A high absorption broadband absorber based on MXene and tungsten nanospheres in visible and near-infrared bands is proposed. The absorber has a maximum absorption of 100% and an average absorption of 95% in the wavelength range of 400–2500 nm. The theoretical mechanism and parameter adjustability of the absorber are analyzed by FDTD solutions. The results show that the structural parameters can effectively adjust the absorption performance. The good absorption performance is due to the action of the local surface plasmon resonance coupling with the gap surface plasmon resonance and Fabry–Perot resonance. The simulation results show that the absorber is insensitive to the polarization and oblique incidence angle of incident light, and that high absorption and broadband can be maintained when the oblique incidence angle is up to 60°.

Efficient electrocatalysts are crucial to water splitting for renewable energy generation. In this work, electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution from Pd nanoparticle-modified graphene nanosheets loaded on ZnO nanowires on nickel foam was studied in an alkaline electrolyte. The high electron mobility stems from the cylindrical ZnO nanowires and the rough surface on the graphene/ZnO nanowires increases the specific surface area and electrical conductivity. The catalytic activity arising from adsorption and desorption of intermediate hydrogen atoms by Pd nanoparticles improves the hydrogen evolution reaction efficiency. As a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst, the Pd/graphene/ZnO/Ni foam (Pd/G/ZnO/NF) nanocomposite exhibits good stability and superior electrocatalytic activity. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) revealed an overpotential of −31 mV and Tafel slope of 46.5 mV dec⁻¹ in 1 M KOH. The economical, high-performance, and environmentally friendly materials have excellent prospects in hydrogen storage and hydrogen production.

Ensuring the traceability of agricultural products is essential for quality control and food safety. Recent technological advances have provided new ways to enhance traceability systems. This study aims to use blockchain technology, centralized database and RFID tags to develop a secure agricultural product traceability system, retain the detailed information of agricultural products traceability, ensure that the summary information of agricultural products on the chain cannot be modified, and optimize the SM3 algorithm to effectively summarize the traceability data and improve the efficiency of the system. The aggregated data is time-stamped, recorded on the blockchain, and written into an RFID tag. The optimization of the SM3 algorithm improved the efficiency by 30% and reduced the execution time of 192-byte messages to 210µs. The system ensures accurate linking of traceability data through secure data retention and unalterable summaries on the blockchain. The integrated use of blockchain, centralized database and RFID technology, as well as the enhanced SM3 algorithm, allows the system to meet the standards for data accuracy and performance requirements in agricultural traceability applications.

Schematic illustration of formation process of MnO₂/ZnCo₂O₄/G/NF composite electrode.

A self-powered nonenzymatic glucose sensor electrode boasts the advantages of both a glucose sensor and fuel cell. Herein, an electrode composed of ZnO–graphene hybrid materials on nickel foam (NF) is prepared by electrodeposition of Pd NPs. The electrode is characterized systematically and the dependence of electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose on the concentrations of KOH and glucose, temperature, and potential limit in the anodic direction is investigated. The Pd/NF-ZnO–G electrode shows high catalytic activity, sensitivity, stability, and selectivity in glucose detection, as exemplified by an electrocatalytic glucose oxidation current of 222.2 mA cm⁻² under alkaline conditions, high linearity in the glucose concentration range from 5 μM to 6 mM (R² = 0.98), and high sensitivity of 129.44 μA mM⁻¹⁻¹ cm⁻². The Pd/NF-ZnO–G electrode which exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity under alkaline conditions has large potential in nonenzymatic glucose sensing and direct glucose fuel cells and is suitable for miniaturized self-powered nonenzymatic glucose sensing.