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.

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.

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 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.

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.

By combining SWIR spectral holography with Transformer models, this method quantitatively analyzes rock and mineral structures through unique spectral phase features, advancing reservoir characterization.

A multi-layer flexible textile by electrospinning was developed to achieve dynamic thermoregulation from solar to mid-infrared spectra in both indoor and outdoor environments by flipping.

CuPPc-NH@Si accelerates Li⁺ transport, forms LiF-rich SEI, and strengthens electrodes, boosting full-cell performance with LFP and NCM811.

This study demonstrates that alloying with AgSbTe₂ enhances the symmetry of the crystal structure of Ge_0.81Mn_0.15Bi_0.04Te, while simultaneously improving the thermoelectric performance and mechanical properties.

Phenothiazine-based hypercrosslinked p-type porous polymers were synthesized via knitting polymerization, with increasing benzene as co-monomer to systematically study the porosity–electrochemical performance relationship.

Through the microenvironment regulation via nitrogen atoms, TpBTPm-COF delivers significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the selective oxidation of sulfides, compared to TpTAPT-COF and TpBTPy-COF.

Simultaneous Ag and Cu doping in ZIS/ZnSe QDs enables suppressed charge recombination by facilitating the doping states-related hole transfer kinetics, enhancing the charge extraction efficiency of QDs for boosted PEC H₂ evolution performance.

Exposure to CO₂, with or without water, mitigates QA degradation via a (bi)carbonate-induced salting-out effect, enhancing the chemical stability of AEMs and potentially improving their operational lifetime and long-term durability.

The coupling of a “ZIF-on-ZIF” core–shell assembly with in situ ligand-exchange can achieve CoNi alloy nanoparticles uniformly embedded in a hollow N-doped carbon matrix with unprecedently high performance in oxygen evolution reactions.

Predicting observable quantities from first principles calculations is the next frontier within the field of machine learning (ML) for materials modelling.

Three multifluorinated polymer acceptors were designed as the third component for ternary PM6:PY-IT blends. The PM6:PY-IT:PY4F-C20 device exhibited favorable phase separation (∼20 nm) and crystallinity, achieving a device efficiency of 18.0%.

Two novel volatile solid additives, 2-bromo-1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (TCBB-1) and 3,4,5-trichlorobromobenzene (TCBB-2), are introduced into PM6:L8-BO non-fullerene systems to regulate film nano-morphology.

In situ prelithiation occurs due to the chemical potential difference between the lithium metal foil and the carbon. This process leads to the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, which improves cycle performance.

Macro-scale, shape-tunable carbon monolith catalyst: engineered for enhanced kinetics, selectivity, and sustained performance in multiphasic reactions.

Sulphonate-functionalised MXene anchored with spinel ACo₂O₄ nanostructures enables synergistic charge transfer, enhanced capacitance, and long-term stability, advancing MXene-based supercapacitors for efficient next-generation energy storage.

The SERS signal between the noble-metal-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate Oxygen-driven ReS₂–ReO₃ and the probe molecules originates from charge transfer coupling.

Mixing different anthraquinone enhances the solubility and stability of aqueous organic flow battery electrolytes by suppression of aggregation. This can enable higher energy density, longer-lasting, and cost-effective large-scale energy storage.