Contact electrification between water and a solid surface is crucial for physicochemical processes at water–solid interfaces. However, the nature of the involved processes remains poorly understood, especially in the initial stage of the interface formation. Here we report that H 2 O 2 is spontaneously produced from the hydroxyl groups on the solid surface when contact occurred. The density of hydroxyl groups affects the H 2 O 2 yield. The participation of hydroxyl groups in H 2 O 2 generation is confirmed by mass spectrometric detection of 18 O in the product of the reaction between 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid and 18 O–labeled H 2 O 2 resulting from 18 O 2 plasma treatment of the surface. We propose a model for H 2 O 2 generation based on recombination of the hydroxyl radicals produced from the surface hydroxyl groups in the water–solid contact process. Our observations show that the spontaneous generation of H 2 O 2 is universal on the surfaces of soil and atmospheric fine particles in a humid environment.

Glial cells are important components of the nervous system. However, how they respond to physiological stimuli in vivo remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the electrophysiological activities and Ca2+ responses of the C. elegans amphid sheath glia (AMsh glia) to tactile stimulation in vivo. We recorded robust inward currents and Ca2+ elevation in the AMsh cell with the delivery of tactile stimuli of varying displacements to the nose tip of the worm. Compared to the adjacent mechanoreceptor ASH neuron, the AMsh cell showed greater sensitivity to tactile stimulation. Amiloride, an epithelial Na+ channel blocker, blocked the touch-induced currents and Ca2+ signaling in the ASH neuron, but not those in the AMsh cell. Taken together, our results revealed that AMsh glial cells actively respond to in vivo tactile stimulation and likely function cell-autonomously as mechanoreceptors.

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In order to enhance the visible-light transmittance while reducing the insulator–metal transition (IMT) temperature, Hf–W co-doping is designed for modification of VO2. We grow high-quality HfxWyV1−x−yO2 (HfWVO2) alloy films on c-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition, and test structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films by various techniques. The Hf–W co-doped VO2 films exhibit outstanding thermochromic performances with a high luminous transmittance up to 41.1%, a fairly good near-infrared modulation capacity of 13.1%, and a low phase transition temperature of 38.9 °C. The enhanced luminous transmittance along with reduced IMT temperature in HfWVO2 is attributed to the co-doping synergetic effect of Hf and W, which effectively improves the optical bandgap and donates extra electrons into the system, respectively, while largely retaining the near-infrared modulation capacity of VO2. Our work provides an effective strategy in tailoring VO2 toward practical smart-coating applications by Hf–W co-doping.