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| Open AccessA Co3O4-CDots-C3N4 three component electrocatalyst design concept for efficient and tunable CO2 reduction to syngas
Simultaneous electrochemical reduction of CO2 and H+/H2O is an attractive renewable route to produce syngas mixtures. Here, the authors introduce a ternary Co3O4-CDots-C3N4 electrocatalyst that couples hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction catalysts and achieves cheap, stable and tunable production of syngas.
- Sijie Guo
- , Siqi Zhao
- & Zhenhui Kang
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Article
| Open AccessSpectroscopic detection of halogen bonding resolves dye regeneration in the dye-sensitized solar cell
Dye-sensitized solar cells rely on molecular dyes to absorb light and conduct electrons. Parlane et al. show that weak forces such as hydrogen bonding can be responsible for the dye regeneration step of solar cells and have an impact on the photovoltage and the efficiency.
- Fraser G. L. Parlane
- , Chantal Mustoe
- & Curtis P. Berlinguette
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Article
| Open AccessHigh magnesium mobility in ternary spinel chalcogenides
Low magnesium mobility in solids represents a significant obstacle to the development of Mg intercalation batteries. Here the authors show that substantial magnesium ion mobility can be achieved in close-packed ternary selenide spinel materials.
- Pieremanuele Canepa
- , Shou-Hang Bo
- & Gerbrand Ceder
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Article
| Open AccessSwitchable photovoltaic windows enabled by reversible photothermal complex dissociation from methylammonium lead iodide
Conventional smart windows with tunable transparency are based on electrochromic systems that consumes energy. Here Wheeler et al. demonstrate a halide perovskite based photo-switchable window that dynamically responds to sunlight and change colors via reversible phase transitions.
- Lance M. Wheeler
- , David T. Moore
- & Nathan R. Neale
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Article
| Open AccessUltrafast bridge planarization in donor-π-acceptor copolymers drives intramolecular charge transfer
Tracking and understanding charge transfer process is central yet challenging to designing efficient organic photovoltaics. Roy et al. monitor real-time structural changes in donor-π-acceptor polymer backbone, and enumerate the role of π-bridge torsions during intramolecular charge transfer.
- Palas Roy
- , Ajay Jha
- & Jyotishman Dasgupta
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Article
| Open AccessGraphene balls for lithium rechargeable batteries with fast charging and high volumetric energy densities
Here, the authors report a graphene-silica assembly which could be coated onto a nickel-rich cathode via a scalable process for considerably improved electrochemical performance. In the presence of such graphene balls, a full cell benefits from an increased volumetric energy density by 27.6%.
- In Hyuk Son
- , Jong Hwan Park
- & Jang Wook Choi
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Article
| Open AccessOxygen-rich microporous carbons with exceptional hydrogen storage capacity
Hydrogen is attractive as a clean fuel for motor vehicles and porous carbons represent promising hydrogen storage materials. Here, Mokaya and colleagues incorporate oxygen-rich functional groups into porous carbons with high microporosity, showing that such materials exhibit significantly enhanced H2 storage capacity.
- L. Scott Blankenship
- , Norah Balahmar
- & Robert Mokaya
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Article
| Open AccessOptically-controlled long-term storage and release of thermal energy in phase-change materials
Phase-change materials offer excellent thermal storage due to their high latent heat; however, they suffer from spontaneous heat loss. Han et al., use organic photo-switching dopants to introduce an activation energy barrier which enables controllable thermal energy release and retention.
- Grace G. D. Han
- , Huashan Li
- & Jeffrey C. Grossman
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Article
| Open AccessDirect catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to formate over a Schiff-base-mediated gold nanocatalyst
Bicarbonate reduction is a bottleneck step of the CO2 hydrogenation to formic acid in alkaline solution. Here, the authors show a highly active Schiff-base-modified gold nanocatalyst for the efficient reduction of CO2 to formic acid under relatively mild conditions.
- Qinggang Liu
- , Xiaofeng Yang
- & Tao Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessTwo-dimensional lithium diffusion behavior and probable hybrid phase transformation kinetics in olivine lithium iron phosphate
Lithium transport and phase transformation kinetics in olivine LiFePO4 electrode remain not fully understood. Here the authors show that microsized olivine particles possess 2D lithium diffusivity and exhibit a possible hybrid mode of phase boundary migration upon cycling.
- Liang Hong
- , Linsen Li
- & Ming Tang
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Article
| Open AccessMitigating oxygen loss to improve the cycling performance of high capacity cation-disordered cathode materials
The performance of lithium-excess cation-disordered oxides as cathode materials relies on the extent to which the oxygen loss during cycling is mitigated. Here, the authors show that incorporating fluorine is an effective strategy which substantially improves the cycling stability of such a material.
- Jinhyuk Lee
- , Joseph K. Papp
- & Gerbrand Ceder
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Article
| Open AccessRegulating p-block metals in perovskite nanodots for efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation
Electrocatalysts that possess high densities of surface defects show great promise for efficient water oxidation. Here the authors demonstrate that regulating the p-block metal content in perovskite nanodots imparts these materials with abundant surface defects and excellent electrocatalytic activity.
- Bo-Quan Li
- , Zi-Jing Xia
- & Qiang Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessDesigning solid-liquid interphases for sodium batteries
The chemistry at the interface between electrolyte and electrode plays a critical role in determining battery performance. Here, the authors show that a NaBr enriched solid–electrolyte interphase can lower the surface diffusion barrier for sodium ions, enabling stable electrodeposition.
- Snehashis Choudhury
- , Shuya Wei
- & Lynden A. Archer
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Article
| Open AccessOrganosulfide-plasticized solid-electrolyte interphase layer enables stable lithium metal anodes for long-cycle lithium-sulfur batteries
The practical application of lithium metal anodes suffers from the poor Coulombic efficiency and growth of lithium dendrites. Here, the authors report an approach to enable the self-formation of stable and flexible solid-electrolyte interphase layers which serve to address both issues.
- Guoxing Li
- , Yue Gao
- & Donghai Wang
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Article
| Open AccessFast-charging high-energy lithium-ion batteries via implantation of amorphous silicon nanolayer in edge-plane activated graphite anodes
It is desirable to develop fast-charging batteries retaining high energy density. Here, the authors report a hybrid anode via incorporation of an implanted amorphous silicon nanolayer and edge-plane-activated graphite, which meets both criteria.
- Namhyung Kim
- , Sujong Chae
- & Jaephil Cho
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Article
| Open AccessPotential for natural evaporation as a reliable renewable energy resource
The evaporation of water represents an alternative source of renewable energy. Building on previous models of evaporation, Cavusoglu et al. show that the power available from this natural resource is comparable to wind and solar power, yet it does not suffer as much from varying weather conditions.
- Ahmet-Hamdi Cavusoglu
- , Xi Chen
- & Ozgur Sahin
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Article
| Open AccessUltrathin high band gap solar cells with improved efficiencies from the world’s oldest photovoltaic material
Wide band gap semiconductors are important for the development of tandem photovoltaics. By introducing buffer layers at the front and rear side of solar cells based on selenium; Todorov et al., reduce interface recombination losses to achieve photoconversion efficiencies of 6.5%.
- Teodor K. Todorov
- , Saurabh Singh
- & Richard Haight
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| Open AccessOxygen evolution reaction dynamics monitored by an individual nanosheet-based electronic circuit
Electrocatalysis offers important opportunities for clean fuel production, but uncovering the chemistry at the electrode surface remains a challenge. Here, the authors exploit a single-nanosheet electrode to perform in-situ measurements of water oxidation electrocatalysis and reveal a crucial interaction with oxygen.
- Peiyao Wang
- , Mengyu Yan
- & Liqiang Mai
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Article
| Open AccessDipole-field-assisted charge extraction in metal-perovskite-metal back-contact solar cells
Simplified device concepts may become important for the development of low cost photovoltaics. Lin et al. report solar cells based on interdigitated gold back-contacts and metal halide perovskites where charge extraction is assisted via a dipole field generated by self-assembled molecular monolayers.
- Xiongfeng Lin
- , Askhat N. Jumabekov
- & Udo Bach
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Article
| Open AccessLithium titanate hydrates with superfast and stable cycling in lithium ion batteries
Water is usually not favorable in high-voltage window aprotic electrolytes. Here the authors discover some lithium titanate hydrates that allow superior power rate and ultralong cycle life in aprotic electrolytes.
- Shitong Wang
- , Wei Quan
- & Ju Li
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Article
| Open AccessWarming up human body by nanoporous metallized polyethylene textile
Energy wasted for heating the empty space of the entire building can be saved by passively heating the immediate environment around the human body. Here, the authors show a nanophotonic structure textile with tailored infrared property for passive personal heating using nanoporous metallized polyethylene.
- Lili Cai
- , Alex Y. Song
- & Yi Cui
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Article
| Open AccessConsolidation of the optoelectronic properties of CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite single crystals
Metal halide perovskites for optoelectronic devices have been extensively studied in two forms: single-crystals or polycrystalline thin films. Using spectroscopic approaches, Wenger et al. show that polycrystalline thin films possess similar optoelectronic properties to single crystals.
- Bernard Wenger
- , Pabitra K. Nayak
- & Henry J. Snaith
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| Open AccessLow carbon renewable natural gas production from coalbeds and implications for carbon capture and storage
Coalbeds produce natural gas, which has been observed to be enhanced by in situ microbes. Here, the authors add plant-derived carbohydrates (monosaccharides) to coal seams to be converted by indigenous microbes into natural gas, thus demonstrating a potential low carbon renewable natural gas resource.
- Zaixing Huang
- , Christine Sednek
- & Shengpin Li
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Article
| Open AccessAntisite occupation induced single anionic redox chemistry and structural stabilization of layered sodium chromium sulfide
The rational design of intercalation electrodes is largely confined to the optimization of redox chemistry of transition metals and oxygen. Here, the authors report the single anionic redox process in NaCrS2 where it is sulfur rather than chromium that works as the electrochemical active species.
- Zulipiya Shadike
- , Yong-Ning Zhou
- & Zheng-Wen Fu
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| Open AccessFlexible supercapacitor electrodes based on real metal-like cellulose papers
With ligand-mediated layer-by-layer assembly between metal nanoparticles and small organic molecules, the authors prepare metallic paper electrodes for supercapacitors with high power and energy densities. This approach could be extended to various electrodes for portable/wearable electronics.
- Yongmin Ko
- , Minseong Kwon
- & Jinhan Cho
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Article
| Open AccessA rechargeable iodine-carbon battery that exploits ion intercalation and iodine redox chemistry
Carbon-based electrodes able to intercalate Li+ and Na+ ions have been exploited for high performing energy storage devices. Here, the authors combine the ion intercalation properties of porous graphitic carbons with the redox chemistry of iodine to produce iodine–carbon batteries with high reversible capacities.
- Ke Lu
- , Ziyu Hu
- & Jintao Zhang
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| Open AccessSelf-supporting sulfur cathodes enabled by two-dimensional carbon yolk-shell nanosheets for high-energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries
One of the challenges facing lithium-sulfur batteries is to develop cathodes with high mass and high volume loading. Here the authors show that two-dimensional carbon yolk-shell nanosheets are promising sulfur host materials, enabling stable battery cells with high energy density.
- Fei Pei
- , Lele Lin
- & Nanfeng Zheng
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Article
| Open AccessCapture of organic iodides from nuclear waste by metal-organic framework-based molecular traps
Capturing radioactive organic iodides from nuclear waste is important for safe nuclear energy usage, but remains a significant challenge. Here, Li and co-workers fabricate a stable metal–organic framework functionalized with tertiary amine groups that exhibits high capacities for radioactive organic iodides uptake.
- Baiyan Li
- , Xinglong Dong
- & Jing Li
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Article
| Open AccessRechargeable aqueous zinc-manganese dioxide batteries with high energy and power densities
The development of rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are challenging but promising for energy storage applications. With a mild-acidic triflate electrolyte, here the authors show a high-performance Zn-MnO2 battery in which the MnO2 cathode undergoes Zn2+ (de)intercalation.
- Ning Zhang
- , Fangyi Cheng
- & Jun Chen
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| Open AccessUltrafast carrier thermalization in lead iodide perovskite probed with two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy
Carrier-carrier scattering rates determine the fundamental limits of carrier transport and electronic coherence. Using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with sub-10 fs resolution, Richter and Branchi et al. extract carrier thermalization times of 10 to 85 fs in hybrid perovskites.
- Johannes M. Richter
- , Federico Branchi
- & Felix Deschler
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Article
| Open AccessNanodiamonds suppress the growth of lithium dendrites
Lithium metal is an ideal anode material for rechargeable batteries but suffer from the growth of lithium dendrites and low Coulombic efficiency. Here the authors show that nanodiamonds serve as an electrolyte additive to co-deposit with lithium metal and suppress the formation of dendrites.
- Xin-Bing Cheng
- , Meng-Qiang Zhao
- & Yury Gogotsi
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Article
| Open AccessFast kinetics of magnesium monochloride cations in interlayer-expanded titanium disulfide for magnesium rechargeable batteries
Magnesium rechargeable batteries potentially offer high-energy density, safety, and low cost. Here the authors show a battery that reversibly intercalates magnesium monochloride cations with excellent rate and cycle performances in addition to the large capacity.
- Hyun Deog Yoo
- , Yanliang Liang
- & Yan Yao
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Correspondence
| Open AccessCorrespondence: Reply to ‘The experimental requirements for a photon thermal diode’
- Zhen Chen
- , Carlaton Wong
- & Chris Dames
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Article
| Open AccessGiant onsite electronic entropy enhances the performance of ceria for water splitting
Solid-state entropy of reduction increases the thermodynamic efficiency of ceria for two-step thermochemical water splitting. Here, the authors report a large and different source of entropy, the onsite electronic configurational entropy arising from coupling between orbital and spin angular momenta in f orbitals.
- S. Shahab Naghavi
- , Antoine A. Emery
- & Chris Wolverton
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Article
| Open AccessOscillatory vapour shielding of liquid metal walls in nuclear fusion devices
Vapour shielding is one of the interesting mechanisms for reducing the heat load to plasma facing components in fusion reactors. Here the authors report on the observation of a dynamic equilibrium between the plasma and the divertor liquid Sn surface leading to an overall stable surface temperature.
- G. G. van Eden
- , V. Kvon
- & T. W. Morgan
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Article
| Open AccessFlexible interlocked porous frameworks allow quantitative photoisomerization in a crystalline solid
Organizing photochromic molecules into 3D networks is a key strategy to access photoresponsive materials, but framework rigidity typically limits conversion efficiency. Here, the authors exploit a flexible metal-organic framework to achieve quantitative and reversible photoisomerization in a porous crystalline solid.
- Yongtai Zheng
- , Hiroshi Sato
- & Susumu Kitagawa
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Article
| Open AccessAchieving ultrahigh triboelectric charge density for efficient energy harvesting
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) harvest ambient mechanical energy and convert it into electrical energy. Here, the authors couple surface polarization from contact electrification with dielectric polarization from a ferroelectric material in vacuum to dramatically enhance the TENG output power.
- Jie Wang
- , Changsheng Wu
- & Zhong Lin Wang
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Article
| Open AccessImpact of interfacial molecular orientation on radiative recombination and charge generation efficiency
Molecular orientation profoundly affects the performance of donor-acceptor heterojunctions, whilst it has remained challenging to investigate the detail. Using a controllable interface, Ran et al. show that the edge-on geometries improve charge generation at the cost of non-radiative recombination loss.
- Niva A. Ran
- , Steffen Roland
- & Thuc-Quyen Nguyen
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Article
| Open AccessDamage tolerance of nuclear graphite at elevated temperatures
Nuclear-grade graphite is an important high-temperature structural material for fission reactors. Here, the authors perform simultaneous X-ray tomography and mechanical testing on a nuclear-grade graphite, finding simultaneous improvement of strength and toughness at elevated temperatures which they attribute primarily to reduction of residual tensile stresses in the as-made material.
- Dong Liu
- , Bernd Gludovatz
- & Robert O. Ritchie
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Article
| Open AccessElectronic metal-support interaction enhanced oxygen reduction activity and stability of boron carbide supported platinum
D-band engineering via alloying platinum is a leading design principle for advanced oxygen reduction electrocatalysts, but stability remains a concern. Here the authors make Pt nanoparticles supported on graphite-rich boron carbide for enhanced activity and stability, isolating and optimizing the electronic metal-support interactions.
- Colleen Jackson
- , Graham T. Smith
- & Denis Kramer
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Article
| Open AccessExperimental study of thermal rectification in suspended monolayer graphene
Thermal rectification is instrumental to achieving active heat flow control and energy harvesting in nanoscale devices. Here, the authors demonstrate thermal rectification in asymmetric graphene nanostructures, achieving a large rectification factor up to 26%.
- Haidong Wang
- , Shiqian Hu
- & Jie Chen
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Article
| Open AccessDiffusion engineering of ions and charge carriers for stable efficient perovskite solar cells
Ion migration in perovskite solar cells are known to cause hysteresis and instability. Biet al., report a charge extraction layer based on graphene, fullerenes and carbon quantum dots which suppresses ion diffusion and enhances charge carrier diffusion leading to efficient devices with improved stability.
- Enbing Bi
- , Han Chen
- & Liyuan Han
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Article
| Open AccessHierarchical porous carbons with layer-by-layer motif architectures from confined soft-template self-assembly in layered materials
2D nanomaterials are promising capacitive energy storage materials, but their tendency to restack hinders electrolyte transport. Here, Yamauchi and colleagues introduce 2D ordered mesoporous carbons in between MXene layers, and metal removal affords all-carbon porous 2D–2D heterostructures in which restacking is prevented.
- Jie Wang
- , Jing Tang
- & Yusuke Yamauchi
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Article
| Open AccessTemperature-regulated guest admission and release in microporous materials
Regulating guest access and release in porous materials remains an important goal. Here, May and colleagues elucidate the mechanism by which guest admission can be temperature-regulated in typical microporous materials, and experimentally exploit this process to achieve appreciable and reversible hydrogen storage.
- Gang (Kevin) Li
- , Jin Shang
- & Eric F. May
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Article
| Open Access11% efficiency solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells with copper(II/I) hole transport materials
Inadequate pore infiltration and low conductivity of hole transporter materials limit the performance of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Using fast charge-exchange Cu(II/I) complexes as part of the hole transporting material, Caoet al. overcome these issues to achieve a record photoconversion efficiency of 11%.
- Yiming Cao
- , Yasemin Saygili
- & Michael Grätzel
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Article
| Open AccessBiogenic non-crystalline U(IV) revealed as major component in uranium ore deposits
Crystalline uraninite is believed to be the dominant form in uranium deposits. Here, the authors find that non-crystalline U(IV) generated through biologically mediated U(VI) reduction is the predominant U(IV)species in ore deposits, implying that biogenic processes are more important than previously thought.
- Amrita Bhattacharyya
- , Kate M. Campbell
- & Thomas Borch
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Article
| Open AccessExperimental discrimination of ion stopping models near the Bragg peak in highly ionized matter
The energy loss of ions in plasma is a challenging issue in inertial confinement fusion and many theoretical models exist on ion-stopping power. Here, the authors use laser-generated plasma probed by accelerator-produced ions in experiments to discriminate various ion stopping models near the Bragg peak.
- W. Cayzac
- , A. Frank
- & M. Roth
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Article
| Open AccessOne-Year stable perovskite solar cells by 2D/3D interface engineering
Up-scaling represents a key challenge for photovoltaics based on metal halide perovskites. Using a composite of 2D and 3D perovskites in combination with a printable carbon black/graphite counter electrode; Granciniet al., report 11.2% efficient modules stable over 10,000 hours.
- G. Grancini
- , C. Roldán-Carmona
- & Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin
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Article
| Open AccessDesigning lead-free antiferroelectrics for energy storage
Antiferroelectric capacitors hold great promise for high-power energy storage. Here, through a first-principles-based computational approach, authors find high theoretical energy densities in rare earth substituted bismuth ferrite, and propose a simple model to assess the storage properties of a general antiferroelectric material.
- Bin Xu
- , Jorge Íñiguez
- & L. Bellaiche