Windows are one of the least energy efficient parts of the building envelope because of poor thermal insulation. Abraham et al. develop a cellulose-based aerogel as a thermal barrier for windows that retains their optical properties.

The design of low-dimensional interface materials for perovskite solar cells is limited in the choice of the metal cation. By processing metal and ammonium halides together, Ye et al. expand the metal cation library for these interface materials.

Solid-state batteries are widely regarded as one of the next promising energy storage technologies. Here, Wolfgang Zeier and Juergen Janek review recent research directions and advances in the development of solid-state batteries and discuss ways to tackle the remaining challenges for commercialization.

Direct seawater electrolysis is an approach to produce hydrogen from an abundant water source, but current catalysts face performance and durability challenges. Here Guo et al. introduce a hard Lewis acid layer on the catalyst surface that generates local alkalinity, facilitating water splitting and minimizing degradation.

Windows are one of the least energy efficient parts of the building envelope because of poor thermal insulation. Abraham et al. develop a cellulose-based aerogel as a thermal barrier for windows that retains their optical properties.

The critical current density is generally used to evaluate dendrite-suppression capability in batteries. Here the authors propose a critical interphase overpotential descriptor for dendrite suppression and demonstrate high-performance solid-state battery design with the new descriptor.

Improving the manufacturability of perovskite solar cells is key to their deployment. Zheng et al. report a one-step deposition of the hole-selective and absorber layers that addresses wettability issues and simplifies the fabrication process.

Inorganic perovskite solar cells suffer from charge carrier losses. Chu et al. treat the perovskite surface with caesium fluoride, forming a wider-bandgap perovskite that increases the carrier lifetime and hole extraction efficiency.

Photocatalytic synthesis of H₂O₂ is an attractive route to this important chemical and potential energy carrier, but improvements in performance and operation without sacrificial agents are needed. Here the authors report a porphyrin-based photocatalyst with promising performance for H₂O₂ production from only H₂O and O₂.

Russia has faced sanctions on its fossil energy exports since invading Ukraine, yet its nuclear industry has largely been overlooked. To explore Russia’s potential for influence through this sector, Szulecki and Overland analyse Russian nuclear power supplier Rosatom’s global project portfolio and the dependencies of countries on it.

Today’s sodium-ion batteries can not only be used in stationary energy storage applications, but also in 160–280 mile driving-range five-passenger electric vehicles. This technology will alleviate some of the supply-chain issues arising from limited resources of materials used in the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries.

Differences in the approach to community acceptance of energy technologies can muddy visions of energy futures. Acknowledgement of the tensions around justice perspectives and the degree of desired change can improve scholarship and policy dialogue.