The electronic structure of a cathode material sets its redox chemistry, energy density, transport kinetics and structural stability, yet it is rarely discussed in conjunction with the structural design strategies that are used to improve performance. This perspective links electronic energy levels to the electrochemical properties of cathode materials. We first describe how transition-metal 3d and O 2p states, orbital hybridization, charge distribution and interfacial energy-level alignment control capacity, voltage, rate capability and cycling stability. We then re-examine four common strategies, namely elemental doping, defect engineering, composite-structure design and surface modificati... More >

Garnet-structured fluoride phosphors are attractive for phosphor-converted near-infrared light-emitting diodes (NIR pc-LEDs) owing to their broadband emission and thermal stability. Herein, pure-phase Na$_3$Al$_{2-x}$Cr$_x$Li$_3$F$_{12}$ (x = 0--0.16; NALF:Cr$^{3+}$) phosphors were synthesized hydrothermally, and their structure, morphology, crystal field, and luminescence were systematically investigated. Crystal-field analysis yielded a Dq/B of $\sim$2.18, confirming a weak crystal-field environment for Cr$^{3+}$. Under 430 nm excitation, all samples show a broad NIR band over 650--900 nm with a FWHM of $\sim$101 nm, ascribed to the $^4T_{2g}\rightarrow{}^4A_{2g}$ transition. Fluorescence... More >

Preventing pathogen transmission and treating pathogen-associated diseases remain major public-health challenges. Recent epidemics and pandemics, key amongst them being the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have highlighted the devastating effects that viral infections can have on society. Uncovering and utilising materials for the protection from and treatment of virus-induced diseases can considerably alleviate the load imposed on healthcare systems worldwide. Silicon nitride is a biocompatible ceramic material used in orthopedic implants that is effective in the inactivation of single-stranded RNA viruses. However, the effect of the material on the more resilient DNA... More >

BaF$_2$ scintillation ceramics feature a rapid temporal response, high fast-component light yield, and a short X-ray attenuation length, making them a promising material for ultrafast X-ray imaging. In this work, BaF$_2$ nanopowder was co-precipitated from Ba(NO$_3$)$_2$ and KF$\cdot$2H$_2$O, consolidated by 600-750$^{\circ}$C air pre-sintering, and post-treated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The ceramics obtained under various process parameters allowed us to investigate temperature-dependent changes in microstructure, transmittance, and scintillation properties, including X-ray-excited luminescence (XEL), decay kinetics, and light yield. It was found that air pre-sintered compacts are po... More >

Morphology engineering stands as a cornerstone strategy to boost the light harvesting and charge transport properties of wide-bandgap oxide photocatalysts. Herein, a Zn$_2$GeO$_4$ photocatalyst with a highly symmetric conical bundle architecture is successfully fabricated via modulating the dosage of ethylenediamine (EDA). The introduction of a moderate EDA dosage effectively triggers the anisotropic growth of Zn$_2$GeO$_4$, thus constructing a compact and highly ordered conical bundle microstructure (denoted as 4-ZGO). This unique hierarchical morphology not only remarkably shortens the migration pathway of photogenerated charge carriers toward the catalyst surface, but also substantially s... More >

Pristine two-dimensional (2D) GaN is non-magnetic, which limits its direct use in semiconductor spintronics. Here, first-principles calculations were used to screen 3d transition-metal substitution (TM = Sc-Zn) at 6.25 at.% and 9.375 at.% and to evaluate biaxial strain from \(-3%\) to \(3%\). Co substitution produced the most favorable magnetic semiconductor response among the screened dopants. The two concentrations yielded magnetic moments of \(8.00\) and \(12.00\) \(\mu_B\) per supercell and band gaps of \(0.80\) and \(0.55\) eV, respectively. Biaxial strain preserved the magnetic order while tuning the band gaps. In the \(6.25\) at.% Co-doped system, the gap reached \(0.89\) eV at \(2%\)... More >

Titanium-based high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as promising solid-state hydrogen storage materials owing to their structural stability, tunable thermodynamics, and rapid kinetics. This review systematically examines the hydrogen storage behaviour of Ti-based HEAs across three structural categories: body-centered cubic (BCC) single-phase alloys, C14 Laves phase alloys, and multiphase systems containing CsCl-type structures. The high-entropy effect, severe lattice distortion, sluggish diffusion, and cocktail effect collectively enable these alloys to overcome key limitations of conventional materials, including difficult activation, poor reversibility, and insufficient cycling stabilit... More >

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is hindered by severe parasitic side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth on zinc anodes, leading to rapid performance degradation. Constructing an artificial interphase layer (AIL) on the zinc surface has emerged as an effective strategy to isolate the electrolyte and regulate interfacial electrochemistry. Among various candidates, layered materials (LMs) with two-dimensional structures offer intrinsic advantages-including tunable interlayer channels, mechanical flexibility, and high surface areas—t... More >