ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-02DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01682
Chunshan Song, Stanislaus S. Wong, Alan L. Chaffee, Yun Hang Hu, Ruozhu Feng, Cesar Ovalles, Yingwen Cheng, Jinxia Fu, Honghong Shi, Sajid Bashir, Jingbo Louise Liu
{"title":"2025 Highlights of Achievements by Energy and Fuels Professionals: Advancing Energy Innovation through Transformative Materials and Leadership","authors":"Chunshan Song, Stanislaus S. Wong, Alan L. Chaffee, Yun Hang Hu, Ruozhu Feng, Cesar Ovalles, Yingwen Cheng, Jinxia Fu, Honghong Shi, Sajid Bashir, Jingbo Louise Liu","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01682","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01682","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6403–6420"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148885265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-18DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02124
Seungmin Lee, Jing Wang, Kangxuan Xia, Jihyeon Gim, Tongchao Liu, Eungje Lee, Christopher Johnson, Enyuan Hu
{"title":"Coupled Evolution of Charged-State Stacking and Redox Partitioning in O3-Type Sodium Cathodes","authors":"Seungmin Lee, Jing Wang, Kangxuan Xia, Jihyeon Gim, Tongchao Liu, Eungje Lee, Christopher Johnson, Enyuan Hu","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02124","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02124","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Elevated-voltage operation in layered Na-ion cathodes often increases capacity but accelerates degradation, yet the structural origin of this trade-off remains unclear. Here, we investigate the coupled evolution of charged-state structure and redox partitioning in O3-type NaNi<sub>1/3</sub>Fe<sub>1/3</sub>Mn<sub>1/3</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Charging to 4.2 V delivers greater capacity but promotes O/P intergrowth with deeply desodiated O-type slabs and accelerates capacity decay, whereas a 4.0 V cutoff stabilizes a reversible P3 framework. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, transition-metal X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Na K-edge spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy combined with distribution of relaxation times analysis (EIS-DRT) reveal distinct charge-compensation pathways associated with these structures. The P3 framework is associated with a progressive decrease in the Ni contribution and a comparatively more reversible local Fe environment. In contrast, stacking evolution at 4.2 V is associated with sustained Ni-dominant redox, greater Fe local-environment reconstruction, and persistent kinetic limitations. These results identify the charged-state stacking as a key structural descriptor linking redox partitioning and Na-ion transport kinetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6801–6810"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149003384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-30DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02132
Jihyun Lim, Woongsik Jang, Min Soo Kim, Huiseong Lee, Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Dong Hwan Wang
{"title":"Bias-Tolerant Responsivity and Noise Suppression via Ternary Nano-modulation for Multi-functional Organic Photodiodes","authors":"Jihyun Lim, Woongsik Jang, Min Soo Kim, Huiseong Lee, Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Dong Hwan Wang","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02132","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02132","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Organic photodetectors based on binary bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) are widely used because of their high efficiency, yet they face limitations in maintaining stable operation under reverse bias. In this study, the non-fullerene acceptor BTP-eC9 is employed in a ternary BHJ to establish a stable nanoscale molecular arrangement and enable reliable photodetection under reverse-bias-induced electric-field stress. Introducing a PM6:BTP-eC9:Y12 ternary BHJ tunes the energy levels, resulting in suppressed dark current and reliable responsivity of 0.56 A W<sup>–1</sup> at –2 V. Compared with binary-based photodetectors, the ternary devices show substantially smaller variations in low-frequency noise with applied bias. This advantage of the ternary architecture is retained in both conventional and inverted device configurations. Notably, the ternary device sustains clear photoplethysmography signals at –3 V and supports sensing capability in a flexible device. These results demonstrate ternary nanoscale modulation as an effective strategy for reliable multi-functional photodetection.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6811–6821"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149091003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strain Minimization via Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine Modification for Perovskite Solar Cells","authors":"Tianyu Zhao, Yiyan Zhang, Shuaishuai Fang, Shengtao Zhang, Artem Kuklin, Hans Ågren, Guanying Chen","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02307","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02307","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) remains a major challenge, primarily due to strain-driven lattice degradation. Here, we introduce a strain minimization strategy using phosphatidylcholine to regulate the strain of perovskite films. We identify linear-shaped dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) as an ideal additive through dynamic stress relaxation within the perovskite lattice, minimizing the deformation ratio by 17-fold (from 0.34 to 0.02%) and increasing the ion-migration activation energy from 0.55 to 0.87 eV. Additionally, DMPC forms robust interfacial bonds with the perovskite, directing crystal growth and improving optoelectronic quality. As a result, DMPC-modified PSCs achieve a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.61% and retain 91% of their initial efficiency after 300 temperature cycles (–40 to +85 °C), representing a 15-fold enhancement in T90 lifetime compared to control devices. This work establishes molecular-level strain engineering as an effective route to mitigate lattice stress and deliver thermally durable, high-efficiency perovskite photovoltaics.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6919–6927"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149091009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pioneering MOF-303 in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: Coordination Defect Engineering Enables Accelerated Sulfur Redox and Dendrite-Free Plating","authors":"Yuchen Wang,Jie Zhou,Muye Zhou,Zishun Lin,Siyuan Chen,Xianbao Wang,Guoxiu Wang,Yi Chen","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02763","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are severely hindered by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth. Herein, a defect-engineered MOF-303 (D-MOF-303) modified separator is developed via a ball-milling strategy to simultaneously mitigate both issues, marking the first application of MOF-303 in the Li–S battery field. The intentional introduction of ligand defects and oxygen vacancies reduces particle size, establishes a hierarchical porous structure, and amplifies local Lewis acidity. Consequently, the D-MOF-303 coating layer provides exceptional chemisorption and accelerated electrocatalytic conversion kinetics for LiPSs, while concurrently homogenizing lithium-ion flux to achieve long-term dendrite-free lithium plating. Benefiting from these synergistic merits, the resulting Li–S full cells exhibit high capacity retention over 500 cycles at 0.5 C, enhanced rate capability up to 3 C, and notable environmental resilience under high-humidity aging conditions. This work demonstrates the potential of coordination defect engineering in metal–organic frameworks for advancing high-energy-density and commercially viable energy storage technologies.","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":22.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149151366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In Situ Polymerizable Lead-Chelating Crown Ether for Lead Leakage Inhibition in Perovskite Solar Cells","authors":"Shichu Peng, Zhixin Liu, Ting Xue, Lida Wang, Wenbo Peng, Jiasheng Zou, Peide Zhu, Bowen Xue, Jiangfeng Wang, Xingzhu Wang, Lei Yan, Liwen Yang, Baomin Xu","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c00703","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c00703","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have garnered substantial attention owing to the high power conversion efficiency (PCE), light weight, and potential for cost reduction, their long-term stability and the pollution impact on the environment remain significant issues that need to be addressed urgently. The primary challenges in lead-based perovskites are caused by the segregation and migration of Pb<sup>2+</sup> within the perovskite grain boundaries (GBs) and interface during device operation, which accelerate the degradation of perovskite and ultimately result in lead leakage. In this research, the stability of perovskite is improved through the in situ polymerization of DVB18C6, a polymerizable crown ether with selective lead chelating property within the perovskite GBs. The robust GBs formed by DVB18C6 optimize perovskite film defects and suppress device lead leakage. The champion device achieved a PCE of 26.78%, with a Pb<sup>2+</sup> sequestration efficiency (SQE) of 95.14%. By integrating lead-chelating functionality with polymerizable groups, this approach improves the stability of PSCs and effectively mitigates lead leakage.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6456–6465"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148385087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-26DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02584
Sun Young Kang, Heemin Park, Hubert Jedrzej Szabat, Md Estak Ahmed, Piotr Polczynski, Yu Seung Kim
{"title":"Low-Potential Interfacial Oxidation of Piperidinium Ionomers to Formate Contributes to Hydrogen Evolution in AEM Water Electrolyzers","authors":"Sun Young Kang, Heemin Park, Hubert Jedrzej Szabat, Md Estak Ahmed, Piotr Polczynski, Yu Seung Kim","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02584","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02584","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Piperidinium-functionalized ionomers are widely used alkaline-stable binders in anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). Although oxidative degradation has been demonstrated under strongly polarized, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating conditions, whether it can initiate through a distinct low-potential interfacial pathway before appreciable oxygen evolution remained unresolved. Here, we show that piperidinium groups undergo potential-induced interfacial oxidation on IrO<sub>2</sub> near 1.3 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode under deoxygenated conditions, demonstrating that dissolved O<sub>2</sub> and diffusible O<sub>2</sub>-derived oxidants are not required. Quantitative <sup>13</sup>C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy identifies formate as the dominant soluble product, accompanied by ion-exchange-capacity loss and damage to a backbone-integrated structural unit. Faradaic-efficiency measurements in a pure-water-fed AEMWE show a 16.9% H<sub>2</sub>-normalized O<sub>2</sub> deficit at 1.6 V, consistent with a substantial non-oxygen evolution reaction (OER) contribution from piperidinium oxidation. These findings distinguish low-potential interfacial oxidation from diffusible-ROS-mediated degradation and establish anodic cation stability as critical to durable pure-water-fed AEMWEs and reliable OER catalyst evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6990–6997"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149049807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-11DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01779
Bin Liu, Tao Liao, Tianchen Li, Krish N. Jayarapu, Yongbiao Mu, Chengjing Zhang, Jia Li, Tianqi Wang, Lin Zeng, Yayuan Liu, Yong Liu
{"title":"Scalable Synthesis of Interfacial Regulators for Durable Zinc Powder Batteries","authors":"Bin Liu, Tao Liao, Tianchen Li, Krish N. Jayarapu, Yongbiao Mu, Chengjing Zhang, Jia Li, Tianqi Wang, Lin Zeng, Yayuan Liu, Yong Liu","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01779","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01779","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Zn powder is a promising anode for aqueous Zn-ion batteries because of its tunability and compatibility with industrial manufacturing, but parasitic reactions and uncontrolled deposition limit practical use. Here, we develop a tandem plasma-enhanced powder synthesis technology (TaPPS) that integrates chemical vapor deposition with powder spheroidization to yield zincophilic, defective graphene-coated copper powders (Gr@Cu) at a throughput of 3.36 kg h<sup>−1</sup>. When incorporated into Zn powder electrodes, Gr@Cu particles redistribute charge and provide preferential Zn nucleation sites, enabling thermodynamic and kinetic regulation of Zn deposition. This powder-level interfacial regulation enables highly reversible plating/stripping over 4000 cycles with 99.91% Coulombic efficiency at 5 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>, while full cells operate stably for over 1500 cycles. Beyond Zn powder electrodes, Gr@Cu also functions as an artificial interfacial layer on Zn metal anodes, highlighting TaPPS as a scalable powder-engineering platform for developing functional interfacial regulators for durable Zn electrochemistry.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6556–6566"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148933299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-29DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02381
Seonghun Jeong, Riya Dutta, Selin Cetin, Juhyeon Ahn, Mary C Scott, Haegyeom Kim
{"title":"Lamination Pressure Governs the Effectiveness of Sn Buffer Layers in Low-Pressure All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries","authors":"Seonghun Jeong, Riya Dutta, Selin Cetin, Juhyeon Ahn, Mary C Scott, Haegyeom Kim","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02381","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02381","url":null,"abstract":"<p>All-solid-state lithium-metal batteries require stable Li plating/stripping under low stack pressures relevant to practical operation. Here, Sn was used as a model Li-alloying buffer layer to clarify how lamination pressure affects interfacial stability. By independently varying lamination pressure and operating stack pressure, this study decoupled the effects of initial interfacial contact formation from those of external pressure during Li plating/stripping. High-pressure lamination improved contact between the lithiated Sn layer and the solid electrolyte, enabling facile Li<sup>+</sup> transport through the buffer layer and promoting Li deposition beneath the buffer layer rather than at the solid-electrolyte/buffer layer interface. Consequently, highly laminated Sn–Li electrodes exhibited improved Li utilization, lower nucleation overpotential, enhanced short-circuit resistance, and improved resistance for void-induced contact loss under low stack pressure. Symmetric- and full-cell tests confirmed that the Sn buffer layer mitigates void-induced contact loss, whereas pristine Li rapidly fails at a stack pressure of 1 MPa.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6950–6958"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149091007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ACS Energy Letters Pub Date : 2026-10-09Epub Date: 2026-09-05DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02167
Kushagra Gahlot, Quinten A. Akkerman
{"title":"Toward Precision Nanochemistry in Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots","authors":"Kushagra Gahlot, Quinten A. Akkerman","doi":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02167","DOIUrl":"10.1021/acsenergylett.6c02167","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Halide perovskite nanochemistry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, rapidly expanding the scope of these materials from fundamental model systems to platforms with growing impact across both classical and quantum light technologies. In this perspective, we follow perovskite quantum dots (pQDs) from their birth in solution to their fully developed structural and photophysical complexity, highlighting recent advances, offering a critical view on current limitations, and discussing open questions together with possible paths forward. We hope this perspective helps inspire the next generation of ideas, tools, and design principles needed to unlock the full potential of pQDs.</p>","PeriodicalId":16,"journal":{"name":"ACS Energy Letters ","volume":"11 10","pages":"6425–6438"},"PeriodicalIF":17.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}