Devices for energy harvesting articles from across Nature Portfolio

Liquid water or moisture discharge is a significant source of energy waste in current single-stage water-enabled electric generators. Here, authors propose a modular multistage coupling device that integrates internal liquid water flow and subsequently generated moisture to optimize energy harvesting at all stages.

This Review analyses the mechanisms of light extraction from perovskite light-emitting diodes and suggests new approaches towards ultrahigh electroluminescence efficiencies.

The utilization of waste heat is an important way of combining energy saving to emission reductions. Here, authors demonstrate a magnetocaloric material as a controlling switch in a thermomagnetic generator for waste heat recovery.

Sorption working pairs, which can convert low-grade heat into cold energy or seasonally store thermal energy, are potential future carbon-neutral materials for thermal management. This Comment highlights the superiorities of metal–organic framework (MOF)–ammonia working pairs for adaptable thermal management under extreme climates and discusses strategies to design MOFs with high stability and ammonia sorption capacity.

A floatable photocatalytic platform made from a porous elastomer–hydrogel nanocomposite has been developed for converting solar energy into hydrogen fuel. This platform enables efficient light delivery, a facile supply of reactant and rapid product separation to achieve high hydrogen-evolution rates. Large-scale and seawater experiments indicate the potential for scale-up and practical application.

Ink formulations based on terpenes commonly employed as food additives or fragrances have been used to produce various organic electronics without compromising on device performance. These terpene solvents have reduced toxicities and produce lower overall carbon emissions than standard processing solvents.

A phase heterojunction (PHJ) solar cell is formed by interfacing two phases of the perovskite CsPbI₃ — each of which exhibits different opto-electronic properties. Devices based on PHJs reach a maximum power conversion efficiency of 20.17%, surpassing the 15% achieved by devices based on either of the single phases alone.

Charge generation in organic photovoltaics hinges upon the frontier molecular orbital energies of organic semiconductors, yet their precise determination is not trivial. Now, researchers compare various methods to determine these energies and show the need for an energy level offset to assist charge generation in non-fullerene-based solar cells.