Themed collection 2018 Energy and Environmental Science HOT Articles

Local electric fields in IL-based supercapacitors can change the ionic coordination structure to store electric energy in the bulk of filled mesopores.

Electrolyte stability is governed by its oxidation and reduction potentials, not by the energy levels of its HOMO and LUMO.

The production of hydrogen from water and sunlight is a way to address the intermittency in renewable energy production, while simultaneously generating a versatile fuel and a valuable chemical feedstock. All approaches to solar hydrogen are, however, no equally promising.

We propose a new approach for assessing the lifetimes of perovskite photovoltaics based on daily energy output which accounts for reversible diurnal changes.

The substantial implications of high current densities on the local reaction environment and design of catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ reduction are addressed. The presented perspectives also reflect on current practices within the field and offer new opportunities for both future catalyst and system-focused research efforts.

We assess the strengths and weaknesses of strategies for creating nanoporous hydrogen storage sorbents.

Several application fields can benefit from solar-hydrogen technologies via specific short-term and long-term pathways.

To avoid unnoticed errors made by researchers who are working in the area of nanostructured materials for water splitting, the correct and precise use of evaluation parameters is discussed in detail, stating their acceptability and validity.

This perspective paper focuses on the dimensionality of organic–inorganic halide perovskites and their relevant advantages over 3D halide perovskites.

α-MgAgSb based materials have recently gained popular attentions as a new promising p-type candidate for power generation.

This critical review presents the state of the art research progress, proposes strategies to improve the conductivity of solid electrolytes, discusses the chemical and electrochemical stabilities, and uncovers future perspectives for solid state batteries.

This paper reviews the research activities on the mechanistic understanding and solutions to overcome the TM DMD process, from the earliest discoveries to the latest progress.

Current attempts in materials science to increase the selectivity of CO₂ physisorption from diluted sources are critically reviewed.

Process assessment uncovers most state-of-the-art glycerol-valorisation technologies as attractive, unravels critical parameters for optimisation and highlights advantages of integration within a biorefinery.

We estimate the energy transmission costs for new infrastructure needed to transition to a decarbonized energy system while meeting growing demand.

A cost-effective and industrially applicable screen printing protocol is demonstrated for scalable fabrication of graphene-based planar integrated micro-supercapacitors, with shape diversity, outstanding flexibility and superior modularization.

Advances in organic photovoltaic technologies have always been closely associated with a deeper understanding of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) microstructure morphology, which is generally governed by the ink-formulation based on a single solvent or solvent mixtures.

NbP shows larger Nernst power factor than its conventional power factor, highlighting the potential of topological semimetals for energy conversion based on transverse transport.

FeCl1N4/CNS catalyst first realized a great improvement of ORR by controlling the electronic structure of central metal with coordinated chlorine.

A porphyrin covalent organic framework cathode is fabricated under multiscale materials regulation for flexible Zn–air batteries.

A microsupercapacitor with smart thermoresponsive behavior is demonstrated as one potential self-protection solution for on-chip electronic devices.

Systematically controlling AEMFC electrode structure and water leads to record 1.9 W cm⁻² performance with ETFE membranes/ionomers and PtRu/Pt catalysts.

An amorphous manganese hydride molecular sieve that reversibly absorbs 10.5 wt% and 197 kgH₂ m⁻³ hydrogen at room temperature using the Kubas interaction.

Single-atom Pt sites stabilized by aniline stacked on graphene exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity and durability for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

We demonstrate excellent performance and durability at intermediate temperatures (500–650 °C) upon reversible operation of an electrochemical cell incorporating a proton-permeable, high-activity mixed conducting oxide as the air electrode, a highly proton-conductive and chemically stable perovskite oxide as the electrolyte, and a composite of Ni and the electrolyte as the fuel electrode.

First-principles and classical modeling reveal a glass-crystal duality in the nature of vibrational transport in lead halide hybrid perovskites.

Nanomat Li–S batteries based on all-fibrous cathode/separator assemblies and reinforced Li metal anodes are presented to enable ultrahigh-energy-density and flexibility.

BECCS performance can be measured by a wide range of technical and sustainability indicators, which can be negatively correlated. An exclusive focus on BECCS technical performance – CO₂ removal and electricity production, can result in negative consequences for the broader environment.

The hybrid device, screen-printed on two sides of the fabric, is designed to scavenge biochemical energy from the wearer's sweat using a biofuel cell module, and to store the harvested bioenergy into the supercapacitor module for subsequent use.

A correlation between the height of metal self-diffusion barriers and the tendency towards dendrite growth in batteries is demonstrated.

A flexible high-performance lithium–CO₂ battery is developed using wood-based cathode as a novel platform for combining CO₂ utilization and energy storage.

The off-centered Ge leads to the ultralow lattice thermal conductivity and record high average ZT for n-type PbSe.

Bifunctional fixed-bed catalysts improve CFP performance.

Bottom-up fabrication of fluoride graphdiyne offers a versatile approach to the rational design of ultra-stable flexible 2D electrode materials.

An Al³⁺ intercalation/de-intercalation-enabled dual-band electrochromic smart window featuring simultaneously a high optical modulation, fast response and long cycle life.

Challenge of developing new formulations of water-in-salt electrolytes are addressed via mixed cation strategy: cheaper (by at least an order of magnitude) and more soluble salts featuring alkali cations beyond lithium, such as potassium, are used to create the water-in-salt condition.

A robust oxygen-evolving electrocatalyst was developed using a room-temperature strategy for water splitting at high current densities with low voltages.

A simple and scalable interface-layer free monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem has been demonstrated achieving over 20% efficiency on a large area.

The unique adsorptive properties of metal–organic frameworks open the door to new processes for energy and raw materials production.

The prototype of a battery-in-screen configuration is constructed from photoluminescent zinc-ion batteries with a hydrogel electrolyte embedded with water-soluble quantum dots.

We report the discovery of a new class of oxides – poly-cation oxides (PCOs) – that consist of multiple cations and can thermochemically split water in a two-step cycle to produce hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂).

Design rules for high capacity disordered rocksalt Li-ion cathodes applied to the Li–Mn–V–O–F system.

Atmospheric humidity, an abundant source of water, is widely considered as a redundant resource demanding expense of energy to maintain it under comfortable levels for human habitation.

A solution-based method to electrically p-dope organic semiconductors enabling the fabrication of organic solar cells with simplified geometry is implemented with acetonitrile as an alternative to nitromethane.

Coupling decentralized biomethane generation to centralized CO production via gas grid redistribution can be an economically viable CO₂ utilization strategy.

The fundamental role of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer in preventing dendritic Li growth has been investigated in solid-state batteries.

The unprecedentedly targeted down-regulation of V_loss in DSSCs renders a power conversion efficiency of 11.7% for solid-state DSSCs.

Energy intensive supply chains and low power generation efficiency could challenge the ubiquitous assumption that BECCS is a net provider of electricity. Deploying a net negative energy technology at the EJ scale could represent a threat to energy security.

Engineering Pseudomonas putida for enhanced protein quality control machinery improves its toxicity tolerance.

A novel strategy to design high capacity MH electrodes without using non-hydrogen-absorbing elements by inducing synergism.

Manganese MOF-based cathodes achieve high discharge capacity, reduced overpotentials and promoted reversibility in Li–CO₂ batteries.

Electrochemical kinetics of Li-ion battery cathodes are measured at single-particle level and combined with transmission X-ray microscopy to elucidate behavior during use.

Novel Ni–Co–P hollow nanobricks are constructed with oriented nanosheets and manifest as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

Ionic conductivity and stability of Li-ion conductors are rationalized on the same footing using lattice-dynamics descriptors.

Highly efficient ternary non-fullerene PSCs were fabricated employing PBDB-T as the donor and mixed ITCPTC:IDT6CN-M as the acceptors.

Experiments and molecular simulations are combined to understand organic solvent effects, enabling prediction of acid-catalyzed reaction rates for biomass conversion.

Diffuson-mediated thermal transport suggests a lower minimum thermal conductivity than phonon models.

Combined experimental and theoretical insights into electrolyte–electrode interfaces relevant to lithium ion batteries.

This paper compared different photovoltaic technologies by using the method in the plot.

A fundamental analysis of the impact of Ge on the synthesis of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄:Ge by a sequential process is presented, reporting the consequences on the absorber morphology and solar cell devices performance.

An optimised cooperative approach for climate change mitigation where savings are fairly shared to bring significant economic and environmental benefits.

Thermoelectric properties vary dramatically between two boundary compositions of Ni-rich and Ni-poor TiNiSn, up to 25% in zT.

High definition of all-small molecule materials for organic solar cells allows slow separation of localized charges.

Pt surface is modified with 2,6-diacetylpyridine, which exhibits high H₂S and CO tolerance for H₂ oxidation through steric hindrance.

Lung-inspired flow fields are employed to overcome reactant homogeneity issues in PEFCs, resulting in enhanced performance and minimal pressure drop.

Perovskite solar cells retain their performance with temperature cycling using a compliant, ethylene vinyl acetate encapsulant.

Simulations of coupled light absorption, transport and kinetics processes in a tandem, vertically-stacked particle-suspension reactor design for solar-water splitting.