Hua Deng

An NMS/CS aerogel with synergistic ionic and pore gradients drives directional H ₃ O ⁺ migration and rapid ion transport, enabling a high-power, stable moisture-enabled generator for sustained electrical output under humid conditions.

Fluorescent pigments convert UV into visible color, realizing a “negative × negative = positive”. The coating shows 96% solar reflectivity and 4 °C lower temperature than white references, proving reciprocal design overcomes the trade-off.

Outdoor, high‐power electronic systems require efficient and deployable passive thermal management solutions. However, a single principle of thermal radiation or conduction fails to cope with both self‐driven and high heat flux demands, while unstructured material design lacks durability and cost‐effectiveness. This study proposes a cooling framework of passive thermal radiation/latent heat‐driven active heat conduction. Mechanochemistry‐mediated thermal‐enhanced fillers are sequentially embedded into the predefined heat transfer nodes within a silicone‐acrylic‐based coating, where the heterointerfaces between nano‐minerals and micro‐capsules targetedly optimize electromagnetic wave and phonon transport pathways, enabling self‐driven heat fluxes exceeding 0.5 W/cm ² in the thermal equilibrium system, an order of magnitude enhancement. Integrated circuit heat dissipation demonstrates consistently 3°C lower temperature compared to commercial thermal greases and radiative coatings. Practically, the cost for zirconia/alumina‐reinforced silicone‐acrylic resin remains only 6.9 $/m ² , while comprehensive environmental aging tests verify promising durability.

Iontronic sensors for wearable electronics and health monitoring, which exploit the electric double layer at ionic–electronic interfaces, offer exceptionally high unit-area capacitance, thereby improving sensitivity, resolution, and robustness against environmental interference. However, persistent challenges include ion leakage in liquid-based conductors, compromised capacitance in solid-state polyelectrolytes, and complex manufacturing processes required for high-precision microstructures. Herein, we present an innovative nonsolvent shear-induced phase separation strategy that integrates hydrodynamic shear fields with solvent–nonsolvent exchange to fabricate ionic conductors. Microparticles laden with abundant free ions—while displaying tunable sizes and morphologies—precipitate from the ionic liquid and subsequently assemble into free-standing films. Controlled cold-pressing eliminates excess ionic liquid while preserving the microparticle aggregate network, thus enhancing stability and supporting wide-range pressure detection (up to 500 kPa). Furthermore, the strain-sensitive slit-interconnected architectures formed by intertwined high-aspect-ratio microparticles enable the iontronic micro-strain sensor to achieve a limit of detection (∼10με) approximately one order of magnitude lower than that of conventional configurations. This straightforward and effective method harmonizes morphological tunability, ion retention, and functional performance, pointing the way toward next-generation flexible iontronic sensors.

Moisture‐electricity generators (MEGs), which directly convert environmental humidity into electricity, remain limited by low power output, short operational lifetimes, and insufficient cycling stability. We introduce an oriented aerogel‐based MEG with ultrahigh/gradual ion concentration gradient and wettability gradient architecture. Fabricated via turbulent shear precipitation, semi‑layer‑by‑layer gelation, and directional freezing, the MEG features three trilayered layers where modulated filler content establishes a gradual ion‑concentration gradient, thereby enabling sustained charge‑carrier propulsion. Non‐covalent functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with ionic liquids and surfactants enhances dispersion and establishes a substantial ion‐concentration gradient (−38 mV to +38.8 mV), while turbulent‐shear precipitation produces a dendritic polymer framework that intertwines with the SWNTs into a core–shell architecture, thereby enlarging the SWNT–water interfacial area. A tunable wettability gradient (water contact angle: 31.31°–111.21°) ensures sustained water and charge transport. Fabrication via semi‐layer‐by‐layer gelation self‐assembly prevents interlayer separation and excessive mixing. Directional freezing yields aligned porous structures that shorten transport pathways while reinforcing mechanical durability. Leveraging multi‐gradient synergy and process optimization, the device delivers record‐breaking overall performances: an energy density of 826.15 µW·h·cm ^{− 2} and power density of 162.95 µW·cm ^{− 2} , stable operation over 100 h, maintains over 85% of its capacity after 10 cycles, and maintains performance after one‑month storage.

The preparation of flexible resistive strain sensors based on polymer composites faces significant challenges in achieving a low strain detection limit, high sensitivity and printability. Herein, a conductive polymer composite ink was developed via high‐shear mechanical dispersion of carbon black (CB) in an epoxy matrix with semiconductive aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) incorporated to reduce local carrier scattering within the conductive filler network. The formulation strategy focuses on elucidating the effects of dispersant and dispersion conditions on filler distribution and correlating the dispersion state with the rheological behavior and printability of the ink. By adjusting the composition of the conductive phases within the epoxy matrix, a synergistic percolation network is established, which effectively suppresses carrier scattering and enables stable, repeatable electrical responses under small deformation. The resulting ink exhibits reliable resistance response (∼10 με), demonstrating excellent micro‐strain sensitivity (gauge factor ∼5.6). Finite element simulations further validate the experimentally observed micro‐strain distribution in the sensing layer. Moreover, the ink could be conformally printed onto diverse substrates with excellent adhesion, highlighting its versatility and practical potential for flexible sensing. This study presents a robust micro‐strain sensing strategy based on modulating the percolating network, offering new insights for the design of high‐performance flexible strain sensors.

Most existing passive radiative cooling (PDRC) materials face challenges in achieving both high solar reflectivity and strong mid–infrared emission while maintaining a thin and scalable form. Here we develop a paint–like hierarchically porous microstructure composite (HPMC) radiative–cooling coating by integrating dendritic polyimide (PI) microparticles, ZrO@SiO core–shell scatterers, and a phase–separated silicone matrix. This design significantly enhances both solar reflectivity and mid–infrared emissivity. The coating achieves an AM1.5–weighted solar reflectivity (𝑅̄ 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟) over 95% and near–unity mid–IR emissivity (𝜀𝐿𝑊𝐼𝑅) reaching 97% within the 8–13 μm atmospheric window, with a thickness of only ≈ 150 μm. Experimental results from both solar–simulator and rooftop experiments confirm stable sub–ambient temperature drops of ≈ 5 °C during the day and ≈ 7 °C at night, demonstrating superior cooling performance. Furthermore, the coating retains most of its optical properties after exposure to UV irradiation. It also shows durability against thermal–humidity aging, water immersion, and long–term outdoor weathering. In addition, EnergyPlus simulations reveal that applying HPMC to rooftop deployment can yield substantial annual cooling–energy savings, particularly in regions with hot and humid climates where cooling demand is high. This highlights HPMC as an innovative approach to passive radiative cooling by combining high optical performance with low thickness, making it a scalable, durable, and efficient solution for low–carbon, energy–efficient buildings and infrastructure.

Schematic of the thermoelectric conversion process and an outline of the various sensing applications of FTE materials and FTE devices.

Wearable devices are evolving towards self-powered and flexible directions. Ionic thermoelectric generators (i-TEGs) with high thermopower are expected to become an eco-efficient solution. However, their practical deployment faces constraints, including restricted serial scalability and the lack of mechanically flexible carrier-cooperative transport units. Here, we develop a thermoelectric (TE) hydrogel fiber with bidirectional ion selectivity, achieving widely tunable thermopower ranging from −7.9 to +5.9 mV K⁻¹. The system features ion-transport channels constructed with abundant hydroxyl and sulfonic acid groups, and incorporates well-dispersed electron transport media to ensure high conductivity (σ) and enhanced ion selectivity. This innovative design enables modulation of p/n characteristics simply by introducing different ion sources, without additional modifications. By weaving 24 pairs of p/n-type i-TE fibers, we successfully fabricated a TE textile capable of generating 4.9 V output voltage on the body surface, which exceeds the highest output voltage of 1.3 V reported for fiber-based TEGs. Moreover, through coating a hydrophobic Ecoflex layer, we realized low humidity-resistant i-TE operation without performance degradation and achieved prolonged output stability. The fabricated TE textile maintained nearly 100% voltage retention after 30 days of ambient exposure. This scalable manufacturing of i-TE fibers provides new inspiration for wearable low-grade energy harvesting technologies.

The fabrication of high-performance functional polymer composites requires delicate balance between functionalities, filler content and overall performance, and preparation route is urgently needed. Guided by Simmons theory, a PDMS-based stretchable conductor with metal-level conductivity is realized through a strategy by combining silver nanoparticle in-situ formation, optimized barrier height and volume excluding effect. Firstly, a universal matrix-independent etching-reduction method generates uniform Ag nanoparticles (~ 9.7 nm), shortening tunneling distances. Then, tunneling barrier height is minimized to 0.06 eV by aligning energy levels of surface-treated silver nanoflakes and PDMS, reducing electron scattering. Finally, silver-plated PDMS microspheres act as volume-excluding phase, compressing tunneling widths below the critical threshold (<10 nm). This integrated approach yields exceptional electrical conductivity (29429 S/cm) at 50 wt% Ag loading. Such tunneling networks retain 53% conductivity at 100% strain, while thermal conductivity increases from 4.3 to 24.3 W/m·K. This work demonstrates rational quantum tunneling barrier control to overcome performance trade-offs, providing a design framework for advanced conductive composites.