Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

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.

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 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.

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 timely review discusses the advantages and limitations of various 3D printing approaches for thermoelectric materials, highlighting their impact on the properties of the materials and device integration.

This review summarizes the research progress of MSes-based HER electrocatalysts, covering advantages, synthesis, enhancement strategies, mechanisms and current challenges, which is of great significance for designing efficient MSes-based catalysts.

ICOFMs, with high ion selectivity, continuous mass transport/conduction channels and strong electrostatic interactions, show great application potential in conduction, membrane separation, biomedicine, sensing and energy conversion.

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.

Metal–guest and metal–linker coordination bonds in MOFs form reversible dissociation–association equilibria. These dynamics are tunable by temperature, light, guests, and confinedness, enabling mild activation, cooperative gas uptake, and catalysis.

We present the fundamental molecular structure, characteristics, optimization strategy for physicochemical properties, synthesis methods and applications of acrylamide-based hydrogels in zinc-based batteries.

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.

Schematic diagram of SHHEs and practical applications in flexible energy storage technologies.

This review outlines the progress and challenges of transition metal electrocatalysts in C–N coupling from N-sources like N₂ and NO_x⁻, emphasizing the need for mechanistic studies and improved stability.

Paving the way for solar-driven biomanufacturing: this review dissects how inorganic photosensitizers interface with biological systems for sustainable biosynthesis, from fuels to drugs, guided by AI.

This review explores recent advancements and challenges in the development of electrocatalysts for the electrochemical ozone production including mechanistic understanding, electrode preparation, and applications in practical 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 summarizes the progress in Mg₃(Sb,Bi)₂ thermoelectric materials and analyzes key challenges in practical applications, aiming to achieve low- and medium-temperature waste heat recovery and solid-state cooling.

Carbon quantum dots featuring highly coordinative surface groups largely simplify the fabrication of composite luminescent materials, enabling the development of flexible and high-color-rendering ACEL devices.

The HCOO group on trinuclear copper optimized the electronic structure in supramolecular frameworks and promoted C–C coupling, while K⁺ in the electrolyte suppressed the HER, ultimately enabling the generation of C₃ products during CO₂ reduction.

This work identifies the optimal pre-lithiation threshold for NCM811 in AFLMBs by resolving the trade-off between Li-compensation and structural degradation.

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on 1 M LiPF₆ in the electrolyte composed of EC and DMC. As temperature decreases, the solvation of Li⁺ shifts from EC-dominated to DMC-dominated coordination, which suppresses the solvent exchange of Li⁺.

A new class of multifunctional electrolyte additives based on soluble metal–organic polyhedra (MOP) enables stable CEI/SEI formation with film-forming and anion-regulating properties, boosting interfacial stability in high-voltage Li-metal batteries.

Cobalt ions and oxygen vacancies in iridium oxide induce charge redistribution, enabling cobalt to promote water dissociation and facilitating O–O intermediate coupling, thus stabilizing the oxidation pathway mechanism in acidic media.

DFT shows metal-dependent C–H activation in FER zeolites. Partial d-orbitals metals (Fe, Co, Ni) favor CPET while d¹⁰ Cu⁺ prefers HAT. Oxyl-radical [CuO]⁺ and [Cu(µ-O)Ni]²⁺ exhibit superior activity. This guides methane-to-methanol catalyst design.

FeRu-NC achieves high-efficiency L-ascorbic acid electrooxidation by modulating the electronic structure of Fe sites through Ru doping, regulating adsorption of intermediates.

A novel Janus microgel was developed. A multiscale model integrated with life cycle assessment (LCA) was established to optimize the architecture and composition of thermoresponsive hydrogels for sustainable desalination.

A PNIPAM-based composite hydrogel smart window with multiple interpenetrating networks has been designed and prepared, and exhibits excellent phase transition cycling stability and energy-saving performance.

Rational design of electrode materials with tailored structural and electronic properties is crucial for the development of high-performance supercapacitors.

A novel conductive fiber derived from nature was synthesized to construct a highly conductive network and relieve the electrode stress.

This study presents a new bismuth- and nickel-modified SFM perovskite cathode (BiSFMNi) with exsolved Fe–Ni nanoparticles, achieving improved performance for high-temperature CO₂ electrolysis.

This work demonstrates that the ionic potential isotropy between 4a and 4d Wyckoff sites is the primary descriptor of argyrodite conductivity.

Flux-assisted synthesis yields a visible-light-responsive La₂FeTiO₆ double perovskite with intrinsic bifunctional activity for H₂ and O₂ evolution, establishing LFTO as a promising material for solar-hydrogen production.

High-voltage cycling is critical for high cathode-level energy density in sodium solid-state batteries. We present interactions between NaAlCl₄ catholytes and oxide cathodes and investigate fluorination strategies to enhance high-voltage stability.

Two triisopropylsilylethynyl (TIPS)-based solid additives, 2T-Si and TT-Si, were designed and enabled high-performance organic solar cells with efficiencies of 19.54%.

The surface reconstruction of NbAs(001) combined with Ta doping synergistically optimized the hydrogen adsorption process, significantly improving the HER performance of Weyl semimetal and highlighting its potential for electrocatalytic applications.

Facile synthesis of porous PtBiTe nanoplates by using Bi₂Te₃ nanoplate templates with excellent activity and stability, high C₁ pathway selectivity, and robust resistance to CO poisoning for the ethanol oxidation reaction.

In this work, supported by the reactions of residual metal impurities and F-elements inherent in black mass, the regenerated cathodes were successfully obtained through subsequent flotation separation and a tailored solid-phase sintering process.

Na_1/2Bi_1/2TiO₃ (NBT) is widely regarded as a multifunctional material, exhibiting dual capabilities as both an insulating piezoelectric material and an oxygen ion conductor.

Tunable photocatalytic water splitting on MXene by a ferroelectric switch.

Incorporating structural permutation degeneracy into machine learning descriptors significantly improves the accuracy and generalizability of catalytic activity predictions in single-atom catalysts.

ZnO–O_V nanoflowers combine photo + piezocatalysis for bias-free N₂ reduction. Light + ultrasound drive charges to O_V sites, boosting NH₃ with no hydrazine; ¹⁵N verifies. DFT show stronger N₂ adsorption, lower *N₂ → *NNH barrier.

Oxime functionalization in CMPs optimizes donor–acceptor interactions, promoting charge separation and oxygen activation for efficient ROS-driven visible-light photocatalysis.

The L1₀-PtCo/HGNG catalyst surpasses the 2025 durability benchmarks set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for both the catalyst and its support.

SrTiO₃ paraelectrics, characterised by low electrical hysteresis loss, have been extensively employed in capacitor dielectric energy storage films.

In₂TiO₅ is designed as a representative conversion–alloying–insertion anode, leveraging the high theoretical capacity of In₂O₃ and excellent rate capability of TiO₂ through structure unit rearrangement.

The intrinsic mechanism of the effects of eight dopants on the electrical and phonon properties of R-GeTe was comprehensively studied, including defect formation energy, band structure and lattice thermal conductivity.

This study classifies wetting behavior into equilibrium and non-equilibrium types. A new water-based coating is developed, providing a self-cleaning surface that resists aging and maintains hydrophobicity in varying outdoor conditions.

Low-temperature (900 °C) force-field (20 MPa) induced esterification reactions were proposed to prepare HC rich in ultramicropores (0.4-0.7 nm). HC-20 exhibits a large pore volume and a small entrance diameter, which increases reversible capacity.

An inert hetero-atomic Ni-doping strategy is purposefully designed to optimize copper hexacyanoferrate toward producing asymmetric proton pseudocapacitors as competitive and reliable cathode platforms.

The Fe-N₄/Te-CN catalyst achieves 2.31-fold higher activity than its non-polar Fe-N₄/CN counterpart, underscoring the role of induced polarity as a pivotal lever for NRA performance.

Cu-doped 3DOM ZIF-8 prepared via PS/dual-solvent boosts photocatalytic H₂; Cu 3D-ZIF-325 is 29× pristine ZIF-8, offering a new MOF strategy.

An aerogel-functionalization-aerogel strategy is proposed by introducing superhydrophobic silica aerogel powders into five types of aerogels based on chitosan, gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, and polyacrylamide are synthesized.

Lattice strain from Cd doping modulates the electronic structure of Cu, enhancing selectivity toward C₂H₄.

We disclose a novel lead-free ceramic with a high-performance ECE. Phase coexistence, and an optimized ferroelectric domain configuration and ultra-fine grains were constructed by the {Nb⁵⁺, In³⁺} co-doping of a Ba_0.9Ca_0.1TiO₃ ceramics.

Seed-layer-guided epitaxial electrodeposition under high temperatures enables the room-temperature formation of conductive γ-MnO₂, unlocking the development of high-performance cathode-free aqueous Zn batteries.

This study establishes realistic defect structure models that incorporate H-termination. Utilizing these models through first-principles calculations, we determine the atomic configurations of Na storage sites under realistic conditions.

Imidazole–carbonate inner-salt ionic liquids enhance ion transport via strong Li⁺ coordination. Their frontier orbital energies stabilize SEI/CEI and suppress decomposition, enabling ME-10 to achieve high rate capability, stability, and capacity.

This study presents a catalyst design principle based on vacancy engineering that promotes CO₂ activation by precisely controlling oxygen vacancies with atomically dispersed WO_x.