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Silicon electrodes in lithium-ion batteries are severely limited by the stress that arises from large volume changes during cycling. Here, authors exploit the inherent volume change dynamics of silicon and sulfur electrodes and design a stress-neutralized solid-state battery.

A three-dimensional metal stamp can be used to selectively exfoliate two-dimensional materials, allowing the remaining material to be patterned into two-dimensional arrays without leaving chemical or polymer residues.

The H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) remain dominant in live poultry markets in China, and H9N2 AIVs with HA-Q226L, PB2-V/K627 and NP-N52 mutations can be transmitted between guinea pigs and between ferrets via direct contact and respiratory droplet.

Adding excess m-Li₂ZrF₆ (monoclinic) nanoparticles to a commercial LiPF₆-containing carbonate electrolyte forms a stable interphase rich in t-Li₂ZrF₆ (trigonal), enhancing Li-ion transfer, suppressing dendrite growth and considerably improving the cycling stability of high-rate lithium metal batteries.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) is a neurotransmitter receptor receiving signals from the central nervous system. Here authors show a non-neuronal, tumour-autonomous role for mGluR4 in suppressing dendritic cell maturation and function in multiple murine cancers, and that inhibiting mGluR4 chemically by Forskolin or via genomic deletion enhances the immune response against tumours.

NatD is an acetyltransferase responsible for N-α-terminal acetylation of the histone H4 and H2A and has been linked to cell growth. Here the authors show that NatD-mediated acetylation of histone H4 serine 1 competes with the phosphorylation by CK2α at the same residue thus leading to the upregulation of Slug and tumor progression.

All-solid-state batteries face practical challenges such as sustainable fabrication and low-stack pressure operation. Here, authors develop a modified dry-process technique to yield robust solid electrolyte-electrode interface for practical fabrication and operation of all-solid-state batteries.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

The microglia–neuron interactions contributing to neuronal hyperexcitability are unclear. Here, the authors show how GABA and C3 signaling coordinate microglial engulfment of inhibitory synapses, driving excitatory–inhibitory imbalance and neuronal hyperexcitability in epilepsy.

Current battery recycling processes face sustainability challenges. Using gas evolution in water electrolysis, this work realizes fast separation of active electrode materials from current collectors before their dry refabrication for electrodes without compromising performance.

Oxide ceramic electrolytes for Li-metal batteries often require high-temperature processing, which can compromise material reliability. Here, the authors present a sintering-free approach to synthesize disorder-driven garnet-type solid electrolytes, achieving performance comparable to traditional sintered materials.

Energy density and cyclability are often a trade-off for lithium-ion batteries. The authors develop cobalt- and nickel-free cathodes with both good cycling stability and high energy density through the integration of polyanion units into rocksalt structures.

Solid-state lithium batteries typically utilize heterogeneous composite cathodes with conductive additives, which limit energy density and cycle life. Here the authors present a cathode material that exhibits efficient mixed conduction and near-zero volume change during cycling, thereby improving battery performance.

Current lithium-ion battery cathode production relies on toxic solvents, raising another environmental concern. Here, authors present a kosmotropic aqueous processing solution, enabling sustainable, cost-effective cathode production while preserving commercial electrochemical performance.

Carbon dioxide evolution during the charging process in lithium–oxygen batteries is generally both unavoidable and undesirable. Here, Kang et al. use an ionic solvate of dimethoxyethane and lithium nitrate to deactivate the carbon electrode, which completely eliminates the evolution of carbon dioxide.

The reactivity between lithium and a liquid electrolyte leads to degradation of a lithium metal battery, resulting in the depletion of the liquid electrolyte. Here, authors develop a composite layer that can mitigate the reactivity and consequently enable long-cycling lithium metal batteries.

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with inorganic solid-state electrolytes suffer from lithium dendrites propagation. Here, the authors demonstrate the production of stable lab-scale LMBs using an Ag-coated Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.7Ta_0.3O₁₂ inorganic solid electrolyte in combination with a silver-carbon interlayer.

The development of Li2S-P2S5 glass ceramics is greatly hampered by the low room temperature lithium conductivity. Here, the authors propose a nanocrystallization strategy to fabricate super lithium conductive glass ceramics.

Various machine learning models have been developed in recent years for the discovery of crystal structures. Matbench Discovery, a new benchmark, offers an efficient way to identify the most promising architectures.

Functional proteomics enhances cancer research by identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Here, the authors develop a cancer functional proteomics resource and introduce a resource using reverse phase protein arrays and antibodies targeting key pathways. To improve accessibility, they introduce DrBioRight, an AI-powered platform for intuitive data analysis and visualization.

The development of anode-free batteries requires fundamental investigations at the current collector/electrolyte interface. Here, the authors report an atomically defective carbon current collector to improve the electrochemical behaviour of an anode-free Li-based cell.

Lithium metal electrodes suffer from both chemical and electrochemical corrosion during battery storage and operation. Here, the authors show that lithium corrosion is due to dissolution of the solid-electrolyte interphase and suppress this by utilizing a multifunctional passivation layer.

The authors identified the origin of LiH formation and a new method of LiF formation on a lithium metal anode, which is through the anion decomposition on the cathode side followed by crosstalk.

Metal halide perovskite is well-known for the high absorption coefficient; however, its Li-ion transport property remains poorly explored. Here the authors coat an ion conducting metal chloride perovskite interfacial layer on the Li metal anode, enabling good battery performance.

By containing lithium metal within oriented tubes of a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, a 3D anode for lithium metal batteries is produced that overcomes  chemomechanical stability issues at the electrolyte interface.

A LaCl₃-based lithium superionic conductor is developed that has excellent interfacial compatibility with lithium metal electrodes, with its optimized Li_0.388Ta_0.238La_0.475Cl₃ electrolyte exhibiting good Li⁺ conductivity and low activation energy.

Initially anode-free batteries with garnet-type solid-state electrolytes suffer from internal strain by repeated Li plating/stripping. Here, the authors propose a near-strain-free anode architecture for interfacial diffusion of Li metal that suppresses volume expansion during cycling.

Improving the energy density of lithium-sulfur batteries is necessary for their practical application. Here, the authors report free-standing and low-tortuosity carbon frameworks as host for sulfur and lithium, enabling scalable thickness independent electrochemical performance.

Lithium-ion batteries with fast-charging properties are urgently needed for wide adoption of electric vehicles. Here, the authors show a fast charging/discharging and long-term stable electrode made from a mixed electronic/ionic conductor material enabled by a space charge mechanism.

Aluminium offers an attractive alternative anode for lithium-ion batteries, but its practical performance falls far short of the theoretical promise. Here, the authors present a yolk-shell structured nanocomposite anode of aluminium core and titanium oxide shell which displays outstanding electrochemical properties.

Conventional compositions of garnet solid electrolytes have limited access to the cubic phase for a high Li content of 7.0, which is beneficial for stability against Li metals. Here, the authors unlock the hidden chemical space via a high entropy strategy, enabling stable long-term battery cycling.

Inspired by the role of proteins in regulating eggshell mineralization, here Tao, Liu and colleagues apply trifluoroethanol modified eggshell membrane to combat lithium dendrite. Cryo-electron microscopy reveals that the growth along the most favored crystallographic direction is suppressed.

To increase the efficiency, brightness and stability of next-generation light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the microstructure of CsPbI_3-xBr_x metal-halide perovskite, a good pure-red emitter, was altered to fix hole leakage, which was identified as decreasing efficiencies in overworked LEDs.

Critical issues such as oxygen release during battery cycling plague the development of high-energy Li-rich oxide cathodes. Here the authors report a Li-gradient structure of the oxides, obtained by a selective LiO leaching process via a molten salt treatment, displaying virtually zero oxygen loss.

Phase-switchable preparation of two-dimensional WS₂ is achieved through an electrochemical Li⁺ intercalation-based exfoliation strategy. A low discharge current density with high cutoff voltage produces pure semiconducting 2H phase WS₂ bilayers, while a higher discharge current density with a lower cutoff voltage favours semimetallic 1T′ phase WS₂ monolayers.

Despite tremendous progress in the development of LiS batteries, their performance at the full-cell level is not as competitive as state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries. Here the authors report a full-cell architecture making use of a hybrid intercalation-conversion cathode, enabling both high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities.

Sodium-ion batteries face challenges due to electrode degradation and interphase instability. Here, authors develop a smart gel polymer electrolyte for hard carbon||NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ batteries via in situ polymerization of specific monomers in conventional electrolytes.

Cycling lithium batteries often results in inactive lithium that no longer participates in redox reactions, leading to performance deterioration. Here the authors use an iodic species to react with inactive lithium, bringing it back to life and thus making batteries last longer.

The significant phase change between gaseous and crystalline oxygen deteriorates the performance of lithium–air batteries. Here the authors report a battery with a cathode consisting of Li₂O and Co₃O₄ nanocomposites, which displays stable cyclability and high energy density, without involving any gas evolution.

Charging at high voltages in principle makes batteries energy dense, but this is often achieved at the cost of the cycling stability. Here the authors design a sulfonamide-based electrolyte to enable a Li metal battery with a state-of-the-art cathode at an ultra-high voltage of 4.7 V while maintaining cyclability.

A newly identified coronavirus isolated from farmed minks can use the receptor ACE2 to infect cells of different mammalian species, including human cells, which has implications for potential zoonotic spillover events.

The immune response of immunotherapy in colorectal cancer remains low and new adjuvant targets are in demand. By in vivo CRISPR-Cas9 screening that targets membrane and secreted proteins genes, the authors identify that disrupting MBTPS1 in tumor cells upregulates STAT1-transcribed chemokines, promotes CXCR3⁺ CD8 T cells infiltration and potentiates anti-PD-1 therapy.

A nanopore-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is developed for the single-molecule sensing of distinct current signatures from peptide probes generated on translocation through α-hemolysin after enzymatic cleavage, enabling the multiplexed detection of biomarkers in blood samples.

Single-crystalline layered oxides are much sought after as they offer high-performance promises in batteries. Here the authors report a facile and scalable planetary centrifugal mixing technique—aided by eutectic lithium salts—that enables the growth of high-quality single-crystalline cathode materials.

Lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) have attracted intense interest but the instability issues limit its practical deployment. Here, the authors report a durable LMB with high energy density using a garnet-type solid electrolyte with a tailored Li-metal compatibility.