Xueliang Mu

Beyond optimizing intrinsic catalytic activity, regulating the interfacial reaction environment is essential to overcome sluggish kinetics and severe corrosion in alkaline seawater electrolysis. Herein, we report a Ce-doped multimetallic NiFeCo phosphide with a defect-rich phosphorus environment, which exhibits high activity and long-term stability for alkaline seawater oxygen evolution. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of Ce incorporation and defect engineering, the catalyst undergoes dynamic surface reconstruction during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In alkaline natural seawater, the optimized Ce-NiFeCoPv@NF requires an overpotential of 378 mV to achieve 1 A cm-2 and maintains stable operation for over 710 h at 1 A cm-2. Combined electrochemical measurements and in situ spectroscopic analyses suggest that defect-rich phosphorus environment is correlated with interfacial carbonate species (CO32-/HCO3-) and surface hydroxyl distribution at the catalyst–electrolyte interface. This interfacial chemistry modulation may influence the formation of oxygenated intermediates and the regulation of interfacial reaction kinetics, and may also contribute to improved chloride tolerance. This work provides insight into defect-regulated interfacial anion chemistry for seawater electrolysis and offers a feasible strategy for designing highly active and durable OER electrocatalysts.

Ultra-high-temperature materials (UHMs) are indispensable for extreme thermal environments (e.g., temperatures exceeding 2000 °C); however, their practical implementation remains severely constrained by demanding processing conditions, including extreme sintering temperatures, prolonged cycles, densification barriers and high equipment cost. In order to meet the low-cost and ablation-resistant requirements of aircraft nose cones, a facile organic–inorganic hybrid strategy is proposed to fabricate ZrB₂–HfC–SiC composites using a high-char-yield 1,2-dicyanobenzene (DCB) binder, enabling low-temperature moulding at merely 250 °C (2 h; 20 MPa). Upon high-temperature oxidative exposure, the DCB matrix undergoes in situ pyrolysis and synergistic co-sintering with the ceramic powders, producing a multi-layered, self-protective structural architecture. A comprehensive structure–temperature map correlating temperature-dependent phase evolution with flexural strength and thermal conductivity is established, thereby elucidating the underlying self-healing and ablation-resistance mechanisms. The hybrid material in this work exhibits excellent flexural strength, ablation resistance and thermal stability. This study successfully reconciles the long-standing contradiction between low-temperature processability and ultra-high-temperature (2600 °C) service durability, offering a scalable route for next-generation thermal protection systems.

Proton transfer (PT) kinetics through the electric double layer is a critical yet often overlooked bottleneck for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under industrially relevant high potential conditions. Herein, we propose an interfacial water microenvironment engineering strategy to address this challenge by constructing a CdO–Co_3−xCd_xO₄ heterostructure with a strong built-in electric field. Combined in situ ATR-SEIRAS, kinetic isotope effect (KIE) analysis, and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations reveal that the induced electric field effectively disrupts the rigid interfacial hydrogen-bond network, increasing the proportion of isolated water molecules. Crucially, this disordered water structure significantly lowers the energy barrier for water reorientation, thereby directly accelerating the rate-determining proton transfer kinetics. As a result, the catalyst exhibits an order-of-magnitude enhancement in intrinsic activity at 1.70 V vs. RHE compared to pure Co₃O₄. This work establishes the rational engineering of the interfacial H-bond network as a decisive strategy for overcoming the kinetic limitations of high-potential electrocatalysis.

Transition metal-based heterostructures have attracted remarkable interest for their application in efficient water-splitting electrocatalysis.

Magnetic microrobots have the potential for anti‐cancer drug delivery; however, using dual‐drug to counter drug resistance, a critical issue in cancer research, has only been briefly investigated. This study introduces the double‐layered metal‐organic‐frameworks (MOFs)‐based microswimmers for sustained dual‐drug delivery. These microswimmers are made up of ZIF‐8 and MIL‐100, biocompatible MOFs, that can selectively adsorb two types of drugs. The MOFs increase the surface area of the microswimmers by ≈2.42 times, which greatly enhances drug adsorption, and improves hydrophilicity, which reduces adhesion for surface locomotion. Their biocompatibility and dual‐drug adsorption are verified through cell viability and drug‐loading tests. The microswimmers have remarkable versatility in loading different drug combinations (DHA + 5‐FU, CPT‐11, or DOX), indicating the potential for adaptive therapy. They can inhibit cancer cells for up to 72 h through the sustained release of dual drugs. In contrast, drug treatments without microswimmers only inhibit cell proliferation for 24 h, leading to a significant rebound. This study provides a method to mass fabricate fully biocompatible microrobots with dual drug loading versatility and high drug adsorption capacity; thus, suggests a powerful platform for sustained adaptive dual‐drug therapy.