Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A Recent Review Articles

We highlight how DTEM reveals catalytic dynamics and outline key advances, challenges, and future opportunities.

Let's quantum: topological quantum materials offer high electron mobility, stable surface states, and resistance to contamination, making them ideal candidates for next-generation heterogeneous catalysts.

TOF reflects intrinsic catalytic activity by measuring per-site efficiency, unlike current density. Accurate TOF estimation requires identifying true active sites and RDS, enabling rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable water splitting.

Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionise materials discovery through accelerated prediction and optimisation, yet this transformation brings critical data integrity challenges that threaten the scientific record.

Two‑dimensional (2D) hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) exhibit pressure‑tunable structures and properties that enable optimized performance in energy and optoelectronic devices.

Quantitative governing equations are proposed to correlate structural features with performance as guiding principles to design porous p-Si structures for Li ion battery anodes.

This perspective highlights advances in capturing pH-dependent surface structures, reactivity, and mechanisms via electric field-based methods.

This perspective consolidates mechanistic insights from non-aqueous systems and the unique properties of aqueous systems to decode the working principles and to guide the rational design of high-entropy electrolytes in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have demonstrated great potential as ideal electrocatalytic hosts for sulfur cathodes in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries.

Combining a comprehensive discussion of literature with new mechanistic insights, we derive two fundamental design principles for material systems with optimal oxygen exchange kinetics: a shallow O 2p band center and a low work function.

This work emphasizes the importance of performing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses in loading mode rather than under open circuit voltage conditions.

We discuss how tribocatalysis utilizes friction-generated charges to drive chemical transformations. The proposed mechanistic understanding, catalyst design, and future research directions are examined.

Entropy-engineered oxides for thermoelectric energy.

PVA-based slime is an unexplored, cost-effective, and spill-proof alternative to conventional electrolytes. Its inherent ionic conductivity makes it a promising electrolyte for portable electrochemical surface-monitoring probes.

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.

In addressing the urgent challenges facing the energy industry, this perspective emphasizes the importance of offering efficient, clean and low-carbon ordered energy conversion systems by integrating biology and engineering.

Plants and protists: promising sources for Si-based Li-ion battery anodes.

This work raises concerns about the unintentional mistakes made by researchers developing OER electrocatalysts by overlooking the fundamentals.

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.

Flexible supercapacitors have made significant progress, as they can be integral to the wearable technology field due to their unique ability to allow seamless movement for the wearer.

Evolution, research focus, industrialization and recovery techniques of LiFePO₄ cathodes are reviewed, highlighting their critical role in meeting energy demands, especially in EVs.

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.

Higher energy density can be obtained by increasing the charging cut-off voltage of Ni-rich materials to meet the range requirements of electric vehicles.

Fast-charging materials are necessary for a battery-centric future. Ionic and electronic transport crucially determine performance where their capacity-weighted figures-of-merit account for performance across all states-of-charge.

Scanning probe microscopy can be used to obtain topographical, mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical information on a wide range of materials in a variety of environments, including in situ and operando studies for rechargeable battery systems.

Atmospheric water harvesting is an emerging technique that can potentially increase water access to water-constrained communities.

MOF-derived materials constitute a versatile family with diverse morphological features, and these derivatives have exhibited promising electrochemical performance when applied in supercapacitors.

Water phase transition-based energy harvesting has emerged as a promising branch of hydrovoltaic technology, offering substantial potential for sustainable energy generation.

Multi-element nanoparticles (ME NPs) show unique and crucial roles in numerous electrochemical reactions involving conversion of energy, particularly in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Cathode interface modification involves stabilizing CEI, building artificial CEI, boosting mechanics, inhibiting metal dissolution, and more.

This review showcases patterned electrodes as an emerging solution that replaces random composites with precisely designed micro-/nanostructures in batteries and fuel cells, thereby accelerating the development of high-performance energy devices.

This review highlights degradation mechanisms and emerging mitigation strategies for HT-PEM fuel cells under start–stop conditions, guiding the design of durable, high-performance energy systems.

Photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into value-added fuels and chemicals via light-driven redox reactions, highlighting the sustainable pathways for greenhouse gas mitigation and renewable energy production.

Multimetal LMFP cathodes offer enhanced conductivity, stability, and energy density for lithium-ion batteries. This review outlines doping, structural integration, and entropy strategies to overcome key limitations and guide future developments.

Copper chalcogenides (CuS, CuSe, CuTe) are emerging as promising electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors due to their tuneable structural and electrochemical properties.

Illumination-induced photoluminescence enhancement reveals beneficial light–matter interactions in metal halide perovskites. This work critiques current models and proposes a lattice-based framework explaining reversible, fluence-dependent subgap PL.

This review summarizes the research progress on additives for NFA OSCs, covering their classification based on halogen content, working mechanisms, and design principles, to guide the development of eco-friendly and simple-structure additives.

Schematic diagram of SHHEs and practical applications in flexible energy storage technologies.

This review outlines the progress and challenges of transition metal electrocatalysts in C–N coupling from N-sources like N₂ and NO_x⁻, emphasizing the need for mechanistic studies and improved stability.

Paving the way for solar-driven biomanufacturing: this review dissects how inorganic photosensitizers interface with biological systems for sustainable biosynthesis, from fuels to drugs, guided by AI.

This review evaluates MXene structural integration and performance mechanisms in self-powered electrochemical sensors (SPECSs), focusing on active component function, maximum power output, long-term stability, and analytical sensitivity.

Engineered hydrophobic–hydrophilic regions tune catalyst wettability to control the triple-phase boundary, promoting N₂ adsorption while limiting proton transport. This enhances NRR selectivity and suppresses competing HER.

This review focuses on two crucial core components: pretreatment processes and direct regeneration methods. It highlights recent technological advancements, identifies industrial bottlenecks, and outlines critical directions for future development.

The merits and challenges of paired electrolysis are associated with current density, lowering of overpotentials of cathodic half-cell, surface reconstruction of hetero-junction electrodes, and electrolysis under industrial current density.

This review summarizes electrospinning wearable strain sensor optimization, focusing on materials/structure to boost sensing performance. It explores health monitoring and human–machine interfaces, offering future development guidelines.

The article offers a thorough analysis of MoS₂, including its crystallographic phases (1T, 2H, and 3R), basic structural, optical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics, as well as synthesis and characterisation methods.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have great potential in nuclear wastewater treatment.

Quinones are prime candidates for aqueous redox flow batteries. This review discusses the chemistry of quinones and degradation pathways in aqueous solution, illuminating their pathway to successful implementation through case studies and examples.

This review explores the properties, design, and synthesis of MXene materials and analyzes the unique advantages of MXene-based composite gels with polymers, nanomaterials, and biomass in seawater desalination.

Seawater electrolysis is of great significance for sustainable hydrogen production, particularly in coastal and offshore regions with abundant renewable energy but limited freshwater resources.

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.

Polymers have emerged as multifunctional enablers in the evolving architecture of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), addressing key challenges in film formation, interface engineering, defect modification, and device longevity.

The integration of structural design and mechanism-driven optimization in engineered TiO₂ photocatalysts enhances NO_x abatement for air purification.

Electrocatalysts with Jahn–Teller distortion have been reviewed for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction involving basic fundamentals, characterization techniques, and their application.

This review explores recent advancements and challenges in the development of electrocatalysts for the electrochemical ozone production including mechanistic understanding, electrode preparation, and applications in practical wastewater treatment.

This work critically evaluates recent advances in MOF-derived hollow materials and their transformative potential in advancing zinc–air battery (ZAB) technology.

This review highlights the improved HER performance achieved by functionalized biochar through progressive structural and electronic refinement.

Five microenvironment engineering strategies are proposed to modulate single-atom active sites, integrating computational catalysis, functional materials design, and sustainable energy applications to drive interdisciplinary advances.

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.