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 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 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 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.

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.

Anchoring metal ions via ligand coordination enhances hydrogel water adsorption while preventing leakage or aggregation, overcoming the limits of salt-loaded AWH systems. The study also examines water desorption kinetics and thermodynamics.

A new highly active and stable PBC-based material was screened by a machine learning technique. The ABE and η descriptors are identified as important factors for the activity and stability of the PBC-based electrode, respectively.

NiF₂/FeF_x was synthesized via the co-precipitation method. The formation of multi-component fluorides promotes structural reconstruction and increases the participation of lattice oxygen, thereby improving the oxygen evolution reaction activity.

An S-scheme heterojunction composed of resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin and MgIn₂S₄ (RF/MIS) was constructed to minimize the exciton binding energy of RF by modulating charge transfer pathways.

An enzyme-mimic matched pockets for efficient substrate-selective catalysis in complex mixtures.

Thermostable thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes are fabricated via interfacial polymerization by integrating PIP with MPD as the aqueous monomers, which show high MgSO₄ rejection at 85 °C.

The self-assembly processes of two L-phenylalanine methyl ester-functionalized naphthalene diimide triads were thoroughly examined. The correlation between the molecular structure, assembly morphology, and functionality was illustrated.

Schematics of the “one stone, three birds” strategy proposed for the p-block elemental B₂@C₃N₄/Gra electrocatalyst.

Pt nanoparticles show a quantum-induced ORR catalysis transition near 1.5 nm, where classical size–activity trends fail. Below this size, quantum confinement enhances activity, making a quantum boundary for size- and symmetry-driven catalyst design.

A nanoconfined interpenetrating ZnCdS–COF heterojunction enhanced interfacial coupling and built-in electric field, prolonging carrier lifetime to boost photocatalytic H₂O₂ production and thiophenol coupling under visible light.

Sn based anodes for sodium-ion batteries are examined in relation to the morphological changes driven by the formation of a porous “coral-like” structure. We explore conditions that promote its formation and evaluate its impact on cycling stability.

Inspired by human taste perception, we developed a nanofluidic bitter sensor for highly selective and sensitive detection of diverse bitter compounds. It achieves ultra-low detection limits and detects limonin in deteriorated orange juice.

An easily accessible 3D flow field enables exceptional water–gas separation and rapid water drainage, resulting in high PEMFC performance under low air stoichiometric ratios and robust humidity tolerance.

A novel microwave shock-driven method has enabled the successful synthesis of the unconventional cubic-phase 2D LaMnO₃, marking a significant advancement in catalytic design for efficient oxygen evolution.

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%.

Dual-functional engineering of Sn-doping and conductive PANI coating to Cs₃Bi₂Br₉ perovskite for the selective conversion of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde.

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.

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.