Core-shell nanoparticles are fabricated based on a redox polymer core and a porous SiO₂ shell and embedded homogeneously into carbon nanotubes conductive networks. Due to the uniform dispersion of active units, the resulting free-standing composite electrode exhibits a high specific capacity at 10C and a long cycling life. More details can be found in article number 1901040 by He Jia, Jean-François Gohy, and co-workers.

A graphene–perovskite Schottky solar cell is numerically analyzed, where the graphene serves as both a front transparent electrode for light transmission and a layer for carrier separation and collection. The influences of the parameters of graphene, perovskite, and back contact are studied to achieve optimized device performance. More details can be found in article number 1901197 by Yu Qiu and co-workers.

Flexible nanofiber assembled zinc–air battery: carbonization–phosphidation of metal–organic framework (MOF)/polyacrylonitrile nanofibers gives rise to a pearl necklace fibrous carbon catalyst with Fe-N/Fe-P dual active sites (Fe-P/NHCF). This strategy puts forward a protocol to develop tailored geometries with dual active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline/acid media, which is expected to promote devices of practical significance. More details can be found in article number 1901263 by Rui Liu and Mengchen Wu.

A highly flexible cathode for lithium-ion batteries is made with lithium cobalt oxide, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and a redox-active radical polymer binder. The polyether backbone of the polymer is beneficial to withstand rapid bending over 104 times. The high energy density of the hybrid cathode (> 300 mAh cm⁻³) contributes to the realization of a 0.5 mm thick flexible battery. More details can be found in article number 1901159 by Kenichi Oyaizu, Hiroyuki Nishide, and co-workers.

The fuel cell cathode oxygen reduction metal-based catalyst is roughly classified into a platinum-based catalyst and a platinum-free catalyst. Platinum-based catalysts are superior in performance but expensive. In recent years, various platinum-free catalysts have been developed, which not only lowers the price but also greatly improves the catalytic performance.

Microporous solids provide wide opportunities for heterogeneous electrocatalysis, specifically for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), due to the diverse chemical composition, porosity, as well as physical and chemical stability. The progress made in deriving efficient ORR catalysts from microporous solids, challenges and limitations encountered, and recommendations for catalyst design and testing conditions are reviewed in attempt to outline future directions.

Safe nuclear energy is real! Nuclear nanotechnology (NNT) is an efficient tool and candidate for achieving the goal of overcoming challenges during nuclear energy production. NNT addresses the issues of performance and safety and reduces radiation hazard risk using advanced nanomaterials in the nuclear energy system from nanofuel production, used fuel recycling, to radiation detecting and monitoring.

The existing fault location techniques for distribution systems with distributed generation (DG) are critically reviewed. An overview on the DG impact on distribution system protection is provided along with a comparative analysis of different approaches for fault location. Technical issues and challenges arising from DG integration are analyzed and some key issues and suggestions are provided.

A flexible yet high-volumetric-capacity (>300 mAh cm⁻³) cathode is proposed for lithium-ion batteries. A redox-active polymer binder, composed of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO) with vinyl ether main chain, offers preferable adhesivity to conventional lithium metal oxide particles and conductive carbons. A prototype battery with a thickness of only 0.5 mm operates even under rapid bending.

Tandem organic solar cells (OSCs) are typical multiple-layer devices. The good combination of sub-cell materials can be seen as an important factor directly affecting device performance. Herein, the machine-learning approach is used to provide more material selection flexibility and rationally optimize the device structures of tandem OSCs.

A unique approach to fabricate a mechanically robust manganese dioxide (MnO₂) electrode with volumetric energy density matching that of a commercial alkaline battery is reported. A polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylicacid gel cross-linked in situ is used as a binder for the electrode. The batteries have high volumetric energy density of 320 mWh cm⁻³ and retain 97% of capacity after flexing.

For the first time, water-resistant Pb-free perovskite light absorbers with low bandgap are synthesized and employed in perovskite solar cells.

The LiVTiO₄ nanoparticles are embeded into the walls of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which can successfully prevent the agglomeration and pulverization of nanoparticles. Therefore, as an anode of lithium-ion batteries, CNT@LiVTiO₄ exhibits a high capacity of 346 and 165 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 0.2 and 2 A g⁻¹, good electrical conductivity, and excellent rate capacity.

Expired milk is used as biowaste precursor for the synthesis of activated carbon (AC) for electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). Casein is extracted, chemically activated, and carbonized. The resulting AC possesses a surface area of 1262 m² g⁻¹ and, in symmetric EDLCs, it displays specific capacitance values comparable with commercially available ACs (22–28 F g⁻¹), in both conventional and innovative electrolytes.

This study discloses the fabrication of nanoparticles made of redox polymer cores surrounded by stabilizing porous silica shells, that are dispersed in a conductive net work of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Because of their well-controlled morphology, the resulting composite electrodes exhibit a high specific capacity and a long cycling life.

The simulation results indicate that the front contact with a high work function (WF) of 5.4 eV is suggested to form a desired Schottky junction, whereas back contact WF lower than 4.2 eV is desired to form ohmic contact. Absorber doping concentration of 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ favors the efficiency improvement. Under optimized conditions, efficiency up to 21.13% can be obtained.

An electrospinning technique is utilized to fabricate 1D necklace-like architectures. From a carbonization–phosphidation strategy, elegantly designed Fe–N/Fe–P dual active sites are introduced into the structure, which can promote performance in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and liquid/solid-state Zn–air batteries.

Herein, the radioisotope thermophotovoltaic (RTPV) effect is studied. The thermal emission enhancement of the silicone coating is discussed, and the SiO₂ filter is used to regulate the infrared radiation. The results show that the synergistic effect of the silicone coating and the SiO₂ filter significantly increases the output power of the RTPV generators.

A facile vacuum-induced drying strategy is proposed to produce 3D holey graphene frameworks (HGFs) for the first time. Because of the 3D HGF facilitates ion and charge transport and efficient usage of active materials, the binder-free electrode with high mass loading exhibits superior rate performance and can deliver stable high areal capacity.

The mesostructured cellular foam silica (MCF)-supported LaNiO₃ catalyst (LaNiO₃/MCF) exhibits high catalytic activity and Ni sintering for CO₂ methanation reaction due to the promotion effect and physical barrier of La₂O₃ species.

Herein, technical concepts for using liquid metal technology in innovative high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) systems are dealt with. Optimization strategies are presented for a reference case including transient behavior of the whole system. The sensitivity of multiple parameters, e.g., porosity, particle size, and influence of storage capacity regarding the discharge efficiency, is investigated.

Carnot batteries are an emerging alternative concept for storing electric energy based on the combination of heat storage systems and thermodynamic cycles. Herein, an analysis of various concepts for the implementation of pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) is provided, which is a Carnot battery concept using heat pumps to charge the heat storage.

Electrolyte wetting of various carbon felt electrodes for utilization in redox flow batteries is investigated using X-ray computed radiography and tomography. The wetting behavior shows no significant improvement by heat treatment, which gives reason to rethink the hitherto frequently drawn conclusions regarding the correlation between improved wetting behavior and enhanced electrode performance.

The biochar derived from pepper straw is proved to be a superior energy source for microtubular direct carbon–solid oxide fuel cell (DC–SOFC) due to the naturally existing catalysts in fuel itself. Based on the results, it is valuable for developing microtubular DC–SOFC into a safe, effective, and environment-friendly distributed power-generation system using local biomass as fuel.

This study is devoted to the optimization of the chemical composition of Li-rich cathode materials to improve its discharge capacity and the investigation of feasibility of the inkjet printing technique for the fabrication of Li-ion thin-film microbatteries.

CoP nanoparticles are synthesized using metal–organic frameworks-Co as templates. The CoP nanoparticles coated with N-doped carbon are homogeneously embedded into the graphene network which can effectively provide highly efficient pathways for electrons/ions and buffer the volume expansion. The hybrid electrode delivers a high reversible capacity at a high current density of 1500 mA h g⁻¹.

Sulfated zirconia with different crystal phases is achieved for the production of ethyl levulinate and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and the sulfated zirconia of monoclinic phase contains more abundant acidic sites and more Brønsted acid sites than that of sulfated zirconia of tetragonal phase, showing excellent catalytic activity for conversion of furfuryl alcohol and conversion of fructose.

A multibuffer structure of 3D CoSn@SnO_x/CoO_x@C is successfully synthesized by a facile NaCl template-assisted in situ catalytic strategy, and used as the anode material of lithium-ion batteries. Benefiting from a unique structure, the as-prepared 3D CoSn@SnO_x/CoO_x@C delivers an excellent electrochemical performance (almost no capacity decay at 10 A g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles).

Z-V₅O₁₂·6H₂O nanobelts with dual-phase structures are fabricated and applied as cathodes for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIB) and nonaqueous Na-ion batteries (SIB). Due to good buffer action of inert Zn(OH)₂·0.5H₂O and large interlayer distance of active V₅O₁₂·6H₂O, the lamellar Z-V₅O₁₂·6H₂O composites exhibit good structural stability and enhanced electrochemical properties for Zn²⁺/Na⁺ storage.

Moderate amount of residual lead iodide is beneficial for perovskite solar cells as shown by transient absorption spectroscopy. More specifically, photoexcitation from the perovskite/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) side shows retarded charge carrier recombination at the interface.

Due to the thermally sensitive properties of TSPMs in the graphite anode of LiCoO₂/graphite lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the graphite anode swells to cut off the electric connection of active materials and current collector under abusive conditions. Thus, the resistance of LIBs is increased to solve the thermal runaway and safety problems before the temperature of LIBs approaches explosion limit.

The coral-like hybrid nanobelts are fabricated via an electrospinning method following thermal treatment. And the long cycle and good reversibility performance of hybrid nanobelt electrodes are attributed to self-optimization of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer and synergistic effect of different compositions.

By establishing an input-use-end model, a new index is put forward herein to evaluate energy utilization of the iron and steel smelting route—energy utilization efficiency. Furthermore, energy utilization efficiency of a typical iron and steel smelting route is analyzed and improved based on the established network diagram.

In the sequential deposition method of perovskite, the PbI₂ layer morphology plays an essential role in enhancing power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells. Herein, investigation on the effect of incorporation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) additive to tune the PbI₂ morphology under ≈50% relative humidity is presented. The device fabricated from resulting perovskites elucidates reproducible and improved PCE and stability.

The novel net channel and N-doping carbon aerogel are successfully prepared by facile method via polyimide (PI) inducting as a cathode matrix for Li–S batteries. The PI-CA/S composites present excellent electrochemical performance due to the net structure and N-doping. Furthermore, the theoretical calculation by density functional theory (DFT) supports the template effect of PI and the anchoring mechanism of polysulfides.

Bi-metal (Zn, Mn) metal–organic framework–derived ZnMnO₃ micro-sheets wrapped with conductive polypyrrole are fabricated, and exhibit enhanced high-rate reversible capacities and cycling behaviors as competitive anodes for Li-ion batteries.

A MnO/pyrolytic carbon and reduced graphene oxide composite (MnO/PC-rGO) with a 3D hierarchical heterostructure is synthesized. The MnO nanoparticles are well distributed on the surface of PC-rGO. This composite exhibits a high specific capacity of 1030 mAh g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ as an anode for Li-ion batteries. The Li-storage performance is much superior to that of the MnO/PC composite prepared under similar conditions.

Sn/SnO₂/C nanocomposites consisting of homogeneously dispersed Sn, SnO₂, and C phases are prepared by high pressure caused by pyrolysis of C₂H₆OSn in a sealed vessel. As anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the Sn/SnO₂/C nanocomposites exhibit excellent cycling stability (0.025% capacity loss per cycle upon 1000 cycles) and improved rate performance (243.8 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹).

Soybean shell, as the byproduct of soybeans, is converted into porous carbon (PC) with a high specific surface area via hydrothermal carbonization with H₃PO₄ followed by KOH activation. PC as the electrode for an electric double-layer capacitor shows good electrochemical performance and an excellent cycling stability in a two-electrode system in 6 m KOH electrolyte.

The power-to-gas (PtG) process enables the long-term indirect storage of electrical energy. The dynamic operation of methanation reactors is favored, but not fully understood thus far. Therefore, this contribution investigates the dynamic operation of a fixed-bed recycle reactor during flow rate ramps with a variation of ramp time and recycle ratio.

The assembled Ru_0.41In_0.59O_y//NiCoSe₂@Co₉Se₈ aqueous hybrid device with a wide operating voltage window of 0.0–1.5 V exhibits exceptional electrochemical properties due to synergetic contributions from the two involved electrodes.

Flock-like V₂O₃ coated with carbon (V₂O₃/C) is prepared by a facile solvothermal method followed by treatment at a relatively low temperature. The unique structure and morphology bring excellent cyclic stability and rate capability for V₂O₃/C. The outstanding electrochemical performance reveals its great potential as an anode material for Li-ion batteries.

Both sepiolite and TiO₂/sepiolite composites have the potential to be used as anode materials for Li- and Na-storage. Sepiolite fibers anchored with ultrafine TiO₂ nanocrystals exhibit high capacity and good rate capability as well as excellent cycling stability.

A VS₂@S composite is prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method. It exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance as a cathode for lithium–sulfur batteries. The strong interaction between VS₂ and polysulfides and the special architecture of VS₂@S are responsible for the enhancement.

A flexible piezoelectric sensor composed of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanofibers/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) piezoelectric composite layer and two magnetron-sputtered copper (Cu) electrode layers is proposed. The sensor has good flexibility, extensibility, and adapts perfectly to the surface topography of the body without external power supply. It fulfills the requirements for human motion monitoring.

A new expression for the development of the output voltage with time of a piezoelectric energy harvester is presented. This enables a novel approach to measure indirectly the driving current (related to the piezoelectric coefficients) and the device capacitance (related to material permittivity) at the frequency, temperature, stress, and strain experienced by the energy harvester during operation.

A Na/polysulfide cell concept with two electrolyte chambers separated by Na-β″-aluminate is discussed. The concept allows tailoring of the electrolyte formulation for both half reactions. For the positive electrode, sulfide precipitation is effectively mitigated using P₂S₅ as an additive, and cycle life is improved using tetramethylurea (TMU) as a solvent. This proof-of-concept study could be interesting for developing stationary energy stores.

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–pierced carbon-coated Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is examined as a cathode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), which present an excellent rate performance (63.2 mA h g⁻¹ at 80 C).

A new composite electrode using Ti₃C2T_X flakes coating on activated carbon cloth for flexible solid-state supercapacitors is prepared. At the optimal load of 3 mg cm⁻², the prepared electrode achieves a high capacitance of 1033 mF cm⁻² at the current density of 1 mA cm⁻². The capacitance value remains 97.6% after 10 000 cycles in a three-electrode system.

The improved performance of planar inverted perovskite solar cells with mixed polymer hole-transport layer (HTL) is studied by doping poly 9,9-dioctyfluorene-co-benzothiazole (F8BT) into polytriarylamine (PTAA); the mixed polymer HTL can significantly optimize the growth of perovskite grain.

The manufacturing cost of all-solid-state batteries is systematically compared with conventional lithium-ion battery production. The bottom-up calculation enables an investigation of different anode and solid electrolyte materials, as well as the corresponding production technologies from an economic perspective. Hence, critical process steps are identified to facilitate decision making during scale-up toward industrial production.

3D carbon foam, with carbon nanorods as the skeleton crossed by graphene nanosheets, is harvested via carbonizing low-molecular-weight phenolic resin in the presence of a CsCl salt template. It possesses high specific surface area, abundant porous structure, and great electric conductivity, and exhibits superior electrochemical performance in a coin-type symmetric supercapacitor in 6 m KOH and 1 m TEABF₄/MeCN.

Nanostructured copper catalysts respond dynamically to the gas environment, yielding a highly tunable and selective process to purify CO₂ from simulated flue-gas sources.

A unitized system based on a reversible solid oxide cell electrochemical reactor system coupled with a downstream methanation process is proposed. It produces synthetic methane which is supplied to the natural gas grid when renewable electricity storage is required and utilizes methane from the natural gas grid to produce electricity when electricity price is higher and there is no demand for methane.

While harvesting the electrical energy from the osmosis of liquid to the eggshell membrane, the energy can be stored directly and the device can achieve discharging and recovering circularly. Sufficiently high electric output up to 0.26 V can be achieved by a single unsealed device. These devices are promising as an ideal power supply to medical implant devices.

Nanoflowered cuprous oxide–modified nickel foam (NF) is fabricated through a facile displacement reaction in aqueous solution. The tailored Cu₂O on a NF skeleton can react with Na⁺, which is helpful to reduce the nucleation energy of Na metal in the plating process, resulting in the homogeneous nucleation of Na on the NF skeleton.

Graphene oxide (GO)-supported acid–base bifunctional UiO-66 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) catalyst is prepared in green solution (aqueous solutions) by one-pot method for glucose conversion to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF).

Ammonia borane (AB), a high-hydrogen-capacity chemical hydride, undergoes a thermal dehydrogenation reaction via alcoholysis to produce 10.77 wt% pure H₂ at 80 °C in 1 min in the presence of mucic acid (MA) (optimized compositional ratio of AB:MA = 8:2 in wt%).

The electrochemical lithiation/delithiation mechanism of Cr₂(NCN)₃, studied by complementary operando analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, follows a two-step reaction pathway, implying a typical conversion reaction preceded by a preliminary intercalation step. This mechanism, evidenced for the first time in transition-metal carbodiimides, is likely behind its outstanding electrochemical cycling performance as a negative electrode in Li-ion batteries.

Herein, a passive direct methanol–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell is developed and the use of nanocube Prussian Blue crystals coated upon reduced graphene oxide as the cathode catalyst made by the low-temperature hydrothermal method is validated. Due to the high catalytic activity of the catalyst with a unique 3D conductive structure, the fuel cell shows an excellent overall performance.

Lignin-derived carbon microspheres are synthesized via an emulsion-solvent evaporation method. The addition of amphiphilic carbonaceous materials (ACMs) has an influence on the microstructure and thermal stability of as-obtained carbon microspheres. Consequently, the electrochemical properties are improved when used as an anode in sodium-ion batteries. The samples achieve a high initial efficiency, good rate performance, and enhanced cyclic stability.

CoP/N-doped carbon (CoP/NC) nanowires are prepared using a coordination polymer [Co(C₄H₇NO₄)]·xH₂O (Co-Asp) nanowire as the template through simultaneous pyrolysis and low-temperature phosphidation. The CoP/NC-400 nanowire has high electrochemical surface area due to the strong synergistic effect of the CoP nanoparticle and N-doped carbon nanowire.

A new and simpler preparation method for layered nanotubes is reported. The composite CeO₂@C@MoS₂ nanotubes are characteristics of stable mechanical properties and architectures as well as excellent electrochemical properties. The stability of nanotubes is improved by chemical and physical methods.

Small particle-stacked TiO₂ microspheres are successfully synthesized, which provide 3D framework with more catalytically active sites and rich porosity for the storage of discharge products and oxygen diffusion. Li–O₂ batteries utilizing the TiO₂ microspheres show a much higher specific capacity and a lower overpotential than those with pure carbon nanotube (CNT).