{"title":"Barium-Based Coordination Polymer with Coupled Photochromism and Long Afterglow Luminescence for High-End Anticounterfeiting","authors":"Tang-Bo Liang, Xin-Qi Chen, Jun-Ting Mo, Le-Xia Wang, Jia-Ning Zhang, Zheng Wang","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00435","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Stimuli-responsive materials featuring multiple photophysical functionalities have garnered immense attention for advanced applications. Herein, a barium-based CP (CP-SW5) is rationally designed and synthesized by assembling a conjugated N,O-heterocyclic ligand (HL) with Ba(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that CP-SW5 forms a rigid two-dimensional supramolecular architecture via Ba‒O coordination, which is assembled into a three-dimensional framework through interlayer hydrogen bonding interactions. This robust structure suppresses the nonradiative decay of triplet excitons and enhances spin–orbit coupling. Characterizations verify its tunable cyan-to-yellow LAL emission, yellow-to-gray photochromism under UV irradiation, and effective phosphorescence-to-photothermal conversion. DFT calculations and experiments confirm that photoinduced electron transfer from the electron-rich terminal to the electron-deficient core group generates HL<sup>•</sup> radicals, which not only trigger photochromism but also enhance self-absorption to boost photothermal conversion efficiency. This work provides a feasible strategy for constructing multifunctional CPs with integrated photofunctional properties, showing tremendous potential in intelligent anticounterfeiting and information security applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2274–2282"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148682554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01261
Sang Woo Kim, Been Kwak, Hyun-Min Kim, Sangeun Kwak, Daewoong Kwon
{"title":"Low-Temperature Monolithic Integration of a Polycrystalline Silicon Ferroelectric-Gate Field-Effect Transistor with Microwave-Annealed HfZrOx for Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Computing","authors":"Sang Woo Kim, Been Kwak, Hyun-Min Kim, Sangeun Kwak, Daewoong Kwon","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01261","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01261","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Owing to the physical and economic limitations of conventionalscaling, monolithic three-dimensional (M3D) integration offers a promisingroute to enhance device density and performance. Integrating ferroelectric-gatefield-effect transistors (FeFETs) into M3D architectures is challengingbecause dopant activation and ferroelectric crystallization usuallyrequire high temperatures that degrade bottom-tier devices. We proposea low-temperature M3D-compatible FeFET fabrication scheme employinga metal–ferroelectric–metal–interlayer–poly-Sistack. Laser annealing crystallizes the poly-Si channel, and microwaveannealing (MWA) induces the ferroelectric orthorhombic phase in HfZrO<sub><em>x</em></sub> (HZO) while keeping the thermal budget below400 °C. MWA enhances polarization, widens the memory window,and improves fatigue endurance and interface quality compared withrapid thermal annealing. Although MWA-treated FeFETs exhibit slightlyslower switching, synaptic arrays show reliable multilevel conductancemodulation and achieve >90% training accuracy on CIFAR-10 usingavision-transformer-based neuromorphic system, demonstrating a promisinglow-thermal-budget path for energy-efficient M3D neuromorphic computing.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2131–2138"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148672484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-06-25DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00333
Diego O. Sanchez Ramirez, Kamila Klek, Stephen Lemein Musere, Alessio Varesano, Serena Facchiano, Claudia Vineis, Maria Micaela Guaman Torres, Yaxing Li, Jing Wang, Wim J. Malfait, Shanyu Zhao
{"title":"Upcycled Keratinous Waste Enables Robust, Dust-Free Silica Aerogel Superinsulators","authors":"Diego O. Sanchez Ramirez, Kamila Klek, Stephen Lemein Musere, Alessio Varesano, Serena Facchiano, Claudia Vineis, Maria Micaela Guaman Torres, Yaxing Li, Jing Wang, Wim J. Malfait, Shanyu Zhao","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00333","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Keratin extraction generates large amounts of underutilized waste streams that are typically discarded despite retaining functional molecular components. Here, keratinous waste composed of cysteine-S-sulfonated keratin (CSSK) and non-dissolved fibers (NDF) is directly upcycled to reinforce silica aerogels via a co-gelation strategy. Partial dissolution of CSSK and structural bridging by NDF enable the formation of an interconnected hybrid network with enhanced interfacial coupling. pH modulation governs both interfacial interactions and pore architecture: alkaline conditions promote homogeneous silica deposition and stronger bonding, whereas acidic conditions induce a denser, microporous structure. The resulting composites exhibit improved mechanical robustness and reduced dust release. All samples show superinsulating behavior (λ < 26 mW m<sup>−1</sup> K<sup>−1</sup>), with thermal transport determined by the interplay between the pore structure and density. Under a combined thermal gradient (∼300/∼65 °C) and compressive load, the composite materials maintain structural integrity and stable insulation performance, demonstrating suitability for harsh environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2203–2209"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148672557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-Adhesive Sustained-Release Paeoniflorin Hydrogel Microneedles Achieve Effective Treatment of Psoriasis","authors":"Zhixin Ling, Cui Yu, Qi Yuan, Jiang Sun, Jianxin Han, Qianqian Liu, Yajie Wang, Omar M. Khattab, Shaobo Wu, Huiying Fu, Qiyang Shou","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.5c01238","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin disease characterizedby proliferation of abnormal keratinocytes and immune dysregulation.Paeoniflorin (Pae), the main active component in total glucosidesof the flowering plant paeony, has strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatoryeffects but faces limitations due to poor skin penetration and loworal bioavailability. To address this, a self-adhesive, sustained-releasemicroneedle patch (MHAP MNs) was developed, incorporating dopamineand methacrylic anhydride and loaded with Pae. This patch enhancesskin penetration, tissue adhesion, and controlled drug release. Iteffectively reduces immune cell infiltration, modulates inflammatoryfactors, and downregulates the IL-17 pathway, alleviating skin andsystemic inflammation. Additionally, the microneedle backing madeof polyvinylpyrrolidone allows quick separation for improved patientcompliance. MHAP MNs show promise as a novel therapeutic strategyfor psoriasis and potentially other autoimmune and inflammatory diseasesby delivering precise, sustained treatment directly to affected sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2085–2090"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148666429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-07-21DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00125
Adélaïde Clavelin, Marcus Fehse, Dimitrios Chatzogiannakis, Carlos Escudero, François Fauth, Gabriel A. López, Damien Saurel, Montserrat Galceran
{"title":"Effect of Mn-to-Fe Substitution on the Dehydration Mechanism and Electrochemical Properties of Prussian White Materials for Na-Ion Batteries","authors":"Adélaïde Clavelin, Marcus Fehse, Dimitrios Chatzogiannakis, Carlos Escudero, François Fauth, Gabriel A. López, Damien Saurel, Montserrat Galceran","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00125","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this study, we investigated the impact of partial Mn-to-Fe substitution on the dehydration mechanism and electrochemical performance of Mn-hexacyanoferrates (Prussian White) as positive electrode active materials for sodium-ion batteries. <em>In situ</em> synchrotron temperature experiments revealed similar phase transitions during drying for both materials, though with different kinetics, with the substituted compound requiring more severe drying conditions to achieve the dehydrated phase. Electrochemical characterization showed that Mn-to-Fe substitution significantly improved capacity retention, while preserving high initial capacity. <em>Operando</em> and <em>ex situ</em> diffraction experiments revealed that both materials transition from a rhombohedral to a distorted phase during charge, with higher bond distance anisotropy in the Mn-PW. Finally, the substituted compound demonstrated excellent cycling stability in full cells versus hard carbon, retaining nearly 84% of capacity after 400 cycles at 1 C. These findings underscore the improvements stemming from Mn-to-Fe substitution and optimized dehydration in Prussian White materials for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2156–2162"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148666435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enzyme-Mimicking Atomic Zn−P Catalytic Pairs for Anti-inflammatory Therapy","authors":"Lishuang Zhang, Fuhua Li, Qilun Wang, Zheye Zhang, Aung Than, Lewen Zheng, Yujing Ren, Hongbin Yang, Yong Qin, Peng Chen","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00369","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Natural enzymes are widely used in theranostics, but they suffer from poor stability, high costs, and nontunable monofunctionality, driving the development of artificial enzymes, in particular single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes). However, conventional SAzymes struggle to handle multistep redox reactions effectively. Herein, we present atomically dispersed zinc−phosphorus (Zn−P) catalytic pairs (CPs) anchored on acid-resistant carbon nanosheets (Zn−P/CNS) that display greatly enhanced multienzyme-like activities, particularly for superoxide radical dismutation and hydrogen peroxide decomposition. Density functional theory reveals that P primarily serves as an additional catalytic site to facilitate substrate binding and intermediate stabilization, while also modulating the local electronic structure of Zn and aiding proton transfer, thereby lowering energy barriers in the multistep redox pathways. In a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis model, oral administration of this Zn−P/CNS markedly reduces oxidative damage and inflammation, demonstrating the promise of metal−nonmetal CPs as a versatile platform for designing high-performance nanozymes for biomedical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2232–2240"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148656415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-06-29DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00080
Mattia Capeccia, Marco Moroni, Francesco Capitani, Boby Joseph, Lorenzo Malavasi, Paolo Postorino, Elena Stellino
{"title":"Chirality-Dependent Modulation of Organic-Inorganic Interaction and Exciton Response in 2D Perovskites under Pressure","authors":"Mattia Capeccia, Marco Moroni, Francesco Capitani, Boby Joseph, Lorenzo Malavasi, Paolo Postorino, Elena Stellino","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We investigate how chirality influences the excitonic response to pressure in chiral <em>versus</em> racemic (Cl-methylbenzylammonium)<sub>2</sub>PbI<sub>4</sub>. Above 4 GPa, we observe a reduction of the exciton redshift rate in the chiral samples compared to the racemate, a behavior paralleling the evolution of the N−H vibrational modes in the infrared spectrum. We hypothesize that, at 4 GPa, the asymmetric N−H⋯I bonding network in the chiral systems reaches the limit of its buffering capability. Further compression is then accommodated through octahedral distortion, enhancing the chiral character of the inorganic sublattice. The corresponding modification of the octahedral angles reduces Pb-s/I-p orbital coupling, explaining the decrease in the exciton redshift rate. Conversely, the symmetric N−H⋯I bonds in the racemate prove more effective at accommodating compression without altering the octahedral orientation. Our results demonstrate that chirality governs the tunability of both organic−inorganic interactions and the excitonic response under external stimuli in two-dimensional perovskites.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2148–2155"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148656421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-07-10DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00213
Geunchan Park, Christopher H. Hendon, Sarah S. Park
{"title":"Geometry-Dependent Linker Spin States and Real-Space Band Topology in Two-Dimensional Conductive Metal–Organic Frameworks","authors":"Geunchan Park, Christopher H. Hendon, Sarah S. Park","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00213","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Two-dimensional (2D) conductive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) based on phenylenediamine linkers typically exhibit higher conductivity for Ni nodes than for Cu analogues. Here, density functional theory analyses at both framework and molecular levels reveal that this contrast originates from structure–spin–topology interplay. In tritopic triphenylene-based frameworks, square-planar Ni nodes stabilize the quartet state of linker, which couples via superexchange to generate double kagome bands. In contrast, Jahn–Teller distortion at Cu centers favors the doublet state of linker, suppresses kagome-type dispersion, and drives the system toward open-gap honeycomb bands. Extension to tetratopic porphyrin-based frameworks confirms analogous structure–spin interplay in 4-fold lattices. Comparison between 3-fold and 4-fold systems shows that stronger superexchange broadens Dirac bandwidths and enhances in-plane transport. These findings establish coordination geometry and linker spin state as key design parameters for emergent electronic topology in 2D MOFs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2171–2177"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148675513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lamellar Nanocomposites of Manganese Dioxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets as Cathode Materials for Zinc-Ion Batteries","authors":"Chenhui Wang, Lingyu Chen, Dai-Ming Tang, Renzhi Ma, Nobuyuki Sakai, Takayoshi Sasaki","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00354","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have emerged as a compelling option for energy storage, owing to their cost effectiveness, high safety, environmental friendliness, and high energy density. In this work, superior Zn<sup>2+</sup> storage performance was achieved by constructing a lamellar MnO<sub>2</sub>/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite via a flocculation approach. This nanocomposite integrates the advantages of both components, consisting of alternately restacked unilamellar MnO<sub>2</sub> and rGO nanosheets with molecular-scale homogeneity, which affords high electrical conductivity, a large surface area with abundant active sites, and rapid Zn<sup>2+</sup> migration. As a result, the ZIB assembled with the MnO<sub>2</sub>/rGO nanocomposite delivered a specific capacity of 228 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> at 50 mA g<sup>−1</sup>, far exceeding that of individual MnO<sub>2</sub> and rGO, thereby demonstrating that composite construction can significantly enhance the Zn<sup>2+</sup> storage abilities of MnO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets. This work highlights a promising strategy for designing high-performance ZIB cathodes and further advances the development of next-generation energy storage devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2220–2225"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148688120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Materials LettersPub Date : 2026-08-03Epub Date: 2026-06-24DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00358
Longfei Li, Zhiwu Yu, Liming Zhang, Yi Sun, Xu Zhang, Minna Guo, Xiaolei Lu, Hongfa Xiang, Wenwen Deng, Xuyong Feng
{"title":"Lattice Contraction and Ionic Conductivity Enhancement in LaCl3-Based Solid-State Electrolytes under Moderate Pressure and Heating","authors":"Longfei Li, Zhiwu Yu, Liming Zhang, Yi Sun, Xu Zhang, Minna Guo, Xiaolei Lu, Hongfa Xiang, Wenwen Deng, Xuyong Feng","doi":"10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00358","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.6c00358","url":null,"abstract":"<p>It is conventionally believed that pressure below the GPa range has a negligible effect on the structure and properties of solid materials. Here, we challenge this notion by demonstrating that heating at 80 °C under a moderate pressure of 60 MPa induces lattice contraction and Li<sup>+</sup> redistribution in a LaCl<sub>3</sub>-based solid-state electrolyte. This structural evolution, confirmed by X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, results in an increase in ionic conductivity from 1.2 to 1.6 mS cm<sup>−1</sup> and a decrease in activation energy from 0.27 to 0.19 eV. The one-dimensional ion-transport channels along the <em>c</em>-axis in LaCl<sub>3</sub> feature large intrinsic sizes and weak intermolecular interactions, rendering them susceptible to compression under such moderate conditions. This structural compaction facilitates Li<sup>+</sup> rearrangement and enhances ion transport, ultimately boosting the electrolyte's overall ionic conductivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":19,"journal":{"name":"ACS Materials Letters","volume":"8 8","pages":"2226–2231"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148682614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}