Reviews & Analysis

Recycling spent batteries is crucial for a circular battery economy, yet knowledge of solid-state battery (SSB) recycling lags behind that of lithium-ion batteries. This study evaluates SSB recycling techniques, emphasizing the need for specific, energy-efficient methods tailored to distinct electrolytes.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials that may find application in numerous energy settings, such as carbon capture and hydrogen-storage technologies. Here, the authors review predictive computational design and discovery of MOFs for separation and storage of energy-relevant gases.

Capacity expansion modelling (CEM) approaches need to account for the value of energy storage in energy-system decarbonization. A new Review considers the representation of energy storage in the CEM literature and identifies approaches to overcome the challenges such approaches face when it comes to better informing policy and investment decisions.

Substantial gaps exist between laboratory innovations and practical applications of Si-based batteries. Here the authors survey critical factors that hinder the development of practical Si-based anodes and propose testing protocols to evaluate laboratory innovations.

Wind power faces numerous challenges as its role in energy systems expands, yet these are often largely seen as purely technical. This Review examines social science research connected to previously identified grand challenges in wind power and explores how a socio-technical lens can lead to improved outcomes for future wind projects.

There are strong bidirectional links between access to energy services and women’s empowerment, but they are often overlooked in the literature. This Review examines these connections as they are discussed in theoretical and empirical work, identifying gaps in knowledge and approaches to the relationships between gender and energy.

Laboratory innovations in energy research do not necessarily transfer into commercial success due to scale-up and other related issues. Here the authors review scientific challenges in realizing large-scale battery active materials manufacturing and cell processing, trying to address the important gap from battery basic research.

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.

Energy-development projects typically adopt a Western perspective, which can create tensions and difficulties among Indigenous communities. In this Review the authors examine sustainable energy interventions in Indigenous territories and call for a more pluralistic approach that is focused on learning from Indigenous narratives.

The microstructure of metal halide perovskite films has profound implications for solar cells. Here, Zhou et al. analyse the impact of three microstructure types on perovskites’ optoelectronics and on device efficiency and stability, outlining future opportunities for microstructural engineering.

Managing climate risk exposures of assets and loan portfolios is increasingly important for actors within financial markets. This Review examines how such risks affect investor behaviour and hence the wider energy sector, and highlights areas for future research into the interactions between them.

Chemicals and fuels can be generated from CO₂ via electrolysers that employ gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs). In this Review, the authors consider promising catalysts and reactors—and how these fail—to identify key advances and remaining gaps in the development of industrially relevant GDE-based CO₂ electrolysers.

Fuels synthesized using sunlight offer a sustainable solution for chemical energy storage, but inefficient utilization of the solar spectrum has limited their broader viability. This Review looks at how approaches that are complementary to one another can be employed to better exploit solar energy for sunlight-to-fuel conversion.

Irreversibility is one of the biggest obstacles in realizing practical Li-metal batteries. This Review surveys the trends in Coulombic efficiency (CE)—a reversibility indicator—reported for Li-metal batteries over the last five decades, abstracts key CE descriptors and analyses promising strategies to improve CE.

The energy-saving impact of energy-efficient technologies can be diminished by rebound resulting from post-adoption behaviour. This Review examines how behavioural regularities affect energy-relevant decisions and associated rebound effects

The promising performance of low-platinum-loading oxygen reduction reaction catalysts in preliminary electrochemical tests is rarely translated into similarly impressive performance in real fuel cells. In this Review, Li and colleagues explore the underlying reasons for this issue and outline strategies to overcome it.

Fuel cells are increasingly being considered for powertrains of heavy-duty transportation. Cullen et al. survey the technical challenges of fuel cells at both the system and materials level for transportation application and outline the roadmap for future development.

Carbon dioxide electroreduction is a promising approach to synthesize chemicals and fuels using renewable energy. This Review explores our understanding of anion exchange membranes — a key component of certain carbon dioxide electrolysers — and outlines approaches to design improved materials.

High-performance solid-state electrolytes are key to enabling solid-state batteries that hold great promise for future energy storage. The authors survey the fabrication process of thin-film versus thick oxide-based solid-state electrolytes and discuss their material design and processing options.

Tremendous research progress has been made in the development of post-lithium-ion batteries (PLIBs), yet there is little discussion on the manufacturing of these upcoming technologies. In this Review, the authors survey the current production status of several representative PLIBs and offer an industrial-scale manufacturing outlook.