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Layered oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries often experience irreversible phase transitions and structural instability. Now researchers have developed a P2-type oxide containing earth-abundant elements, featuring an intergrowth phase structure that enables long-cycle, high-energy sodium-ion batteries.
Wang et al. show that a small amount of donor in the acceptor layer or vice versa induces structural order owing to dipole–dipole interaction between the donor and the acceptor, enabling a certified efficiency of 19.1% in pseudo-bilayer organic solar cells.
Cost-efficient electrolytes are important for the development of multivalent metal batteries, but expensive precursors and complex synthesis hinder progress. The authors present a cation replacement method for low-cost, high-reversibility magnesium and calcium electrolytes, advancing high-energy-density multivalent metal batteries.
There is debate about when electrolytic hydrogen produced from grid-connected renewables should qualify as ‘low carbon’. Here the authors explore how additionality and the degree of time matching between electrolysers’ electricity consumption and contracted renewable energy generation impacts emissions and costs.
All-solid-state lithium-metal batteries are at the forefront of battery research and development. Here C. Wang and colleagues have developed an interlayer design strategy to address issues associated with lithium dendrite growth and interface resistance, resulting in substantial improvements in battery performance.
The practicality of osmotic energy for portable electronics has been challenging despite recent advancements. Researchers devise a method to store iontronic energy in a polymer film based on osmotic effects, achieving high energy and power density.
The alkali-metal electrolytes often used in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction can lead to problematic carbonate formation and salt precipitation. Here, the authors demonstrate a scaled-up system for CO2 reduction that uses both anion-exchange and proton-exchange membranes, allowing alkali-cation-free water to be used as a feed, with resulting stable operation.
Light-driven synthesis of hydrocarbons could be an attractive route to fuels, but approaches towards this have typically needed H2 as a reactant. Here the authors report that a TiO2−x/Ni catalyst can produce hydrocarbons from CO and water at atmospheric pressure in a light-driven process.
Suo et al. show that sulfonium-based molecules afford formamidinium lead iodide perovskites protection against environmental stress factors, improved phase stability and solar cells retaining efficiency over 4,500-h operational stability tests.
Polymer dielectric capacitors are important for energy storage, although they often suffer from low energy density, especially at high temperatures, and challenges in mass production. This study reports roll-to-roll fabricated composites enriched with subnanosheet fillers, showcasing enhanced performance even at elevated temperatures.
It is challenging to achieve fast-charging, high-performance Na-ion batteries. This study discusses the origin of fast-charging Na-ion batteries with hard carbon anodes and demonstrates an ampere-hour-level, fast-charging, long-cycle-life cylindrical cell under nearly practical conditions.
By means of conductive atomic force microscopy tomography, Sharma et al. quantify the impact of different alkali-fluoride post-deposition treatments of CIGS solar cells on the spatial distribution of charge-carrier concentrations.
Bipolar membranes are increasingly being applied in a variety of electrochemical devices, yet understanding of how they operate in complex electrolyte environments is still limited. Here the authors outline a mechanistic model to explain the behaviour of bipolar membranes in forward bias polarization in mixed electrolytes.
Recent liquid electrolyte advancements have achieved dendrite-free Li plating, but Li corrosion remains an issue. Here the authors propose an electrolyte solution to minimize Li corrosion, enabling high-energy-density Li-metal batteries.
Ni-rich layered cathodes offer a high energy density but experience rapid capacity fading due to interfacial side reactions. This study proposes near-surface modifications for these Ni-rich cathodes to fulfil practical battery application requirements.
Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells are limited by losses in open-circuit voltage. Wang et al. show that diammonium halide salts promote a homogeneous distribution of halides in the perovskite, improving the performance of single- and triple-junction solar cells.
Silicon solar cells based on tunnel oxide passivating contact have industrial potential yet they are less investigated for tandem applications. Now Zheng et al. show a 28.67% certified efficiency for a perovskite/silicon tandem cell using a boron- and phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon connecting layer.
Highly performing fuel cell catalysts tested at the fundamental level rarely translate well to full devices, in part due complicated ionomer-catalyst interfaces at the heart of devices, where the electrochemical reactions occur. Here the authors demonstrate ionomerless-thin-film-deposited cathodes that have comparable activity trends across fundamental tests and fuel cells.
Ammonia can be synthesized electrochemically from nitric oxide, but the catalytic performance has generally not been satisfactory. Here the authors report a highly active copper–tin alloy for nitric oxide reduction to ammonia, which they test in a flow cell and a membrane electrode assembly.
Energy models play a crucial role in studying mitigation strategies; however, substantial variations among these models exist. This study presents a typology for energy models to map these model differences, based on five dimensions, each characterized by numerous diagnostic indicators.