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Ternary-blend organic photovoltaics enable solar cell performances exceeding binary blends due to the multiple light-harvesting materials, yet challenges remain in controlling their morphology. Now, Zhou et al. exploit hierarchical morphology to build all-small-molecule ternary-blend devices with high performance.
The cost of green electricity is unfairly distributed, with consumers paying more while industry actors are subsidized. Here, the authors find that reducing the inequity in cost burden by abolishing exemptions increases consumer acceptance of these costs.
Energy security is an important policy objective across Europe. Public concern about energy security varies across countries due to differences in national energy context and more general national indicators of economic and human well-being, over-and-above individual population characteristics.
Semi-artificial photosynthetic systems combine natural and synthetic features to overcome limitations of each approach to produce solar fuels. Sokol et al. integrate a dye-sensitized TiO2 photoanode with the natural machineries, photosystem II and hydrogenase, to split water without additional applied bias.
While the two individual half-reactions involved in visible-light-driven water splitting are well studied, producing H2 and O2 simultaneously on a single particle remains challenging. Here, the authors achieve this by decorating CdS nanorods with both Pt nanoparticles and molecular Ru complexes to catalyse the evolution of H2 and O2, respectively.
Protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) operate at lower temperatures than solid oxide fuel cells but suffer from lower performances, especially during scale-up. Here, the authors report a 25 cm2 PCFC based on a BaCe0.55Zr0.3Y0.15O3–δ electrolyte that displays a record-high power density of 20.8 W at 600 °C.
Realization of the full potential of Li–S batteries requires effective methods to treat problems associated with both sulfur cathodes and lithium anodes. Here, the authors report suppression of electrolyte depletion and dendrite formation in Li–S batteries by tuning the solvent/salt molar ratio in a diglyme electrolyte to favour quasi-solid state conversion.
Metal halide perovskites offer the potential for high-efficiency, low-fabrication-cost solar cells. This study now explores their prospects if deployed in concentrator photovoltaics and finds they perform well up to a concentration of 53 Suns and retain good stability under 10 Suns for over 150 h.
Non-radiative recombination is a critical limiting factor for perovskite solar cell performance. Stolterfoht et al. visualize the various recombination pathways in planar pin cells with photoluminescence imaging and use it to design improved solar cells with 1 cm2 areas and ~20% efficiency.
One way to overcome the theoretical efficiency limit of silicon photovoltaics is to use them as the bottom cell in a tandem photovoltaic module. Here a model for tandem module efficiency and cost is presented, based on assumed sub-cell efficiencies and costs, and used to examine possible paths for different tandem markets.
Although Pt is highly active for electrocatalytic production of H2 from water, its cost limits its wide application. Here, the authors prepare a high-performing catalyst that is supported on graphitic tubes, containing Fe, Co and Cu, and requires only a small amount of Pt.
Voltage decay is a major problem in applications of high-energy Li- and Mn-rich layer-structured battery materials. Here, the authors report the evolution of redox couples as the origin of the voltage decay and discuss strategies to suppress the problem.
In-stream flow-energy converters can produce clean power from rivers, but how their design may affect the riverbed environment is unclear. Musa et al. test a scaled demonstration system, monitoring the bed response and sediment transport, to evaluate likely real-world behaviour.
Renewable policy standards have been instrumental in the growth of renewable energy in US states. Through a ranking of policy stringency and interviews with industry stakeholders, researchers show the significance of stringency and other policy design features towards a standard’s effectiveness.
The emerging kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell offers a potential low-cost, non-toxic, materially abundant platform for next-generation photovoltaics, yet its efficiency has been mired below 10%. Yan et al. now use post-heat treatment of the heterojunction to show device efficiencies that surpass 10%.
Voltage fade is a major obstacle for the efficient use of lithium-rich layered oxide materials in batteries. Here, the authors reveal the link between voltage fade and nucleation of a mobile dislocation network in the oxide nanoparticles, offering design ideas to restore the voltage.
Despite their high efficiencies, perovskite solar cells still suffer from degradation issues that impede their practical deployment. Saidaminov et al. explore the effect of local lattice strain on vacancy formation and show that careful choice of dopants plays a key role, enhancing the device stability.
Achieving transport decarbonization targets depends on vehicle-purchasing decisions. Non-financial consumer preferences presented in six global energy-economy models reveal that diverse policies targeting vehicle buyers are necessary for the widespread adoption of clean technologies.
Interfacial losses between device layers play a key role in determining characteristics of solar cells. Jeon et al. address this in perovskite solar cells by synthesizing a hole-transporting layer that is better matched to the surrounding layers, and show high-efficiency and high-stability devices.
There is an intensive effort in developing grid-scale energy storage means. Here, the authors present a liquid metal battery with a garnet-type solid electrolyte instead of conventional molten salt electrolytes and report promising electrochemical properties at a modest temperature of 240 °C.