Themed collection Catalysis and Materials for Sustainable Energy

We highlight issues for H₂O₂ electrocatalysts, including stability, degradation factors, and testing protocols for long-term efficacy. Key catalyst degradation causes include harsh reaction conditions, potential shifts, and ROS from H₂O₂ production.

Recent advances in dye-sensitized photocatalytic systems (DSPs) for H₂ evolution are highlighted, focused on TiO₂-based systems, self-assembled porphyrins and chromophore–catalyst dyads, paving the way for sustainable solar-driven fuel production.

This review shows how chirality controls light–matter interactions, spin-polarized charge transport and interfacial kinetics in photocatalysis, enhancing hydrogen production, small-molecule conversion and emerging reactions.

Photocatalytic potential of UiO-66-NH₂ and its functional nanohybrids for green energy generation and environmental remediation.

In this review, current research progress on the utilization of COF membranes for energy devices is first comprehensively reviewed in terms of the core features, design principles, properties, and applications.

The shift to renewable energy has driven the development of efficient catalysts, with atomically dispersed metal catalysts (ADMCs) on porous organic materials (POMs) gaining attention for their high efficiency and stability.

Assessing lignin-derived cycloalkane-rich fuels produced via depolymerization and hydrodeoxygenation as drop-in jet fuels, focusing on process intensification, aviation fuel standards, and environmental and economic sustainability.

As a renewable green energy source, the catalytic upgrading of ethanol to higher alcohols (C₄₊) represents a critical pathway to overcome its inherent fuel limitations.

Recent advances in electroreductive upgradation of biomass to high-value chemicals and energy-intensive biofuels via various transformation routes are showcased.

Biomass is converted into drop-in fuels via pyrolysis-hydrodeoxygenation or hydropyrolysis pathways, culminating in renewable energy solutions that support carbon neutrality.

An innovative and facile method is employed for the surface modification of Mn–PBA, which is beneficial for the rapid diffusion of NH₄⁺ and cycling stability in aqueous ammonium-ion storage.

The immobilization of a molecular electrocatalyst on gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) overcomes mass transport limitations inherent to solution-phase CO₂ reduction.

Conjugated nanofibrous organic (CFO) cathodes with high-density carbonyl/imine redox sites and ultralow reaction energy barriers achieve superior NH₄⁺/H⁺ costorage, including high capacity, high-rate capability, and durable lifespan.

A bioinspired water-electricity co-generation system was developed, featuring a polydopamine-coated film and a 3D-printed microchannel support, enabling seamless integration of water evaporation and electricity generation.

The fraction of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder in solvent-free electrodes for Li-ion batteries, also known as dry-processed electrodes, is shown to have a dramatic impact on their processability, microstructure and electrochemical performance.

Suppressing failure modes and optimizing protocols enable enhanced cyclability and fast chargeability in Co-free, high-Ni layered oxide cathodes.

We report on the synthesis of a hard carbon from hydroxymethylfurfural, a sugar derivative, highlighting its excellent potential as an anode material for next-generation sodium-ion batteries.

Study on edge-doped M–N₄–C catalysts (MN₄) reveals substituent effects (including electronic effects and structural effects) on ORR, OER, HER activities.

g-C₃N₄ modified with Pd single atoms – decorated by reactive deposition – exhibits remarkable photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency with a low loading of 0.05 wt%, far outperforming g-C₃N₄ decorated with Pd nanoparticles.

Hollow and N-doped porous carbon structures enhanced hydrogen diffusion and the d–p hybridization effect with Ru clusters, thereby boosting the HER performance.

In this work, we demonstrate the inversion of the classical bottom-up approach to drive the discovery of improved energy conversion electrocatalysts top-down.

The performance of Pd/TiO₂-HY H₂-SCR catalysts was optimized through loading variation, promoter addition, and pairing with a conventional Fe/BEA NH₃-SCR catalyst, with the bifunctional system yielding superior NO conversion and N₂ selectivity.

Homogeneously manganese catalyzed methanol synthesis from synthesis gas is achieved under continuous operation with product separation and catalyst recycling via distillation. Molecular deactivation routes are uncovered and effectively counteracted.

Fluorination position is critical for defining the photostability of high-performance PBDB-T organic photovoltaic polymers.

Fluorine-free electrolyte enables reversible calcium cycling and provides sustainable interfacial design strategies for electrochemical energy storage.

This optimization resulted in exceptional performance, achieving an ammonia yield of 3.47 mg h⁻¹ cm⁻² and a Faraday efficiency (FE) of 85.2% at an overpotential of −0.5 V vs. RHE.

Terpyridine-based organo-electrocatalysts reduce CO₂ to CO with selectivity over 90% followed by minimal generation of H₂. The mechanistic study indicates an EECC mechanism, involving two electrochemical steps followed by two chemical steps.

NiAl-LDH/MXene TENG achieved a power density of 36.9 W m⁻², enabling efficient energy harvesting. It drives self-powered copper electroplating from biomechanical energy, highlighting promise for sustainable, eco-friendly electronics.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance of hybrid solar cells based on copper oxide (CuO) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) using the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator-1D (SCAPS-1D) simulation software.

A dynamic disulfide network introduced into donor/acceptor blends enables room-temperature self-healing and mechanical resilience in intrinsically stretchable organic solar cells, achieving performance recovery after high mechanical strain.

Guided by phase-field simulations, a pre-coated 2D perovskite layer enables the growth of void-free perovskite layers over one-micron-thick, achieving high-efficiency, fully printed solar cells.

A hydrogen-bond-guided micellar self-assembly strategy is leveraged to construct flower-like carbon superstructures, which employs aggregated micelles to serve as a structural guide to enable attaining superior performance in ZHCs.

In contrast to nanosilicon, micron-sized silicon anodes have gained widespread attention due to their high energy density, favorable processability, and reduced side reactions.

A high-performance self-supporting electrode was developed that converts photovoltaic waste silicon into amorphous silicon nanowires.

We report a new type of combination of rare earth metal selenides (Ce₂Se₃ and Er₂Se₃) with a Ti₃C₂T_x/S-doped graphitic carbon nitride heterostructure for bifunctional application in flexible supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reactions.

The study uncovers a new approach of integrating iron phthalocyanine-derived Fe–N_x moieties and FeNi nanoparticles as a robust bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for Zn–air batteries.

A promising microsupercapacitor design was achieved by printing conductive ink composed of porous Co₃O₄ nanoparticles derived from ZIF-67 with in situ reduced graphene oxide (rGO) growth via thermal reduction.

Polyamide (PA, Nylon), a classical polymer featuring oxidation-resistant amide linkages, has been reengineered as high-voltage polymer electrolytes compatible with Li-metal batteries.

This work reports the synthesis of three benzobisthiazole-bridged conjugated microporous polymers for efficient photoreduction of atmospheric CO₂ and simultaneous H₂O₂ production in the gas-phase system.

The performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is greatly influenced by both the electric double layer (EDL) at the Zn electrode/electrolyte interface and the solvation structure of Zn²⁺.

A streamlined design of MOF-derived electrode nanoarchitecture for hybrid supercapacitors featuring hierarchically layered nickel cobaltite nanosheets with extensive porous networks.

A novel strategy was developed to prepare ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets decorated with ultrafine FeTe₂ nanoparticles, offering efficient catalytic and adsorption sites, which enables durable sulfur cathodes.

One pot annealing is employed to synthesize N-doped trimetallic selenides. The trisellenide that consist of Ni₃Se₂, Co_0.85Se, and MoSe₂ is used as higher performance trifunctional electrode material for supercapacitor, hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions.

The need to minimize carbon emissions and improve sustainable energy systems has stimulated significant research into multifunctional materials.

This study explores the potential of using electrochemical (EC) methods for valorizing lignin, a lignocellulosic biomass cell wall component, into biofuels and high-value compounds.

Self-supporting Fe₂O₃–CeO₂ nano-heterojunction electrodes with rich oxygen vacancies present high catalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction, where defect-engineering promotes the interfacial interaction and activates the lattice oxygens.

Z-Scheme photocatalysts for sustainable hydrogenolysis of β-O-4, α-O-4, and 4-O-5 linkages of lignin-derived ether in the selective production of aromatics or aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Transformations between multiple tautomeric forms of defective graphitic carbon nitride occur on nanosecond timescales, but these transformations have little influence on charge carrier lifetimes.

A systematic investigation established a significant correlation between the 2D to G band intensity ratio (I_2D/I_G) in the Raman spectrum and the internal kinetic barrier for sodium-ion transfer, achieving the highest sodium plateau capacity of ∼400 mA h g⁻¹ (A30 sample).

This research introduces an innovative approach to create a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst by using Li-ion battery graphite waste fraction from hydrometallurgical recycling as a raw material.