Despite significant progress in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, high fabrication costs and limited efficiency of photoanodes hinder practical applications. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄), with its low cost, non-toxicity, and suitable band structure, is a promising photoanode material but suffers from poor charge transport, sluggish surface kinetics, and photocorrosion. In this study, porous monoclinic BiVO₄ films are fabricated via a simplified successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, followed by borate treatment and PEC deposition of NiFeO_x. The resulting B/BiVO₄/NiFeO_x photoanode exhibits a significantly enhanced photocurrent density of 2.45 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V vs. RHE—5.3 times higher than pristine BiVO₄. It also achieves an ABPE of 0.77% and a charge transfer efficiency of 79.5%. These results demonstrate that dual surface modification via borate and NiFeO_x is a cost-effective strategy to improve BiVO₄-based PEC water splitting performance. This work provides a promising pathway for the scalable development of efficient and economically viable photoanodes for solar hydrogen production.

With the rapid growth of renewable energy, the need for efficient and stable energy storage systems has become increasingly urgent. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) can offer high safety, abundant zinc supply, and promising electrochemical properties. However, their performance is limited by poor electronic conductivity, slow Zn²⁺ diffusion, and structural degradation of conventional cathode materials. To address these issues, an in situ polyaniline (PANI) intercalation strategy for vanadium oxide cathodes is introduced in this paper. The conductive PANI chains play three key roles: (1) expand and stabilize interlayer spacing, (2) enhance electronic conductivity, and (3) provide mechanical support to prevent structural collapse and zinc-dendrite formation. A flower-like PANI-V₂O₅ hybrid is synthesized via synchronous oxidative polymerization, forming a hierarchical architecture without inert intercalants. The resulting electrode achieves a high specific capacity of 450 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.1 A·g⁻¹ and retains 96.7% of its capacity after 300 cycles at 1 A·g⁻¹, with excellent rate performance. These findings demonstrate that PANI intercalation enhances ion transport, electronic conductivity, and structural integrity, offering a promising design approach for next-generation AZIBs cathodes.

The practical application of vanadium-based cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hindered by vanadium dissolution, low electronic conductivity, and sluggish reaction kinetics in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, a three-dimensional confined V₂O₅@ nitrogen-doped carbon (V₂O₅@NC) composite was rationally designed and constructed through a dual-regulation strategy combining oxygen-vacancy engineering and conductive network enhancement. In this architecture, the nitrogen-doped carbon framework provides a highly conductive network and robust structural support, while in situ carbonization induces the generation of oxygen vacancies within V₂O₅. These oxygen vacancies cause lattice distortion and expand the interlayer spacing, thereby accelerating Zn²⁺ diffusion and improving reaction kinetics. Benefiting from this synergistic effect, the V₂O₅@NC electrode exhibits an excellent specific capacity of 437 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and maintains a remarkable 89.3% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 3 A g⁻¹, demonstrating outstanding rate performance and cycling stability. This study provides new insights and an effective design strategy for developing high-performance cathode materials for next-generation aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Hypertension is a common cause of cardiovascular diseases, closely associated with the high mortality and disability rates of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease. Therefore, developing a comfortable and sustainable device for monitoring human pulse signals holds practical significance for the prevention and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. PVDF flexible pressure sensors possess the characteristics of high sensitivity, good flexibility, and strong biocompatibility, thereby demonstrating extensive application potential in areas such as health monitoring, wearable devices, and electronic skins. This paper focuses on the development of a modified piezoelectric polymer and its application in an intelligent blood pressure monitoring system, demonstrating its outstanding performance and feasibility through a series of experiments. This research provides innovative material choices for the development of intelligent medical devices and offers beneficial guidance for the design and application of future intelligent health monitoring systems.

The development of safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly energy storage systems has spurred growing interest in aqueous ZIBs. However, the poor cycling stability of cathode materials—mainly due to manganese dissolution and structural degradation—remains a major bottleneck. In this work, a porous MnO₂/PPy hybrid nanocomposite is successfully synthesized via an in situ co-precipitation strategy. The conductive PPy buffer layer not only alleviates Mn dissolution and buffers volume expansion during cycling but also enhances ion/electron transport and facilitates electrolyte infiltration due to its high surface area. Electrochemical evaluation reveals that the MnO₂/PPy electrode delivers excellent cycling stability, retaining 75% of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A·g⁻¹. Comparative performance analysis shows that MnO₂/PPy exhibits superior capacity retention and rate capability, especially under high current densities and prolonged cycling. These results underscore the effectiveness of the PPy interfacial layer in improving structural integrity and electrochemical performance, offering a promising route for designing high-performance cathode materials for aqueous ZIBs.

The rapid development of energy storage technologies has led to an increasing demand for high-performance electrode materials that can enhance both the energy density and the cycling stability of batteries. In this study, polypyrrole (PPy) nanorods with partial hollow features are utilized as a conductive and flexible framework for the in situ growth of VO₂ nanospheres via a simple hydrothermal method, forming a well-defined core–shell PPy/VO₂ nanocomposite. This hierarchical nanostructure combines the excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility of PPy with the high theoretical capacity of VO₂, creating a synergistic effect that significantly enhances the electrochemical performance. The well-integrated interface between PPy and VO₂ reduces interfacial resistance, promotes efficient electron and ion transport, and improves the overall energy conversion efficiency. Electrochemical testing reveals that the PPy/VO₂ nanocomposite delivers a high specific capacity of 413 mAh g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ and retains 87.2% of its initial capacity after 1200 cycles, demonstrating exceptional rate capability and long-term cycling stability. This work provides a versatile strategy for designing high-performance cathode materials and highlights the promising potential of PPy/VO₂ nanocomposites for next-generation high-energy-density aqueous zinc-ion batteries.