Featured
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Letter |
Sensitization of silicon by singlet exciton fission in tetracene
A silicon and tetracene solar cell employing singlet fission uses an eight-angstrom-thick hafnium oxynitride interlayer to promote efficient triplet transfer, increasing the efficiency of the cell.
- Markus Einzinger
- , Tony Wu
- & Marc A. Baldo
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Letter |
Enhanced intrinsic photovoltaic effect in tungsten disulfide nanotubes
A bulk photovoltaic effect is observed in devices based on tungsten disulfide, and is enhanced if the devices take the form of polar nanotubes, showing the importance of reducing crystal symmetry to a polar structure in achieving higher efficiencies.
- Y. J. Zhang
- , T. Ideue
- & Y. Iwasa
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Article |
Electrolytic vascular systems for energy-dense robots
An energy-dense hydraulic fluid is used to construct a synthetic circulatory system in a lionfish-like soft robot, enabling untethered movement for up to 36 hours.
- Cameron A. Aubin
- , Snehashis Choudhury
- & Robert F. Shepherd
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Letter |
Aqueous Li-ion battery enabled by halogen conversion–intercalation chemistry in graphite
Composite cathodes created by anionic redox reactions of bromine and chlorine intercalated into graphite, combined with water-in-salt electrolyte and graphite anodes, provide aqueous lithium-ion batteries with improved energy density.
- Chongyin Yang
- , Ji Chen
- & Chunsheng Wang
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Letter |
Efficient, stable and scalable perovskite solar cells using poly(3-hexylthiophene)
A double-layered halide architecture for perovskite solar cells enables the use of dopant-free poly(3-hexylthiophene) as a hole-transport material, forming stable and scalable devices with a certified power conversion efficiency of 22.7 per cent.
- Eui Hyuk Jung
- , Nam Joong Jeon
- & Jangwon Seo
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Article |
Tripled yield in direct-drive laser fusion through statistical modelling
A statistical approach to designing and predicting the fusion yield of cryogenic deuterium–tritium implosions leads to tripled yield in direct-drive laser fusion of deuterium–tritium layered targets.
- V. Gopalaswamy
- , R. Betti
- & J. A. Frenje
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Letter |
Two-dimensional MoS2-enabled flexible rectenna for Wi-Fi-band wireless energy harvesting
Integration of an ultrafast flexible rectifier made from a two-dimensional material with a flexible antenna achieves wireless energy harvesting of Wi-Fi radiation, which could power future flexible electronic systems.
- Xu Zhang
- , Jesús Grajal
- & Tomás Palacios
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Letter |
Ceramic–metal composites for heat exchangers in concentrated solar power plants
A robust ceramic/refractory metal (ZrC/W)-based composite for use in heat exchangers in concentrated solar power plants above 1,023 kelvin is described, having attractive high-temperature thermal, mechanical and chemical properties combined with cost-effective processing.
- M. Caccia
- , M. Tabandeh-Khorshid
- & K. H. Sandhage
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Letter |
Self-powered ultra-flexible electronics via nano-grating-patterned organic photovoltaics
Detection of biometric signals by self-powered electronic devices that are highly flexible and can be applied to skin.
- Sungjun Park
- , Soo Won Heo
- & Takao Someya
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Article |
Niobium tungsten oxides for high-rate lithium-ion energy storage
Micrometre-sized particles of two niobium tungsten oxides have high volumetric capacities and rate performances, enabled by very high lithium-ion diffusion coefficients.
- Kent J. Griffith
- , Kamila M. Wiaderek
- & Clare P. Grey
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Letter |
Velocity-resolved kinetics of site-specific carbon monoxide oxidation on platinum surfaces
The catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over platinum proceeds through two distinct channels: it is dominated at low temperatures by the more active step sites and at high temperatures by the more abundant terrace sites of the platinum surface.
- Jannis Neugebohren
- , Dmitriy Borodin
- & Theofanis N. Kitsopoulos
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Letter |
Observation of anisotropic magneto-Peltier effect in nickel
A ‘magneto-Peltier effect’ produces cooling or heating in a material without junctions, by forcing a change in angle between the current and magnetization in a single ferromagnetic nickel slab.
- Ken-ichi Uchida
- , Shunsuke Daimon
- & Eiji Saitoh
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Letter |
Thickness-independent capacitance of vertically aligned liquid-crystalline MXenes
Electrode films prepared from a liquid-crystal phase of vertically aligned two-dimensional titanium carbide show electrochemical energy storage that is nearly independent of film thickness.
- Yu Xia
- , Tyler S. Mathis
- & Shu Yang
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Letter |
Highly durable, coking and sulfur tolerant, fuel-flexible protonic ceramic fuel cells
Tests on a versatile protonic ceramic fuel cell resistant to carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning show that its durability and the wide range of fuels it can accept make it suitable for use in industry in the near future.
- Chuancheng Duan
- , Robert J. Kee
- & Ryan O’Hayre
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Letter |
A lithium–oxygen battery with a long cycle life in an air-like atmosphere
A lithium–oxygen battery, comprising a lithium carbonate-based protected anode, a molybdenum disulfide cathode and an ionic liquid/dimethyl sulfoxide electrolyte, operates in a simulated air atmosphere with a long cycle life of up to 700 cycles.
- Mohammad Asadi
- , Baharak Sayahpour
- & Amin Salehi-Khojin
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Letter |
Maximizing and stabilizing luminescence from halide perovskites with potassium passivation
Modifying the surfaces and grain boundaries of perovskites with passivating potassium halide layers can mitigate non-radiative losses and photoinduced ion migration, increasing luminescence yields and improving charge transport and interfaces with device electrodes.
- Mojtaba Abdi-Jalebi
- , Zahra Andaji-Garmaroudi
- & Samuel D. Stranks
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Letter |
An electric-eel-inspired soft power source from stacked hydrogels
Miniature hydrogel compartments in scalable stacked and folded geometries were used to prepare a contact-activated artificial electric organ.
- Thomas B. H. Schroeder
- , Anirvan Guha
- & Michael Mayer
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Outlook |
We have the technology
Carbon capture and storage will be crucial for mitigating climate change and rebuilding the world's energy infrastructure.
- Katherine Bourzac
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Article |
Pumping liquid metal at high temperatures up to 1,673 kelvin
By using ceramics for the mechanical and sealing components of a mechanical pump, liquid metal can be circulated continuously at temperatures at least as high as 1,673 kelvin.
- C. Amy
- , D. Budenstein
- & A. Henry
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Letter |
Superparamagnetic enhancement of thermoelectric performance
By embedding superparamagnetic nanoparticles in a thermoelectric matrix, phonon and electron transport within the material can be controlled simultaneously at nanometre and mesoscopic length scales, thereby improving the thermoelectric performance of the material.
- Wenyu Zhao
- , Zhiyuan Liu
- & Jing Shi
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Letter |
A solvent- and vacuum-free route to large-area perovskite films for efficient solar modules
A new deposition method for solar-panel polycrystalline perovskite thin films enables the production of large-area uniform films and avoids the need for common solvents or vacuum.
- Han Chen
- , Fei Ye
- & Liyuan Han
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Letter |
Robust wireless power transfer using a nonlinear parity–time-symmetric circuit
A nonlinear parity–time-symmetric circuit is used to enable robust wireless power transfer to a moving device over a distance of one metre without the need for tuning.
- Sid Assawaworrarit
- , Xiaofang Yu
- & Shanhui Fan
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Letter |
The effect of illumination on the formation of metal halide perovskite films
Films of metal halide perovskite are used as the absorber material in solar cells, and light irradiation during their formation is shown to affect their crystallization, morphology and photovoltaic performance.
- Amita Ummadisingu
- , Ludmilla Steier
- & Michael Grätzel
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Review Article |
Using coherence to enhance function in chemical and biophysical systems
Coherence observed in chemical and biological systems suggests that even in the presence of disorder and noise the phenomenon may yield transformative ways for improving function.
- Gregory D. Scholes
- , Graham R. Fleming
- & Xiaoyang Zhu
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Letter |
Biofuel blending reduces particle emissions from aircraft engines at cruise conditions
Compared to using conventional jet fuel, the use of a biofuel blend reduces aircraft engine particle emissions at cruising altitude by about 50–70 per cent.
- Richard H. Moore
- , Kenneth L. Thornhill
- & Bruce E. Anderson
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Brief Communications Arising |
The intrinsic thermal conductivity of SnSe
- Pai-Chun Wei
- , S. Bhattacharya
- & A. M. Rao
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Letter |
Cobalt carbide nanoprisms for direct production of lower olefins from syngas
Lower olefins are hydrocarbons that are widely used in the chemical industry, and can be generated from syngas by the ‘Fischer–Tropsch to olefins’ process; here, a new catalyst is described that can generate lower olefins from syngas with high selectivity, with little formation of undesirable methane.
- Liangshu Zhong
- , Fei Yu
- & Hui Wang
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Letter |
Switching on electrocatalytic activity in solid oxide cells
A new way of activating the electrodes in solid oxide cells involves applying an electrical potential to trigger the exsolution of metal catalysts to the electrode surface; the success of this technique raises the possibility of regenerating the electrodes during operation.
- Jae-ha Myung
- , Dragos Neagu
- & John T. S. Irvine
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Letter |
High-efficiency two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite solar cells
Thin-film solar cells were fabricated using layered two-dimensional perovskites with near-single-crystalline out-of-plane alignment, which facilitates efficient charge transport leading to greatly improved power conversion efficiency with technologically relevant stability to light exposure, humidity and heat stress.
- Hsinhan Tsai
- , Wanyi Nie
- & Aditya D. Mohite
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Letter |
Strongly correlated perovskite fuel cells
A fundamentally different approach to designing solid oxide electrolytes is presented, using a phase transition to suppress electronic conduction in a correlated perovskite nickelate; this yields ionic conductivity comparable to the best-performing solid electrolytes in the same temperature range.
- You Zhou
- , Xiaofei Guan
- & Shriram Ramanathan
Planar perovskite solar cells with long-term stability using ionic liquid additives
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