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The development of Li metal batteries requires understanding of cell-level electrochemical processes. Here the authors investigate the interplay between electrode thickness, electrolyte depletion and solid–electrolyte interphase in practical pouch cells and demonstrate the construction of high-energy long-cycle Li metal batteries.
Doping CdTe solar cells with group V elements could overcome the limitations in voltage output and device stability of copper doping, yet implementation remains challenging. Now, Li et al. have devised an ex situ doping approach that is based on group V chloride solutions and low-temperature annealing.
Increasing attention is being paid to the electrification of trucks, in particular for short-haul operations. Borlaug et al. simulate depot charging load profiles based on real-world operating schedules to explore future charging requirements and assess the likely distribution substation upgrades needed to support them.
Anode-free batteries offer high-energy prospects but suffer from poor cycling stability due to limited lithium sources. Here, the authors preload lithium oxide onto a high-energy cathode in initial-anode-free cells, which substantially improves the cyclability while maintaining high energy density.
The role of intragrain planar defects in halide perovskite solar cell devices remains elusive. Now, Li et al. tune the composition of the perovskite layer to minimize the planar defect density and observe an improvement in the device performance.
Oxygen release in Li-rich layered oxides is of both fundamental and practical interest in batteries, but a varied mechanistic understanding exists. Here the authors evaluate the extent of oxygen release over extended cycles and present a comprehensive picture of the phenomenon that unifies the current explanations.
Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors have enabled high efficiencies yet their charge dynamics and its impact on the photovoltaic parameters are not fully understood. Now, Chen et al. provide a general description of non-radiative voltage losses in both fullerene and non-fullerene solar cells.
There have been objections to onshore wind turbines for aesthetic reasons, although a quantitative methodology to provide some assessment of the risk of such public objections has been missing. McKenna et al. develop a method to use geotagged photographs of landscapes to assess potential future public acceptance of projects.
Atomically dispersed platinum electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction promise minimized platinum usage, but catalytic activity and selectivity are often low due to unfavourable O2 adsorption. To circumvent this issue, Gao and colleagues load platinum onto α-Fe2O3, making a highly active and stable catalyst with dispersed Pt–Fe pair sites.
Thin Li foils are desirable for high-energy Li battery applications. Here, Cui and team devise a fabrication route for ultrathin (less than 20 μm) Li foils that show promise for improving existing anodes including silicon, graphite and metallic Li.
Methylammonium-free perovskite solar cells have achieved promising efficiency and thermal stability yet iodide migration limits their operational stability. Deng and colleagues show that an excess of formamidinium or caesium iodide precursor suppresses iodide vacancies preventing ion migration and eventually the generation of hole traps during device operation.
It is generally believed that fast Li-ion transport in batteries can only be achieved when the host material does not change much with the Li movement. Here the authors show that controlled and reversible changes in host structures upon cycling can actually be used to improve the battery kinetics.
Molecular design of acceptor and donor molecules has enabled major progress in organic photovoltaics. Li et al. show that branched alkyl chains in non-fullerene acceptors allow favourable morphology in the active layer, enabling a certified device efficiency of 17.9%.
An often-overlooked aspect of vehicle electrification is how often and why owners give up on electric vehicles. Using surveys of California electric vehicle owners, Hardman and Tal find discontinuance rates of 20% and 18% among plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicle owners, and examine the motivations behind discontinuance.
Dynamic windows can reduce a building’s energy demand, yet the control of light and heat transmission remains challenging. Strand et al. show that polymer inhibitors improve the morphology of metal films allowing a wide modulation of light and heat flow in windows based on reversible metal electrodeposition.
Precipitates that form in the cathode of continuous-flow CO2 electrolysers hamper their long-term operation, but the alkali metals they are formed from actually boost activity. Endrődi et al. mitigate this dichotomy by using pure water in the electrolyser and periodically infusing the cathode with alkaline cations.
Costs of renewable energy generation have fallen rapidly in recent years, often faster than predicted. Wiser et al. undertake an expert elicitation survey to project wind power costs to 2050, finding substantial continued cost reductions, and compare back to a previous survey to understand what has changed.
Passivating contacts hold promise for silicon solar cells yet the simultaneous optimization of conductivity, defect passivation and optical transparency remains challenging. Now Köhler et al. devise a passivating contact based on a double layer of nanocrystalline silicon carbide that overcomes these trade-offs.
Zinc–air batteries are viewed as a sustainable storage technology, but their commercialization requires a genuine performance leap forwards from the laboratory scale. Here the authors report a cell-level design and demonstrate an ampere-hour pouch cell with exceptionally high energy density and cycle lifespan.