Stretching diamond to the limit: Diamond is thought of as being unbendable, but thin samples can actually deform elastically. Applying relatively large amounts of strain to diamond may shift its electronic properties, which is of interest for a number of applications. Dang et al. elastically stretched micrometer-sized plates of diamond along different crystallographic directions. These relatively large samples show that deep-strain engineering can be accomplished in more uniform diamond specimens and may have a large impact on the electronic properties. Science , this issue p. 76

This review summarizes the integration of machine learning with surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared absorption in terms of concepts, processes, and applications, and provides an outlook on the future development of this technology.

With the development of optical technologies, transparent materials that provide protection from light have received considerable attention from scholars. As important channels for external light, windows play a vital role in the regulation of light in buildings, vehicles, and aircrafts. There is a need for windows with switchable optical properties to prevent or attenuate damage or interference to the human eye and light-sensitive instruments by inappropriate optical radiation. In this context, liquid crystals (LCs), owing to their rich responsiveness and unique optical properties, have been considered among the best candidates for advanced light protection materials. In this review, we provide an overview of advances in research on LC-based methods for protection against light. First, we introduce the characteristics of different light sources and their protection requirements. Second, we introduce several classes of light modulation principles based on liquid crystal materials and demonstrate the feasibility of using them for light protection. In addition, we discuss current light protection strategies based on liquid crystal materials for different applications. Finally, we discuss the problems and shortcomings of current strategies. We propose several suggestions for the development of liquid crystal materials in the field of light protection.

The dynamic control of electromagnetic waves is a persistent pursuit in modern industrial development. The state-of-the-art dynamic devices suffer from limitations such as narrow bandwidth, limited modulation range, and expensive features. To address these issues, we fuse origami techniques with metamaterial design to achieve ultra-wideband and large-depth reflection modulation. Through a folding process, our proposed metamaterial achieves over 10-dB modulation depth over 4.96 – 38.8 GHz, with a fractional bandwidth of 155% and tolerance to incident angles and polarizations. Its ultra-wideband and large-depth reflection modulation performance is verified through experiments and analyzed through multipole decomposition theory. To enhance its practical applicability, transparent conductive films are introduced to the metamaterial, achieving high optical transparency (>87%) from visible to near-infrared light while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Benefiting from lightweight, foldability, and low-cost properties, our design shows promise for extensive satellite communication and optical window mobile communication management.

Endowing MXene-based electromagnetic wave-shielding aerogels with superior hydrophobicity and reversible compressibility is crucial, yet challenging to support their adaptability to humid surroundings and reliability. From an economic and environmental perspective, it is highly desired to devise a practical method to fabricate such aerogels derived from MXenes and biomass. Herein, methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)-treated bacterial cellulose (BC) and Ti₃C₂T_x MXene suspensions are unidirectionally freeze-dried to prepare silylated BC/MXene aerogels. The hybrid aerogel with 84 wt% MXene integrates superior hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 128°), high elasticity (residual height of 87.5% after 100 compression cycles), and high electrical conductivity of 132 S m⁻¹. Silylation treatment can boost electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency (SE) by ∼25%. The specific electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of the aerogel reaches 66 943.8 dB cm² g⁻¹, significantly outperforming that of other shielding materials. An increasing silylated BC (S@BC) content enables a significant enhancement in the hydrophobicity, aerogel elasticity, and compressive strength. When the S@BC loading was up to 50%, the mechanically robust and highly elastic aerogel exhibited superhydrophobic behavior while offering 99.6% shielding of electromagnetic waves (23 dB). The silylation treatment also enriches the diversity of the aerogel applications such as self-cleaning, strong adsorption of organic solvents and oils, efficient thermal insulation, and sensitive strain–electrical signal response.

Deep-blue perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on reduced-dimensional perovskites (RDPs) still face a few challenges including severe trap-assisted nonradiative recombination, sluggish exciton transfer, and undesirable bathochromic shift of the electroluminescence spectra, impeding the realization of high-performance PeLEDs. Herein, an in situ chlorination (isCl) post-treatment strategy was employed to regulate phase reconstruction and renovate multiple defects of RDPs, leading to superior carrier cooling of 0.88 ps, extraordinary exciton binding energy of 122.53 meV, and higher photoluminescence quantum yield of 60.9% for RDP films with deep-blue emission at 450 nm. The phase regulation is accomplished via fluorine-derived hydrogen bonds that suppress the formation of small-n phases. Multiple defects, including halide vacancies (shallow-state defects) and lead-chloride antisite defects (deep-state defects), are renovated via C=O coordination and hydroxy-group-derived hydrogen bonds. Consequently, deep-blue PeLEDs with a record maximum external quantum efficiency of 6.17% and stable electroluminescence at 454 nm were demonstrated, representing the best-performing deep-blue PeLEDs.