Civil infrastructure is continuously exposed to low-frequency mechanical excitations from vehicles, pedestrians, wind vibration, and water flow during service, making in situ mechanical energy harvesting a promising route for self-powered structural health monitoring and cathodic protection. However, conventional cement-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are limited by intrinsic brittleness, poor cycling stability, and inefficient charge transfer, which restrict their practical application in civil engineering environments. Herein, a carbon black (CB)-modified engineered cementitious composite (ECC) triboelectric nanogenerator, denoted as CBECC-TENGs, is developed by incorporating conductive CB into a highly ductile cement-based matrix. The optimized CB content synergistically regulates the surface roughness, pore structure, and electrical conductivity of ECC, thereby enhancing interfacial contact electrification, charge transport, and triboelectric output. COMSOL simulations reveal the potential evolution and charge transfer behavior during the contact-separation process. The CBECC-TENGs retain approximately 90% of their initial output after 5,000 cycles, indicating promising preliminary cycling stability. Moreover, the self-powered cathodic protection system shifts the open-circuit potential of carbon steel in chloride solution from -0.28 to -0.33 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and effectively suppresses rust formation. This work provides a feasible strategy for developing ductile, durable, and energy-harvesting cement-based TENGs for smart civil infrastructure.

Janus and core-shell structures are among the most fundamental dual-chamber architectures for advanced functional materials. However, compared to electrospun core-shell nanofibers, electrospun Janus nanofibers have been extremely limited over the past three decades. This commentary examines the evolution of side-by-side electrospinning and Janus nanofibers. This limitation stems from the electrostatic repulsion between working fluids, posing a significant challenge to the formation of integrated Janus nanofibers. As increasing efforts have been devoted to this issue, new insights have emerged for resolving it through rational spinneret design and modifications to electrospinning processes. To bridge this gap in Janus-nanofiber-based devices and products, several key directions are proposed: (i) designing novel spinneret structures as templates for Janus nanofibers; (ii) scaled-up production via the newly developed "needle-in-hole" electrospinning technique; (iii) strategies for large-scale manufacturing of potential commercial products; and (iv) novel complex tri-chamber architectures.

Redox-active ligands, metal complexes, and larger coordination frameworks are chemically precise, responsive building blocks for smart materials, molecular electronics, energy storage, and neuromorphic device concepts. However, their redox behavior depends strongly on the experimental regime in which it is probed. Bulk electrochemistry, confined nanodroplet methods, electrochemical scanning probe microscopy, tunneling spectroscopy, and synchrotron-coupled nanospectroscopy often probe the same molecular event through fundamentally different physical observables. In this mini-review, we use polyoxometalates as a guiding molecular class to compare redox behavior across three length-scale regimes: bulk ensembles, confined nanoscale assemblies, and single-molecule or few-molecule junctions. We discuss cyclic voltammetry, scanning electrochemical probe methods, electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, electron-spin-resonance scanning tunneling microscopy (ESR-STM), scattering-type near-field optical microscopy, and synchrotron nanospectroscopic methods. We argue that advanced scanning probe microscopy provides the missing conceptual and experimental bridge between classical electrochemical redox potentials and nanoscale electronic charge and spin structure, enabling a regime-aware design language for redox-programmable molecular materials.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as a versatile class of porous nanomaterials for cancer therapy owing to their programmable compositions, ordered architectures, and multifunctional properties. Among them, meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP)-based MOFs have attracted particular attention because the porphyrinic ligand serves not only as a structural building block but also as an intrinsic photosensitizer and sonosensitizer, while framework metal nodes provide catalytic, imaging, and radiosensitizing functions. The synergistic integration of these components enables TCPP-based MOFs to function as multifunctional theranostic platforms rather than conventional drug carriers. In this Perspective, we organize recent advances around a structure–active center–mechanism–therapeutic outcome framework for interpreting TCPP-based MOFs in cancer theranostics. We first discuss the coordination chemistry of TCPP, representative framework topologies, and the distinct roles of metalloporphyrin centers and framework metal nodes in regulating reactive oxygen species generation, catalytic activity, ferroptosis, and multimodal imaging. We then use this framework to examine their applications in photodynamic, chemodynamic, sonodynamic, radiotherapy/radiosensitization, and radiodynamic strategies, as well as drug-delivery-enabled combination therapy and image-guided theranostics. Finally, we highlight current challenges associated with biosafety, degradation, scalable synthesis, and biological barriers, and outline future opportunities for developing structurally programmable, stimulus-responsive, and clinically translatable TCPP-based MOFs for precision oncology.

Electrochromic (EC) glazing can regulate solar heat gain, but the control signal affects the balance between cooling and heating energy use. This study compares the Load strategy, which uses predicted sensible load, with the fixed temperature-based T24 strategy, which uses a 24 °C upper switching threshold. Both strategies were implemented through the EnergyPlus Energy Management System (EMS) under identical building, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC), thermostat, weather, and EC glazing conditions across 384 worldwide EnergyPlus Weather (EPW) records. EC (Load) reduced cooling electricity across most climates but increased heating gas use, with larger penalties in colder regions. The resulting annual energy-use intensity (EUI) was 146.54 kWh m^-2 year^-1 for EC (Load) and 145.23 kWh m^-2 year^-1 for EC (T24), while the carbon-equivalent response varied geographically because of the competing electricity and heating effects. These results indicate that the Load strategy primarily redistributes energy use between cooling and heating rather than providing a universal annual-energy advantage, thereby demonstrating the climate-dependent energy trade-offs associated with this strategy.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is regarded as a practical hydrogen production method due to its advantages such as smaller resistance loss, higher current density, and higher hydrogen purity. However, the efficiency of PEMWE technology is severely hindered by the slow kinetics and the high reaction barrier of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, developing cost-effective, efficient, and stable OER electrocatalysts is urgently needed. The RuO₂-based electrocatalysts have been proven to be promising alternatives to Ir-based catalysts due to their excellent electrocatalytic activity and high adaptability in acidic environments. This review comprehensively summarizes and discusses the morphological control strategies, advanced modification strategies, and structural synergy of RuO₂ catalysts. Furthermore, the composition and industrial development status of PEMWE are elaborated, along with the current research progress of RuO₂ as an anode in electrolysis. Finally, relevant suggestions for RuO₂ research and practical applications are presented, the challenges facing practical deployment are analyzed, and future research directions are outlined.