Cover image provided courtesy of Zhuo Kang, Yue Zhang, and co-workers.

The current state of wavelength-selective transparent solar cells is reviewed. IR-selective devices based on organic bulk heterojunctions have demonstrated >60% transparency. The color rendering limitation of transmitted light can be addressed by an asymmetric block copolymer molecular design. UV-selective devices have high transparency and stability. However, power conversion efficiency and power output need further improvement.

Advanced crystal growth techniques enable the production of high-quality perovskite single crystals with exceptional properties. These crystals exhibit tailored stoichiometry, crystal phases, and morphologies, facilitated by variations in halide composition. The absence of grain boundaries in perovskite single crystals significantly enhances their stability and reduces carrier trap density. This, in turn, leads to longer carrier diffusion lengths, making them ideal candidates for a wide range of multifunctional electronic applications. The perovskite halide structure serves as a crucial link between crystallization methods and device performance. By understanding the relationship between crystal growth techniques and the resulting material properties, researchers can continue to push the boundaries of energy conversion, light emission, and electronic device capabilities.

Advancements in the mechanisms and device design of solid and liquid desiccants, binders, and substrates, for heat exchangers, highlighting the prospects of sustainable materials, including metal–organic frameworks, activated carbon, silica gel, polymers and other nanoscale materials.

Organic Rankine thermodynamic cycle is best suited for utilizing renewable energy. The choice of working fluid has a great influence on the environmental impact and sustainability. Often, alternative working fluids are assessed solely based on thermodynamic performance. Herein, a holistic approach focusing on exergy, economics, environmental impact, and sustainability is performed, and the results favor ecofriendly working fluids.

The article addresses the critical issue of snubber quality deterioration in microgrid inverters. It presents a nascent snubber resistance fault (NSF) detection technique for solid oxide fuel cell-powered three-phase inverters in microgrids. Using the fast Fourier transform, the study analyzes the inverter output current signal to detect faults, proposing an algorithm for effective NSF detection and presenting a comparative analysis.

An integrated system of solar cell and battery-powered piezoresistive sensors using flexible polystyrene-derived graphite (PS-G) electrodes is developed. Components include a solar cell (indium tin oxide and PS-G electrodes), an Al-ion battery (aluminum foil and PS-G electrodes), and a piezoresistive sensor (PS-G and copper electrodes). This system leverages sustainable PS-G electrodes for integrated energy harvesting, storage, and sensing.

Electrodeposited microcrystalline nickel–cobalt–molybdenum–phosphorous (Ni–Co–Mo–P) alloys grown on nickel sheets and copper sheets have shown efficient catalytic properties for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline medium. The deposited quaternary alloy exhibits the lowest overpotential of −163 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for copper substrate with a Tafel slope of 154 mV dec⁻¹ and their inherent stability is also recorded.

This article introduces a dual-functional energy harvester to harvest vibration energy and achieve vibration suppression for the transmission line. An innovative mechanism combining the vibration system and mechanical rectification mechanism is proposed. The experiments show that the prototype can generate a maximum of 183.96 mW and provides enough power for the wireless sensor module to continuously return the environmental data.

This work reviews various methods to synthesize carbon nanotubes and analyzes the best methods to produce composites for supercapacitors for electric vehicles. Chemical vapor deposition is found to be the best method because the produced CNTs can be used directly without purification unless the catalyst particles need to be removed. However, further studies are required to determine the optimal conditions.

In the realm of energy storage, materials engineering is crucial. Specifically, materials engineered at the nanoscale have special qualities that lead to high optical absorbance, thermal conductivity, and potential energy storage. This research highlights the following influence of hybrid nanomaterial graphene:silver with inorganic phase change material (PCM) with experimental characterization (morphological, chemical, thermal, and optical) and numerical analysis.

Nanoscale materials play a pivotal role in energy storage. This research investigates the impact of graphene nano platelets on organic phase change materials (PCMs), combining experimental characterization (morphological, chemical, thermal, and optical) with numerical analysis. The addition of expanded graphite (EG) ensures shape stability, enhancing efficiency and affordability. Finally, the prepared EG-impregnated nano composite undergoes leakage test.

The study introduces an innovative hybrid nanofluid combining silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and cellulose nanoparticles (CNP) into analytical-grade Palm oil, adopting a two-step methodology. This endeavor represents a significant advancement in exploring SiO₂–CNP-Palm oil hybrid nanofluids, positioning them as promising candidates for advanced heat transfer media. The formulated nanofluid containing 0.1 w/v% SiO₂/CNP nanoparticles exhibits a significant enhancement in thermal conductivity, showcasing an impressive 81.11% improvement.

The photovoltaic (PV) system has poor conversion efficiency due to a rise in solar cell temperature. As a solution, PV panels must be cooled to generate more electricity. PV panel cooling is done by integrating the phase-change material (PCM) underneath the panel. The influence of different melting points of PCM on the PV-PCM system is investigated based on 4E performance characteristics.

The present study aims to increase the productivity and thermal efficiency of single-basin solar still using stearic acid as a phase change material to treat industrial wastewater. Stearic acid has been macroencapsulated in aluminum bottles eliminating issues of cost, leakage, and problems in separation from the wastewater. Optimization studies are conducted by varying masses of stearic acid.

In the process of extracting lithium resources from salt lakes, the Mg/Li ratio is a crucial factor that constrains lithium extraction. Natural evaporation to the optimal Mg/Li ratio range increases the repulsive force between magnesium and lithium and reduces the clustering phenomenon, which is conducive to the efficient separation of magnesium and lithium.

The low concentration of h-BN nanoparticles is integrated in RT38 PCM for thermophysical characterization and photo to thermal energy conversion. The optimal nanocomposite exhibits 43% thermal conductivity improvement by adding 0.05 wt% h-BN nanoparticle with RT38 PCM. Further, the optimal nanocomposite improves the thermal degradation property of composite along with enhanced photo to thermal energy conversion.

The present study explores the durability of eutectic phase change composite loaded with TiO₂ nanoparticles. The reliability of nanoenhanced eutectic phase change composite (M2) is confirmed by accelerated thermal cycling and a comprehensive morphological thermophysical analysis after 4000 melt-freeze cycles. Thermophysical characterization of the thermally cycled (M2) proves the thermal stability of the (M2), is adequate for its usage in medium-temperature thermal energy storage systems.

Petal-like LaMnO₃ nanosheets (LMO-NS) provides strong interaction with the produced polysulfides and enhanced conversion reaction kinetics, which endows the sulfur composite cathode with improved overall performances.

The NiCoMn-layered double hydroxide (LDH)/Ag/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite enhances supercapacitor performance by combining Ag–citrate, which improves conductivity and pseudocapacitance, with PANI, which boosts electrical conductivity and electric double-layer capacitor behavior. Situated between NiCoMn LDH layers, Ag–citrate and PANI work together to enable efficient energy storage through a blend of pseudocapacitive and electrochemical double-layer mechanisms.

Carbon-based materials are widely used as anodes for sodium-ion batteries, while small interlayer distances limit their performance. This study uses heteroatom-doped petroleum coke to enlarge interlayer distances, thus achieving better cycling capacity (209 mAh g⁻¹) and improved initial coulombic efficiency (51.3%). The findings highlight the potential of heteroatom doping and microstructural tailoring for advancing sustainable energy storage solutions.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes are incorporated to the extra thin mesoporous TiO₂ layer to obtain a high short-circuit density in dye-sensitized solar cells. With increasing electron diffusion length, charge collection efficiency, and decreasing serial resistance, the power conversion efficiency of a solar device is enhanced remarkably.

The SCAPS-1D software was used to simulate a FTO/ETL/PVK/HTL/Au device under a 3 W m⁻² light-emitting diode spectrum. Optimization involved tuning layer thickness, doping levels, absorber and interface defect densities, and series/shunt resistances. The optimized configuration of FTO/SnO₂/PVK/Cu₂O/Au demonstrates the highest performance, achieving a PCE of 42.62%.