Volume 8 Issue 3, March 2023

The limited durability of perovskite photovoltaics has held back the technology. New research unveils a class of low-dimensionality perovskites based on metals such as zinc, cobalt or copper that protects the 3D perovskite solar absorber from degradation while affording high efficiency.

Capping a three-dimensional metal halide perovskite with a layered, two-dimensional perovskite prevents ions from diffusing out of the perovskite keeping out oxygen and water as well as contributing to solar cell stability. New research shows that a thin cross-linked polymer layer can ensure that the boundary between the 3D and 2D materials remains sharp, further improving stability.

Conventional and emerging refrigeration technologies either use refrigerants with high-global warming potential (GWP) or require application of strong fields. Now, researchers demonstrate ionocaloric refrigeration based on the electrochemical tuning of the melting behaviour of zero-GWP materials under low applied field strength.

The performance of solid electrolytes is hindered by instabilities caused by the formation of lithium intrusions. The mechanism responsible for these intrusions is not well understood. Experiments with a scanning electron microscopy setup revealed that applied stresses can control the probability of intrusion formation and influence the propagation behaviour.

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.

The root cause of lithium dendrites during battery cycling is of fundamental interest. By performing operando microprobe experiments and statistical analyses, the authors report that lithium dendrites are initiated via nanoscale mechanical defects and can be manipulated via globally applied stresses.

Between 2013 and 2017, China enacted a series of policies to improve air quality by promoting a switch to cleaner fuels for households. This study examines the changes in energy cost and associated energy burden across regions and income groups during this period, finding an increased burden on rural households.

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.

Concerns about energy and transport poverty are critical to the net-zero transition but are growing in the wake of recent global events. This study presents findings from focus groups with the public and expert interviews in the United Kingdom on support for different policy options to address these challenges.

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.

Solar cells based on 3D/2D perovskite heterostructures show promising performance, but ion diffusion limits the device stability. Now Luo et al. suppress ion diffusion by inserting a cross-linked polymer between the 2D and 3D layers, improving the operational stability.

The Russia–Ukraine war triggered an energy crisis that affected the cost of many goods and services. Guan et al. model the direct and indirect impacts of increased energy prices across expenditure groups and countries, finding temporary increases in total household energy costs of 63–113% under different scenarios.