SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202509420
Hyeju Kwon, Sangki Lee, Jangwook Pyun, Yoo Sei Park, Junyoung Kwon, Munseok S. Chae
{"title":"High-Performance Mn-Based Hybrid Aqueous Batteries Enabled by Interlayer-Expanded Magnesium Vanadium Bronze Cathode","authors":"Hyeju Kwon, Sangki Lee, Jangwook Pyun, Yoo Sei Park, Junyoung Kwon, Munseok S. Chae","doi":"10.1002/smll.202509420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509420","url":null,"abstract":"Manganese-based ion batteries exhibit a relatively low redox potential (−1.19 V vs SHE) along with high theoretical capacity and excellent capacity retention characteristics, making them promising for next-generation batteries. In this study, a high-performance manganese hybrid aqueous battery with an expanded interlayer spacing is designed and fabricated using MgV<sub>6</sub>O<sub>16</sub>·7H<sub>2</sub>O (MgVO) as the cathode material and manganese metal as the anode. The fabricated Mn metal battery achieves an initial discharge capacity of 195.3 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> (with Mn metal anode) at a current density of 0.1 A g<sup>−1</sup> with 1.19 V and exhibits excellent capacity retention of even after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.4 A g<sup>−1</sup>. Furthermore, detailed structural behavior and operational mechanisms of ions within the MgVO electrode are elucidated through comprehensive analyses of the crystal structure, ion diffusion pathways, and activation energy calculations. Compared to zinc-based aqueous batteries (−0.76 V vs SHE), the manganese-based system demonstrates a ≈0.43 V higher theoretical operating voltage, which is consistent with the experimental observations. This study not only confirms the potential of MgVO as a promising cathode material for next-generation manganese aqueous batteries but also provides valuable insights for the performance enhancement and design optimization of manganese-based aqueous battery systems.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202506053
Tong Tang, Bo Yu, Yuning Zhang, Xiaochun Wei, Huangzhong Yu
{"title":"Achieving Defect Passivation and Oriented Crystallization Regulation at the SnO2/Perovskite Interface via Molecular Bridging","authors":"Tong Tang, Bo Yu, Yuning Zhang, Xiaochun Wei, Huangzhong Yu","doi":"10.1002/smll.202506053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202506053","url":null,"abstract":"Buried interface defects between the SnO<sub>2</sub> electron transport layer (ETL) and the perovskite layer severely limit the efficiency, hysteresis, and stability of SnO<sub>2</sub>-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, 3-Isothioureidopropionic acid (ATPN) is introduced as a molecular bridge at the buried perovskite interface, effectively passivating interface defects and regulating the oriented growth of perovskite crystals. The carboxyl (-COOH) groups of ATPN passivate dangling Sn bonds on SnO<sub>2</sub>, reducing surface oxygen vacancies and facilitating charge extraction and transport. Meanwhile, the imino (-C═NH) and amino (-NH<sub>2</sub>) groups of ATPN effectively passivate undercoordinated Pb<sup>2+</sup> and I<sup>−</sup> ions in the perovskite, reducing interfacial defects and optimizing energy level alignment. In situ crystallization studies reveal that ATPN-mediated modulation extends the recrystallization process of the perovskite, promoting the formation of larger grains during fabrication. Additionally, this strategy induces a highly preferred out-of-plane (100) crystal orientation by eliminating energy barriers, thus enhancing carrier extraction and transport. A champion ATPN-treated PSC achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.06%, compared to 22.15% for the control device. After 1920 h of aging in a nitrogen atmosphere, the ATPN-modified device retained 90.14% of its initial PCE, while the unmodified device retained only 68.32%.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202508508
Muhammad Ismail, Hyesung Na, Youngseo Lee, Maria Rasheed, Chandreswar Mahata, Jung-Kyu Lee, Sungjun Kim
{"title":"Hybrid WS2-Based Memristor With Tunable Conductance Modulation for Neuromorphic and Nociceptive Learning","authors":"Muhammad Ismail, Hyesung Na, Youngseo Lee, Maria Rasheed, Chandreswar Mahata, Jung-Kyu Lee, Sungjun Kim","doi":"10.1002/smll.202508508","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508508","url":null,"abstract":"Here, a high-performance memristive device that integrates a layered WS<sub>2</sub> switching medium with a TiO<sub>x</sub>-rich interface and a BaTiO<sub>3</sub> (BTO) dielectric layer is reported. This hybrid structure exploits the defect tunability of WS<sub>2</sub> to regulate oxygen vacancy dynamics, while BaTiO<sub>3</sub> enhances electric-field stabilization and TiO<sub>x</sub> acts as a redox-controlling barrier. The device exhibits analog multilevel switching at low voltages (±0.5 V), a wide memory window (>10), stable retention beyond 10⁴ s, pulse endurance exceeding 10⁵ cycles, and ultralow switching energy (≈54.7 pJ per event). Uniform switching is achieved, with cycle-to-cycle variation of 3.6% and 2.3% for Set and Reset states, respectively. Discrete 5-bit (32-level) resistance states are realized under DC sweeps, enabling high-density memory storage. A broad range of synaptic plasticity features such as long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), post-tetanic potentiation (PTP), spike-number-dependent plasticity (SADP) and spike-amplitude-dependent plasticity (SADP) - are successfully reproduced. Furthermore, the incremental step pulse with verify algorithm (ISPVA) algorithm enables precise 4–6-bit conductance modulation with enhances linearity, symmetry, and suppress variability. The device also mimicked nociceptor-like behaviors including no adaptation, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. When integrated into an artificial neural network (ANN)ANN, the device achieves a recognition accuracy of 97.4% on the MNIST dataset. These results establish the WS<sub>2</sub>-based hybrid memristor as a strong candidate for energy-efficient neuromorphic and adaptive sensory applications.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Noble Metal/Iron-Group Metal Compound Composite Catalysts: Characterization, Synthesis, and Electrocatalytic Application","authors":"Li Zhou, Xiaoyue Zheng, Lulu Wang, Yanru Yuan, Jiwen Wu, Chenjing Wang, Yuquan Yang, Meifang Huang, Binbin Jia, Jinlong Zheng","doi":"10.1002/smll.202508616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508616","url":null,"abstract":"Electrocatalysis is hindered by challenges such as the scarcity and high cost of noble metals, as well as the deactivation of active sites under reaction conditions. While iron-group metal compound (IGMC) offer abundant reserves and unique electronic structures, it often suffers- from high overpotentials and insufficient stability, limiting its practical applications. Noble metal/IGMC composite catalysts address these issues by enabling precise tuning of electronic structures through hybrid synthesis strategies, thereby enhancing catalytic activity and establishing efficient synergistic mechanisms. This review categorizes noble metal/IGMC composite systems based on noble metal size (single atoms, clusters, nanoparticles), comprehensively summarizing research progress in this field. It focuses on elaborating synthesis strategies for different size-based systems, while delving into the synergistic enhancement mechanisms at multi-component interfaces during electrocatalysis, and analyzing the regulatory role of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). By integrating multi-scale characterization techniques and electrocatalytic application studies, the dynamic reconstruction rules of active sites and their practical application potentials are deeply revealed, providing critical theoretical support and scientific guidance for the rational design of high-performance catalytic materials.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202508796
Valerie Siller, Linfeng Xu, Laurent Castro, Aurélie Guéguen, Mario El Kazzi
{"title":"Electrochemical and Mechanical Evolution of Sulfide-Based Solid Electrolytes: Insights from Operando XPS and Cell Pressure Measurements","authors":"Valerie Siller, Linfeng Xu, Laurent Castro, Aurélie Guéguen, Mario El Kazzi","doi":"10.1002/smll.202508796","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508796","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the electrochemical and mechanical behavior of solid electrolytes beyond their electrochemical stability window is crucial for enabling high energy density all-solid-state batteries. Accordingly, this work systematically studies a model working electrode of Li<sub>3</sub>PS<sub>4</sub>, ball milled with vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF). <i>Operando</i> X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy can identify and quantify the potential-dependent redox byproducts, their reversibility, and electrical properties, while <i>operando</i> cell pressure measurements correlate these with volume changes and mechanical instability. The study examines voltages up to 5.0 V and down to −0.05 V versus Li/Li<sup>+</sup>, mimicking cathode and anode cycling. It demonstrates that within the 2.4–5.0 V region, Li<sub>3</sub>PS<sub>4</sub> oxidation byproducts are primarily polysulfides composed of bridging sulfurs (P-S-S-P) between PS<sub>4</sub><sup>3-</sup> units, free of elemental sulfur (S<sup>0</sup>), and electrically conductive. The Li<sub>3</sub>PS<sub>4</sub> oxidation process occurs at 2.8 V during first charge and ends at 3.4 V, with volume shrinkage at the VGCF interface. During reduction (2.4 to −0.05 V), polysulfides convert reversibly to Li<sub>3</sub>PS<sub>4</sub> between 1.9 and 1.7 V, then to Li<sub>2</sub>S and Li<sub>n</sub>P (0 ≤ n ≤ 3) between 1.9 and 0.6 V, causing volume expansion and the transition to an electrically insulating interphase. Below 0.6 V, Li<sub>2</sub>O formation dominates without further evolution of Li<sub>2</sub>S or Li<sub>n</sub>P.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202508638
Richard Fuchs, Shi-Yang Tang, Lucy Johnston, Dewei Chu, Priyank V Kumar, Shuhua Peng, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Jianbo Tang
{"title":"A Dynamically Stabilizing, All-Soft and Highly Stretchable Liquid Metal-Based Power Device","authors":"Richard Fuchs, Shi-Yang Tang, Lucy Johnston, Dewei Chu, Priyank V Kumar, Shuhua Peng, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Jianbo Tang","doi":"10.1002/smll.202508638","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508638","url":null,"abstract":"Soft electronics require equally soft power sources, which have been designed to be flexible but remain limited in their stretchability to date. Here, a highly stretchable liquid metal-based power device is reported, achieved through an all-soft design. Inspired by the soft architecture and modular arrangements of electrocytes, individual electrochemical cells are constructed by integrating liquid metal, hydrogel electrolyte, silver grease, and elastomeric encapsulation. Serial and parallel cell configurations enable reliable output power scale up. Such an all-soft design effectively overcomes mechanical mismatching, allowing the device to maintain stability and output performance under large deformations, such as bending, twisting, and stretching (>350% strain). When the device is operating under mechanical deformations, the liquid metal surface recovers from oxidation to improve output performance. The dynamic mechanical robustness and electrical output stability of the power device are demonstrated in powering model electronic circuits, bio-inspired sensors, and digital wristwatches. This work extends the stretchability of soft power devices with an all-soft, scalable design.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Leukocyte Membrane‐Coated Filtrable Micromotors With Selective Distribution of Enzymes for Capturing and Sensing Circulating Tumor Cells","authors":"Yixuan Yang, Xia Liu, Lanlan Jia, Jiabo Wang, Qianhui Wu, Minglei Zhang, Yusi Bu, Xiaoyu Xie","doi":"10.1002/smll.202507095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202507095","url":null,"abstract":"Enzyme‐catalyzed micro/nanomotors exhibit significant promise in drug delivery and sensing due to the exceptional biocompatibility, adaptability, and capacity to employ endogenous fuels. Nevertheless, the flow field generated by the catalytic reaction of enzymes exposed to the outside may considerably impair the recognition ability of surface‐connected functional components, such as aptamers. Here, advantage is taken of cell membrane coating technology to create biomimetic micromotors that selectively distributed glucose oxidase (GOx) and employ aggregation‐induced emission sensing to quickly capture and visualize circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Once the cell membrane selectively filters glucose, the flow field created by GOx is restricted within the intramembrane cavity. This design produces the required driving force while reducing interference on the exterior surface recognition function. By spatially segregating functional components, these biomimetic micromotors achieve CTCs collection in less than a min, enable real‐time in situ detection. The proposed strategy demonstrates the potential of spatially segregated biomimetic micromotors for rapid CTCs enrichment and real‐time sensing, which may inspire further development of multifunctional platforms in liquid biopsy applications.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145215810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Atomic Coordination Regulation in Electronic Structure of Electrocatalysts","authors":"Hua Fan, Guangyao Zhao, Kaisheng Zou, Qimei Yang, Tangfei Zheng, Jian Wang, Wei Ding","doi":"10.1002/smll.202509723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509723","url":null,"abstract":"The electronic structure of electrocatalysts is central to energy conversion processes, determining catalytic efficiency, intrinsic activity, and stability. Precise regulation of atomic‐level coordination environments optimizes this electronic structure. This review analyzes the interplay between electrocatalyst electronic structure and coordination configuration through energy‐level matching theory and the Sabatier principle. Leveraging advanced characterization techniques, diverse bonding motifs—including unsaturated bonds, surface self‐bonds, interfacial chemical bonds, and 2D bonds are examined—and elucidate their mechanisms for modulating electronic properties. These insights demonstrate how coordination chemistry control via electronic structure engineering enables rational design of high‐performance electrocatalysts. Integration of advanced catalyst architectures exploiting quantum confinement with machine‐learning‐guided design, alongside characterization tools dynamically linking electronic states to performance, will accelerate next‐generation electrocatalyst development.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"99 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145215811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202509150
Yuxuan Zhu, Shunlong Ju, Long Yao, Guanglin Xia, Xuebin Yu
{"title":"A Bismuth Surface Layer Enables Uniform Aluminum Electrodeposition for Reversible Aluminum Metal Anodes","authors":"Yuxuan Zhu, Shunlong Ju, Long Yao, Guanglin Xia, Xuebin Yu","doi":"10.1002/smll.202509150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509150","url":null,"abstract":"Metallic aluminum (Al) is an attractive anode material for Al-ion batteries owing to its high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, Al metal anodes suffer from surface passivation, dendrite growth, and parasitic reactions, hindering the practical applications of Al-ion batteries. Herein, a modified Al metal anode with a bismuth (Bi) artificial surface layer (Bi@Al) is developed by a facile in-situ substitution reaction method. The Bi layer accelerates the desolvation, nucleation, and Al<sup>3+</sup> migration process, thereby facilitating homogeneous Al<sup>3+</sup> distribution and rapid Al plating/stripping. Therefore, the modified Al metal anode achieves high reversibility and stability even under high current densities and capacities. As a result, Bi@Al symmetric cells exhibit a lifespan over 500 h at 10 mA cm<sup>−2</sup> and 10 mAh cm<sup>−2</sup>. Furthermore, combined with the graphite cathode, the Bi-modified Al metal full cell delivers a capacity of 80.1 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g<sup>−1</sup>. This work provides a valuable method to modify the Al metal anode for developing high-performance non-aqueous Al-ion batteries.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SmallPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1002/smll.202501973
Ziyong Zhang,Bo Feng,Junting Sun,Guowei Li,Zunming Lu,Junqiang Wang,Juntao Huo
{"title":"The Integration of Magnetic Fields and Catalysts for Clean Energy Conversion.","authors":"Ziyong Zhang,Bo Feng,Junting Sun,Guowei Li,Zunming Lu,Junqiang Wang,Juntao Huo","doi":"10.1002/smll.202501973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202501973","url":null,"abstract":"Electrocatalysis is a crucial approach for achieving clean energy transitions, requiring highly efficient catalytic materials to expedite this process. However, overcoming the thermodynamic and kinetic constraints is key to discovering next-generation materials that are both cost-effective and efficient. The introduction of magnetic fields offers new opportunities for modulating the electronic structures of catalytic materials, optimizing the adsorption/desorption behavior of key intermediates, and enhancing catalytic efficiency. This review starts with the fundamental principles of classical electrocatalytic reactions, and revisits the main mechanisms by which magnetic fields affect magnetic catalytic materials and electrocatalytic systems, including magneto-thermal effects, magnetohydrodynamic effects, and spin-selective effects. Focusing on amorphous materials, topological materials, and metal oxides, the review highlights the design of magnetic catalytic materials, the control of magnetic structures, and their response behaviors to external fields. Finally, it discusses the major bottlenecks facing magnetic catalysis and its potential applications in other important small molecule catalytic transformations. This review provides a new perspective for understanding the essence of magnetic field chemistry and accelerating the development of catalytic materials aimed at applications.","PeriodicalId":228,"journal":{"name":"Small","volume":"36 1","pages":"e01973"},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145209172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}