Themed collection 2025 Materials Horizons Chinese New Year

Classification and multifunctional scalability of advanced microwave absorbing materials.

This review elucidates the use of carbon-based nanomaterials of varying dimensions in the diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer's disease, grounded on several pathogenic theories of AD, while also outlining present problems and future potential.

A systematic summary of fabrication technologies, a variety of structures and biomedical applications of polymeric microspheres.

Fully bionic E-skin based on the top-down assembled structure of a biomimetic hair–epidermis–dermis–subcutaneous tissue for multidimensional tactile perception is designed.

Activity, stability, and cost are essential aspects in exploring high-performance IrO₂-based OER electrocatalysts. This work strikes a balance among these aspects via B doping-driven 1D anisotropic growth of a porous network of IrO₂ nanoneedles.

This study presents azobenzene-based hydrogels for photo-controlled, reversible adhesion. The ABOMe ionic hydrogel exhibits strong adhesion, self-healing, and underwater capabilities, advancing the field of smart biomedical and wearable adhesives.

This work reports a self-reinforcing ion-conductive elastomer with an ultimate strength of ∼51.0 MPa and an instant resilient efficiency of ∼92.9%, which can be utilized for grid-free position recognition sensors.

A hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)-generating semiconducting polymer nanoparticle (PFeD@Ang) is developed for amplified radiodynamic–ferroptosis therapy of orthotopic glioblastoma via a combinational action.

A multiple H-bonds crosslinking strategy is proposed with a poly(urethane–urea) oligomer to overcome the mismatch between the excellent mechanical properties and the good processability of 3D printable PU elastomers.

In the quest for excellent light-structural materials that can withstand mechanical extremes for advanced applications, design and control of microstructures beyond current material design strategies have become paramount.

Due to the combination of interfacial polarization and depolarization, the energy density of BCZT-based lead-free ferroelectric reached 8.03 J cm⁻³ at only 425 kV cm⁻¹. High energy density with extremely low energy consumption was achieved.

A 2D redox-active pyrazine-based COF was solvent-free anchored on graphene for heterointerface regulation, displaying exciting energy storage and desalination performances.

A novel core–shell microneedle system was developed based on GelMA and P_mL_nDMA to achieve a fast release of mangiferin and prolonged release of hMSC derived exosomes, ultimately leading to fast and scarless wound healing.

We propose a brand-new pressure sensing principle of human-skin’s piezo-thermic transduction, and develop a multisensory pulse sensor, thereby offering a human-skin transducer concept for wearable blood pressure monitoring with generalizability.

A novel solvent–exchange-assisted wet-stretching strategy is proposed to prepare anisotropic PVA hydrogels by tuning the macromolecular chain movement and optimizing the polymer network. These hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties.

A dual strategy of mild C–F scissoring fluorination and local high-concentration electrolyte is proposed to enable highly reversible Li–Fe–F conversion batteries with a high reversible capacity of 335 mA h g⁻¹ after 130 cycles.

A new facile and scalable interfacial locking engineering strategy is exploited to endow reversible microcages with infinite chemical recyclability to starting monomers, exceptional durability, high flame-retardant efficiency, and extensive applicability across diverse polymers.

A sub-nano interfacial catalytic structure is orchestrated by tailor-designing a hollow bowl-like porous carbon-confined Ru–MgO hetero-structured nanopair as a high-performance catalyst for ammonia borane hydrolysis.

The obtained bimetallic sulfide catalyst can be reconstituted as FeCoOOH, which has high efficacy for water splitting. The activation energy barrier of key reaction steps can be effectively reduced by dual-metal cooperation.

Self-healing elastomers usually show poor mechanical properties and environmental stability, and they cannot self-report mechanical/chemical damage.