Sound-responsive binuclear clothespin-shaped Pt complexes are depicted in the cover. The non-emissive organic solutions of these complexes were instantly converted to circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active supramolecular gels by brief ultrasound irradiation. By introducing methoxy substituents at appropriate positions, the green, yellow, and red luminescence colors of the gels were successfully controlled.

Recent advances in 4D printing of biodegradable polymers through vat photopolymerization have shown great potential for use in medical implants and devices. This review provides an overview of these 4D printing photopolymers and their applications, with a critical analysis of their mechanical properties and stimuli-responsiveness. Finally, the current challenges in material design and clinical translation are discussed, and personal perspectives on future research directions are offered.

Different contributions to piezoelectric coefficients from crystals, oriented and isotropic amorphous fractions (OAF and IAF) under an applied stress (d_3j) or strain (e_3j).

Benefiting from the atomically thin nature as well as strong optical interaction, two-dimensional (2D) materials can serve as color-generating centers for both chemical pigment colors and physical interference colors in solution, gels, films, and matrix interface systems, to offer new promises for color science and applications. Concerning color tunability, 2D material systems have been demonstrated as one of the ideal responsive materials to achieve the desired goals, including the change of composition, layer thickness, strain, magic angle, and thermally/photically/chemically responsive, magnetically-responsive, electrically-responsive, mechanically-responsive. This makes it an attractive prospect for device applications such as optoelectronics, displays, and nanomedicine. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in color generation and tunability are presented through manipulating the composition, interlayer coupling, and orientation of 2D materials. Additionally, this paper highlights the latest applications in color theory and provides a prospective outlook on the future development of color science based on 2D materials.

This review summarizes the design strategies to construct room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials based on small organic molecules and their promising applications in information encryption, organic light-emitting diode, as well as bio-imaging and phototherapy. The challenges and perspectives are given to provide inspiration toward the future development of organic RTP materials.

This review details research advances in photochromic (PC) smart windows based on inorganic materials. Buildings are important in global energy demand and carbon emissions and smart windows have considerable potential to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Different types of PC materials and PC devices with different structures are introduced, and the applications of PC smart windows for energy saving and daylight comfort improvement are discussed. In addition, we summarized the challenges and limitations of existing research studies and propose directions and developments for future research studies.

The research status of light-responsive soft materials is summarized. Firstly, the preparation methods of photoresponsive soft materials are introduced. Subsequently, ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light-induced deformations or motions are systematically summarized. Then the potential applications of photo-deformable soft materials are separately described. Finally, the current existing problems and future development prospects of photo-responsive soft materials are proposed.

This review aims to provide a critical analysis of representative advancements in biodegradable 4D photopolymers, particularly biodegradable elastomers, and discuss the challenges that lie ahead for their clinical translation. Eventually, an outlook on the possible future research directions in this field is provided.

Zinc sulfide is a smart luminescent material with exceptionally outstanding mechanoluminescence properties. After over a century of research, it is now widely used in wearable devices, auxiliary lighting, stress sensing, anti-counterfeiting, and other fields. This article comprehensively summarizes the properties, characteristics, mechanisms, preparation techniques, and application scenarios of zinc sulfide based on its features in mechanoluminescence. Constructively, it proposes future directions for optimization and methods for technological integration of zinc sulfide. Besides, the presentation of the challenges in mechanisms and applications also provide a unique perspective for subsequent research and assist researchers in quickly grasping the key focuses in this field.

Ultrasound-induced circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has been achieved using clothespin-shaped Pt complexes. The non-emissive sol was instantly converted to a CPL-active gel using an ultrasound stimulus. It can recover to its original sol state by heating, enabling reversible CPL switching. Furthermore, we succeeded in controlling the luminescence color in the gel state by introducing substituents at the appropriate positions.