Research articles

Perovskite solar cells with carbon electrodes offer advantages in terms of stability and manufacturing cost, but their performance remains limited. Now Wang et al. report an efficiency of 23.6% by doping the hole transport layer with graphene oxide.

Battery safety is critical across applications from consumer electronics to large-scale storage. This study identifies lithium oxidation as the primary driver of thermal runaway in high-energy batteries, reshaping safety approaches for advanced electrolytes.

The phase-out of coal will require targeted strategies. New research assesses the retirement vulnerability of coal plants in the USA based on similarity to plants with announced retirements. The findings highlight strategies to guide and accelerate phase-out.

Conventional solid-state electrolyte design is limited by dopant–lattice compatibility. This work introduces solid dissociation, using halide van der Waals materials to dissolve salts and create amorphous conductors with high ionic conductivity and potential for use in devices.

Ion association in electrolytes enables a robust protective layer on battery electrodes but compromises thermal stability. Here Yi-Chun Lu and colleagues develop an electrolyte-based strategy that preserves this benefit while enabling safer lithium-ion batteries.

Thermal stability remains a key challenge for organic photovoltaics. Qin et al. now propose a strategy that stabilizes multiple components of the devices, enhancing their resilience under damp heat and thermal cycling conditions.

Electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction are typically prepared and optimized ex situ before the reaction begins, but during reactions they may undergo changes that lower their performance. Here the authors show that active Cu catalysts can be formed on a recoverable basis and removed in situ during the CO₂ reduction reaction, improving the stability of the system.

Uncontrolled crystallization of perovskite limits the performance of solar cells. Zhou et al. address this through aromatic interactions between naphthalene ammonium salts and naphthalenesulfonates, achieving improved efficiency in cells and modules.

KOH-doped membranes, so-called ion-solvating membranes (ISMs), have been used in alkaline water electrolysers but face challenges with stability and narrow operational windows. Here a non-crosslinked, partially sulfonated polybenzimidazole ISM with enhanced conductivity and stability is reported, achieving high current densities and prolonged operation.

Electrochemical CO_x reduction to multi-carbon products is hindered by low energy efficiency, in part due to sluggish ion transport across charge-selective membranes used in electrolysers. Here the authors use a porous, non-charge-selective separator that enhances ion transport and improves performance for CO electrolysis.

Realizing >5 V batteries is hindered by the instability of electrolytes. Here, a fluoride shielding layer, LiCl-4Li₂TiF₆, enables high-voltage, high-capacity all-solid-state batteries because of its combined oxidative stability and Li⁺ conductivity.

US households with heat pumps begin cooling earlier, and this adoption narrows the income-based disparities in cooling. Heat pumps help alleviate energy insecurity, make energy more affordable and make homes more comfortable.

Optimizing the crystallization of the active materials in organic solar cells is challenging. Fu et al. use an acenaphthene additive to induce a two-step crystallization of the non-fullerene acceptor, achieving a certified 20.5% power conversion efficiency.

The upscaling of kesterite photovoltaics is challenging and results in low performance. Xiang et al. tune the thiourea/metal precursor ratio to improve the morphology of the kesterite film, achieving 10.1% certified power conversion efficiency in 10.48-cm² modules.

Integrating CO₂ capture and electrochemical conversion avoids the thermal release of CO₂ and thus could potentially lower the energy needed to make useful products from CO₂, but choosing optimal system components is still challenging. Here the authors use piperazine alongside a nickel catalyst for capture and achieve high energy efficiency and stable CO production.

Additives used in the charge transport layers of perovskite solar cells contribute to device degradation during operation. Now Kim et al. report a non-volatile, solid-state additive—4-(N-carbazolyl)pyridine—that enhances the thermal and operational stability of the devices.

Polymer dielectrics are key for capacitors in energy applications but are hard to improve for high temperatures. This work uses artificial intelligence to design fillers with a large bandgap and high affinity, enabling durable, high-energy polyimide composites for harsh environments.

High-voltage sodium solid-state batteries often suffer from capacity loss due to harmful internal reactions. By adding a uniform protective layer to the cathode, this study greatly improves their stability—retaining 77.9% capacity after 1,500 cycles—and shows promise for developing longer-lasting, high-energy batteries.

Managing power exhaust in fusion reactors is a key challenge, especially in compact designs for cost-effective commercial energy. This study shows how alternative divertor configurations improve exhaust control, enhance stability, absorb transients and enable independent plasma regulation.

High plating currents are achieved in solid-state batteries without dendrites by densifying Li₆PS₅Cl, with modelling showing how specific microstructural changes increase the critical current density.