Reliable brazing of C/C-SiC composites to stainless steel is hindered by severe residual stresses and uncontrolled interfacial reactions. Here, we introduce a CuMnCr/Mo/Cu multilayer interface that aims to simultaneously regulates stress distribution and interfacial chemistry. Cr from the CuMnCr layer preferentially reacts with C/C-SiC, forming a Cr7C3 + Cr3Si reaction layer, while Fe and Cr from stainless steel diffuse into Cu to produce a (Cu, Fe, Cr) solid solution. The Mo interlayer mainly acts as both a diffusion barrier and a compliant stress absorber, isolating reaction zones and concentrating part of the residual stress within itself. Finite-element simulations confirm that this design reduces peak Mises stress from 684 MPa to 444 MPa. At an optimized brazing temperature of 980 °C, the joint achieves a shear strength of 32.2 MPa, corresponding to 57.5% of the intrinsic strength of C/C-SiC. Thermodynamic, kinetic, and first-principles analyses suggest that Cr plays a dominant role in interfacial bonding, whereas Mo contributes to the redistribution of residual stress and mitigation of brittle fracture. Overall, this multilayer strategy provides mechanistic insight into how Cr-driven interfacial control can be combined with Mo-assisted stress management to design reliable C/C-SiC-metal joints, while the long-term service behavior and extension to other composite/steel combinations remain to be clarified in future work.

The development of high-performance electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials that combine cost efficiency and environmental sustainability remains a critical challenge in the fields of functional materials and stealth technology. Although the magnetoelectric coupling strategy has emerged as an important approach for designing high-performance absorbers by introducing magnetic loss and improving impedance matching, its ability to enhance absorption bandwidth remains limited, thereby restricting its application in scenarios requiring broadband absorption. To address this issue, this study proposes an innovative strategy for fabricating a hierarchical composite absorber derived from waste-based activated carbon spheres (ACSs). Inspired by natural biological structures, a sweet potato leaf-inspired electromagnetic wave absorber (SPL) has been designed. Leveraging electromagnetic wave localization theory and machine learning-assisted structural optimization, the resulting SPL successfully maximizes the localization of electromagnetic waves within the material distribution region. This leads to exceptional electromagnetic wave absorption performance, achieving a reflectivity below -10 dB across the entire 3–50 GHz frequency range at a matching thickness of only 10 mm. Simultaneously, owing to the inherent absorption characteristics of the activated carbon base, the composite retains its excellent capacity for adsorbing harmful gases. This work not only provides a high-performance, low-cost, and multifunctional electromagnetic wave absorber but also offers valuable insights into the value-added reuse of waste resources and the rational design of bio-inspired structures for advanced electromagnetic protection applications in both military and civilian architectural domains.

Corrosion is a persistent challenge in engineering, causing significant degradation of metallic materials across industries. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), a versatile class of two-dimensional materials, offer promising solutions for corrosion protection owing to their exceptional properties, such as anion capacity, anion exchangeability, and barrier resistance. Despite comprehensive reviews on the preparation of LDH powders or films and their applications in various corrosive environments, there has been no thorough examination of corrosion protection enhancement measures taken to address the deficiencies of LDH films grown in situ on metal surfaces. This review fills that gap by introducing the fundamental approaches and methodologies for growing LDH films directly on metal substrates, including strategies for structural design and surface modification to optimize protective performance. We identify the key challenges and issues that currently limit the long-term protective performance of these films. Subsequently, we examine advanced structural regulation and surface engineering techniques, including parallel growth, pore sealing, surface wettability regulation, active protection, and integrated methods, to enhance their durability and overall corrosion resistance. Finally, we highlight emerging research directions for translating these concepts into innovative and robust LDH-based films. By consolidating current knowledge on the structure and surface engineering of in-situ grown LDH films, this review aims to guide the rational design and development of pioneering corrosion protection materials.

Zirconium based MOFs demonstrate potential for ecofriendly modification of collagen fibers. However, achieving high utilization efficiency of zirconium ions remains challenging. Herein, a novel boronate ester functionalized MOF (Zr-TB) with pH-dependent structural stability is disclosed. It maintains structural integrity under neutral conditions but decomposes under acidic conditions below pH 4.0. Based on this, a novel modifier for collagen fibers is developed by loading zirconium complex (ZTA) into Zr-TB. This system enables controlled release of ZTA, thereby preventing excessive binding between zirconium ions and collagen fibers. EDS analysis confirms the uniform distribution of zirconium ions in the modified collagen fibers, resulting in excellent hydrothermal stability characterized by a shrinkage temperature of over 80 °C. DFT calculations reveal that the zirconium cluster complex generated from the decomposition of Zr-TB can also effectively bind to the -COOH of collagen fibers, thereby significantly improving the utilization efficiency of zirconium ions. Notably, after ball milling, the modified collagen fibers serve as an efficient catalyst for the Knoevenagel reaction and exhibit excellent cycling stability, maintaining a yield above 87% over five consecutive cycles, attributable to the uniform distribution of zirconium ions on the collagen support. Furthermore, the presence of -NH2 on the collagen fibers effectively eliminates the need for additional alkaline catalysts. This work presents a highly efficient strategy for modification of collagen fibers and highlights the promising potential of collagen fibers as carriers for organic synthesis catalysts.

Over the past decade, the study of DNA-templated metal nanoclusters (DNA-MNCs) has made rapid progress. It demonstrates broad application prospects in the fields of biosensing, medical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. Despite the significant achievements of DNA-MNCs in optical properties, little study has been conducted on the catalytic properties of DNA-MNCs. We have successfully synthesized DNA-Au/Pt bimetallic NCs through a chemical reduction method, which exhibit excellent peroxidase-like (POD-like) activity. Due to the synergistic effect between the bimetals and an efficient electron transfer mechanism, their catalytic activity far surpasses that of monometallic NCs, and their affinity for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is even superior to horseradish peroxidase (HRP). By adjusting the template sequences and structures, we found that the catalytic activity of the four DNA homopolymer templates follows the trend: PolyC > PolyA > PolyG > PolyT, indicating that the C base has the strongest affinity for Au and Pt ions. For the same nucleation sequence, the catalytic activity of DNA-Au/Pt nanozymes is closely related to the length and structure of the DNA template sequence used. Based on these findings, combined with the cleavage action of DNAzymes to trigger the transformation of DNA structure, we have proposed a biosensing method for detecting miRNA. Besides, The DNA-Au/Pt nanozyme possesses dual enzyme-like activities of catalase (CAT) and laccase (LAC). Based on the dual-enzyme cascade catalytic system, it can efficiently degrade the organic pollutant malachite green (MG) into less toxic products. This research offers valuable insights into the synthesis of DNA templated nanozymes, and it highlights the potential for optimizing their performance by modulating the DNA sequences. More importantly, this research provides new insights for the design and application of multienzyme activities and multifunctional applications nanozymes in the future.

Infected skin wounds represent a significant healthcare challenge, affecting millions of patients worldwide and imposing substantial economic burden on healthcare systems. Traditional wound dressings and systemic antibiotics face critical limitations including lack of tissue adhesion in wet environments, increasing antibiotic resistance, and inability to promote tissue regeneration, resulting in suboptimal healing outcomes. In this research, we formulated an injectable composite hydrogel comprising dopamine-modified sodium alginate, chondroitin sulfate, and silk fibroin as the primary matrix, with magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles and human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs)-derived exosomes (Exo) as functional components. The resultant ACS/MgO/Exo hydrogel exhibits effective tissue adhesion, superior hemostatic capability, mild-photothermal therapy (M-PTT)-mediated antibacterial activity, and enhanced angiogenesis. In vitro studies demonstrated that the hydrogel effectively reduced bleeding time, eliminated bacteria through M-PTT, and significantly enhanced endothelial tip cell activation, proliferation, motility, and vascularization through activation of the PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-VEGF signaling cascade. In vivo experiments with infected full-thickness defect model confirmed the composite hydrogel’s ability to accelerate wound closure, eliminate bacterial infection, enhance collagen deposition, and promote vascularization while simultaneously modulating the inflammatory response. This multifunctional hydrogel represents a promising therapeutic platform for complex infected wound management, addressing the critical clinical need for integrated solutions that simultaneously achieve adhesion, hemostasis, infection control, and tissue regeneration.

Interfacial chemical bonding between carbon fibers (CFs) and the resin matrix plays a critical role in enhancing the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs). While grafting functionalized molecules onto CFs can improve their interfacial properties, previous studies have focused on grafting efficiency and content rather than the influence of molecular configurations. Herein, three electrochemical surface treatment methods for the grafting of piperazine (PIP) molecules onto CFs were evaluated. Among them, the cycling electrode-switching electrochemical treatment (C-ESET) was identified as optimal and used to investigate the effect of interfacial molecules on the mechanical properties. The P-s-CF@PIP (Periodic-switching-CF@PIP) was obtained after 210 s of treatment and had a high surface N content of 19.46 at% and a surface energy of 51.23 mN m− 1. When combined with the epoxy resin (EP) matrix, the average interfacial thickness of the CFRP reached 506.7 nm, resulting in an interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of 127.9 MPa and a tensile modulus of 244.2 GPa. Furthermore, the distinct configuration-dependent reinforcement mechanisms of linear, heterocyclic and aromatic diamine molecules at the CF/EP interface were elucidated. Thus, this work presents not only a universal surface treatment method for amine-reactive systems but also a molecular-level interfacial design principle for constructing CFRPs with rigid-flexible interphases.

Abstract Passive thermal regulation materials are gaining increasing attention for their sustainability; however, conventional ones are usually limited to a single temperature condition, failing to meet the varying temperature demands across different seasons. To address this challenge, inspired by penguins’ thermoregulatory strategies, this study develops a composite phase change material that enables distinct regulation mechanisms under varying conditions. This material features a Janus surface that can switch between photothermal absorption and radiative cooling to cope with cold daytimes and hot environments; two distinct phase change ranges can maintain temperature balance on comfortable nights and achieve long-term thermal compensation on cold nights. Outdoor tests demonstrated that the material achieves 9.0℃ daytime cooling and extends nighttime comfort duration by 27.3% in hot weather, while in cold weather it averages 11℃ daytime warming and keeps nighttime temperature 0.5℃ above ambient; simulation results further showed that roof application of this material can effectively improve thermal comfort in diverse regions throughout the year. This work integrates photothermal absorption, radiative cooling, and dual-phase change processes, providing a feasible strategy for enhancing all-season thermal comfort in building energy conservation.

The integration of high load-bearing capacity, minimal deformation, and high damping remains a major challenge for energy-absorbing materials. Here, we developed a custom coaxial polymer–metal filament fabrication system. By employing NiTi continuous filaments with high damping and tunable stiffness as the core and encapsulating them with a highly damping viscoelastic polymer shell, we fabricated coaxial NiTi/viscoelastic polymer filaments that simultaneously deliver superior damping capacity and robust load-bearing performance. The effects of filament diameter and polymer diluent concentration on the thermomechanical behavior and damping properties were systematically investigated. Hysteresis tests under varying loading rates were conducted to evaluate the rate-dependent energy dissipation behavior. Ball drop impact tests and simulations on the composite filament mesh demonstrated superior energy absorption capacity compared to pure NiTi mesh and other damping materials. Vibration isolation tests and simulations confirmed its excellent and tunable low-frequency isolation performance. This approach offers a new pathway to achieving an optimal balance between damping capacity and stiffness in NiTi-based energy absorbing materials, with potential applicability to other material systems and scalable manufacturing.