3d transition metal single atom catalysts (SACs) (e.g. M = Fe, Co, Cu) are considered as promising catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), among which Fe SACs display comparable performance to commercial Pt/C. However, Fe SACs still demand significant improvements in activity and stability for further industrial deployment. Herein, a Fe, Cu dual metal SAC was synthesized using a facile ligand-mediated method. Fe and Cu atoms were atomically dispersed on commercial carbon black in the form of FeN₄ and CuN₄ sites. Owing to the interactions between the adjacent Fe and Cu atoms co-existing in a very tiny area, the as-synthesized Fe, Cu dual metal SAC exhibited excellent ORR performance with a high half-wave potential of 0.926 V and good stability in 0.1 M KOH, which are significantly higher than that of the Fe-SAC or Cu-SAC control samples. Density function theory calculations showed that the Cu single atom can act as an electron donator enriching the electron density of Fe sites, thus endowing the Fe sites with optimized adsorption/desorption energy for ORR intermediates and thereby facilitating the ORR activity of FeCu-SAC. Moreover, a study on three typical commercial carbon substrates indicated that carbon support with high surface areas and hierarchical pore structure was beneficial for ORR. The excellent ORR activity and durability of FeCu-SAC enabled the constructed Zn–air battery to have a high power density of 201.4 mW cm⁻² and high specific energy of 827.68 W h kg⁻¹.

Topological spin textures are characterized by magnetic topological charges, Q, which govern their electromagnetic properties. Recent studies have achieved skyrmion bundles with arbitrary integer values of Q, opening possibilities for exploring topological spintronics based on Q. However, the realization of stable skyrmion bundles in chiral magnets at room temperature and zero magnetic field — the prerequisite for realistic device applications — has remained elusive. Here, through the combination of pulsed currents and reversed magnetic fields, we experimentally achieve skyrmion bundles with different integer Q values — reaching a maximum of 24 at above room temperature and zero magnetic field — in the chiral magnet Co₈Zn₁₀Mn₂. We demonstrate the field-driven annihilation of high-Q bundles and present a phase diagram as a function of temperature and field. Our experimental findings are consistently corroborated by micromagnetic simulations, which reveal the nature of the skyrmion bundle as that of skyrmion tubes encircled by a fractional Hopfion.

Hollow nanoparticles with large surface areas exhibit a lot of advantages for applications such as catalysis and energy storage. Furthermore, their performance can be manipulated by their deliberate assemblies. Dispersive hollow FePt nanospheres have been assembled into one-dimensional hollow FePt nanochains under the magnetic fields at room temperature. Based on the activation of galvanic replacement at different reaction stages, the size of hollow FePt nanochains can be deliberately manipulated varying from 20 nm to 300 nm, together with the length changing from 200 nm to 10 μm. The competition between movement of paramagnetic Fe³⁺ ions and shape recovering due to thermal fluctuations plays a critical effect on the structure of contact area between hollow nanospheres, leading to perforative structures. Compared with commercial Pt/C, well aligned hollow FePt nanochains show greatly enhanced catalytic activities in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) due to more favorable mass flow. Magnetic measurements indicate that the magnetic properties including Curie temperature and saturation magnetization can be tuned by the control of the size and shape of hollow nanochains.