Materials for energy and catalysis articles within Nature Materials

Featured

  • Article |

    The selective reaction of one part of a bifunctional molecule is a fundamental challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. Modifying a supported palladium catalyst with alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers is now shown to increase selectivity for the hydrogenation of 1-epoxy-3-butane to 1-epoxybutane.

    • Stephen T. Marshall
    • , Marykate O’Brien
    •  & J. William Medlin

  • News & Views |

    The functionalization of crystalline porous materials is frequently limited to groups inert to the microscopic structure. Photoconversion of dormant precursors into highly reactive species shines light on the problem.

    • Matthew J. Rosseinsky

  • Article |

    Nanoscale porous materials show unique properties that can be important for catalytic, separation and gas-storage applications. A strategy to yield crystalline porous compounds decorated with reactive nitrenes that can chemically trap and convert guest molecules by light stimulation is now reported.

    • Hiroshi Sato
    • , Ryotaro Matsuda
    •  & Susumu Kitagawa

  • Article |

    Synthetic solid-state nanopores are of interest at present for their use as single-molecule sensors for characterization and detection of biomolecules. By using self-assembly evaporation and atomic-layer deposition, kinked silica nanopores are shown to exhibit reduction in DNA-translocation velocity and selectivity.

    • Zhu Chen
    • , Yingbing Jiang
    •  & C. Jeffrey Brinker

  • Article |

    The conversion of solar energy into electricity usually occurs either electrically or through thermal conversion. A new mechanism, photon-enhanced thermionic emission, which combines electric as well as thermal conversion mechanisms, is now shown to lead to enhanced conversion efficiencies that potentially could even exceed the theoretical limits of conventional photovoltaic cells.

    • Jared W. Schwede
    • , Igor Bargatin
    •  & Nicholas A. Melosh

  • News & Views |

    A new route to layer-by-layer assembly of metal–organic framework thin films affords highly ordered and controllable surfaces with potential in chemical sensing and catalyst applications.

    • Mark A. Green

  • Letter |

    The search for active semiconductor photocatalysts that split water directly under visible-light irradiation remains challenging for solar applications. An orthophosphate semiconductor, Ag3PO4, which is capable of harnessing visible light to oxidize water as well as decompose organic contaminants in aqueous solution is now reported.

    • Zhiguo Yi
    • , Jinhua Ye
    •  & Ray L. Withers

  • Letter |

    For metal–organic frameworks to be used for applications such as gas storage it is necessary to direct their assembly. Here, thin crystalline films of metal–organic frameworks are fabricated on a solid surface with structural growth control over both in-plane and out-of-plane orientations relative to the substrate.

    • Rie Makiura
    • , Soichiro Motoyama
    •  & Hiroshi Kitagawa

  • Article |

    The formation of lithium dendrites on the metal electrode surface of lithium batteries can lead to short circuits, making them potentially unsafe and unusable. The use of in situ NMR spectroscopy provides time-resolved and quantitative information about the nature of metallic lithium deposited on lithium-metal electrodes.

    • Rangeet Bhattacharyya
    • , Baris Key
    •  & Clare P. Grey

  • Letter |

    The ability to propagate heat in a film should improve with increasing thickness. However, graphene has a higher thermal conductivity than graphite, despite having a smaller thickness. The crossover from two-dimensional to bulk graphite is now studied experimentally and explained theoretically. The results may pave the way to thermal management applications in nanoelectronics.

    • Suchismita Ghosh
    • , Wenzhong Bao
    •  & Alexander A. Balandin

  • Article |

    Tailoring the thermal conductivity of nanostructured materials is a fundamental challenge for nano- and microelectronics heat management. It is now demonstrated how to modify the thermal conductivity of SiGe by engineering nanodot inclusions in regions as short as 15 nm. A similar approach could used on other materials, extending the range of thermal conductivities available.

    • G. Pernot
    • , M. Stoffel
    •  & N. Mingo

  • News & Views |

    Carbon nanotubes direct chemically produced thermal waves, providing propulsion and thermopower waves that create electrical energy.

    • Ali E. Aliev
    •  & Ray H. Baughman

  • Article |

    Understanding the interaction of water with oxide surfaces at the molecular level could prove to be significant for controlling the catalytic activity of complex nanoparticles on insulating films. Two types of selective dissociation pathway involving electronic and vibrational excitation are now observed for a single water molecule on MgO thin films.

    • Hyung-Joon Shin
    • , Jaehoon Jung
    •  & Maki Kawai

  • Article |

    Despite recent advances in lithium batteries, fundamental issues of practical importance such as energy efficiency have not been adequately considered. A general model for the occurrence of inherent hysteretic behaviour in insertion storage systems containing multiple particles is now proposed.

    • Wolfgang Dreyer
    • , Janko Jamnik
    •  & Miran Gaberšček

  • Article |

    Silicon-based lithium-ion batteries are attractive because in principle they offer higher specific capacities than conventional graphite. A hierarchical bottom-up approach is now used to prepare lithium-ion anodes with improved reversible capacities and stable electrochemical performance.

    • A. Magasinski
    • , P. Dixon
    •  & G. Yushin

  • Article |

    An exothermic chemical reaction coupled with a one-dimensional conductor has been predicted to give rise to self-propagating waves with high thermal conductivity. This is now demonstrated experimentally with carbon nanotubes used as guides for the waves, which propagate with high thermal conductivity and with electric pulses of very intense power.

    • Wonjoon Choi
    • , Seunghyun Hong
    •  & Michael S. Strano

  • Editorial |

    Light-concentration effects in photonic nanostructures, reviewed in this issue, promise new applications ranging from tumour therapy to catalysis and enhanced solar cells.

  • News & Views |

    A solar-cell design based on silicon microwires achieves efficient absorption of sunlight while using only 1% of the active material used in conventional designs.

    • Jia Zhu
    •  & Yi Cui

  • Review Article |

    This review article surveys the potential of using plasmonic nanostructures to enhance the absorption of photovoltaic devices. As a result, the physical thickness of solar cells can be reduced, leading to new photovoltaic-device designs.

    • Harry A. Atwater
    •  & Albert Polman

  • Letter |

    The use of silicon nanostructures in solar cells offers a number of benefits, such as the fact they can be used on flexible substrates. A silicon wire-array structure, containing reflecting nanoparticles for enhanced absorption, is now shown to achieve 96% peak absorption efficiency, capturing 85% of light with only 1% of the silicon used in comparable commercial cells.

    • Michael D. Kelzenberg
    • , Shannon W. Boettcher
    •  & Harry A. Atwater

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Materials for energy and catalysis across other nature.com journals