Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

Ultrafine intermetallics (<5 nm) offer unique catalytic properties but face sintering challenges. We highlight carbon-supported synthesis strategies for precise control, focusing on electrocatalytic applications and future directions.

This perspective highlights how electrode substrate choice critically affects electrocatalyst performance in water splitting, guiding researchers to design better catalysts by leveraging each substrate’s unique properties.

Zinc–air batteries (ZABs) stand at the forefront of energy storage technologies. However, challenges like slow kinetics and low rechargeability persist. MOF–MXene hybrids enhance performance, enabling sustainable ZAB technology.

An in situ SEI plays a critical role in ZMBs, and hence, a concise summary is presented comprising its formation mechanisms, materials and functions.

This review overviews recent progress on material innovations and interfacial engineering for Ba(Zr, Ce)O₃-based proton-conducting solid oxide electrolysis cells (H-SOECs), with a specific focus on highly stable BaZrO₃-based systems.

In this review, we systematically summarize the structure, modification method and photocatalytic hydrogen production coupling organic reaction applications of ZnIn₂S₄-based composites.

Metal foams, combining porosity and conductivity, are ideal self-supporting electrodes. This review outlines advances in their surface and structural design, providing insights and challenges for sustainable hydrogen energy systems.

Asymmetric metal–organic framework composites (AMOFs) have garnered increasing attention due to their distinctive functional properties, demonstrating considerable promise in catalysis, particularly as micro- and nano-structured catalysts.

This review reveals how microstructural design simultaneously governs coloration and thermal radiation control for advanced passive thermal management materials.

This review focuses on the humidity stability of halide solid-state electrolytes, including the root causes, characterization methods and mitigation strategies for humidity instability, as well as key challenges and future research directions.

This review introduces the latest progress of Zn–CO₂ batteries from the aspects of battery systems, electrolytes, electrodes, while the structural engineering of carbon cathodes at both the macroscopic level and the atomic level is summarized.

This review addresses the challenges faced by all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), analyzes the properties of lithium alloys, summarizes the recent applications of lithium alloy anodes in ASSLMBs, and presents outlooks.

A comprehensive review on the structural reconstruction and associated dissolution/redeposition equilibria of the electrocatalysts during reactions is proposed, which is pivotal for addressing the delicate balance between activity and stability.

This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in OSC reproducibility of organic solar cells from material synthesis, film preparation, and interfacial & electrode, which would provide significant insights into large-scale fabrication.

This review explores the properties of strontium iridate (SrIrO₃) and its potential as a high-performance catalyst for water splitting in both acidic and alkaline environments, providing key insights for the advancement of electrolysis technologies.

This review systematically summarizes the cutting-edge development of covalent organic framework-derived functional interphases for improving Zn chemistry in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

This paper reviews the working principles and key parameters of TJPSCs and presents recent research progress, focuses on how component optimization, interface engineering, and charge transport layer improvements influence efficiency.

A review about 2D covalent organic frameworks as organic electrode materials for aqueous batteries.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current development of smart batteries, which can be divided into three parts: smart materials, smart manufacturing and smart sensing.

By adjusting the composition of the inner Helmholtz plane and the outer Helmholtz plane, it is expected to improve the desolvation structure of zinc ions, inhibit the side reaction of zinc anode and enhance the long-cycle performance of the battery.

This review clearly elucidates the lineage of the development of NO₃⁻RR from the theoretical mechanism to practical reactions and deepens the understanding of NO₃⁻RR, pointing out the direction for the advanced design of NO₃⁻RR electrocatalysts.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a compelling alternative to lithium-ion batteries, driven by the abundance of raw materials and lower costs.

The utilization of nickel-based catalysts in hybrid CO₂ electrolysis systems enhances the efficiency of CO₂ reduction by coupling low-energy alternative oxidation reactions, thereby offering an innovative route towards a sustainable carbon economy.

Overview of the applications and performance improvement strategies of pyro-catalysis.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2DTMDCs) are promising in quantum computing, flexible electronics, spintronics, sustainable energy systems, and advanced healthcare.

This review summarizes the recent progress of atomically dispersed metal catalysts for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis, including advanced theories and descriptors, active site structure, and advanced characterization techniques.

The utilization of 2D CTFs in advanced electrochemical energy storage systems not only demonstrates the enhancement of the energy and power densities of these devices, but also promotes their cycling stability and rate performance.

We explored the cutting-edge dual-functional CaL-ICCC process, addressing current limitations and proposing future strategies to minimize energy penalties through integrated multiscale approaches spanning materials, reactors, and systems.

We review the progress on MOF-based separators for LSBs, with a particular focus on the relationship between the MOF structures and their functional roles in polysulfide capture, catalytic conversion, and uniform Li⁺ ion flux regulation.

This review highlights that screen-printed gas sensors are cost-effective and scalable, ideal for environmental, industrial, and healthcare applications.

This review focuses on the transformative role of the carbon-based covalent bridging bonds in the field of sodium-ion batteries, providing valuable insights for advancing the next-generation high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

The construction of multilayer electrolytes can improve the electrode interface and enhance the performance of solid-state batteries.

This review focuses on pore engineering (intrinsic pore size, extrinsic porosity, and pore environment) in porous organic cages and summarizes the roles of pore engineering in various fields.

This review highlights recent advances in Ir-based electrocatalysts based on different design strategies. This review will guide future research in the development of high-performance Ir-based HOR electrocatalysts for AEMFCs.

The utilization of ferroelectrics offers an additional lever to surpass the performance limits of traditional photoelectrodes. In this review, design strategies for ferroelectric photoelectrodes from materials to PEC system design are assessed.

This review examines the integration of artificial intelligence with nanogenerators to develop self-powered, adaptive systems for applications in robotics, wearables, and environmental monitoring.

Metal trifluoromethanesulfonate additives promote a lithiophilic alloy formation and a LiF-rich SEI, stabilizing thin Li metal anodes and achieving long-term cyclability in pouch-type full cells under industrially relevant harsh conditions.

A transparent stretchable ionogel with autonomous self-healing ability enables multi-band stealth metasurfaces by synergizing ionic conduction and dynamic bonds.

Poly(o-phenylenediamine) delivers a high ammonium-ion storage capacity and ultralong cycling stability with redox-active sites of CN groups and aromatic rings.

We prepare and isolate propylammonium poly-Se(-Te) precursors from a thiol-amine solvent system to produce high quality Se and Se–Te alloy films with bandgaps tunable from 1.2 eV to 1.86 eV for applications in photovoltaics.

σ–π synergy and spatial confinement in Cu₁–C₂N motifs optimize the reactivity–stability balance for CO electrocatalysis over conventional Cu–N_x sites.

An effective side-chain halogenation strategy realizes high-performance OSCs with efficiency over 20%.

Nitrogen doping in flash graphene modulates interfacial interactions to enable polymer composites with enhanced properties.

This work shows that reconstructing a Gd³⁺-enriched Helmholtz plane enhances interfacial stability, improves Zn anode reversibility, and boosts capacity and cycling stability in zinc–bromine flow batteries.

A polarization-sensitive photodetector based on 1D vdW Nb₂Pd_1−xSe₅ is reported. Image convolutional processing and proof-of-concept multiplexing optical communications and polarization imaging are demonstrated based on the devices.

Disk-like CuS nanoparticles facilitate the photocatalytic conversion of carbonate-rich waste marble-dust to acetic acid under monochromatic green light, offering a green route for carbon upcycling and waste utilization.

Nickel-mediated interfacial design in Mo₂C/Ni/Fe₃O₄ ternary heterostructures establishes decoupled hydrogen/oxygen-containing intermediate spillover pathways via interfacial Ni–C–Mo and Ni–O–Fe interactions and moderation.

A novel 2PACz/MA composite HTL strategy improves the efficiency and stability of OSCs by optimizing interface quality.

A weakly solvated electrolyte strategy for high-performance fluoride-ion batteries at room temperature.

This work systematically investigates the influence of the sp/sp² hybrid carbon ratio on the NRR catalytic performance of Ti@GY/Gr heterojunctions and explores the underlying mechanisms and relevant descriptor relationships.

Structured macro-droplets, stabilized by self-assembled and jammed hemispherical Janus particles at water–oil interfaces, enable scalable fabrication of multi-functional granular materials, e.g., magnetic/fluorescent capsules.

An encapsulated graphene oxide/silk protein aerogel fiber made by coaxial spinning is reported to exhibit ultra-high mechanical properties. The aerogel fiber showed efficient performance in thermal management applications.

DFT reveals oxygen vacancies on SnO₂ stabilize polarons, driving efficient O₂ activation and CO oxidation. These findings enable advanced SnO₂-based sensor design, leveraging defect engineering to boost catalytic and sensing performance.

Molten tin-salt interfaces enable scalable electrochemical CO₂ conversion into high-crystallinity graphitic carbon, achieving up to 96% faradaic efficiency and >450 mA cm⁻² current density at a 2 V cell potential.

A V³⁺/Ti⁴⁺/F^- co-doping strategy improves Li⁺ diffusion and stability in LiMn_0.6Fe_0.4PO₄, thus achieving high capacities of 153.5 mAh g⁻¹ (1C) and 144.7 mAh g⁻¹ (5C) for high-performance LMFP cathodes.

A molecularly engineered polyurea breaks traditional performance trade-offs, simultaneously achieving mechanical robustness, self-healing, and intrinsic flame retardancy through rational molecular design for next-generation flexible electronics.

Cathode versus anode degradation reveals entirely divergent battery aging trajectories, highlighting electrode specific failure mechanisms and design priorities for future cells.

We report a LiNO₃-rich artificial SEI via N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PDMAA) polymerization that enables high LiNO₃ solubility, HF suppression, and dual CEI/SEI stabilization for high-performance lithium metal batteries.

Lead-free Cs₂TiCl₆ is introduced as a novel dopant for n-type SnSe, which simultaneously improves electronic properties and introduces multi-scale defects, achieving a high ZT of ∼1.2 at 823 K and providing a sustainable doping strategy.

Integration with a Cu₃BiS₃ photocathode enables a BiVO₄–Cu₃BiS₃ tandem cell for unbiased, solar-driven, coupled urea oxidation and hydrogen evolution, delivering a photocurrent density of 2.0 mA cm⁻² and stable operation exceeding 20 hours.

β-Glutamic acid suppresses water-forming dehydration reactions, sustaining defect passivation and stabilizing perovskite precursors and films, enabling solar cells with 25.6% efficiency and outstanding stability.

We developed a highly dispersed Ru nanocatalyst (∼6 nm) via exsolution on BCZY, enabling high ammonia synthesis at 1 atm. TGA precisely quantified the exsolution degree (>96% at optimal conditions) and clarified that Ru nanoparticle formation proceeds through a strain-limited exsolution mechanism.

Predicted superior Li-ion ionic conductor Li₉B₁₉S₃₃ was experimentally synthesized and characterized.

X-ray/neutron diffraction, (S)TEM, and NMR spectroscopy show that carbon substitution into the boride sheets of the 2D layered structure of MgB₂, regardless of the method, greatly enhances the kinetics of the hydrogenation of MgB₂ to Mg(BH₄)₂.

The ANPh-TzTz CMP demonstrates excellent electrochemical properties, offering a high specific capacitance of 541 F g⁻¹ with 94% retention after prolonged cycling. Its symmetric coin-cell device delivers 220 F g⁻¹ capacitance.

A molecular reactivity approach using dichalcogenide precursors enables the phase-selective synthesis of ternary, lithium- and sodium-based triel chalcogenide nanocrystals (LiTrCh₂, NaTrCh₂, NaTr₃Ch₅; Tr = Ga, In; Ch = S, Se, Te).

An atomically dilute amount (around 2%) of Fe doping into SnS lattice leads to nearly two-fold enhancement of electrocatalytic nitrate reduction efficieny and yield of produced NH₃ compared to that obatained for the undoped SnS.

By regulating the free volume and utilizing the electron affinity difference between FPE and PEI, inhibited charge injection and achieved excellent energy storage performance at 150 °C, opening a new path for high-performance dielectric capacitors.

We report a strategy of optimizing the content and distribution of nitrogen sites in MOFs by a multivariate strategy to precisely improve water uptake at P/P₀ = 0.2, thus boosting the cooling performance for refrig-2 applications.

Flower-like NiZnCu microstructures assembled by nanosheets are electrochemically deposited on NF at room temperature. The deposited NiZnCu microstructures serve as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for HER and UOR.