Natural bones exhibit a substantial recoverable strain (ε_rec) of 2%‒4% and vary in mechanical and mass transfer properties across different body regions. Integrating these attributes is essential for the functionality and therapeutic efficacy of metallic scaffolds used in bone defect treatment. This study presents innovative superelastic nickel-titanium (NiTi) scaffolds with a remarkable maximum ε_rec of 6%‒7% and extensive tuneability in elastic modulus, cyclic stress, compressive strength, specific damping capacity, and permeability. These impressive performance integrations are attributed to carefully designed structures featuring stable austenite phases with hierarchical microstructures and gyroid-sheet macrostructures. Physical experiments and computational simulations illustrate that this unique structure combination promotes martensitic transformation during deformation and allows the tuning of mechanical and mass transfer properties without compromising superelasticity. The deformation-recoverable and performance-tuneable NiTi scaffolds are more adaptive than their conventional counterparts, offering a versatile solution for diverse bone implantation needs. In addition to scaffold applications, this study provides valuable insights for developing advanced multifunctional metamaterials applicable in other fields.

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers the unique capability of directly creating three-dimensional complicated ceramic components with high process flexibility and outstanding geometry controllability. However, current ceramic AM technology is mainly limited to the creation of a single material, which falls short of meeting the multiple functional requirements under increasingly harsh service circumstances. Ceramic multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) technology has great potential for integrally producing multi-dimensional multi-functional components, allowing for point-by-point precision manufacturing of programmable performance/functions. However, there is a huge gap between the capabilities of the existing ceramic MMAM technology and the requirements for industrial application. In this review, we discuss and summarize the research status of ceramic MMAM technology from the perspectives of feedstock selection, printing process, post-processing, component performance, and application. Throughout the discussion, the challenges associated with ceramic MMAM such as heterogeneous material coupled printing, heterogeneous interfacial bonding, and co-sintering densification have been put forward. This review aims to bridge the gap between AM technologies and the requirements for multifunctional ceramic components by analyzing the existing limitations in ceramic MMAM and pointing out future needs.

Surface modifications can introduce natural gradients or structural hierarchy into human-made microlattices, making them simultaneously strong and tough. Herein, we describe our investigations of the mechanical properties and the underlying mechanisms of additively manufactured nickel–chromium superalloy (IN625) microlattices after surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). Our results demonstrated that SMAT increased the yielding strength of these microlattices by more than 64.71% and also triggered a transition in their mechanical behaviour. Two primary failure modes were distinguished: weak global deformation, and layer-by-layer collapse, with the latter enhanced by SMAT. The significantly improved mechanical performance was attributable to the ultrafine and hard graded-nanograin layer induced by SMAT, which effectively leveraged the material and structural effects. These results were further validated by finite element analysis. This work provides insight into collapse behaviour and should facilitate the design of ultralight yet buckling-resistant cellular materials.

Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a nondestructive technique for rapid detection of analytes even at the single-molecule level. However, highly sensitive and reliable SERS substrates are mostly fabricated with complex nanofabrication techniques, greatly restricting their practical applications. A convenient electrochemical method for transforming the surface of commercial gold wires/foils into silver-alloyed nanostructures is demonstrated in this report. Au substrates are treated with repetitive anodic and cathodic bias in an electrolyte of thiourea, in a one-pot one-step manner. X-rays absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy confirms that the AuAg alloy is induced at the surface. The unique AuAg alloyed surface nanostructures are particularly advantageous when served as SERS substrates, enabling a remarkably sensitive detection of Rhodamine B (a detection limit of 10⁻¹⁴ ​M, and uniform strong response throughout the substrates at 10⁻¹² ​M).

Solar steam generation (SSG) is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable technologies for seawater desalination. However, salt fouling severely compromises the evaporation performance and lifetime of evaporators, limiting their practical applications. Herein, we propose a hierarchical salt-rejection (HSR) strategy to prevent salt precipitation during long-term evaporation while maintaining a rapid evaporation rate, even in high-salinity brine. The salt diffusion process is segmented into three steps—insulation, branching diffusion, and arterial transport—that significantly enhance the salt-resistance properties of the evaporator. Moreover, the HSR strategy overcomes the tradeoff between salt resistance and evaporation rate. Consequently, a high evaporation rate of 2.84 ​kg ​m⁻² ​h⁻¹, stable evaporation for 7 days cyclic tests in 20 ​wt% NaCl solution, and continuous operation for 170 ​h in natural seawater under 1 sun illumination were achieved. Compared with control evaporators, the HSR evaporator exhibited a > 54% enhancement in total water evaporation mass during 24 ​h continuous evaporation in 20 ​wt% salt water. Furthermore, a water collection device equipped with the HSR evaporator realized a high water purification rate (1.1 ​kg ​m⁻² ​h⁻¹), highlighting its potential for agricultural applications.

Piezoelectricity in native bones has been well recognized as the key factor in bone regeneration. Thus, bio-piezoelectric materials have gained substantial attention in repairing damaged bone by mimicking the tissue’s electrical microenvironment (EM). However, traditional manufacturing strategies still encounter limitations in creating personalized bio-piezoelectric scaffolds, hindering their clinical applications. Three-dimensional (3D)/four-dimensional (4D) printing technology based on the principle of layer-by-layer forming and stacking of discrete materials has demonstrated outstanding advantages in fabricating bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in a more complex-shaped structure. Notably, 4D printing functionality-shifting bio-piezoelectric scaffolds can provide a time-dependent programmable tissue EM in response to external stimuli for bone regeneration. In this review, we first summarize the physicochemical properties of commonly used bio-piezoelectric materials (including polymers, ceramics, and their composites) and representative biological findings for bone regeneration. Then, we discuss the latest research advances in the 3D printing of bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in terms of feedstock selection, printing process, induction strategies, and potential applications. Besides, some related challenges such as feedstock scalability, printing resolution, stress-to-polarization conversion efficiency, and non-invasive induction ability after implantation have been put forward. Finally, we highlight the potential of shape/property/functionality-shifting smart 4D bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in bone tissue engineering (BTE). Taken together, this review emphasizes the appealing utility of 3D/4D printed biological piezoelectric scaffolds as next-generation BTE implants.

Grain growth directly influences the plasticity and strength of Mg alloys. As the grain size decreases from the microscale to the nanoscale, the plasticity of Mg alloys continually increases, whereas the strength first increases and later decreases. These trends are observed because the plastic deformation mechanism changes from dislocation–twinning dominance to grain boundary dominance. In this study, the factors influencing grain growth, such as the temperature of plastic deformation/annealing, second-phase particles and solute atoms, are examined to aid effective control of the grain size. Additionally, the mechanisms of grain growth, typically induced by strain and thermal activation, are clarified. Strain-induced grain boundary migration is attributable to the difference in the strain energy stored in adjacent grains with high-density dislocations. Heat-induced grain boundary migration is driven by the difference in the energy of the grain boundary/subgrain boundary and boundary curvature. Abnormal grain growth can be induced by anisotropy of the strain energy, anisotropy of the grain boundary mobility, depinning of the second phase and high misorientation gradient.

The additive manufacturing (AM) of Ni-based superalloys has attracted extensive interest from both academia and industry due to its unique capabilities to fabricate complex and high-performance components for use in high-end industrial systems. However, the intense temperature gradient induced by the rapid heating and cooling processes of AM can generate high levels of residual stress and metastable chemical and structural states, inevitably leading to severe metallurgical defects in Ni-based superalloys. Cracks are the greatest threat to these materials' integrity as they can rapidly propagate and thereby cause sudden and non-predictable failure. Consequently, there is a need for a deeper understanding of residual stress and cracking mechanisms in additively manufactured Ni-based superalloys and ways to potentially prevent cracking, as this knowledge will enable the wider application of these unique materials. To this end, this paper comprehensively reviews the residual stress and the various mechanisms of crack formation in Ni-based superalloys during AM. In addition, several common methods for inhibiting crack formation are presented to assist the research community to develop methods for the fabrication of crack-free additively manufactured components.

The construction of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) has gradually been an appealing and attractive technology in energy storage research field. In the present work, a facile strategy of synthesizing ultrathin amorphous/nanocrystal dual-phase P-doped Bi₂MoO₆ (denoted as P-BiMO) nanosheets via a one-step wet-chemical synthesis approach is explored. Quite distinct from conventional two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets, our newly developed ultrathin P-BiMO nanosheets exhibit a unique tunable amorphous/nanocrystalline dual-phase structure with several compelling advantages including fast ion exchange ability and superb volume change buffer capability. The experimental results reveal that our prepared P-BiMO-6 electrode delivers an excellent reversible capacity of 509.6 mA·g⁻¹ after continuous 1,500 cycles at the current densities of 1,500 mA·g⁻¹ and improved rate performance for LIBs. In the meanwhile, the P-BiMO-6 electrode also shows a reversible capacity of 300.6 mA·g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at 50 mA·g⁻¹ when being used as the SIBs electrodes. This present work uncovers an effective dual-phase nanosheet structure to improve the performance of batteries, providing an attractive paradigm to develop superior electrode materials.

Mineral hydrogels have caught a lot of attention for their strong competency as artificial skin-like materials. Nonetheless, it remains a great difficulty in fulfilling in one hydrogel system a range of key functionalities that are needed for practical artificial skin applications, i.e., to be biocompatible, strain-sensitive, ion-conductive, elastic and robust, anti-swelling, and anti-freezing. Here we present a such type of versatile hydrogel that is not only capable to deliver all the above-mentioned key functionalities but also highly stable. This novel hydrogel is constructed by introducing a gelatinous and amorphous multi-ionic biomineral (denoted as Mg-ACCP, containing Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, CO₃²⁻, and PO₄³⁻) into the network of biocompatible polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA). The presence of Mg²⁺ and PO₄³⁻ in this hydrogel helps prohibit the crystallization of the biominerals, leading to significantly improved stability. The hydrogel thus obtained delivers excellent mechanical performance due to the chelation between the mineral ions and the organic matrix, and high sensitivity even to subtle pressure and strain applied, such as slight finger bending and gentle tapping. Furthermore, the novel hydrogel features high ionic conductivity, high resistance to swelling, and extraordinary anti-freezing property, holding great promise for applications in different practical scenarios, particularly in aqueous or cold environments.