Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A Recent Review Articles

We highlight how DTEM reveals catalytic dynamics and outline key advances, challenges, and future opportunities.

The binding energy in clusters (BEC) serves as an effective bridge connecting the microscopic structure and macroscopic properties of molecular crystal materials.

This perspective defines quantitative ‘target design windows’ for contact resistivity and shear strength, mapping four dominant strategies to guide the transition from empirical metallization to engineered reliability.

How M–O bonding governs the transition between charge storage and catalytic activity.

This perspective discusses how advances in quantum science and technology can be utilized to improve, design, and better understand heterogeneous catalysis.

Research on high-energy-density materials (HEDMs) has largely centered around molecules derived from the classical CHNO framework.

The sustainable production and efficient utilization of hydrogen are central to achieving global carbon neutrality.

Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionise materials discovery through accelerated prediction and optimisation, yet this transformation brings critical data integrity challenges that threaten the scientific record.

Two‑dimensional (2D) hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) exhibit pressure‑tunable structures and properties that enable optimized performance in energy and optoelectronic devices.

This review highlights the application of perovskite oxides as electrocatalysts for small-molecule oxidation, focusing on their structure–performance relationships, defect engineering, and reaction mechanisms to guide efficient energy conversion.

Hole transport layers (HTLs) are crucial for QD-based photovoltaics. This study compares p-type QDs, organic HTLs, and hybrids, showing that alternative ligands beyond EDT offer promise for scalable, stable, and efficient QD devices.

This review summarizes recent progress in developing high-mass-loading cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries and highlights key design principles and emerging strategies toward practical, high-energy-density systems.

Water electrolysis represents a pivotal pathway for green hydrogen production, offering exceptional product purity, operational simplicity, and zero pollutant emissions.

Supercritical CO₂-enabled MXene synthesis is examined via a process-knob-to-metric framework linking green metrics and scalability, guiding the design of safer, sustainable, and industrially relevant processes.

This work explores the synergistic effects of bimetallic electrocatalysts, including their applications in CO₂ reduction, water splitting, and ammonia production, highlighting key advancements in catalyst design and performance.

Computational insights from DFT and MD reveal how borophene polymorphism governs performance in batteries and electrocatalysis, offering guidance for structure-driven design while addressing stability and scalability challenges.

This review summarizes mechanistic insights into biomass-to-carbon conversion strategies, highlighting catalytic pathways, impurity control, heteroatom tolerant catalysis, and AI guided design for scalable, high-performance carbon materials. Figure elements reprinted with permission; see article for details.

π-Extended viologen derivatives with improved properties were summarized, followed by the design and synthesis and photofunctional applications of related macrocycles, such as covalent cyclophanes, coordinated assemblies, and other macrocyclic hosts.

In this review, the preparation methods, design principles, electrochemical behaviors and future perspectives of artificial interphase layers on sodium metal anodes are systematically summarized.

This review explores the applications of nanotechnology to address the challenges of radioactive wastes by transforming it into sustainable nuclear batteries, thereby enhancing the viability of nuclear energy as a clean alternative to fossil fuels.

Graphyne-based materials (GBMs), composed of mixed sp- and sp²-hybridized carbon networks, exhibit tunable pore architectures and unique electronic properties, enabling promising applications in energy, catalysis, and separation technologies.

Carbon-encapsulated electrocatalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis were reviewed, pointing out both the advancement and challenges. Further investigations should emphasize the fundamental theories, synthetic methods, and in situ characterizations.

Ultrafast Joule heating (UJH) has emerged as a cutting-edge technology for synthesizing advanced functional materials (AFMs), representing a burgeoning field of research with significant scientific and industrial implications.

This review offers a critical view of multi-metallic organic frameworks (MMOFs) and their derivatives, focusing on their synthesis, challenges, and the role of each metal present in MMOFs for catalysis, electro-/photocatalysis, sensing applications.

A systematic summary of multi-scale interface engineering strategies, from the spatial microenvironment to catalyst surface, for enhancing C₂₊ selectivity in electrochemical CO₂ reduction over Cu-based catalysts.

The applicability of carbon-based electrocatalysts for the hydrazine oxidation reaction.

Serving multifunctional roles, carbon materials assume promising platforms for efficient photothermal CO₂ reduction. From environmental and economic aspects, AI-aided systems provide advanced evaluation metrics toward a circular carbon economy.

Traditional water electrolysis is hindered by challenges: explosion risks from gas crossover, which persists despite membrane separation; high costs for membranes and noble metal catalysts; and limited adaptability to renewable energy fluctuations.

Heteroatom doping with P, B, and S serves as a key strategy for tailoring the electronic structure of SACs, thereby enabling selective PMS activation for effective wastewater treatment.

Tutorial guide and critical review on conductive 3D-printing filaments for advanced electrochemical devices.

A fundamental understanding of mechanism studies, synthetic methods, and prospective applications of low-cost non-noble metal based electrocatalysts for ammonia oxidation to nitrogen.

A systematic discussion of the expansion of M₅X₄ MXenes, their properties, and their applications has been presented. Further, critical future research directions for the M₅X₄ MXene family have been provided towards broader applications.

Significant advancements in biosensing and nanoelectronics have been driven by 2D materials like graphene, MoS₂, and hBN, integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Microfluidic spinning enables precise control of fiber architectures and multifunctional integration. This review summarizes principles, structures, and wearable applications of microfluidic-spun fibers.

This review charts how liquid metals are revolutionizing flexible energy technology, enabling conformal power sources for wearable electronics, soft robotics, and autonomous systems.

This reviews MOF applications in electrochemical sensing, summarizes synthesis and performance of metal-based MOFs, and discusses sensor optimization strategies.

Mechanism-based catalyst tuning and design, with discussion on typical reactors.

This review highlights micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) as critical enablers for smart transportation and low-altitude economy applications, addressing the need for light weight, high power, and safe energy storage.

We summarize the recent advances in the eCO₂RR using metal nanocatalysts modified with hydrophobic, conductive, ionic and porous polymers.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) persist in water systems due to their extreme chemical stability and weak degradability, demanding treatment approaches that extend beyond simple capture.

This article reviews the key challenges and strategies for dual-ion batteries with alloying-type anodes.

This review includes: structural design approaches, performance-enhancing modifications, and emerging application prospects of advanced Na-ion cathodes; optimization strategies and future applications of stable Na-ion cathodes.

This review highlights precious-metal-free catalyst designs, including heteroatom doping and heterojunction engineering, to stabilize seawater anion exchange membrane water electrolysis by mitigating scaling, surface passivation, and side reactions.

This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the halogen reaction mechanism in ZHBs catalyzed by organic compounds, particularly regarding the selection criteria for achieving multi-electron halogen conversion reactions.

Recent research progress in low-toxicity light-absorbing materials for indoor photovoltaic applications is discussed, with a particular focus on emerging lead-free halide perovskites.

Rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems owing to their high theoretical capacity, inherent safety, and cost-effectiveness.

Focus on tri-responsive MuF-MOFs as novel, advanced sensor platforms responding simultaneously to three stimuli for high sensitivity and selectivity.

Aqueous aluminum metal batteries (AAMBs) have recently emerged as promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems.

Recent advances in nickel-based catalysts for plastic pyrolysis, emphasizing reaction mechanisms, catalyst design, and emerging innovations that enhance product selectivity, yield efficiency, and sustainable polymer recycling.

The need for efficient, sustainable energy storage has increased research into novel two-dimensional materials obtained from MAB phases, where high metal-to-boron ratios make them strong candidates for energy applications.

An overarching review of the current state of research and technology related to sustainable production, use, and post-treatment of polyvinyl alcohol, evaluating key advancements and identifying areas and opportunities for further development.

Seawater electrolysis offers an alternative to freshwater-based electrolysis owing to its abundant resources and sustainability, making it a key driver in addressing global water scarcity while advancing the hydrogen economy.

The synthetic methods and physicochemical properties of geminal dinitro and trinitromethyl substituted aliphatic compounds, monocyclic azoles, bisazoles, fused heterocycles, and cage adamantanes are reviewed.

This review summarizes the progress and challenges in CO catalytic oxidation, outlines the properties and design strategies of metal-based catalysts, and discusses the causes of catalyst poisoning and solution strategies.

Supercapacitor (SC) technology is one of the pioneering energy storage technologies of the current century.

This review summarizes recent advances in noble-metal catalysts for MSR, covering mechanisms, synthesis, and performance. It highlights key challenges and future directions to spur research, applications, and the hydrogen economy.

This review highlights recent advances in polymer-based DAC systems for CO₂ capture, with a focus on synthesis strategies and structure–performance relationships in functional polymers, polymer composites, MOFs, and COFs.

The roles of oxygen-containing species in graphene CVD growth on copper substrate are reviewed to detail their catalysing and templating impact on morphology, layer number, domain configuration, stacking mode, and defect engineering of graphene.

The growing global demand for sustainable energy and environmental remediation has accelerated interest in efficient cellulose-supported photocatalysts.