Themed collection Research advancing UN SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

The efficiency of hydrogen generation through photocatalytic processes is analyzed from a dual perspective considering energetic and sustainability implications.

We present a comprehensive survey of the redox couples and end up with 81 different electrolyte combinations to highlight the untapped potential of the thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle.

Analysis and calculation of Germany's climate politics and hydrogen strategy, with a focus on the technical demand for hydrogen implementation through a case study of the chemical industry that engages multiple stakeholders.

We discuss the versatility of quinacridone pigment in photocatalysis, embracing water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction and organic synthesis. Applications include homogeneous catalysis, nanoparticles, covalent organic frameworks, photoelectrodes.

Materials with a core–shell and yolk–shell structure have attracted considerable attention owing to their attractive properties for application in Na batteries and other electrochemical energy storage systems.

This perspective article highlights the good potentiality for the Langmuir Blodgett technique to produce massively BiVO₄ based photoelectrodes for biomass valorization and hydrogen production in the context of Brazil's decarbonation.

This perspective highlights progress in the development of cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries, whilst providing valuable insights into unexplored compositional spaces that can be pursued for high-performance electrode materials.

Interfacial engineering plays a key role in solving the reactivity puzzle of lithium metal batteries. Here, we discuss the interfacial engineering pieces that are in place and the ones that still need to be fitted.

Conducting polymers are gaining significant attention in electrochemical energy storage devices for their unique ionic/electronic conduction and redox pseudocapacitance characteristics.

Decoupling of energy and power; depth of discharge; flexible in design; high safety; recyclable.

We review the recent literature on spectroscopic/electrochemical operando methods as they are increasingly being applied to understand lithium–sulfur batteries.

Over the past 20 years, metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets have garnered a great deal of interest in the fields of energy and environmental management because of their inherent extraordinary qualities.

Glycosaminoglycans have quietly transitioned from biomaterials to advanced functional materials for energy devices and flexible electronics. Gathered here are 45 years of research highlighting both fundamental studies and recent advances and trends.

Doping, coating, surface modification, formation of composites and control of crystalline orientation can control the capacity retention of Ni-rich cathodes. Furthermore, the design of Co-free Ni-rich cathodes may provide a cost-effective solution.

The recent progress in the strategies for the preparation of 2D inorganic non-conductive materials and their and application in alkali metal-based batteries is summarized in this review.

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.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) and doped ZnS have gained significant attention for the potential catalytic transformation of CO₂ into useful compounds.

The review article discusses the transition from conventional battery to next-generation bipolar designs of anode-less all-solid-state batteries. The key elements, components and related technologies involved are discussed.

Soft carbon is a special class of carbon materials having tunable physical properties that makes it suitable for various battery applications.

With the ever-increasing demand for efficient and sustainable energy solutions, rechargeable Fe-ion batteries have emerged as a viable alternative to conventional rechargeable batteries.

Phytochemical-based additives have functional groups that can modulate the nucleation and crystallization process of perovskite films resulting in improved optoelectronic and degradation resistance.

This thorough review explores the potential and obstacles related to cathode materials for zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), providing insights into recent advancements, significant concerns, and prospective developments.

Designing hybrid materials with superior electrochemical properties has attracted tremendous interest in recent years for energy-storage applications owing to a high demand for energy sources and the depletion of fossil fuel resources.

Recent advances and perspectives of Ir-based anode catalysts in PEM water electrolysis are highlighted, and it is concluded that the anti-dissolution and stability improvement of Ir active species should be carefully considered for catalyst design in the future.

Multivalent-ion and all-solid-state batteries have emerged as potential solutions to address resource concerns and safety issues.

Single atom platinum catalysts, characterized by isolated Pt atoms dispersed on suitable supports, exhibit high hydrogen evolution catalytic mass activity.

At 250 °C, using an electrochemical setup with a Ru catalyst, Pd alloy H₂-permeable membrane cathode, NaOH–KOH molten salt electrolyte, and Ni anode, NH₃ was synthesized from H₂O and N₂ with 30 mA cm⁻² current density of and 25% current efficiency.

Nanocrystalline high-entropy CoNiFeCrMnO_x thin films were prepared by dip-coating and annealing at 400 °C, showing stable oxygen evolution with overpotentials of 258 mV VS. RHE at 10 mA cm⁻² over 10 hours in alkaline media.

This research explores the incorporation of 2D materials, BDAI₂ and DMPDAI₂, into perovskite solar cells, demonstrating enhanced efficiency and stability in the resulting devices.

In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and optical imaging confirm the role of selenium additives for enhancing power performance, increasing utilization, and suppressing undesirable side reactions in Li–sulphur batteries.

We present an easily scalable approach to developing a nonwoven-supported PVDF-HFP polymer-based quasi-solid-state flexible non-flammable electrolyte, with a conductivity of 1.16 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at RT with a transfer number of 0.68.

State-of-the-art experimental and computational techniques have been used to explore the effects of molecular isomerism on the phase behaviour of the three dihydroxybenzenes catechol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone.

Developing low cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is desirable for renewable energy production.

A VCu LDH/TiO₂ nanocomposite showed high catalytic efficiency in CO₂ electrochemical reduction, achieving superior faradaic efficiency for ethylene production, highlighting potential for scalable CO₂-to-energy conversion processes.

Ag–NiP-deposited carbon channels on NiP panels were successfully developed through lemon juice extract (Ag–CL/NiP) and citric acid (Ag–CC/NiP)-assisted methodologies for photo and electrocatalytic water splitting.

Nitrogen-doped zeolite-templated carbons are synthesized from chitin and propylene as carbon and nitrogen sources and their EDLC performances are evaluated in an organic electrolyte.

Although lead based MAPbI₃ has been used as a material for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, conventionally synthesized MAPbI₃ in HI solution suffers from very low HER activity with a hydrogen evolution rate of 30 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹.

Electrochemical energy storage (EES) performance as supercapacitor electrode-Graphitic nanostructure correlation.

This study shows the importance of charge-transfer complexation and the predictive capacity of DFT modelling in designing electron transporting materials for perovskite solar cells.

Rain-responsive G-CB/PVC composite films are made to generate electricity.

Volumetrically unbalanced compositionally symmetric cell cycling with potentiostatic (CV) or galvanostatic-with-potential-hold (CCCV) protocols is a rigorous technique for evaluating the calendar lifetime of reactants for redox flow batteries.

A unique feature of redox flow batteries (RFBs) is that their open circuit voltage (OCV) depends strongly on the state of charge (SOC).

We show that a number of ubiquitous organic molecules used as redox mediators and chemically sensing species can be used as positive couples in electrochemical energy storage.

This study introduces AutoDrop, an automated method for producing durable, efficient BiOI/TiO₂ photoelectrodes, achieving a fine tuning of the band gap of BiOI, and doubling performance with an ultrathin TiO₂ layer protection.

A biophotovoltaic cell consisting of a 3D hydrogel scaffold-based bio-anode enables microbial biofilm formation for substantial electron capture and extracellular electron transfer as an energy harvesting system.

We report the synthesis of a novel organic–inorganic hybrid composite comprising C₃N₅ integrated with CeO₂ engineered to significantly enhance photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The large-scale batch synthesis of several superparamagnetic spinel ferrites is reported to investigate their performance as catalysts for industrial-scale anionic exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMEL).

Renewable energy can be stored in liquid e-fuels such as formate. Here Pd–Au alloy nanoparticles prepared by metal vapor synthesis show enhanced activity and efficiency for the re-transformation to electrical energy in direct formate fuel cells.

Surface-modified ZrO₂ fillers strongly facilitate Li⁺ transport in PEO-based electrolytes, but even simple addition of the modifier serves to greatly improve ionic conductivity, proving the crucial role of the additive–matrix interaction.

Operando confocal microscopy coupled with electrochemistry yields spatially and temporally resolved state of charge maps within porous electrodes.

Unraveling the knowledge of the complex refractive index and photophysical properties of the perovskite layer is paramount to uncovering the physical process that occurs in a perovskite solar cell under illumination.

Methylammonium bromide yields highly conductive flat grains of cesium lead bromide perovskites.

Japanese cedar showed pressure-dependent degradation behavior in a methanol/water mixture at 270 °C. The degradation and solubilization of hemicellulose were enhanced at 10 MPa, and those of lignin at 20–30 MPa.

A sustainable and readily available material, lignin protobind 2400, was upcycled to activated porous carbon (APC) compatible with post-combustion CO₂ capture.

This work demonstrates the first interfacial dipole modification aimed at controlling parasitic reactions at alloying electrodes in Li-ion batteries.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered halide perovskites are considered to be one of the future potential semiconductor materials due to their higher moisture stability. The study shows the effect of PCBM nanoparticles in 2D layered perovskites.

This study investigates the effects of tuning n_estimators along with max_features and min_samples_leaf in random forest regression when predicting the porosity of the Volve oil field.

Cobalt corroles modified with aminoalkyl chains show increased catalytic performance for bifunctional water splitting at pH 14 when immobilized.

Transition metal oxyflourides have gained considerable interest as potential high-capacity cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.

This paper compares different power-to-methanol process configurations encompassing the electrolyser, adiabatic reactor(s) and methanol purification configurations.

Modifying the surface of Cu₂S nanoparticles with OAm significantly influenced the selectivity of the BZH reduction reaction. Bare Cu₂S favored the production of BA, while OAm-capped Cu₂S promoted HDB formation.

Tailoring grain boundary resistivity in LiTa₂PO₈ for improved ionic conductivity, offering insights into enhancing the performance of oxide solid electrolytes for safer all-solid-state batteries.

This research aims to advance the field of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) by introducing a pioneering approach to optimize the microstructural characteristics of carbon cloth electrodes.

Proton-coupled electrochemical reactions as proton pumps can facilitate in situ or ex situ pH recovery and capacity rebalancing within single-membrane pH-decoupling batteries.

Aluminum, a safe and energy-dense circular fuel, can be cost-competitive with ammonia and cheaper than liquefied hydrogen.

The effect of composite conductivity and its implications for microstructure design are studied for a porous composite. Three semi-analytical models are suggested to predict the effective composite conductivity in an efficient and accurate way.