Themed collection Power-to-X and Solar-to-X Technologies for a Net-Zero Future

Air-to-ammonia via plasma-generated NO and NORR: engineered microenvironments, gas-fed interfaces, and techno-economic-constrained design rules link catalyst choice to stack architecture for scalable, distributed NH₃.

Chlorine is an essential feedstock for polymers and pharmaceuticals, with annual production exceeding 100 Mt.

This Perspective identifies critical materials for Power-to-X electrolyzers and highlights how to integrate environmental and social life cycle assessments with early technology development to assess the impacts of disruptive technologies.

This review summarizes recent advances in TMD-based heterostructure photoanodes for PEC hydrogen evolution, highlighting the unique advantages and roles of TMD integration in optimizing photon management.

This article reviews the fundamental understandings, design strategies, synthesis methods, characterization analyses, and electrolyzer applications of multi-site electrocatalysts to promote hydrogen production under neutral conditions.

The design of active sites is crucial for CO₂ photoreduction. This review focuses on tailoring C₁ and C₂ products by strategically modulating light absorption, charge separation, and protonation processes.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) produced via methanol can contribute significantly to CO₂ neutrality in this sector. This article provides a technological overview of the process chain and highlights potentials for further scientific investigations.

Overview of gasification to P2X system.

The acidic CO₂RR is an alternative to the alkaline/neutral CO₂RR, mitigating carbonate formation and carbon crossover. This review covers its history, evaluation, advances and challenges, focusing on catalyst–electrolyte interface engineering.

The global goal for decarbonization of the energy sector and the chemical industry could become a reality by a massive increase in renewable-based technologies.

The recent progress in visible light driven photocatalysis by describing the integration of TiO₂ with variety of materials, and how it helps in tailoring electronic, structural and optical properties towards improved solar H₂ production activity.

Electrification in the chemical industry is increasingly regarded as a key enabler of carbon neutrality.

A major challenge in organic single-component photocatalysts (SCPCs) for hydrogen (H₂) generation is their intrinsically inefficient exciton separation and charge generation.

Surface modification of CdS with positively charged diethylenetriamine molecules and Pt species induces interfacial electrical double layers to optimize charge carrier dynamics, achieving a 26.7-fold enhanced H₂ evolution compared to pristine CdS.

MoS₂ serves as low-cost and Pt-free co-catalyst that improves charge carrier dynamics in Mo/Sb₂Se₃/CdS/MoS₂ photocathode. Its optimized integration minimizes interfacial recombination, leading to record J_ph of 31.03 mA cm⁻² and HC-STH of 3.08%.

The hydrogenation of CO₂ to CH₃OH over Cu-based catalysts holds significant potential for advancing carbon sequestration and sustainable chemical processes.

Dual function materials (DFMs) enable reactive carbon capture (RCC), an intensified approach to carbon dioxide capture and utilization for cost and energy input reductions.

This work provides a globally harmonized (prospective) techno-economic assessment of 21 low-carbon fuels under different scenarios up to 2050, considering country- and technology-specific costs of capital.

Synergistic polyiodide doping and Pt–Ag alloy active sites enhance charge transfer and optimize H adsorption, reducing Pt usage and improving photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency in a sustainable manner.

Deprotonation-driven molecular interfaces (2PACz-K) enable robust hole-selective layers for efficient perovskite/organic tandem solar cells and transparent, metal-free tandem photocathodes.

Wind-powered CO₂-derived P2X fuels deliver up to 98% GHG savings relative to fossil fuels, highlighting the importance of renewable electricity and strategic CO₂ sourcing in sustainable fuel production.

This work provides a robust database for CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol on a Cu/ZnO/ZrO₂ catalyst and a new 6-parameter kinetic model suitable for application in Power-to-X plant concepts.

Record solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, photocurrent density, and onset potential achieved with a simple, nanoparticle-free Mo/Se photocathode for sustainable solar-driven hydrogen evolution.

Outstanding photocatalytic H₂O₂ production was achieved by integrating plasmonic Au nanostars with PHI nanoflakes.

Scaling gas-phase photocatalysis requires maximizing photon use. This study presents a PFBR with ray-tracing and simulations, validated via solar Boudouard reaction, showing higher photon efficiency than fixed beds.

The direct Z-scheme Hf₂CO₂/MoSSe heterostructure exhibits high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency and high carrier mobility, demonstrating excellent photocatalytic performance.

Understanding the fundamental processes that govern formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer in lithium mediated nitrogen reduction is crucial to the design of improved electrolyte formulations.

SEMS powered by renewable energy achieves 72–96% GHG savings, meeting the RED II sustainability threshold, and 45–93% reduction compared to the conventional process. Most environmental impacts come from electricity demand for water electrolysis.

This article uncovers the role of an electrified chemical industry in the energy system's transition to net-zero emissions. This role includes valuable flexibility provision, going beyond reducing the chemical industry's hard-to-abate emissions.

A novel process for the decentralized production of renewable methanol from wet biomass is presented, operating under mild conditions (<210 °C, <10 bar) with high carbon efficiency and competitive costs.

S-scheme heterojunctions have emerged as a key focus in the design of advanced photocatalysts due to their exceptional redox behavior and high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency.

Thermodynamic properties of a Ga-doped La–Sr–Mn perovskite are experimentally extracted and used to compare its water splitting behavior to ceria.

A dynamic control strategy is proposed, which could adjust the number of active electrolyzers in response to photovoltaic fluctuations and stabilizes input voltage and current, improving system stability and product selectivity.

A binder-free Pt(II)/NiF(H) electrocatalyst shows high electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction performance with Pt(II) as an active site supported on superhydrophilic Ni foam.

This study assesses the techno-economic and environmental viability of plasma-assisted methane reforming for syngas production, finding oxy-CO₂ reforming the most effective and bi-reforming promising for clean, cost-efficient syngas production.

SiP, GeP, and SnP monolayers demonstrate exceptional stability, high electron mobility (1558.15–6243.65 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹), strong solar absorption (∼10⁵ cm⁻¹), and impressive solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies (8–13%).

The captured CO₂ by a lime-based sorbent can be desorbed and in situ converted to CO or CH₄, with CO₂ conversion up to 87%, through a non-thermal dielectric-barrier discharge plasma-assisted process.

This work highlights the potential of nitrate reduction as a viable and sustainable alternative for green ammonia production, bridging the gap between fundamental research and industrial application.

A high-efficiency and sustainable approach produces green hydrogen with natural sunlight and seawater as the sole inputs.

An artificial photosynthesis device for N₂ to NH₃ conversion realized using a Si-perovskite tandem absorber with a 1T-MoS₂ catalyst.

A 3D-printed, heatsink-like hybrid system was developed and demonstrated for efficient water–electricity cogeneration under natural sunlight.

The Z-scheme AIN/GaO heterojunction photocatalytic system for water splitting.

A bilayer nanocellulose composite gel is engineered to facilitate in situ solar hydrogen production from ambient moisture in the air.

Converting battery and aluminium waste to efficient Ni/η-Al₂O₃ methanation catalysts enables sustainable waste management and CO₂ reduction.

Co–O–C/CPs synthesized via a solvent-free combustion process facilitated the enhancement of bifunctional activity and solar energy conversion efficiency (1.60 V cell potential).

In this work, we investigate how radio frequency heating of admixture of catalyst and RF susceptor can drive the propane dehydrogenation reaction, enabling distributed chemical manufacturing based on electric power rather than fossil fuel heating.

Analysis of the CO production cost from CO₂via gliding arc plasma reactors with embedded carbon beds versus low-temperature electrolysers.

The production cost of green methanol from renewable electricity-based hydrogen and atmospheric carbon dioxide could reach market prices by 2040, making it a potential solution for defossilisation of the global chemical industry and marine transport.

A modular, lab-made, frugal and robust CO₂-biomethanation reactor.

Geographic variation of PtL jet fuel production cost from standalone hybrid solar PV-wind plants is estimated for Europe through 2050.