Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

Green hydrogen, produced by water splitting with renewables, faces water scarcity issues. Atmospheric moisture, a stable source, offers an alternative. This article reviews technologies and challenges of using atmospheric water for H₂ production.

This perspective summarizes recent advances in electrochemical humidity sensors and mainly focuses on three aspects: working principles; humidity sensing and power generation performances; self-powered humidity detection system.

We summarize the influence of polymer coatings on cathode particles for electrochemical energy storage applications. We report on the effect of different polymer types, their properties, and their influence on thermo-electro-chemical behavior.

Dual-metal site catalysts embedded in a carbon matrix (referred to as DMSCs) are gaining significant interest in sustainable energy research.

The current review discusses on vanadium- and manganese-based metal–organic frameworks and their derivatives for energy storage and conversion applications along with the potential future advancements in these fields.

A comprehensive review of direct captured CO₂ electro-conversion technology, a promising Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technology that can achieve both techno-economic and environmental viability.

Nano-sized high entropy alloy (HEA) catalysts have attracted much attention as extraordinary electrocatalysts in water-splitting applications, i.e., the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

This review addresses four key factors and underlying mechanisms of doping engineering from crystal-field, molecular orbital, and ligand-field theory.

Metal/covalent organic frameworks (MOFs/COFs), with orderly aligned pores and adjustable pore characteristics, offer advantages over traditional fillers in constructing thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for task-specific separations.

The review illustrates that the magnetic field effect can promote the generation of different nanostructures in material synthesis, achieve the transition from 1D to 2D and 3D structures in material assembly and improve the energy density of supercapacitor by the direct and indirect roles.

The efficient removal of trace impurities is significant for the production of high-purity olefins. This review summarizes the latest advancements in the deep purification of ethylene and propylene using MOF materials.

Prelithiation of LiMn₂O₄ balances the low first cycle efficiency of silicon anodes for improvements in energy density and prospective cell chemistry enabled by naturally abundant elements.

Tailoring the bismuth defects in ultrathin Bi₂WO₆ nanosheets can efficiently activate the C–H bond in toluene to produce benzaldehyde under light irradiation.

A novel heat storage ionomer binder with highly efficient heat-storage ability is proposed to function as an internal temperature conditioner, which allows the battery to function steadily over a wider temperature range.

An efficient adsorptive molecular sieving strategy to separate aromatic and cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons via an intrinsic/extrinsic approach.

Three-dimensional porous NiCoP foam supported on Ni foam is a superb bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall seawater splitting, attaining a large current density of 1000 mA cm⁻² at a low cell voltage of 1.97 V with robust stability over 300 hours.

Sb₂S₃-based two terminal tandem solar cells (2T-TSCs) are reported for the first time with the assistance of lead sulfide quantum dot rear cells. The PCE of the champion TSC reaches 10.92%. Our work opens the door for Sb₂S₃ based 2T-TSCs.

A biotopologically structured configuration constructed by an energy-saving electrodeposition method for low-temperature supercapacitors.

A novel LiF@LiZn10/Li composite foil was developed as an effective anode for lithium metal batteries. The uniform lithiophilic substrate and the LiF-rich SEI optimize Li⁺ deposition.

The selective oxidation of organic small molecules not only promotes cathodic hydrogen production, but also acts as an alternative reaction to the anodic oxygen evolution reaction of electrolytic water, producing value-added products at the anode.

The surface morphology and microenvironment of GDEs could be altered through the addition of ionomers to electrodes. It was crucial to consider the potential interactions between the ionomer and the catalyst for better performance.

Poly(biphenyl indole)-based membranes are designed for investigating the effect of side-chain engineering on the mechanism of manipulating proton transport.

This work demonstrates a series of functionalization methods to enhance the utility of thermoplastic-elastomer derived ordered mesoporous carbons, including chemical activation, heteroatom doping, and the introduction of nanoparticles.

A multiphase artificial interphase layer can induce homogeneous deposition of Na⁺ and promote rapid transport of Na⁺. Therefore, the BiCl₃-Na anode achieves uniform dendrite-free deposition and improves electrochemical performance.

Mimicking the isolated and encapsulated active manganese sites within proteins in nature through the integration of NiFe sites and tungstic acid nanoparticles in an ordered open framework in an isolated manner.

The ultrathin size of SNVO with oxygen vacancies and more active sites improved the diffusion ability of Zn²⁺ ions. SNVO exhibits excellent cycle stability, retaining 94.6% of its capacity after 1000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹.

High-efficiency MPSCs with a PCE of 18.06% were prepared by introducing PACl to manipulate perovskite crystallization in a triple-mesoporous structure.

Our approach revalorizes H₂S captured by the SU-101 MOF as a cathode material in lithium–sulfur batteries.

Catalytically dynamic NSP-CF@NCW electrode engineered by strategic integration of 3D Se and P-fused NSP microflakes with CF cubes docked NCW was studied as a trifunctional electrocatalyst for urea sensing and urea-assisted water splitting.

A heterostructured NiCo-metaphosphate/hydroxide catalyst (NiCoPi/O_i) exhibits excellent activity towards electrooxidation of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMFOR), enabling sustainable production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).

The metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) coating layer can promote homogeneous Li deposition.

An unprecedented trinodal 3,3,4-connected 3D MOF, [In₈(μ₂-OH)₆(μ₂-H₂O)₃L₆Cl₆]·5DMF·4H₂O (L = 2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate), has been built to show an NH₃ uptake of 10.4 mmol g⁻¹ at 273 K with the regeneration temperature of 60 °C.

Achieving reversible zinc deposition/stripping necessitates careful optimization of the electrolyte composition. This study offers detailed insights into the impact of various anionic species (chloride, sulfate, perchlorate) on this process.

SnO₂-decorated Li[Li_0.144Ni_0.136Co_0.136Mn_0.544]O₂ (S-LLOs) demonstrates a high capacity and excellent cycle life at low temperatures, which is attributed to the low activation energy of Li⁺ diffusion in the CEI layer and charge transfer.

Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with superior performance are urgently needed with the development of THz electronic devices.

A composite catalyst, developed by electrostatic self-assembly of anionic semiconductor clusters onto 2D cationic CONs, boosts photocatalytic selective nitroarene reduction through a strong internal electric field and the II-scheme mechanism.

We report, for the first time, the synthesis of Fe single atoms loaded on MXene for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction under gas–solid conditions. Fast Ti electron channels to single-atom Fe allow photogenerated electrons to localize around Fe sites, which enhances the CO₂ reduction.

The enlarged internal electric field and accelerated H₂O oxidation kinetics synergically enhance the CO₂ photoreduction activity of Z-scheme WO₃/C₃N₄ heterojunctions.

This report demonstrates a method of synergistic defect passivation and crystallization regulation, which can significantly improve crystal quality and promote X-ray detector performance.

Mixed-anion compounds for fluoride-ion conductors have been explored. Through a material within the BaS–LaF₃–BaF₂ ternary phase diagram, we discovered a novel fluorosulfide, La_2.7Ba_6.3F_8.7S₆, which exhibits fluoride-ion conduction.

Imidazolium cations facilitate electrochemical CO₂ reduction by (1) stabilizing CO₂˙⁻ with delocalized positive charge (π⁺) and (2) tuning the transport of proton donors to the electrochemical interface.

Currently, commonly used terahertz (THz) absorbers based on metamaterials exhibit limitations in their narrow-band characteristics.

Wrinkled Ir-doped manganese oxide (Ir-MnO_x) nanospheres have been prepared via a facile metal–organic framework-directed strategy as pH-universal OER electrocatalysts.

Lithium salts exert a great influence on the electrochemical performance of lithium metal batteries.

Atomically dispersed Ni/Cu pairs on a BiOCl substrate were fabricated by a solvothermal method. The optimal sample (Ni₁/Cu₁-BOC) exhibited superior HCO₃⁻R activity and CO selectivity, due to efficient charge transfer and HCO₃⁻ protonation.

The strategy of this study achieves a large electrocaloric response of ΔT > 1 K within a temperature span of 66 °C. The cooling performance exceeds 90% and 80% of the maximum for temperature spans of 44 °C and 67 °C, respectively.

The molecular rotors in metal–organic frameworks enhance the low-pressure C₂H₂ adsorption, trigger a gate-opening for CO₂, and thus promote the C₂H₂/CO₂ separation.

A novel Mn-based Sp-DRX electrode engineered to initiate favorable early phase transitions, effectively delaying detrimental transitions to extend battery life.

Redox-electrodes are designed to selectively bind platinum group metals by auto-oxidation, and release them electrochemically. The platform can efficiently recover PGMs from catalytic converter leachates, and contribute to energy-efficient technologies for materials recycling.

The one-dimensional nanowire Pt-based catalysts achieves a much lower local oxygen transport resistance than three-dimensional catalysts owing to the broader and shorter transport paths in well-layered ionomer films on one-dimensional catalysts.

Versatile CLCEs with a loosely crosslinking density were developed, which exhibit exceptional high mechanical performances and responsive functionalities including thermochromic, mechanochromic, shape memory, and dynamic adhesion behaviors.

An electrolyte design strategy is proposed for graphite anode in potassium-ion batteries working in a wide temperature range.