MAX/MAB phases are a series of non-van der Waals ternary layered ceramic materials with a hexagonal structure, rich in elemental composition and crystal structure, and embody physical properties of both ceramics and metals. They exhibit great potential for applications in extreme environments such as high temperature, strong corrosion, and irradiation. In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) materials derived from the MAX/MAB phase (MXene and MBene) have attracted enormous interest in the fields of materials physics and materials chemistry and become a new 2D van der Waals material after graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. Therefore, structural modulation of MAX/MAB phase materials is essential for understanding the intrinsic properties of this broad class of layered ceramics and for investigating the functional properties of their derived structures. In this paper, we summarize new developments in MAX/MAB phases in recent years in terms of structural modulation, theoretical calculation, and fundamental application research and provide an outlook on the key challenges and prospects for the future development of these layered materials.

Silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide (SiC_f/SiC) composites have become the preferred candidate for structural applications in advanced nuclear energy systems, because of their low neutron toxicity, neutron irradiation tolerance and high-temperature oxidation resistance. In recent years, both academia and industry either domestic or abroad have carried out a lot of researches on SiC_f/SiC composites for nuclear application, and numerous important achievements have been made. This paper summarized and analysed some critical directions of SiC_f/SiC composites for nuclear applications, including nuclear-grade SiC fibers, fibre/matrix interfaces, composite processing, modeling and simulation, corrosion behavior and surface protection, joining technology, as well as radiation damage. The key issues and potential solutions of SiC_f/SiC composites for nuclear applications have been pointed out in account to the requirements, anticipating to be beneficial to promoting further researches and final applications.

Densification of ceramic materials by conventional sintering process usually requires a high temperature over 1000 ℃, which not only consumes a lot of energy, but also forces some ceramic materials to face challenges in phase stability, grain boundary control, and co-firing with metal electrodes. In recent years, an extremely low temperature sintering technique named cold sintering process (CSP) was proposed, which can reduce the sintering temperature to below 400 ℃, and realize the rapid densification of ceramic materials through the dissolution- precipitation process of ceramic particles by using the transient solvent in liquid phase and uniaxial pressure. The advantages of CSP, including low sintering temperature and short sintering time, have attracted extensive attention from researchers, since it was firstly reported in 2016. At present, CSP has been applied to the sintering of nearly 100 kinds of ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites, involving dielectric materials, semiconductor materials, pressure-sensitive materials, and solid-state electrolyte materials. This paper firstly introduces the low-temperature sintering techniques’ development history, process and densification mechanism. Then, application of CSP in the field of ceramic materials and ceramic-polymer composites is summarized. Based on differences of solubility, application of CSP mainly on Li₂MoO₄ ceramics, ZnO ceramics, BaTiO₃ ceramics, and their composites preparations are introduced. Auxiliary effect of the transient solvent on cold sintering process is emphatically analyzed. Moreover, the high pressure issue in the cold sintering process and the possible solutions are discussed. At last, future development trend of cold sintering process is prospected.

Compared with the first and second generation semiconductor materials, the third generation semiconductor materials exhibit higher breakdown field strength, higher saturated electron drift velocity, outstanding thermal conductivity, and wider band gap, suitable for manufacturing of electronic devices with high frequency, high power, radiation resistance, corrosion resistant properties, optoelectronic devices and light emitting devices. As one of the representatives of the third generation of semiconductor materials, gallium nitride (GaN) is an ideal substrate material for preparing blue-green laser, radio frequency (RF) microwave and power electronic devices. It has broad application prospects in laser display, 5G communication, phased array radar, aerospace, etc. Hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method is the most promising method for growth of GaN crystals due to its simple growth equipment, mild growth conditions and fast growth rate. Due to the widely used quartz reactors, unintentionally doped GaN obtained by HVPE method inevitably has donor impurities (Si and O). Therefore, the grown GaN shows n-type electrical properties, high carrier concentration and low conductivity, which limits its application in high-frequency and high-power devices. Currently, doping is the most common method to improve the electrical performance of semiconductor materials, through which different types of GaN single crystal substrates can be obtained with different dopants to improve their electrochemical characteristics and meet the different needs of market applications. In this article, the basic structure and properties of GaN semiconductor crystal material are introduced, and the recent progress of the high quality GaN crystals grown by HVPE method is reviewed; and the doping characteristics, dopant types, growth process and the influence of doped atoms on the electrical properties of GaN are introduced. Finally, the challenges and opportunities faced by the HVPE method to grow doped GaN crystals are briefly described, and the future developments in several directions are prospected.

2022 marks the 110th anniversary of X-ray diffraction (XRD), which is a powerful technique used to find out the nature of materials. Rietveld refinement method, as an important means of extracting material structure information, plays a significant role in establishing the relationship between structure and performance of materials. Cathode materials are a vital part of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In-depth understanding of their crystal structure and atomic distribution is extremely helpful to promote the development of cathode materials for LIBs. Cathode materials for LIBs are generally the hosts of lithium. Studies on lithium occupation and transfer are inseparable from a deep understanding of its structural characteristics. This review summarizes XRD Rietveld structure refinement and its application in cathode materials for LIBs. XRD Rietveld structure refinement in synthesis, degradation, and structural modification of cathode materials are analyzed by using several types of typical cathode materials as examples. XRD Rietveld method could provide useful structural information of the cathode materials, including phase ratio in composite and crystallographic parameters (e.g., cell parameters, key atomic occupation, and atomic coordinates). Therefore, exploring structure of cathode materials assisted with XRD Rietveld refinement method is of great significance for the development of high-performance cathode materials for LIBs. Finally, the opportunities and challenges in the field of X-ray diffraction technology in detecting structure of cathode materials for LIBs are prospected.

In response to the evolving landscape of high-speed aircraft, characterized by an expansive airspace, prolonged flight durations, and increased velocities, the thermal protection requirements for key structures such as the nose cone, leading edge, and engine combustion chamber have become more exacting. This necessitates a concerted focus on the development of high-performance thermal protection materials capable of withstanding extreme conditions. Ultra-high temperature ceramic composites have emerged as noteworthy candidates, showcasing exceptional oxidation and ablation resistance. Despite their commendable properties, the inherent brittleness of these composites poses a significant obstacle to widespread engineering applications. To address this limitation, there is a growing emphasis on toughening through structural modulation. Simultaneously, the imperative to enhance aircraft payload capacity underscores the demand for lightweight ultra-high temperature ceramic composites. This paper provides a systematic overview of the major research advances made in recent years on ultra-high temperature ceramic composites, including preparation methods such as pressure sintering, slurry infiltration, precursor impregnation and pyrolysis, reactive melt infiltration, chemical vapor infiltration/deposition, and “solid-liquid” combination process, toughening methods such as particles, whiskers, soft-phase materials, short-cut fibers, and continuous fibers, as well as oxidation ablation resistant properities and mechanisms, and lightweighting design. The relationship between the components, microstructures and properties of ultra-high temperature ceramic composites is discussed in depth, and the current challenges as well as the future development trends of ultra-high temperature ceramic composites are presented.

Zintl phase Mg₃X₂ (X=Sb, Bi) based thermoelectric materials have attracted much attention because of their non-toxic, low cost and high performance. Compared with polycrystalline materials, the Mg₃X₂ crystals are of great value in revealing material’s intrinsic and anisotropic thermoelectric properties, as well as providing effective strategies for enhancing electrical and thermal transport properties. Therefore, the recent progress of single crystal growth and thermoelectric properties for Mg₃X₂ crystals are systematically summarizes in this paper. Due to the volatility and causticity of Mg element, several different methods such as slow cooling method, directional solidification method, flux method, and flux Bridgman method are widely used for synthesizing Mg₃X₂ crystals, in which the flux Bridgman method is more competitive to prepare large size bulk crystals. Researchers found that both n-type and p-type Mg₃Sb₂ crystals show an anisotropy thermoelectric transport property. The crystal growth rate, the concentration of self-doped Mg element, the concentration of impurity doping or alloying elements have a great impact on both electrical and thermal transport properties for Mg₃Sb₂ crystals. So far, the p-type and n-type Mg₃Sb₂ crystals with ZT value of 0.68 and 0.82 are achieved, respectively. This paper reviews the recent progress of growth and thermoelectrics properties of Zintl phase Mg₃X₂-based crystals, revealing that the flux Bridgman method is the most effective method to produce large-sized Mg₃X₂-based crystals. Tuning chemical composition of Mg₃X₂-based crystal by doping and forming solid solution for optimal carrier concentration and band structure engineering is expected to further improve the thermoelectric performance of Mg₃X₂-based crystal. The above-mentioned growth method and research strategies provide a significant guidance for the in-depth understanding of the Mg₃X₂-based crystal in the future.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the third generation wide band gap (E_g>2.3 eV) semiconductor materials represented by gallium nitride (GaN) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are becoming the core supporting materials for development of semiconductor industry. Due to difficult growth and high cost of GaN and ZnO single crystal, epitaxial technology is always used as the substrate materials to grow GaN and ZnO films. Therefore, it is crucial to find an ideal substrate material for the development of third generation semiconductor. Compared with traditional substrate materials, such as sapphire, 6H-SiC and GaAs, scandium magnesium aluminate (ScAlMgO₄) crystal, as a new self-peeling substrate material, has attracted much attention because of its small lattice mismatch rate (~1.4% and ~0.09%, respectively) and suitable thermal expansion coefficient with GaN and ZnO. In this paper, based on structure of ScAlMgO₄ crystal, the unique trigonal bipyramid coordination and natural superlattice structure, the basis for its thermal and electrical properties, are introduced in detail. In addition, the layered structure of ScAlMgO₄ crystal along the c-axis makes it self-peeling, which greatly reduces its preparation cost and has a good application prospect in the preparation of self-supported GaN films. However, the raw material of ScAlMgO₄ is difficult to synthesize, and the crystal growth method is single, mainly through the Czochralski method (Cz), and growing techniques now in China lag far behind that in Japan. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new growth method of growing high quality and large size ScAlMgO₄ crystals to break the technical barriers.

The outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has aroused great attention around the world. SARS-CoV-2 possesses characteristics of faster transmission, immune escape, and occult transmission by many mutation, which caused still grim situation of prevention and control. Early detection and isolation of patients are still the most effective measures at present. So, there is an urgent need for new rapid and highly sensitive testing tools to quickly identify infected patients as soon as possible. This review briefly introduces general characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, and provides recentl overview and analysis based on different detection methods for nucleic acids, antibodies, antigens as detection target. Novel nano-biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 detection are analyzed based on optics, electricity, magnetism, and visualization. In view of the advantages of nanotechnology in improving detection sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, the research progress of new nano-biosensors is introduced in detail, including SERS-based biosensors, electrochemical biosensors, magnetic nano-biosensors and colorimetric biosensors. Functions and challenges of nano-materials in construction of new nano-biosensors are discussed, which provides ideas for the development of various coronavirus biosensing technologies for nanomaterial researchers.

Film capacitors are the core electronic components of modern power devices and electronic equipment. However, due to the low dielectric constant, it is difficult to obtain high energy storage density (effective energy storage density or discharged energy density) for present film capacitors, leading to a large device size and high application cost. To improve the energy storage density of film capacitors, a nanocomposite approach is an effective strategy via combining high dielectric constant of the ceramic nanoparticles with high breakdown strength of the polymer matrix. Nevertheless, for single-layer structure of 0-3 polymer/ceramic composites, the dielectric constant and breakdown strength are difficult to be effectively enhanced at the same time, which limits the further improvement of energy storage density. To solve this contradiction, researchers have combined the composite film with high dielectric constant and high breakdown strength in a superposition to prepare 2-2 type multilayer composite dielectrics, which can achieve synergistic regulation of polarization strength and breakdown strength to obtain high energy storage density. The optimization of electric field distribution and the synergistic regulation of dielectric constant and breakdown strength can be achieved through mesoscopic and microstructural modulation of multilayer composite dielectrics. In this paper, the research progress of multilayer polymer-based composite dielectrics including ceramic/polymer multilayer structure and all-organic polymer multilayer structure in recent years is reviewed. Effect of multi-layer structure control strategy on the improvement of energy storage performance is emphasized. Moreover, enhancement mechanism of energy storage performance of polymer-based multilayer structure composite dielectric is summarized. Finally, challenges and development directions of multilayer composite dielectrics are discussed.

Wearable instruments are functional devices that can be worn on human body, sensing, transmitting and processing body or environmental information in real time, and show broad application prospects in medical health, especially artificial intelligence, sports and entertainment. With the development of wearable instruments, various flexible sensors have emerged. Flexible mechanical sensors based on piezoelectric effect have attracted much attention because of their advantages of wide sensing frequency, fast response, good linearity, and self-power supply. However, traditional piezoelectric materials are mostly brittle ceramics and crystalline materials, which limit their application in flexible devices. With the deepening of research, more and more flexible piezoelectric materials and piezoelectric composites continue to emerge, injecting new development vitality into flexible wearable mechanical devices. This article mainly summarizes the cutting-edge progress of flexible wearable piezoelectric devices, including piezoelectric principle, preparation and performance improvement methods of flexible piezoelectric materials. In addition, the main application directions of flexible wearable piezoelectric devices, including medical health and human-computer interaction, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered, are summarized.

Piezoelectric ceramic is a type of functional ceramic, which is able to convert the mechanical signal and the electronic signal mutually. Composed of piezoelectric ceramics and organic phase, piezoelectric composites have different kinds of connectivities, which not only determine the diverse applications of piezoelectric devices, but also promote the development of various shaping techniques in manufacturing piezoelectric materials and devices. In comparison with the traditional shaping methods, the most distinguishable advantage of additive manufacturing lies in its ability of quickly shaping a small batch of samples into geometrically complex designs without a mould, which makes it a highly suitable technique for investigating piezoelectric ceramics and its derivative devices in different kinds of connectivities. Meanwhile, the final additively manufactured samples require only tiny post-processing, have a high rate of utilization of the raw material and do not need cutting fluid during manufacturing. Due to the above-mentioned advantages, it attracts the widespread concerns from both academic and industrial communities. When focusing in the field of additive manufacturing ceramics, the data of scientific reports in additive manufacturing functional ceramics and devices prove that it is still in a growing period. In the perspective of different additive manufacturing techniques, this article discusses and compares additive manufacturing of both lead-free and lead-based piezoelectric ceramics in the aspects of their historical development of each technique, preparation of the raw materials, geometrical designs, measurement of functional properties, and applications of the printed samples, and forecasts the future development based on the current benefits and drawbacks of each additive manufacturing technique.

Flash sintering is an electric field assisted sintering technology which has attracted much attention in recent years. This review introduces its origin, development, and basic characteristics. In the study of flash incubation and initiation process, the nonlinear conductivity characteristics and electrochemical blackening phenomenon are narrated, and the defect mechanism dominated by oxygen vacancy is recounted. As for rapid densification during flash sintering, it is proposed that the generation and movement of defects caused by electric field produce Coulomb force between powder particles, which is conducive to density in the early stage of flash sintering. Meanwhile, the densification process is accompanied by the rapid movement of metal cations. In terms of grain growth and microstructure evolution during the flash sintering, the sample temperature is asymmetrically distributed along the current direction, and the internal grain boundary mobility in the sample is significantly improved. During this stage, electrochemical defects exert a significant impact on the microstructure. Based on the above researches, we developed ceramic flash joining technology by using phenomenon of low-temperature rapid mass transfer under electric field, and realized rapid joining between similar kind of ceramics/ceramics, ceramics/metals, and even dissimilar ceramics/ceramics. A new ultrafast ceramic synthesis technology by flash sintering was developed, which not only realized the rapid synthesis of typical oxide ceramics, but also realized the rapid synthesis of high entropy ceramics and oxide ceramics with eutectic morphology. An electroplastic forming technology of oxide ceramics was developed, and a rapid tensile and bending deformation of zirconia ceramics at low temperature and low stress was preliminarily realized. Finally, this review summarizes the challenges in the field of flash sintering mechanism, and looks forward to the development direction of flash sintering from two aspects of Joule heating effect and nonthermal effect, aiming to be beneficial to the development of flash sintering technology in China.

In recent years, inspired by the unique operation mode of the human brain, emulation of the perception and computing functions of synapses and neurons by artificial neuromorphic devices has attracted more and more attention. So far, many researches have been reported about neuromorphic transistors (NMT), but most devices are fabricated on rigid substrates. The flexible neuromorphic transistors can not only realize signal transmission and training learning at the same time, but also carry out nonlinear spatio-temporal integration and cooperative regulation of multiple signals. It can also closely fit the soft human skin and withstand the high physiological strain of organs and tissues. More importantly, flexible neuromorphic transistors have unique advantages and application potential in detecting low amplitude signals at physiologically relevant time scales in biological environments due to their designable flexibility and excellent biocompatibility. Flexible neuromorphic transistors have been widely used in electronic skin, artificial vision system, intelligent wearable system, and other fields. At present, it is one of the most important tasks to develop low-power consumption, high-density integrated flexible neuromorphic transistors. In this paper, the research progress of NMT based on different flexible substrates is reviewed. In addition, the bright application prospect of flexible neuromorphic transistors is prospected. This review provides a reference for the development and application of flexible neuromorphic transistors in the future.

The development of high-speed flight technology has put forward an urgent demand for high- performance thermal structure materials. High-entropy carbides (HECs) ceramics are a fast-emerging family of materials that combine the excellent properties of high-entropy ceramics and ultra-high temperature ceramics. HECs have a broad application prospect in extreme service environments, which has received extensive attention from scholars in recent years. Compared with traditional ultra-high temperature carbides containing only one or two transition metal elements, HECs have a greater potential for development because of their improved comprehensive performance and greater designability of composition and properties. After successive exploration of HECs in recent years, researchers have obtained many interesting results, developed a variety of preparation methods, and gained comprehensive understanding of microstructure and properties. The basic theories and the laws on HECs obtained from experimental process are reviewed in this paper. Preparation methods of HECs including powders, blocks, coatings and films, as well as fiber-reinforced HECs-based composites are summarized. Research progress on the properties of HECs, such as the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and especially the oxidation and ablation resistance related to high-temperature applications, is reviewed and discussed. Finally, the scientific issues that need to be further explored in this area are emphasized, and the prospects are proposed.

Development and application of power lithium-ion batteries are strictly restricted by their high temperature and high voltage performance, such as capacity degradation and gas swelling, which are related to not only the modified electrode material and battery design but also the electrolyte. Herein, tetravinylsilane (TVS) was applied as electrolyte additive to improve storage and cycling performances of LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ (NCM622)/graphite pouch cell at high cutoff voltage (4.4 V) and high temperature (45-60 ℃). The capacity retention rate of the cell after 400 cycles (2.8-4.4 V) at 1C (1C=1.1 Ah) with mass fraction 0.5% TVS in the electrolyte is as high as 92%, compared with 82% for its counterpart without TVS. On the one hand, TVS is preferentially oxidized under high voltage, contributing to the formation of a high-temperature resistant CEI (cathode electrolyte interphase) film on the surface of NCM622 particles, which effectively inhibits generation of internal cracks in NCM622 particles and dissolution of transition metal ions. On the other hand, TVS can also be preferentially reduced and polymerized, thus forming a stable SEI film on the surface of graphite anode, which inhibits the side reaction between the electrolyte and the negative electrode.

Yttrium iron garnet (Y₃Fe₅O₁₂, YIG) crystals have been widely used in microwave and magneto-optic devices due to their excellent magnetic and magneto-optical properties. Currently, the commercial material is YIG single crystal thin films, which is deposited on Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ (GGG) substrate using liquid phase epitaxy technique. Herein, we report a new growth technology of YIG single crystal by top seeded solution growth (TSSG) technique from lead-free B₂O₃-BaF₂ flux. The maximum size and weight of the as-grown YIG crystal can be up to 43 mm× 46 mm×11 mm and 60 g, respectively. The crystals exhibit excellent comprehensive performances with narrow ferromagnetic resonance linewidth (0.679 Oe, 1 Oe=250/π A/m), high transparency (75%) and Faraday rotation angle (200 (°)·cm^-1@1310 nm and 160 (°)·cm^-1@1550 nm), indicating a good candidate in microwave and magneto-optic devices. More significantly, this growth technique is ideally suited to large size YIG or doped-YIG single crystals ascombined with the oriented seed crystal and lifting process, which can significantly decrease the manufacture cost.

Excessive emission of greenhouse gases has serious adverse effects on global climate. How to reduce carbon emissions has become a global problem. Supercapacitors have advantages of long cycle life, high power density and relatively low carbon emissions. Developing supercapacitor energy storage is an effective measure to build the reliable future energy system. In recent years, MXene materials have achievedgreat popularity in the field of supercapacitor energy storage applications due to their excellent hydrophilicity, electrical conductivity, high electrochemical stability, and surface chemical tunability. However, the serious self-stacking problem of MXene limits its performance in energy storage. Developing advanced MXene materials is critical for next generation high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices. This paper reviews the research progress of MXene material in the field of supercapacitor energy storage. Firstly, the structure and energy storage properties of MXene are introduced, followed by analysis of the energy storage mechanism of MXene. Secondly, nanoengineering of structure design to improve the performance of MXene electrode is depicted. Thirdly, structure-performance relationship of MXene composite materials and its latest research progress in application of supercapacitor are summarized. Finally, research and development trends of MXene as an electrode for supercapacitor are broadly prospected.

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key reaction in cathode for fuel cells. Because of the sluggish kinetics, platinum (Pt) is widely used as the electrocatalysts for ORR. However, the high cost of Pt and poor stability of carbon black support under high voltage limit the commercialization and durability of fuel cells. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) possess large specific area, tunable electronic structure, and high chemical stability, making them a good candidate for ORR catalysts with high activity and durability. This paper reviews the recent progress of 2D TMDs-based ORR electrocatalysts. First, crystal structure, electronic properties, and ORR reaction mechanism are briefly introduced. Then some strategies for adjusting ORR performance of 2D TMDs are summarized, including heteroatom doping, phase conversion, defect engineering, and strain engineering. Meanwhile, the ORR activity enhancement arising from 2D TMDs-based heterostructures is also analyzed. Finally, perspectives are given for current issues and their possible solutions.

With rapid development of lithium ion batteries (LIB) and sodium ion batteries (SIB), hard carbon (HC) as new anode material has earned much attention. Besides its rich precursor sources and low cost, HC has higher Li⁺ storage capacity and better rate performance than graphite for LIB. Furthermore, it is also recognized as the most commercially potential anode material for SIB. However, low initial Coulombic efficiency is a common issue for HC. In addition, it is believed that the specific capacity can be further improved with the clarification of the Li/Na ion storage mechanism. In recent years, many researches on electrochemical mechanism have been conducted with some model assumptions proposed for better understanding the mechanism. This review introduced the structures and preparation approaches of HC as well as its application in LIB and SIB. The advantages, especially in fast charging, coating and other subdivision were discussed, and the different modification strategies such as pore structure design, doping, optimizing interface between electrode and electrolyte were summarized, aiming at the increase of capacity and the improvement of Coulombic efficiency of batteries.

With the development of nanomedicine, utilization of nanomaterials to catalyze the generation of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) under exogenous ultrasound stimulation has attracted widespread attention for disease therapy, which is called sonodynamic therapy (SDT). Currently, development of high-efficiency sonosensitizers that can be used in SDT to improve ROS yield remains one of the most important challenges for current research and future clinical translation. Recently, benefited from the development of piezotronics and piezophototronics, novel sonosensitizers based on piezoelectric semiconductor nanomaterials have shown promising applications in SDT. In this review, we outline the structures and properties of piezoelectric semiconductors, and introduce the presumed mechanism of SDT with piezoelectric semiconductors. The newest research progresses on using piezoelectric semiconductor as sonosensitizer in cancer treatments and antibacterial applications are summarized. Finally, the existing challenges and future development trends in this field are proposed.

Natural enzymes play an important role in maintaining normal life activities, but suffer in their inherent instability, harsh reaction conditions and high purification costs, which limit their wide applications in vitro. Compared to natural enzymes, nanozymes with high stability, low cost, and ease of structural regulation and modification attract the great interests and are widely applied to biomedicine, environmental control, industrial production and other fields due to their enzyme-like activities and selectivity. As an essential element and one of the active central metals of natural enzymes in the human body, copper-based (Cu-based) nanozymes have received extensive attentions and researches. This review focused on the classification of Cu-based nanozymes, such as Cu nanozymes, Cu oxide nanozymes, Cu telluride nanozymes, Cu single-atom nanozymes, and Cu-based metal organic framework nanozymes. Then this review described the enzyme-like activities and catalytic mechanisms of Cu-based nanozymes, and also summarized the applications of Cu-based nanozymes, including biosensing, wound healing, acute kidney injury, and tumors. The challenges and future development direction of Cu-based nanozymes were proposed.

As an emerging manufacturing technology, additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing technology, has received extensive attention in recent years. Additive manufacturing technology has great potential in the industry of high-performance ceramics. It is expected to break the technical bottle neck of the traditional manufacturing technologies used for ceramic fabrication and greatly improve the flexibility of design and manufacturing of high-performance ceramics. This will provide a transformative impetus for the development of the manufacturing technology of the high-performance ceramic materials. Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) are a class of polymers obtained by chemical methods and can be transformed into ceramics by heat treatments, i.e., pyrolysis. Due to the good machinability and formability of the PDC materials themselves, the pre-forming of the designed target structures can be easily realized. These structures might not be possible with traditional ceramic manufacturing. Therefore, the combination of PDCs and additive manufacturing technology has attracted great attention from researchers. This review introduces characteristics of the additive manufacturing technology used for preceramics. Based on that, the present research status, trends and applications are also systematically described and discussed. The challenges and future directions of the additive manufacturing of polymer-derived ceramics are given for the guidance of future development.

For the conventional von Neumann based vision systems, the sensing, memory, and processing units are separated. Shuttling of redundant data between separated image sensing, memory, and processing units causes a high latency and energy consumption. To break these limitations, the next-generation neuromorphic visual systems, which integrate light information sensing, memory, and processing, can reduce the data transfer, thus improving their time and energy efficiencies. As the basis of the hardware-implementing of neuromorphic visual systems, optoelectronic artificial synapse devices have been extensively investigated in recent years. By integrating the functions of synaptic devices and light-sensing elements, the optoelectronic artificial synapse devices pave the way for constructing new neuromorphic vision systems with low latency, high energy efficiency and good reliability. Many materials are widely utilized for optoelectronic artificial synapse devices, and operation mechanisms of the present optoelectronic artificial synapse devices mainly include the ionization and dissociation of oxygen vacancy, the trapping/detrapping of photogenerated carriers, the light-induced phase change, and the interaction between light and ferroelectric materials. In this short review, the recent progresses in optoelectronic artificial synapse devices are introduced from the perspectives of their operation mechanisms. Besides, advantages and challenges of the devices are analyzed from the view of operation mechanisms. Finally, the advanced prospect and research aspect of optoelectronic artificial synapse devices are outlined for the application.

Methane is the second greenhouse gas contributing greatly to global warming, about 80 times of CO₂. Considering background of global warming and atmospheric methane growth, to catalyze total oxidation of atmospheric methane is of great importance to mitigate greenhouse effects and slow this global warming. However, catalytic oxidation of methane has always been a big challenge due to its high structural stability. In this article, research progress in total oxidation of methane under thermal-, photo- and photothermal-catalysis was reviewed. High temperature in thermal catalysis increases the energy loss and accelerates the deactivation of catalysts speedingly. Therefore, development of catalysts that oxidize methane under moderate temperatures is the main research interests. Photocatalysis provides a way to eliminate methane at ambient conditions with the assistance of solar energy, but the reaction rates are lower than that in thermal catalysis. It is worth mentioning that photothermal catalysis, developed in recent years, can achieve efficiently catalytic total oxidation of methane under mild conditions, showing a high potential application prospect. This article reviews development of three modes of catalysis, analyzes their different reaction mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages under different reaction conditions. Finally, prospects and challenges of this catalytic total oxidation are pointed out, which is expected to provide references for future research on this field.

The robust development of clinical medicine and biomaterials boosts diagnostic imaging, effective treatment, and precise theranostics in various diseases. The emerging interdiscipline of materials and medicine, termed as materdicine, aims to surmount the critical obstacles and challenges faced by traditional medicine, such as systemic toxicity, poor bioavailability, inferior site-targeting specificity, and unsatisfied diagnostic/therapeutic efficacy. Herein, the state-of-the-art advances regarding the applications of diverse medmaterials for disease diagnosis, therapy, and theranostics are systematically summarized in this review, especially focusing on the nanoscale medmaterials. We firstly emphasize and discuss biomedical imaging (e.g., optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging, computed tomography imaging) and therapeutic strategies (e.g., photothermal therapy, dynamic therapy, immunotherapy, synergistic therapy) in the field of cancer treatment. Furthermore, we highlight the important progress of medmaterials in the diagnosis and treatment of other kinds of diseases including orthopedic diseases, respiratory system, and brain diseases. Especially, the elaborated medmaterials for other representative biomedical applications, such as biosensing and antibacteria, are illustrated in detail. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future opportunities for the practical application of these unique medmaterials in materdicine for accelerating their early realization of clinical translations, promoting the progresses of clinical medicine and benefiting the patients.

Spontaneous coagulation casting (SCC) is a novel in-situ ceramic forming method, not only universal for various ceramics but also working well at room temperature in air. Here presents the finding of SCC, involving an anion dispersant which acts as both dispersing and coagulating agent. Then, the difference between SCC and other in-situ coagulation methods in principle was elucidated. In SCC, particles participate in the formation of organic network which originates from hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding among the dispersant molecular chains. The ceramic gel formed by SCC is a physical gel and possesses low density which is conducive to water transportation and stress relaxation during drying. In contrast, the one by conventional gelcasting is a chemical gel in which particles are fixed by a dense organic network. Based on the hydrophobic interaction, this review focuses on the design and synthesis of a series of SCC agents to meet the demand of forming dense and porous ceramics from particles with different sizes. That is, an anion dispersant is hydrophobically modified by a surfactant with a short or long chain. The obtained two agents are used for preparation of dense and porous ceramics, respectively. Progress of key technologies in this area including ceramic joining without interface, construction of grain orientation, drying, preparation of dense ceramics and porous ceramics, by SCC is summarized. Typically, alumina disc with a diameter up to 1010 nm and alumina parts with complicated shape such as dome and guide are shown. Future development of SCC is also proposed to enable SCC is a more universal forming technology for advanced ceramics with a large and/or complicated dimension.

Special ceramics are widely used in aerospace, electronics, information, new energy, machinery, chemical industry, and other emerging industries. Their high temperature preparation process is still dominated by traditional gas kilns and electric heating furnaces with high carbon emissions and high energy consumption. The energy conservation-emission reduction situation is grim at present. Therefore, China is facing great pressure to achieve ‘double carbon’ goal, badly needing research and promotion of clean and efficient heating technology. Microwave heating uses the dielectric loss of the material itself to absorb microwave and convert electromagnetic energy into heat energy at molecular level. In this way, heat is generated simultaneously both inside and outside the whole material, leading the temperature gradient very low in the whole material. In addition to the volumetric heating, selective heating, power redistribution, thermal upheaval, and microwave plasma effect are important characteristics of microwave sintering. Microwave heating has the advantages of energy conservation, environmental protection, improved product performance and reduced combustion carbon emissions. There are many reports on microwave synthesis of various oxides, carbides, nitrides ceramic powders, and microwave sintering ceramic composites domestic and abroad. In this paper, the basic theories of microwave sintering and microwave mixed sintering are reviewed firstly, and then the latest research progress on preparation of ceramic powders by microwave heating and ceramic materials preparation by microwave sintering is introduced. Finally, microwave heating used in sintering of ceramic engineering products is introduced, which shows the superiority of microwave sintering. The key problems and the future development direction of special ceramics prepared by microwave sintering are also proposed.

Continuous silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide composite (SiC_f/SiC) is a key material for the advanced aero-engines. It is required to possess excellent high-temperature creep resistance for SiC_f/SiC to meet the long-term service lifetime of the aero-engines. Here, tensile creep behaviors of a plain woven Cansas-II SiC_f/SiC (2D-SiC_f/SiC) were investiged in the temperature of 1200-1400 ℃ with the stress levels of 80 to 140 MPa. Its microstructure and fracture morphology were observed, and composition was analyzed. Results show that creep-rupture time of 2D-SiC_f/SiC is more than 500 h and steady-state creep rate is 1×10^-10-5×10^-10 /s at stresses lower than the proportional limit stress (σ_PLS). The creep behaviors are controlled by matrix and fibers. The creep-rupture time is significantly reduced, and the steady-state creep rate is increased by an order of magnitude when the stress is higher than the σ_PLS. The matrix, fibers and interfaces of the composite are greatly oxidized, and the creep behaviors are mainly controlled by the fibers.

Silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites have been widely used in aerospace, friction brake, fusion fields and so on, and become advanced high-temperature structural and functional composites, due to their high specific strength and specific modulus, excellent ablation and oxidation resistance, and high conductivity and good thermal shock resistance. This paper reviews the latest research progress in preparation and property of silicon carbide ceramics matrix composites (CMCs) with high thermal conductivity. Researchers have improved the thermal conductivity of silicon carbide CMCs, including by introducing highly thermal conductive phases for reinforcing heat transport, such as diamond powders, and mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCF), by optimizing the interface between pyrolytic carbon (PyC) and silicon carbide matrix for reducing interfacial thermal resistance, by heat-treating for obtaining silicon carbide matrix with higher crystallinity and better thermal conductivity, and by designing preform structure for establishing continuous thermal conduction path. Meanwhile, research interests on silicon carbide CMCs are to explore new preparation with high efficiency and low cost through optimising their influencing factors, and to obtain isotropic highly thermal conductivity with dimensional stability and physical properties through deep understanding their thermal conductive mechanism, and flexible method based on the structure-activity relationship.

Ceramic-based porous structures not only inherit the excellent properties of dense ceramic materials such as high-temperature resistance, electrical insulation, and chemical stability, but also have unique advantages similar to porous structures, including low density, high specific surface area, and low thermal conductivity. They show great potential in various applications, such as thermal insulation, bone tissue engineering, filtration and pollutants removal, and electronic components. However, there still exist some challenges for shaping complex geometries on the macro- scale and adjusting pore morphologies on the micro- and nano-scale through the conventional preparation strategy of ceramic-based porous structures. In recent decades, researchers have been devoting themselves to developing novel manufacturing techniques for ceramic-based porous structures. The direct-ink-writing 3D printing, as one of the representative additive manufacturing technologies, has become a current research hotspot, rapidly developing a series of mature theories and innovative methodologies for fabricating porous structures. In this work, the conventional strategies and additive manufacturing strategies for obtaining porous structures were firstly summarized. The direct-write assembly processes of pore structures were further introduced in detail, mainly including pseudoplastic ink formulation, solidification strategy, drying, and post-treatment. Meanwhile, the feasibility of direct-ink-writing 3D printing technologies combined with conventional manufacturing strategies in constructing ceramic-based hierarchical pore structures was analyzed emphatically. The new perspectives, developments, and discoveries of direct-ink-writing 3D printing technologies were further summarized in the field of manufacturing complex ceramic-based porous structures. In addition, the developments and challenges in the future were prospected according to the actual application status.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are appealing materials for the preparation of nanoelectronic devices, and the development of memristors for information storage and neuromorphic computing using such materials is of particular interest. However, memristor arrays based on two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are rarely reported due to low yield and high device-to-device variability. Herein, the 2D MoTe₂ film was prepared by the chemical vapor deposition method. Then the memristive devices based on 2D MoTe₂ film were fabricated through the polymethyl methacrylate transfer method and the lift-off process. The as-prepared MoTe₂ devices perform stable bipolar resistive switching, including superior retention characteristics (>500 s), fast switching (~60 ns for SET and ~280 ns for RESET), and excellent endurance (>2000 cycles). More importantly, the MoTe₂ devices exhibit high yield (96%), low cycle-to-cycle variability (6.6% for SET and 5.2% for RESET), and low device-to-device variability (19.9% for SET and 15.6% for RESET). In addition, a 3×3 memristor array with 1R scheme is successfully demonstrated based on 2D MoTe₂ film. And, high recognition accuracy (91.3%) is realized by simulation in the artificial neural network with the MoTe₂ devices working as synapses. It is found that the formation/rupture of metallic filaments is the dominating switching mechanism based on the investigations of the electron transport characteristics of high and low resistance states in the present MoTe₂ devices. This work demonstrates that large-scale two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides film is of great potential for future applications in neuromorphic computing.

Ferroelectric superlattices are artificial film materials with layered periodic structure formed by an alternate growth of two or more ferroelectric materials or non-ferroelectric materials at unit cell scale. Ferroelectric superlattices can exhibit excellent ferroelectric, piezoelectric, dielectric, and pyroelectric properties due to the existence of a large number of heterogeneous interfaces and the remarkable interface effect, and even show new functional properties that are not available in their constituent materials. Therefore, ferroelectric superlattices not only provide an ideal platform for studying interactions between charges and lattices at the interface of complex oxide materials, but also play an indispensable role in the next generation of integrated ferroelectric devices. With the development of preparation and characterization methods, researchers can design and control the microstructure and chemical composition at atomic scale to improve the functional properties of ferroelectric superlattice thin films. Ferroelectric polarization is the most basic property of ferroelectric film materials. In addition to being used for information storage devices, ferroelectric polarization also plays an important role in regulating the energy conversion performance of integrated ferroelectric devices such as piezoelectric devices, photovoltaic devices and electrocaloric devices. Therefore, the ferroelectric polarization intensity of ferroelectric superlattices directly determines their functional characteristics and practical application value of integrated ferroelectric devices composed of them. In this short review paper, we firstly introduced the structural characteristics, classification and several typical functional characteristics of ferroelectric superlattices, and then focused on several factors affecting the polarization performance of ferroelectric superlattices based on recent research results, including strain effect, electrostatic coupling effect, defect effect, and period thickness. Finally, we looked forward to the future research directions in ferroelectric superlattices to provide reference for the research in this field.

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics, as a high-performance structural-functional integrated material, are widely used in aerospace, nuclear industry and braking system. However, the conventional fabrication methods can not meet the increasing demands for large-scale and complex-structured SiC ceramics, such as engine nozzles, flaps and turbine blades. Binder jetting (BJ) 3D printing technology can overcome the traditional obstacle and provide a novel manufacturing roadmap. Here, we adopted this technique via SiC particle grading, optimized the particle size ratio based on gradation theory, and studied the influence of BJ printing on properties of SiC green body and as-sintered ceramic. For the particle-graded green body after BJ printing, SiC ceramics with a maximum flexural strength of (16.70±0.53) MPa was obtained after one precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) treatment, whose flexural strength was improved by 116% as compared with that BJ printed from a median diameter of 20 μm. SiC ceramics were further densified using liquid phase siliconization, with the density, flexural strength, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness reaching (2.655±0.001) g/cm³, (285±30) MPa, (243±12) GPa, and (2.54±0.02) MPa·m^1/2, respectively. XRD results demonstrated that the sintered SiC ceramics were mainly composed of 3C structured-β-SiC. All results show that high-performance SiC ceramic materials are innovatively prepared by an efficient and reliable method, based on the combined techniques of particle grading, BJ printing, PIP and liquid silicon infiltration.

As green rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion batteries feature high energy and power density. However, commonly-used electrolytes, organic compounds, in commercially available lithium-ion batteries are flammable and toxic, which leaves them at the risk of combustion and explosion when being overcharged or short-circuited. In order to solve this problem, much attention has been paid to lithium-ion batteries with aqueous electrolytes, which take low-toxicity and high safety as the prominent advantages. The working voltage, 1.5-2.0 V, indicates their usage mainly in the field of energy storage. Considering the hydrogen and oxygen evolution, conventional anode materials used in commercially available lithium-ion batteries are inconformity for water-based lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, the key to the development of aqueous lithium-ion batteries lies in the selection of anodes. The anode material, LiTi₂(PO₄)₃, has drawn the attention of researchers due to its advantages such as three-dimensional channel, and appropriate lithium-ion intercalation potential. The synthesis methods of LiTi₂(PO₄)₃ mainly include high temperature solid-phase calcination, Sol-Gel methods and hydrothermal reaction, etc. To further improve the electrochemical performance of LiTi₂(PO₄)₃, strategies can be used such as particle nanocrystallization, morphology control, element doping, and carbon-coating, etc. This review focuses on the synthesis and modification of LiTi₂(PO₄)₃, as well as related research progress. At last, the future development of LiTi₂(PO₄)₃ as anode material for lithium-ion battery is properly prospected.

Semiconductor materials are the core of modern technology development and industrial innovation, with high frequency, high pressure, high temperature, high power, and other high properties under severe conditions or super properties needed by the “double carbon” goal, the new silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) as representative of the third generation of semiconductor materials gradually into industrial applications. For the third-generation semiconductor, there are several development directions in its packaging interconnection materials, including high-temperature solder, transient liquid phase bonding materials, conductive adhesives, and low-temperature sintered nano-Ag/Cu, of which nano-Cu, due to its excellent thermal conductivity, low-temperature sintering characteristics, and good processability, has become a new scheme for packaging interconnection, with low cost, high reliability, and scalability. Recently, the trend from material research to industrial chain end-use is pronounced. This review firstly introduces the development overview of semiconductor materials and summarizes the categories of third-generation semiconductor packaging interconnect materials. Then, combined with recent research results, it further focuses on the application of nano-Cu low-temperature sintering in electronic fields such as packaging and interconnection, mainly including the impact of particle size and morphology, surface treatment, and sintering process on the impact of nano-Cu sintered body conductivity and shear properties. Finally, it summarizes the current dilemmas and the difficulties, looking forward to the future development. This review provides a reference for the research on low-temperature sintered copper nanoparticles in the field of interconnect materials for the third-generation semiconductor.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted widespread attention due to their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low manufacturing cost. Although the certified PCE has reached 25.8%, the stability of PSCs under high temperature, high humidity, and continuous light exposure is still significantly inferior to that of traditional cells, which hinders their commercialization. Developing and applying highly stable inorganic hole transport materials (HTMs) is currently one of the effective methods to solve the photo-thermal stability of devices, which can effectively shield water and oxygen from corroding the perovskite absorption layer, thereby avoiding the formation of ion migration channels. This paper outlines the approximate classification and photoelectric properties of inorganic HTMs, introduces relevant research progress, summarizes performance optimization strategies for inorganic HTMs devices, including element doping, additive engineering, and interface engineering, and finally prospects the future development directions. It is necessary to further study the microstructure of inorganic HTMs and their relationship with the performance of PSCs to achieve more efficient and stable PSCs.

Two-dimensional (2D) perovskite displays great potential in optoelectronic applications due to its inherent quantum well structure, large exciton binding energy and good stability. However, facile preparation of high-quality 2D perovskite films with low cost remains a huge challenge. In this work, high-quality two-dimensional perovskite (PEA)₂PbI₄ films were prepared by solution method at low annealing temperature(80 ℃) without other special treatments, and further applied in the field of photodetectors. The results show that this photodetector possessed a low dark current (10^-11 A), good responsiveness illuminated at a wavelength of 450 nm (107 mA·W^-1), high detection rate (2.05×10¹² Jones) and fast response time (250 μs/330 μs). After 1200 s continuous illumination, the device maintains 95% initial photocurrent. In addition, the photocurrent remains almost unchanged after storage for 30 d. This work provides promising strategy to develop stable and high-performance optoelectronic devices.

In recent years, low-dimensional metal halide perovskites/quasi-perovskites with high photoluminescence quantum yield have shown potential application prospects in nuclear radiation detection. In this paper, centimeter- sized zero-dimensional perovskite Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals with high optical quality was grown by the anti solvent diffusion method. The optical absorption, transmittance photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and emission (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence, X-ray excited radioluminescence (XEL), afterglow, thermoluminescence (TL) and γ-ray detection performance of Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals were comprehensively investigated. The optical bandgap of as-prepared Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals is 3.68 eV. Under the excitation of X-ray, Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals show blue emission peaking at 448 nm originated from self-trapped exciton emission, and the principal scintillation decay time is 947 ns (96%). The afterglow level of Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals is comparable to that of commercial BGO crystal. In addition, Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals exhibit a high light yield of 29000 photons/MeV as γ-ray scintillators, and their scintillation properties are comparable to that of Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals prepared by the melt growth method. Therefore, this work demonstrates the feasibility of low-cost crystal growth of high-performance Cs₃Cu₂I₅ single crystals.

MXene is a large family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides, nitrides or carbonitrides. Its characteristics (various compositions, two-dimensional atomic layer structures, metallic electrical conduction, active surfaces, etc.) render MXene unique interactions with electromagnetic waves at different frequencies (visible light, infrared, terahertz, microwave, etc.), deriving a variety of electromagnetic functional applications. In the infrared range, MXene has a wide range of infrared radiation properties, and its active surface endows tunable infrared absorption. These features have attracted researchers’ interest in exploring infrared properties of MXene and the corresponding applications in recent years. In this perspective, the intrinsic infrared characteristics and manipulation strategies of different MXenes are systematically summarized, and the research progress of representative infrared applications are briefly introduced, including infrared identification/camouflage, surface plasmon, photothermal conversion, and infrared photodetection. Particularly, the contribution and mechanism of MXene in these applications are discussed. Finally, the outlook for infrared functional applications with MXenes is proposed.