Energy science and technology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid electrolytes play a crucial role as ion conductors and separator between electrodes in all-solid-state batteries. Here, the authors report a high-entropy halide solid electrolyte, which reveals the structure evolution with the increasing configurational entropy and improves the high-voltage stability.

    • Zhenyou Song
    • , Tengrui Wang
    •  & Wei Luo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct use of flue gas for the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction is desirable but severely limited by the thermodynamically favorable oxygen reduction reaction. Here the authors report an oxygen passivation strategy to improve electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction under aerobic conditions using a covalent organic frameworks with a photoswitching unit.

    • Hong-Jing Zhu
    • , Duan-Hui Si
    •  & Yuan-Biao Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a promising method of producing sustainable chemicals and fuels, yet is highly energy intensive. Here, the authors couple CO2 electrolysis with hydrogen oxidation using a Ni(OH)2/NiOOH auxiliary electrode to enhance energy efficiency.

    • Xiaoyi Jiang
    • , Le Ke
    •  & Ning Yan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Alternatives to lithium-ion electrochemistry present challenges due to undesirable phenomena at the electrode-electrolyte interface. Through simulations, the authors find that the performance of a calcium-based electrolyte is driven entirely by molecular-scale processes within approximately 1 nm of the electrode.

    • Ana Sanz Matias
    • , Fabrice Roncoroni
    •  & David Prendergast

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interstitial iodides are the most critical type of defects in perovskite solar cells that limits efficiency and stability. Here, the authors introduce small amount of zinc trifluoromethane sulfonate to control iodide defects, facilitating fabrication of minimodules with efficiencies of over 19%.

    • Md Aslam Uddin
    • , Prem Jyoti Singh Rana
    •  & Jinsong Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The comprehensive understanding of complex catalytic mechanisms under harsh reaction conditions for efficient bifunctional single-atom electrocatalysts remain challenging. Here the authors found microenvironment reconsitution of highly active Ni single atoms on oxygen-incorporated Mo2C for water splitting.

    • Mengyun Hou
    • , Lirong Zheng
    •  & Chen Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    O2-type Li-rich layered cathodes suppress voltage decay and aid in oxygen redox research. Here, the authors report trilateral relationship among anionic redox utilization, bulk chemo-mechanical degradation, and electrochemical fading, which can be mitigated by balancing the redox center capabilities.

    • Ho-Young Jang
    • , Donggun Eum
    •  & Kisuk Kang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polymerization degree plays a vital role in controlling material properties and batch-to-batch variations in device performance of polymer solar cells. Here, authors develop in-situ photoluminescence system in tandem to track and estimate the polymerization degree of organic photovoltaic materials.

    • Lin-Yong Xu
    • , Wei Wang
    •  & Jie Min

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Error fields in tokamak appear due to the imperfections and misalignment of the coils generating magnetic field. Here the authors demonstrate use of error field correction to control the plasma transport and instabilities in a tokamak - KSTAR.

    • SeongMoo Yang
    • , Jong-Kyu Park
    •  & Won-Ha Ko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In the Li-S battery, a promising next-generation battery chemistry, electrolytes are vital because of solvated polysulfide species. Here, the authors investigate solvation-property relationships via the measurement of solvation free energy of the electrolytes, guiding advanced electrolyte design for Li-S batteries.

    • Sang Cheol Kim
    • , Xin Gao
    •  & Yi Cui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stretchable sensor networks with multiplexing designs can result in misrecognition due to electrical signal interferences from the sensing nodes and internal circuits. Here, Shao et al. show an untethered triboelectric electronic skin with an elastic composite-based shield layer for lower misrecognition rate.

    • Beibei Shao
    • , Ming-Han Lu
    •  & Ying-Chih Lai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detecting hydrogen gas in humid air is an unresolved challenge of significant importance for the safe implementation of hydrogen (energy) technologies. Here, authors demonstrate how the use of neural networks enables the sensing of hydrogen in highly humid air with a detection limit of 100 ppm.

    • David Tomeček
    • , Henrik Klein Moberg
    •  & Christoph Langhammer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Micro-sized silicon are promising anode materials due to low-cost and high-energy, yet their application is hindered by inaccessible electrolytes. Here, the authors report sulfolane-based electrolytes that form silicon-phobic interphases and enable high-voltage pouch cells to achieve superior cycle life.

    • Ai-Min Li
    • , Zeyi Wang
    •  & Chunsheng Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrochemically-mediated carbon capture has good energy efficiency and potential in carbon dioxide separation, but optimisation of these systems is challenging. Here, the authors report the use of isoindigo derivatives to give fine-tuned interactions with CO2 for carbon capture methods.

    • Xing Li
    • , Xunhua Zhao
    •  & Yayuan Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Analysis of capacitive behavior of electrode materials used in batteries and pseudocapacitors is challenging. Here, authors report an electrochemical signal analysis method available as an online tool to classify the charge storage behavior of a material as battery-like or a pseudocapacitor-like.

    • Siraprapha Deebansok
    • , Jie Deng
    •  & Olivier Fontaine

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing an efficient electrocatalyst of hydrogen oxidation reaction is highly critical for anion exchange membrane fuel cells. Here the authors report implanting oxophilic metal atoms in PtRu nanowires to significantly improve the mass activity, stability, and resistance to CO-poisoning for hydrogen oxidation.

    • Zhongliang Huang
    • , Shengnan Hu
    •  & Xiaoqing Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrochemical urea synthesis presents a promising alternative to conventional synthesis methods, yet the elusive mechanism hindered its development. Here, the authors take copper as an example to explore the potential and electric double-layer effect in electrocatalytic urea synthesis, and reveal two essential strategies to promote the efficiency of urea synthesis.

    • Qian Wu
    • , Chencheng Dai
    •  & Zhichuan J. Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The pursuit of all-solid-state batteries has motivated advancements in materials design. Here, the authors present a methodology demonstrating that ionic potential effectively captures crucial interactions within halide materials, guiding the design of the new materials with enhanced performance.

    • Qidi Wang
    • , Yunan Zhou
    •  & Marnix Wagemaker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct recycling or upcycling is promising for sustainable battery resource management. Here, the authors report a subtractive transformation strategy for upcycling spent cathode materials to high-performance 5 V-class cathodes, reducing reliance on rare elements for the sustainable Li-ion battery industry.

    • Jun Ma
    • , Junxiong Wang
    •  & Guangmin Zhou

  • Comment
    | Open Access

    The emergence of high-entropy materials has inspired the exploration of novel materials in diverse technologies. In electrochemical energy storage, high-entropy design has shown advantageous impacts on battery materials such as suppressing undesired short-range order, frustrating energy landscape, decreasing volumetric change and reducing the reliance on critical metals. This comment addresses the definition and potential improper use of the term “high entropy” in the context of battery materials design, highlights the unique properties of high-entropy materials in battery applications, and outlines the remaining challenges in the synthesis, characterization, and computational modeling of high-entropy battery materials.

    • Bin Ouyang
    •  & Yan Zeng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Waterproof flexible organic solar cells without compromising mechanical flexibility and conformability remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate in-situ growth of hole-transporting layer to strengthen interfacial and thermodynamic adhesion for better waterproofness in 3 μm-thick devices.

    • Sixing Xiong
    • , Kenjiro Fukuda
    •  & Takao Someya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The evolution of Pd-based material during CO2 electroreduction requires further investigation. Here the authors use in-situ liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy and select area diffraction characterization techniques to visualize the morphological and phase structure evolution of the Pd/PdHx catalysts under CO2 electroreduction conditions.

    • Ahmed M. Abdellah
    • , Fatma Ismail
    •  & Drew Higgins

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Via the first-principles calculations and experimental verifications, a guiding principle is established to design heteroatom-doped-graphene-supported Ca single-atom carbon nanomaterials for efficient non-dissociative solid-state hydrogen storage.

    • Yong Gao
    • , Zhenglong Li
    •  & Hongge Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible Ag2Se possesses promising near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance, while trade-off in thermoelectric performance and flexibility enhances its practical utility. Here, the authors fabricate polycrystalline Ag2Se-based thin film with a high ZT of 1.27 at 363 K by Te doping.

    • Dong Yang
    • , Xiao-Lei Shi
    •  & Zhi-Gang Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of practical Ca metal batteries has been hindered by the cathode chemistry. Here, the authors report a rechargeable Ca/Cl2 battery, which involves the reversible cathode redox reaction between CaCl2 and Cl2.

    • Shitao Geng
    • , Xiaoju Zhao
    •  & Hao Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional desalination processes generate clean water and reject brine to sea, which is harmful to the aquatic life. Here, the authors propose a low- cost scalable and foldable mangrove-mimetic device for solar thermal distillation and passive salt collection without brine discharge.

    • Mohamed A. Abdelsalam
    • , Muhammad Sajjad
    •  & TieJun Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inexpensive iron catalysts often exhibit low activity in ammonia decomposition due to a strong iron-nitrogen binding energy. Here the authors demonstrate that combining iron with cobalt to form a Fe-Co bimetallic catalyst overcomes this limitation, presenting a promising solution for enhancing ammonia decomposition efficiency.

    • Shilong Chen
    • , Jelena Jelic
    •  & Malte Behrens

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular passivation is promising for improving the performance and operation stability of perovskite solar cells. Here, authors employ piperazine dihydriodide to strengthen adhesion to MA-free perovskite via −NH2I and Mulliken charge distribution, realizing charge-regulated molecular passivation.

    • Dhruba B. Khadka
    • , Yasuhiro Shirai
    •  & Kenjiro Miyano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A critical challenge of solid-state batteries is Li-filament penetration. Here, by quantifying microstructural properties and employing modeling techniques, the authors provide insight into solid-state battery failure modes and offer design guidelines to enhance safety and performance.

    • Mouhamad S. Diallo
    • , Tan Shi
    •  & Gerbrand Ceder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Efforts to produce aromatic monomers through catalytic lignin depolymerization were focused on aryl–ether bond cleavage, while the carbon–carbon bonds of a large fraction of aromatic monomers in lignin are difficult to cleave. Here, the authors report a catalytic autoxidation method using manganese and zirconium salts as catalysts to cleave the C–C bonds in lignin-derived dimers and oligomers from pine and poplar.

    • Chad T. Palumbo
    • , Nina X. Gu
    •  & Gregg T. Beckham

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Li–CO2 batteries following Li2CO3-product route suffers from low output voltage and severe parasitic reactions. Here, the authors introduce a copper-based solid redox mediator in Li–CO2 batteries with an efficient Li2C2O4 product route to circumvent the shuttle effect and sluggish kinetics caused by soluble mediators.

    • Wei Li
    • , Menghang Zhang
    •  & Haoshen Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Introducing biomaterials into semiconductors to manifest bio-mimetic functionality is impactful to trigger new enhancement mechanisms. Here, the authors utilize different types of biomolecules to regulate the perovskite crystal lattice and endow a mechanism for stabilizing the metastable lattice.

    • Haodong Wu
    • , Yuchen Hou
    •  & Kai Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The growth of dendrites and the occurrence of side reactions at zinc anodes currently impede the practical use of aqueous zinc batteries. Here, the authors present an advanced substrate screening approach aimed at stabilizing zinc anodes, thereby enabling the development of high-rate zinc-metal batteries.

    • Zhiyang Zheng
    • , Xiongwei Zhong
    •  & Guangmin Zhou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Utilization of the entire lignocellulose is essential for sustainable and cost-effective biorefineries, but it is hindered by a trade-off between efficient carbohydrate utilization and lignin-to-chemical conversion yield. Here, the authors report a mild lignocellulosic fractionation process using aqueous diethylamine which produces a carbohydrate fraction susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis and a high-quality lignin that delivers high monomer yields upon catalytic amination and depolymerization.

    • Li Xu
    • , Meifang Cao
    •  & Xueqing Qiu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding how hydrogen embrittles steels and developing the solutions are crucial for enabling the hydrogen economy. Here, the authors report a materials design strategy that can increase the hydrogen trapping capacity by creating carbon vacancies in metal carbide precipitates via microalloying.

    • Pang-Yu Liu
    • , Boning Zhang
    •  & Yi-Sheng Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing an organic polymer photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution in the near-infrared (NIR) light region is still a major challenge. The authors present here a series of polymer nanoparticles for a efficient hydrogen evolution under visible and NIR light irradiation, without combining or hybridizing with other materials.

    • Mohamed Hammad Elsayed
    • , Mohamed Abdellah
    •  & Ho-Hsiu Chou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aqueous sodium-ion batteries show promise for large-scale energy storage, yet face challenges due to water decomposition, limiting their energy density and lifespan. Here, the authors report a cathode surface coating strategy in an alkaline electrolyte to enhance the stability of both electrolyte and battery.

    • Han Wu
    • , Junnan Hao
    •  & Shi-Zhang Qiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The direct oxidation of methane to methanol occurs in two steps that are difficult to control. Here, the authors use the OH binding strength as a descriptor to optimize the trade-off effect between the two pathways over PdxAuy catalysts.

    • Yueshan Xu
    • , Daoxiong Wu
    •  & Quanbing Liu

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