringent requirements on LLI structural design, necessitating both interfacial stability and tunable structure-performance relationships. Here, we developed a molecularly tailored LLI-SERS platform using carborane (CBT)-stabilized AgNPs as buoyant probes (AgNP@CBT). Spherical CBT modification of AgNPs created an effective steric coating to guarantee reliable SERS analysis with subnanometer precision, while endowing the nanoparticles with cation-enrichment capability to enhance the assembly stability of AgNP@CBT in a large-scale fashion by reducing interfacial tension. Meanwhile, the Raman signal at 2576 cm^-1, originating from CBT located in the silent region, provided the LLI-SERS platform with a stable inner reference to self-calibrate in real time for variations of the interfacial environment, further improving the accuracy of detection. This strategy was highly versatile and successfully employed for two potential applications: real-time monitoring of hydroxyl radical (^∙OH) generation from the photocatalytic activity of nano-ZnO, and in vivo tracking the variation of hypochlorous acid (ClO^-) in the seizure mice brains via combination with a microdialysis technique.

A mitochondria-targeted NIR probe enables highly sensitive imaging of subtle mitochondrial viscosity changes and long-term neuronal tracking, revealing viscosity elevation in epileptic hippocampus in vivo .

In fulfillment of the national science-and-technology development agenda, the Department of Chemical Sciences of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) convened the Strategic Symposium on the Fifteenth Five-Year (2026–2030) Development Plan for Electrochemistry held in Xiamen on 29 August, 2025—the culminating year of the Fourteenth Five-Year (2021–2025) Development Plan. More than forty leading experts in the field of electrochemistry participated with spanning nine thematic fronts: Interfacial Electrocatalysis, Interfacial Electrochemistry for Energy Storage, Bioelectrochemistry, Electrochemistry of Hydrogen Energy, Electrochemical Micro-/Nano-Manufacturing, Operando Electrochemical Characterization, Electro-Thermal Coupling Catalysis, Theoretical and Computational Electrochemistry, and Electrochemical Synthesis. The forum assembled China’s foremost electrochemical expertise to blueprint high-quality disciplinary growth for the coming five-year period, thereby serving overarching national strategic needs and sharpening the international competitiveness of Chinese electrochemistry. This paper is presented to highlight the strategic needs and priority areas for the next five years (2026–2030) based on this symposium. The development status of basic research and applied basic research in China’s electrochemistry field is systematically reviewed. The in-depth analyses of the existing problems and key challenges in the research and development of electrochemistry related fields are outlined, and the frontier research areas and development trends in the next 5–10 years by integrating national major strategic needs are discussed, which will further promote the academic community to reach a clearer consensus. The proposed strategic roadmap is intended to accelerate a sharpened community consensus, propel the discipline toward high-quality advancement, and furnish a critical reference for building China into a world-leading science and technology power.