Linping Zhang

The linear scaling relationship among oxygenated intermediates fundamentally limits the maximum activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), creating a critical bottleneck for developing high-performance Pt-free catalysts in metal–air batteries. Overcoming this intrinsic limitation demands a catalytic architecture capable of decoupling intermediate binding and reprogramming the reaction pathway. Here we report a cluster–dual site electronic coupling strategy that promotes a dissociative four-electron ORR pathway by stabilizing an O–O-activated adsorption motif and suppressing the conventional *OOH-mediated pathway, thereby alleviating the *OH–*OOH scaling constraint. This strategy is realized by integrating sub-nanometer FeCo clusters with atomically dispersed Fe–Co dual atom sites (Cluster@FeCo-HCNF), which induces strong d–d orbital coupling and electron delocalization across adjacent Fe and Co centers. As a result, a polarized Pt-like Fe–O–O–Co bridge adsorption configuration is stabilized, facilitating direct O–O bond cleavage. In situ vibrational spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations reveal independent stabilization of Fe–O and Co–O intermediates and a significantly reduced O–O dissociation barrier of 0.173 eV. Consequently, Cluster@FeCo-HCNF delivers a high half-wave potential of 0.89 V, nearly 99.8% four-electron selectivity, and long-term durability exceeding 1100 h in Zn-air batteries. This work establishes a generalizable electronic coupling concept for activating dissociative ORR pathways at the atomic level.

In the field of personal thermal management, achieving both visible-light camouflage diversity and low infrared emissivity remains a significant challenge. Conventional polymer/metal heterostructures often suffer from high rigidity and insufficient interfacial adhesion, which restricts their applicability in flexible wearable devices. To address these limitations, we have developed a hierarchical polymer flexible composite film. Its structure features a top layer of dyed electrospun polyamide-6 (PA6) nanofibers for visible camouflage, a middle layer of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a low-infrared-emissivity core, and a bottom layer of dopamine-modified nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) as a multifunctional substrate. Experimental results demonstrate that this composite achieves full-spectrum color tunability across the visible range and reduces the apparent infrared contrast of covered regions in the 3–5 and 8–14 μm atmospheric windows. Furthermore, by leveraging the intrinsic mid-infrared absorption properties of PA6, the system enables selective radiative cooling in the visible and infrared bands, achieving a temperature reduction of 3.4–5.4 °C and mitigating heat accumulation commonly observed in traditional stealth materials. In summary, this integrated polymer composite material, combining multiband camouflage, radiative heat dissipation, and mechanical flexibility, provides an approach to address the optical constraints of PEDOT:PSS-based devices.

Realizing flexible dual‐band camouflage fabrics is fundamentally limited by the intrinsic physical conflict between visible color matching and low IR signatures, alongside the interfacial instability of functional layers during mechanical deformation. Herein, we report a highly durable fabric featuring synergistic visible‐infrared dual‐band camouflage via bio‐inspired interfacial anchoring and a gradient mechanical architecture. A reactive TA‐APTES interlayer transforms the inert textile into a functionalized interface, facilitating robust adhesion via covalent cross‐linking. Precise dual‐band camouflage patterns are achieved by fabricating an all‐polymer heterostructure (Fabric‐PANI‐PBFDO) via high‐throughput screen printing. Within this hierarchy, the PANI layer acts as a modulus‐gradient buffer, dissipating interfacial strain energy while providing high‐fidelity visible color matching with natural vegetation. The top self‐doped PBFDO layer exhibits exceptional conductivity (>800 S cm ⁻¹ ), enabling ultralow IR emissivity (ε = 0.1–0.3). Crucially, the fabric demonstrates pronounced electrothermal decoupling: generating substantial physical heat (up to 80°C) for hypothermia prevention while suppressing apparent radiation temperature to 50°C (ΔTmax = 30°C). This voltage‐driven thermal regulation allows the fabric to provide active heating while maintaining infrared outline‐disruption capability. Demonstrating exceptional radiative and mechanical stability over 1000 folding cycles, this work provides a scalable wearable textile platform for visible‐infrared dual‐band camouflage and electrothermal‐assisted infrared signature management.

Conventional dyeing of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) typically necessitates energy‐intensive high‐temperature processes at approximately 130°C. In contrast, disperse dyeable polyester under normal pressure, modified with flexible ether‐bond segments, exhibits a significantly reduced crystallinity of 26.83% compared to 48.04% for PET, offering intrinsic potential for atmospheric‐pressure dyeing. This study establishes a mechanism‐guided strategy to overcome the trade‐off between solubility‐limited uptake and thermal migration risks. Microscopic mechanism elucidation via low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance quantified a critical free volume expansion between 70 and 98°C, creating physical channels for dye diffusion. To bridge the aqueous solubility gap, environmentally friendly bio‐based carriers were evaluated. The investigation revealed a crucial ‘solubilisation‐transfer trade‐off’: while excessive dye‐carrier affinity sequesters dye molecules in the bath, an optimised carrier system (1 g/L 4‐propylguaiacol at pH 5) successfully balances dye solubilisation and interfacial transfer. This carrier‐assisted protocol achieved a 20%–30% increase in exhaustion, ultimately delivering a final dye uptake exceeding 95% with colour fastness ≥Grade 4. This work provides a validated, low‐carbon methodology that facilitates the sustainable commercialisation of next‐generation polyesters.

The development of flexible materials for multispectral camouflage is hindered by the inherent trade-off between low infrared (IR) emissivity and visible color matching, alongside the poor durability of rigid coatings on soft textiles. To address these challenges, a highly flexible and durable multispectral camouflage fabric was developed by integrating bio-inspired interfacial anchoring with a gradient mechanical architecture. A reactive tannic acid/3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (TA-APTES) interlayer was constructed on microfiber substrates, significantly enhancing coating adhesion. A hierarchical all-polymer architecture was then fabricated via screen printing: the polyaniline (PANI) interlayer served as a mechanical stress buffer and provided precise chromatic matching with natural vegetation, while the top poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO) layer imparted high electrical conductivity (>800 S/cm) and ultralow IR emissivity (ε = 0.1–0.3). In passive stealth mode, the fabric utilized substantial emissivity contrasts to achieve high-fidelity thermal texture segmentation (ΔT= 7°C) and seamless visual integration with the background. Moreover, during active thermal management driven by Joule heating, the material exhibited a pronounced thermal decoupling effect. It generated sufficient actual heat to prevent hypothermia (physical temperature up to 80 °C) while suppressing the apparent radiation temperature to 50 °C (ΔTmax= 30 °C), thereby maintaining its critical outline-disruption capability during operation. Finally, the fabric demonstrated excellent radiative and mechanical stability after 1,000 folding cycles, offering a robust pathway for intelligent, all-weather multispectral camouflage.

Electronic packaging materials that exhibit favorable electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) and thermal conductive features are critically important for the protection of growing high-power advanced electronics. However, existing bifunctional materials emphasize only single EMA performance and suffer from severely insufficient thermal conductivity. Thus, it remains an enormous challenge to develop a highly thermally conductive electromagnetic absorber. Herein, inspired by nacre shell, we propose phonon bridges embedding a layered skeleton-densification strategy to prepare biaxially oriented SiC@BN/WPU composite for integrating efficient phonon transport with strong electromagnetic absorption. Benefiting from the deep modulation of dielectric features and the construction of a compact biaxial thermal pathway, the resulting B-SCBW material delivers excellent electromagnetic features with minimum reflection loss values of -46.29 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.02 GHz, and outstanding through-plane and in-plane thermal conductivity of 6.22 W m^-1 K^-1 and 9.27 W m^-1 K^-1, respectively. Besides, the evolutionary correlation from structure to performance is also systematically elucidated. This work proposes an efficient materials-structural-function strategy to balance superior electromagnetic and high thermal conductive attributes, providing valuable experience for the fabrication of electronic packaging materials integrating electromagnetic protection and thermal management.