Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) have drawn widespread attention out of their biomimetic features. This work compares skeletal-TPMS lattices with of strut-TPMS lattices in terms of their geometric and mechanical properties. Skeletal-TPMS lattices consist of continually smooth surfaces, while their counterparts, strut-TPMS lattices, are composed of cylindrical beams. These lattices derived from four kinds of TPMS, namely Gyroid (G), Schwarz Diamond (D), Schwarz Primitive (P), and iWp (W), having incremental nodal connectivity of 3, 4, 6, and 8, respectively. The scaling laws of Young’s modulus and yield strength are determined as power functions of volume fraction according to finite volume method (FVM) simulations. Their uniaxial compression behaviors are characterized by FVM simulations and are experimentally validated using additive manufacturing and uniaxial compression tests, showing that skeletal-TPMS lattices exhibit more homogeneous stress distribution. This work would not only broaden the material space for scaffolds, but shed light on the design criteria for tissue engineering.

Carbon aerogel (CA) microspheres were pyrolyzed from resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) organic aerogels, which were prepared by emulsion polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde using ambient drying technique. Structural and microstructural characteristics of CA microspheres were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopic techniques and nitrogen adsorption. The SEM images show that the resultant CA microspheres are all fine spherical without cracks. Results of Raman spectroscopy indicate that CA microspheres are mainly formed by amorphous carbon structure with a few graphite carbons. The surface area and porosity analysis prove that the CA microspheres have high specific surface area (910 m² g⁻¹), appropriate pore size distribution (PSD) (3–15 nm) and high ratio of mesoporosity (44%). The results of cyclic voltammetry indicate that the CA microspheres have ideal capacitive behavior, and the maximum specific capacitance values of 83 F g⁻¹ was measured at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹ in 1 M NaCl. These parameters can significantly improve the desalination capacity for the carbon-based electrode materials in capacitive deionization (CDI). The performance of CDI is investigated by different solution concentrations (500–650 mg L⁻¹) and applied voltages (0.8–1.4 V). With the optimum initial NaCl concentration of 500 mg L⁻¹ and applied voltage of 1.2 V, the specific salt-adsorption capacity for CA microspheres was found to be 5.62 mg g⁻¹. The electrosorption and electrodesorption procedures displayed the stability and regeneration of CA microsphere electrodes. This preliminary study demonstrated that the CA microsphere electrodes in CDI process can be considered to be an alternative candidate for desalination.

Silica aerogels are highly porous 3D nanostructures and have exhibited excellent physio-chemical properties. Although silica aerogels have broad potential in many fields, the poor mechanical properties greatly limit further applications. In this study, we have applied the finite volume method (FVM) method to calculate the mechanical properties of silica aerogels with different geometric properties such as particle size, pore size, ligament diameter, etc. The FVM simulation results show that a power law correlation existing between relative density and mechanical properties (elastic modulus and yield stress) of silica aerogels, which are consistent with experimental and literature studies. In addition, depending on the relative densities, different strategies are proposed in order to synthesize silica aerogels with better mechanical performance by adjusting the distribution of pore size and ligament diameter of aerogels. Finally, the results suggest that it is possible to synthesize silica aerogels with ultra-low density as well as high strength and stiffness as long as the textural features are well controlled. It is believed that the FVM simulation methodology could be a valuable tool to study mechanical performance of silica aerogel based materials in the future.

Electrochromic Zn-ion supercapacitors (EZSCs) integrate energy storage and electrochromic function into one platform, providing promising potential for intelligent visualization of energy storage devices. A challenge for the practical applications of EZSCs is to explore electrodes with ultra-robust properties that suppress performance deterioration and irreversible structural damage after ultralong-term electrochemical testing even in a wide temperature environment. Here, a monoclinic WO₃ electrode presents ultralong cycle stability (over 15 000 cycles) and superb optical modulation (up to 72.5%). Notably, the first-principles calculations and experimental results reveal that the ultralong stability stems from the ultra-robust monoclinic structure, and surface capacitance-controlled and fast kinetic behaviours. Furthermore, a novel all-solid-state electrochromic asymmetric Zn-ion supercapacitor (EAZS) is successfully assembled by matching electrochromic electrodes (MnO₂/WO₃). The EAZS delivers a wide voltage window (2 V), high energy/power density (1.25 W h cm⁻³/7.02 W cm⁻³), superb colouring efficiency (89.5 cm² C⁻¹) and especially ultralong cycle life (over 12 000 cycles). Notably, the EAZS also shows remarkable durability and long-term cycling stability over a wide temperature range from 15 to 70 °C. We imagine that this work can provide a novel avenue to construct smart energy storage systems for future portable electronic devices and fast-charging green electric-buses.