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Recent years have seen significant growth of electric vehicles and extensive development of energy storage technologies. This Review evaluates the potential of a series of promising batteries and hydrogen fuel cells in their deployment in automotive electrification.
The battery manufacturing process significantly affects battery performance. This Review provides an introductory overview of production technologies for automotive batteries and discusses the importance of understanding relationships between the production process and battery performance.
Electrification is seen as the future of automotive industry, and deployment of electric vehicles largely depends on the development of rechargeable batteries. Here, the authors survey the state-of-the-art advances in active materials, electrolytes and cell chemistries for automotive batteries.
The discovery of anionic redox chemistry in Li-rich cathode materials provides much hope for enhancing battery performance. Tarascon and Assat analyse the underlying science behind anionic redox and discuss its practical limitations as well as the routes to overcome the application barriers.
Energy planning models enable assessments of how energy systems may evolve in the future under different scenarios. Historically, they originate from developed nations. This Review analyses 34 models and explores the gaps that need to be addressed for their application in developing contexts.
Transparency offers integration routes unavailable to opaque photovoltaics. Here, Lunt and co-workers review recent progress in transparent solar technologies, highlight technical challenges and measurement considerations, and review performance requirements for various applications.
Thermal effects on batteries, both due to external variations and internal fluctuations, significantly impact their performance. Ajayan and colleagues survey recent advances in understanding the thermal effects on individual battery components.
Publically funded energy technology research is critical for a successful low–carbon energy transition, but future uncertainty means decision–making is difficult. This Review explores the role of expert elicitations, integrated assessment models and decision frameworks in informing energy technology policy.
Understanding of defect physics in perovskite-halide semiconductors is essential to control the effects of structural and chemical defects on the performance of perovskite solar cells. Petrozza and Ball review the current knowledge of defects in these materials.
Following on from ITER, a fusion demonstration reactor will be needed to showcase the commercial viability of fusion energy. To guide preliminary design considerations, this Review explores safety gaps that must be filled between current fission reactors, ITER and future fusion reactors.
Lithium–air batteries offer great promise for high-energy storage capability but also pose tremendous challenges for their realization. This Review surveys recent advances in understanding the fundamental science that governs lithium–air battery operation, focusing on the reactions at the oxygen electrode.
Li–S batteries are a low-cost and high-energy storage system but their full potential is yet to be realized. This Review surveys recent advances in understanding polysulfide chemistry at the positive electrode and the electrolyte and discusses approaches towards long-life and high-loading batteries.
Nanomaterials design may offer a solution to tackle many fundamental problems in conventional batteries. Cui et al. review both the promises and challenges of using nanomaterials in lithium-based rechargeable batteries.
The development of supercapacitors requires fundamental understanding of the ion adsorption and charge storage mechanism. Salanne et al. review both chemical and physical aspects of the mechanism in carbon- and oxide-based supercapacitors.
Meeting carbon emissions commitments while providing necessary energy services means reducing fossil fuel consumption. This Review presents social science insights for increasing adoption of low-carbon and low-consumption technologies and engendering practice changes among households and organizations.
The capture, storage and conversion of gases such as hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide may play a key role in the provision of carbon-neutral energy. This Review explores the role of metal–organic frameworks — porous networks of metal ions or clusters connected by organic linkers — for such applications.
Tracking the Sun's motion in concentrating photovoltaics by rotating the whole system is impractical and hinders commercial deployment. Instead, integrated-tracking approaches, which are discussed in this Review, are more suitable for low-cost, rooftop applications.
Solar cells based on solution-processed colloidal quantum dots are promising alternatives to conventional devices. This Review discusses recent advances and outstanding challenges for the field of quantum dot solar cells towards their commercialization.
The performance of solid-oxide fuel cells and electrolyser cells is largely governed by the electrochemical interface. The authors review the evolution of the interface under operation, highlighting approaches to control and improve interfacial architectures and cell performance.