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.

Recycled polymers from e-waste are good candidate materials for sensors from the point of view of circularity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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

A failure-cascade framework organizes degradation in aqueous Zn cathodes (Mn oxides, V hosts, and PBAs) by linking chemistry-specific triggers to sequential damage, guiding high-leverage intervention strategies.

The convergence of photoelectrode engineering and organic synthesis offers a new paradigm for sustainable chemical transformations.

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.

Chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) enables spin-polarized electron transfer, modulating key steps in electrochemical reduction reactions. By stabilizing spin-sensitive intermediates, CISS enhances activity and selectivity, offering a new strategy for catalyst design.

This review summarizes the current research progress as well as challenges and future opportunities of newly emerging π frameworks in photocatalysis.

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 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.

This review links CO₂ capture solvents and materials to practical processes and contactors, explores integrated capture-conversion routes for upgrading CO₂, and assesses techno-economic feasibility and the current status of capture technologies.

This review elucidates the structure–property relationships between encapsulation layers and the performance of air‐stable hydrogen storage composites, offering guidance for the design of next‐generation hydrogen storage materials.

Silicon anodes exhibit a coulombic efficiency trough associated with volume expansion, repeated SEI rupture, and irreversible lithium loss, which can be mitigated by LiF-rich interphases, adaptive binders, and voltage window optimization.

This review shows how QD photophysics, interfacial charge transfer, and microbial metabolism together govern QMH performance. It outlines multiscale design principles for programmable, selective, and scalable semi-artificial photosynthesis.

This review focuses on the fabrication of hydrogels via physical and chemical cross-linking and the anticorrosion mechanisms of hydrogel coatings on metal surfaces, with a particular emphasis on physical barrier effects and active protection.

This review presents an overview of recent progress on conductive metallogels and their applications in the fabrication of various electronic devices.

A comprehensive review of the transition from slurry-cast anode limitations to engineered binder-free Sn architectures, highlighting fabrication strategies, structural design, and performance principles for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

Integrated thermo-, photo-, and electrocatalysis, along with photothermal, electrothermal, and photo-electrochemical routes, enable efficient CO₂-to-CH₄ conversion. Advanced catalyst design drives sustainable carbon recycling and energy storage.

Plastics threaten ecosystems but possess untapped hydrocarbon potential. This review summarizes the mechanisms, diverse photocatalysts, typical conversion examples, challenges, and prospects of photocatalytic plastic conversion.

Strategies to enhance the supercapacitance performance of rising 2D MXenes through defect engineering, doping, hybridization, and magnetic field assistance.

LiF-dominated interphase is uniquely critical due to the high shear modulus for physical dendrite suppression, ultra-low electronic conductivity to prevent electrolyte depletion, and high interfacial energy for uniform planar lithium plating.

This review summarizes positive electrode materials and design strategies for aqueous magnesium batteries, including Mn/V-based, PBAs, polyanionic, LDHs, and organic materials, for high voltage and long cycle life.

High-entropy alloys unlock tunable multi-site catalysis for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions, revealed by core effects and bibliometric mapping of emerging trends.

Constructing high-energy batteries through three structural design strategies of LMAs using pure Li, alloys and composite structures.

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.

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.

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.

An overview of self-discharge mechanisms in supercapacitors, including physicochemical insights, mitigation strategies, and emerging concepts aimed at enhancing energy retention and device longevity.

This review highlights recent advances in the synthesis, surface/interface modification, and performance optimization of monometallic Ni HER electrodes, emphasizing how rational engineering can elevate their reactivity toward state-of-the-art levels.

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

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.

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.

This review highlights recent advancements in antimony-based solar cells, focusing on non-radiative recombination mechanisms. It discusses strategies to mitigate these losses and provides critical insights into future research directions.

Metal–oxygen coordination environments dictate band structure, charge transport, and surface stability in transition metal oxide (TMO) photoanodes, providing design principles for robust photoelectrochemical seawater splitting.

Coordination chemistry enables descriptor-driven control of electronic and thermal transport in metal–organic coordination polymers, closing the theory – experiment gap in organic thermoelectrics.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Surface defect engineering, including the creation of surface vacancies, heteroatom doping and other defect strategies, is leveraged to enable the efficient photocatalytic conversion of NO into N₂, NH₃, and NO₃⁻.

Importance of in situ/operando characterization techniques.

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

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.

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.

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.

A meta-analysis of 200+ studies maps MXene strategies for Li–S batteries, linking composition and synthesis to stability and performance trends to guide next-gen battery design.

A review on the construction of a reaction system based on Ni-based catalysts for the dehydrogenation of HCOOH to generate hydrogen radicals, and its application in the efficient reduction of Cr(VI).

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