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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This review summarizes recent advances in solid additives (SAs) for high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs), focusing on their categories, working mechanisms, and future research directions for SA engineering to accelerate OSCs' commercialization.

Thermal expansion mismatch critically impacts SOFC durability. This review examines the fundamental mechanisms of thermal expansion in SOFC materials and discusses strategies for tailoring thermal expansion to enhance mechanical compatibility.

This review outlines how decoupling reversible oxygen redox from O₂ release stabilizes Li- and Mn-rich layered cathodes, mitigating transition-metal migration, structural reconstruction, and voltage fade.

This review summarizes recent advances in surface engineering for OER catalysts in direct seawater electrolysis, focusing on how surface-modulation enhances catalytic activity, corrosion resistance, and selectivity in harsh marine environments.

This review emphasizes the latest advancements in asymmetric microsupercapacitors, concentrating on microfabrication techniques, electrode materials, and their incorporation into self-powered microelectronics for future flexible and wearable devices.

Anion Exchange Membrane degradation can occur through thermal, chemical and mechanical pathways, but there are several strategies that can help mitigate these phenomena and increase AEM durability.

This review examines the methods for recovering acids from industrial wastewater, covering sample characterization and recovery techniques such as ion-exchange membranes, pyrohydrolysis, and solvent extraction.

Escalating plastic pollution and the growing demand for sustainable energy storage call for innovative, integrated solutions.

Upcycling facilitates a paradigm shift in the regeneration of spent LiFePO₄ from mere performance recovery to upgrading through strategies like elemental doping or coating, offering a new perspective for the development of regeneration technologies.

This review summarizes the catalytic mechanisms, confined synthesis strategies, and structure–activity relationships of HDSACs in key electrochemical energy conversion reactions, aiming to guide the rational design of high-performance HDSACs.

Solvation-centered molecular design tailors salt dissociation, ion transport, and interfaces in solid polymer electrolytes – a roadmap to safe, high-energy sodium metal batteries.

Review of Se/Te chalcogen cathodes for aqueous Zn-ion batteries, highlighting design strategies, redox mechanisms, and prospects for high-performance, safe, durable energy storage.

This review emphasizes the controlled design, interfacial interactions, and co-assembly fabrication of macroscopic graphyne-based membranes and thin films. It also discusses their applications and outlines future challenges in this field.

Smart self-healing polymers offer sustainable solutions for energy storage and sensing by autonomously repairing damage while enhancing durability and reliability, and enabling next-generation power devices and flexible electronic skin sensors.

This review highlights how infiltration, exsolution, and atomic layer deposition modify SOFC anodes to improve direct methane/ammonia conversion, enhance electrochemical performance, and combat degradation via coking and nitridation.

Schematic representation of a sodium-ion battery, illustrating Na⁺ transport between the cathode and anode during charge and discharge, along with representative crystal structures of typical electrode materials.

This review summarizes recent advances in amorphous–crystalline heterostructure photocatalysts, and their advantages, synthetic strategies and applications are detailed and discussed to outline critical directions for future development.