News & Views

The surfaces of polycrystalline perovskite films impact the long-term performance of perovskite solar cells, yet their microstructure is not well understood. Research now reveals the existence of concave grain structures at the surface of the perovskite layer facing the electron transport layer, and their detrimental effect on the stability of the interface and eventually the devices.

High-efficiency perovskite solar cells suffer from limited operational stability. Research now shows that perovskitoid-based interlayers with strong metal halide octahedral connectivity and both out-of-plane and in-plane crystal orientations address this issue.

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ from flue gas shows promise for producing chemicals and fuels from waste streams, but its implementation is challenged by the presence of SO₂ impurities. Research now demonstrates a catalyst that effectively converts CO₂ to multi-carbon products while tolerating SO₂ impurities, advancing the feasibility of industrial CO₂ utilization.

Lithium-metal batteries represent a promising next-generation power source, but there is a trade-off between their energy density and cyclic stability. Now, an electrolyte designed to feature large solvation clustering structures enables a large lithium-metal pouch cell with a boosted energy density of 500 Wh kg⁻¹ and an extended lifespan.

Electrochemical ammonia (NH₃) synthesis is a promising alternative to the Haber–Bosch process, but higher-performing systems are needed. Now, researchers realize long-term continuous NH₃ electrosynthesis and production of high fractions of gas-phase NH₃ by employing a chain ether as solvent, marking an important practical step forward.

Ion migration is generally understood to detrimentally impact the operational stability of perovskite solar cells, yet the underlying mechanism is not fully clear. By decoupling ion migration from other effects, research now shows that electric field screening induced by mobile ions is a dominant contributor to efficiency loss during solar cell ageing.

Large scale cellulosic biofuel production involves complex interactions between biomass supply, biorefineries and the networks that connect them. New fine-scale spatially explicit modelling seeks to better understand how these components could best integrate with carbon capture to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and optimize biofuel supply chains.

The solvation structure of an electrolyte and the resulting interphase are crucial for lithium-metal battery performance. Now, an electrochemically inert diluent, designed to selectively interact with electrolyte anions, aids in the formation of an inorganic-rich bilayer interphase, thereby improving cyclability and extending calendar life.

Achieving good electrical contact without damaging underlying layers is critical to the performance of photovoltaic modules. Research now reports a silver electrode embedded into a polymer matrix and a silver/chromium protection layer, enabling over 14%-efficient flexible organic photovoltaic modules with improved stability under illumination.

Ensuring rooftop solar photovoltaics are deployed equitably requires understanding who installs, where, and when. Through assessment of satellite imagery data, research offers a glimpse into solar rooftop photovoltaics deployment inequity in non-residential buildings in the US, revealing challenges and opportunities ahead for a just energy transition.

Aqueous batteries have drawbacks related to their low energy densities. Now, highly concentrated hetero-halogen electrolytes can be used to enable fast multielectron transfer, leading to cost-effective, reversible and high-energy-density aqueous batteries.

The shift towards low-carbon heating technologies and associated infrastructure often disrupts citizens’ lives. Research now demonstrates how the socio-psychological context may influence the circumstances under which citizens are willing to accept heating transitions and related construction work, and those where reactance and rejection is to be expected.

The activation barriers of interfacial energy conversion reactions are key to controlling the efficiency of electrolysers. Work on the structural dynamics of water during charge transfer at electrified solid/liquid interfaces now brings greater understanding of the components of the activation barriers for water dissociation and hydrogen evolution.

One of the major challenges in realizing lithium (Li)-metal batteries is the instability of Li metal in the electrolyte. Now, a study unveils the significant role of lithium oxide in protecting Li metal, thereby contributing to stable battery operation.

Wide band gap perovskite solar cells suffer from halide segregation, which hampers their use in tandem solar cells. Now, researchers develop an additive with redox and defect passivating capabilities to suppress halide migration, enabling perovskite–organic tandems with over 25% efficiency.

Copper catalysts hold promise for producing multi-carbon chemicals through electrochemical CO₂ reduction, but improving performance is challenging due to the limited tunability of the copper surface. Now, research uses organic functionalization to modify the surface oxidation state of copper, yielding improved energy efficiency for ethylene production.

To date, organic-based redox flow batteries (RFBs) have relatively low open-circuit voltages (OCVs), limiting their commercial viability. Achieving higher OCVs with pH-decoupled RFBs faces challenges due to severe ion crossover, prompting new research that proposes an acid–base regeneration cell to address this limitation.

Surface reconstruction, chemo-mechanical degradation, and interfacial side reactions are major factors limiting the cyclability of Ni-rich cathodes. A strategy based on entropy-assisted epitaxial coating is now shown to effectively mitigate these issues, leading to improved battery performance and promising advances in electrochemical energy storage.

Non-flammable electrolytes are essential for ensuring the safe operation of sodium-metal batteries; however, challenges arise in applications due to limited stability between the electrolytes and electrodes. Now, an electrolyte engineering approach using salts as a diluent is proposed to achieve both high interfacial stability and improved safety.

Injecting hydrogen into subsurface environments could provide seasonal energy storage, but understanding of technical feasibility is limited as large-scale demonstrations are scarce. Now, field tests show that hydrogen can be stored and microbially converted to methane in a depleted underground hydrocarbon reservoir.