{"title":"Fullerene-Based Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.","authors":"Wenyu Wang, Ying Wang, Jun Zhang, Wei Liu, Qunzhi Ma, Xu Li, Jiayi Li, Xiaojie Ma, Yongqiang Feng","doi":"10.1002/cssc.70653","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70653","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developing efficient water electrolysis technologies for hydrogen production is essential to the sustainable deployment of hydrogen energy, and the design of nonprecious-metal electrocatalysts is a key strategy for reducing the overall cost. Fullerene (C<sub>60</sub>), featuring an all-carbon cage architecture, a highly conjugated hollow π-electron system, and reversible redox behavior, can markedly facilitate electron transfer during electrocatalysis and has thus emerged as a promising class of catalytic materials. This review summarizes recent progress in electrocatalysts derived from diverse fullerene-based structural motifs and their synthetic approaches. By examining their applications and mechanistic roles in the hydrogen evolution reaction, we further extend the discussion to broader electrocatalytic processes to highlight the general design principles and substantial potential enabled by fullerene-based architectures. Finally, we outline the key challenges and future directions in this field, aiming to provide guidance for the rational design of next-generation, high-performance fullerene-based electrocatalysts.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e70653"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202502735
Muhammad Ahsan Waseem, Junaid Aslam, Ling Chen, Weiwei Sun, Yifan Zhang, Pedro Silva Girão, Yong Wang
{"title":"Green Energy Storage: Biomass-Derived Electrodes for Sustainable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.","authors":"Muhammad Ahsan Waseem, Junaid Aslam, Ling Chen, Weiwei Sun, Yifan Zhang, Pedro Silva Girão, Yong Wang","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202502735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are gaining momentum as a promising secondary battery technology due to their high safety, environmental friendliness, abundant resources, and competitive energy density. These attributes position them as viable alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries. However, the commercialization of AZIBs faces significant challenges, including high desolvation barriers that complicate ion mobility, sluggish ion-transport kinetics, zinc dendrite growth, and detrimental side reactions. To address these issues, there has been a growing interest in utilizing biomass-based materials in the design of advanced AZIBs. These materials inherently possess excellent hydrophilicity, strong mechanical strength, and abundant active functional groups, all of which can enhance the performance of AZIBs. This review offers an in-depth examination of current progress, prevailing limitations, and potential solutions for biomass-derived electrode materials to achieve enhanced long-cycle stability and rapid electrochemical kinetics in AZIBs. Furthermore, this review systematically addresses pivotal issues and emerging research directions concerning the design of zinc anodes, while guiding the future optimization of AZIBs with exceptional electrochemical performance. Hence, it furnishes a comprehensive outlook on the prospective evolution of biomass-based AZIBs, while highlighting critical challenges, and opportunities that may accelerate their ongoing development, and facilitate their wider adoption in practical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e202502735"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202502738
Yiyang Lin, Fei Zhang
{"title":"The Rise of Perovskitoid for Photoelectric Device: From Preparation to Applications.","authors":"Yiyang Lin, Fei Zhang","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202502738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502738","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perovskitoids have attracted widespread attention in recent years by extending octahedral connectivity, thereby overcoming the traditional 3D perovskite materials' limitations on the tolerance factor, expanding structural diversity, and enhancing stability and bandgap tunability. This review first summarizes the advanced preparation methods for high-quality perovskitoid single crystals. Subsequently, we systematically classify perovskitoids into 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D structures based on their dimensionality, elaborating on the relationship between their unique octahedral connectivity modes and optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, advances in perovskitoids for optoelectronic applications are highlighted, with a focus on their roles in solar cells, light-emitting devices, and detectors. Finally, to address current bottlenecks, we propose future perspectives to accelerate their practical commercialization.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e202502738"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202502326
Eva Müller, Werner Kunz
{"title":"Recent Developments in Sustainable Solubilization.","authors":"Eva Müller, Werner Kunz","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202502326","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cssc.202502326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The large-scale use of toxic and environmentally hazardous solvents remains a major challenge in industrial manufacturing and consumer-goods production. Conventional solubilization processes often depend on harsh conditions, including elevated temperatures and pressures, resulting in high energy consumption, health risks, and environmental pollution. Developing sustainable alternatives is therefore an urgent scientific and societal priority. This article discusses recent advances in green solubilization and emerging strategies aiming to reconcile efficiency with environmental compatibility. We address the future role of classical and \"green\" solvents, including ionic liquids (ILs) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), and critically assess their benefits and limitations from a sustainability perspective. Particular emphasis is placed on water as the potentially \"greenest\" solvent, highlighting how its intrinsic tendency to form structured, heterogeneous environments can be advantageous or detrimental for solubilization. In this context, we examine mesoscale structuring, surfactant-free microemulsions, and dynamic interfaces. Furthermore, naturally derived solubilizers such as hydrotropes, biosurfactants, and proteins are considered promising tools to enhance solubility while maintaining biocompatibility and low environmental impact. Selected examples from our own work illustrate how combining water-based structuring with bio-derived or benign additives can create new pathways toward energy-efficient and sustainable solubilization technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e202502326"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13102552/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147696873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202600017
Fei Pang, Xin Gu, Hubiao Pan, Xinyu Lv, Fengchun Li, Ning Cao, Ren Tian, Han Hu, Yanli Zhou, Mingbo Wu
{"title":"Efficient Laser Processing in Manufacturing Fluorinated Electrodes: A Case Study of SiO<sub>x</sub> Anodes for High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries.","authors":"Fei Pang, Xin Gu, Hubiao Pan, Xinyu Lv, Fengchun Li, Ning Cao, Ren Tian, Han Hu, Yanli Zhou, Mingbo Wu","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202600017","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cssc.202600017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Designing electrodes with fast reaction kinetics, robust structural stability, and a durable electrode-electrolyte interface remains a critical challenge for advancing high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Here, we demonstrate a facile laser-processing strategy to fabricate fluorinated electrodes, including SiO<sub>x</sub> and graphite. As a representative example, fluorine-doped graphene-encapsulated SiO<sub>x</sub> (SiO<sub>x</sub>/G-F) electrodes deliver a high reversible capacity of 616.8 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> over 800 cycles at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>, along with excellent rate capability of 469.4 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 5 A g<sup>-1</sup>. Furthermore, their outstanding performance is further confirmed in full-cell configurations paired with LiNi<sub>0.8</sub>Co<sub>0.1</sub>Mn<sub>0.1</sub>O<sub>2</sub> cathodes, showing 70.2% capacity retention over 200 cycles. Detailed characterization reveals that the fluorine-doped carbon shell enhances charge transfer, accelerates lithium-ion diffusion, and facilitates the formation of a LiF-enriched solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The stable SEI alleviates mechanical stress, mitigates electrode pulverization, and ensures interfacial stability during cycling. Overall, this simple, scalable, and practical strategy offers valuable insights for designing high-performance electrodes in next-generation high-energy LIBs.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e202600017"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147727687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dopant-Directed Activity in NiOOH: Distinct Fe, Co, and Cu Roles in Electrocatalytic HMF Oxidation to FDCA.","authors":"Sanphong Khamhom, Natjanan Songserm, Nuttapon Yodsin, Supawadee Namuangruk, Sutasinee Kityakarn, Chaiya Prasittichai, Pongkarn Chakthranont","doi":"10.1002/cssc.70647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70647","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) offers a sustainable route to bio-based plastics that can replace petroleum-derived PET. Here, we systematically compare NiOOH and Fe-, Co-, and Cu-doped NiOOH electrocatalysts synthesized by pulsed electrodeposition with matched loadings and dopant distributions, enabling a direct one-to-one assessment of dopant effects on HMFOR in alkaline media. Among all catalysts, NiFeOOH delivers the highest activity and selectivity across the full potential range, reaching an FE<sub>FDCA</sub> of 87.42% and an FE<sub>HMFOR</sub> of 98.85% at 1.53 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Scaling the electrode area fivefold achieves near-quantitative HMF conversion (99.98%) with a 95.45% FDCA yield over 6 h while maintaining excellent durability. Mechanistic investigation via potential-dependent product analysis, in situ Raman spectroscopy, spontaneous kinetics, and density functional theory reveals dopant-specific functions: Fe strongly tunes the Ni<sup>3+</sup> electronic structure to weaken Ni<sup>3+</sup>-O bonding, enhance substrate adsorption, and accelerate charge transfer; Co primarily increases electrochemical surface area, boosting site density but not intrinsic site reactivity; and Cu alters the rate-determining step, redirecting the reaction pathway. These insights show that different dopants offer distinct design levers in Ni-based HMF oxidation reaction (HMFOR) catalysts and motivate multidopant strategies to jointly tune electronic structure, morphology, and reaction pathways for improved performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e70647"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.70652
Fangfei Guo, Yang Jin, Fei Cao, Yihang Guo, Wen-Cui Li, Yongyi Song, De-Cai Guo, Bin He, An-Hui Lu
{"title":"Ultrathin MnO<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets Coated Multifunctional Separator for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Showing High Stability.","authors":"Fangfei Guo, Yang Jin, Fei Cao, Yihang Guo, Wen-Cui Li, Yongyi Song, De-Cai Guo, Bin He, An-Hui Lu","doi":"10.1002/cssc.70652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70652","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The shuttling of dissolved polysulfides for the cathode and the growth of lithium dendrites for the anode have caused severe capacity loss and safety risks in Li-S batteries, thus hindering their practical application. To address these issues, we construct a multifunctional separator utilizing ultrathin MnO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets with abundant exposed active sites, which enables efficient polysulfide chemical adsorption and catalytic conversion. Additionally, the lithiophilic nature of MnO<sub>2</sub> homogenizes the interfacial Li<sup>+</sup> flux, resulting in high Li<sup>+</sup> conductivity and fast diffusion in the modified separator to inhibit lithium dendrites. Moreover, the modified PP separator enhances the battery's energy density due to its ultrathin MnO<sub>2</sub> coating with minimal weight (~1 μm on each side, 0.04 mg cm<sup>-2</sup>) compared to separators modified with high-mass coatings. As a result, the Li-S battery utilizing the MnO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets modified separator delivers ultrastable cycling performance with a capacity decay of only 0.07% per cycle over 500 cycles at 2 C. Even under high sulfur loading of 4.6 mg cm<sup>-2</sup> and low E/S ratio of 8 μL mg<sup>-1</sup>, the battery with the MnO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets modified separator demonstrates a high capacity of 748.7 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 0.5C. This work provides valuable insights for the rational design of multifunctional separators in high energy density Li-S batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e70652"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cu and SnO<sub>2</sub>-Modified Carbon Felt for Electroenzymatic CO<sub>2</sub> Upcycling.","authors":"Diego Maureira, Lorena Wilson, Hilmar Guzmán, Tonia Tommasi, Debora Fino, Simelys Hernández, Carminna Ottone","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202502316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202502316","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study reports scalable bioelectrodes for sustainable CO<sub>2</sub>-to-formate conversion that integrate on-electrode cofactor regeneration with enzyme immobilization. Carbon felt (CF) supports were coated with copper (Cu) or tin oxide (SnO<sub>2</sub>) nanoparticles, allowing for reproducible and straightforward fabrication. Electrochemical characterization revealed that Cu-modified electrodes (CF-NpCu) outperformed SnO<sub>2</sub>-modified ones (CF-NpSnO<sub>2</sub>) in NADH regeneration, achieving nearly double the faradaic efficiency (FE) toward formate and conversion yield. Coupling CF-NpCu electrodes with affinity-immobilized formate dehydrogenase (FDH) produced 4.4 mM formate after 5 h, a threefold increase compared to the free enzyme system. Although the free enzyme displayed higher intrinsic kinetics, immobilization positioned FDH proximal to the electrode, mitigating diffusional limitations, accelerating NADH turnover, and improving stability. The integrated system achieved a productivity of 43 µmol h<sup>-1</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> and demonstrated reusability, highlighting its practical applicability. Despite moderate efficiency losses due to side reactions such as hydrogen evolution, this work establishes a scalable bioelectrode platform that effectively combines cofactor regeneration with enzymatic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction, providing a promising route toward sustainable and industrially relevant electroenzymatic processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e202502316"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13109675/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147757665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.70665
Christopher J Koch, Raktim Sen, Anushan Alagaratnam, Alain Goeppert, Vicente Galvan, G K Surya Prakash
{"title":"Direct Conversion of Metal Carbonates and Bicarbonates to Methanol Over a Cu/ZnO/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalyst.","authors":"Christopher J Koch, Raktim Sen, Anushan Alagaratnam, Alain Goeppert, Vicente Galvan, G K Surya Prakash","doi":"10.1002/cssc.70665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The utilization of metal carbonates to produce directly valuable carbon feedstocks remains a major challenge, particularly under mild operating conditions. Herein, we report the elusive conversion of inorganic metal carbonates, such as sodium and potassium carbonates, to methanol in a one-step process with molecular hydrogen over a heterogeneous Cu/ZnO/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst. The hydrogenation occurs effectively at a relatively mild temperature of 200°C and proceeds in presence of ethylene glycol in the liquid phase with methanol yields of up to 95%. Alkali carbonates/bicarbonate salts obtained by capturing CO<sub>2</sub> from ambient air (Direct Air Capture, DAC) and flue gas CO<sub>2</sub> with aqueous alkali media also undergo facile hydrogenation to methanol.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e70665"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147757981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1002/cssc.70660
Lukas Roessler Escudero, Ádám Székeli, Viktor Hacker, Merit Bodner
{"title":"Evaluation of Porous Media Properties for the Performance of Sulfur-Depolarized Electrolysis.","authors":"Lukas Roessler Escudero, Ádám Székeli, Viktor Hacker, Merit Bodner","doi":"10.1002/cssc.70660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.70660","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sulfur-depolarized electrolysis (SDE) is an interesting alternative for H<sub>2</sub> production. Lower operational voltage (<1.2 V) and a valuable by-product offer an opportunity for economically competitive H<sub>2</sub> production in sectors where traditional processes are not feasible or competitive. However, given its incipient state in development, several questions are yet to be answered to achieve stable, competitive operation. A definitive reaction mechanism for the anodic sulfur oxidation reaction has not been defined and therefore optimal properties for the diffusion media have not been established. In this study, the influence of various commercial gas diffusion layers (GDLs) on SDE performance and acid generation was systematically investigated. The choice of GDL was found to have a decisive impact on overall cell performance, in some cases determining whether stable operation was achievable. By optimizing the diffusion layer, current densities of 1.3 A cm<sup>-2</sup> at 1.2 V were achieved, representing ≈30% improvement against state of the art. Based on observations during the study, a working hypothesis was proposed for the macroscale behavior of SDE during operation. These findings provide new insights into the anodic processes of SDE and identify critical parameters for developing efficient and durable electrochemical systems for low-voltage, economical hydrogen production.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":"19 8","pages":"e70660"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13109038/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}