{"title":"High-temperature polymer composite capacitors with high energy density designed via machine learning","authors":"Minzheng Yang, Chaofan Wan, Le Zhou, Xiao Li, Jiayu Pan, Haoyang Li, Jian Wang, Weibin Ren, Binzhou Sun, Erxiang Xu, Yao Xiao, Mengfan Guo, Mufeng Zhang, Xin Li, Jianyong Jiang, Penghao Hu, Lian Duan, Ce-Wen Nan, Zhonghui Shen, Xun Wang, Yang Shen","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01863-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01863-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Polymer dielectrics are the primary energy storage media in electrostatic capacitors, which are essential components in power electronics for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. Composite approach has been intensively explored to enhance the energy density (<i>U</i><sub>d</sub>) and breakdown strength (<i>E</i><sub>b</sub>) of polymers at high temperatures, but finding fillers with both a large bandgap (<i>E</i><sub>g</sub>) and high electronic affinity (<i>E</i><sub>a</sub>) remains challenging. Here, assisted by a generative machine learning approach, we discover and synthesize organic fillers of both a large <i>E</i><sub>g</sub> (~5.5 eV) and high <i>E</i><sub>a</sub> (~4.5 eV). These fillers enable polyimide composite films to deliver a <i>U</i><sub>d</sub> of 5.1 J cm<sup>−3</sup> at discharge efficiency of 90% and 2 × 10<sup>5</sup> charge–discharge cycles at 250 °C. Moreover, we fabricate high-quality, kilometre-scale composite films using roll-to-roll processing and demonstrate that industrial capacitors incorporating these metalized composite films exhibit stable discharge and self healing in harsh environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"117 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":56.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145017341","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01844-3
Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar, Daniel Philipp Müller, Martin Hanton, Oliver Heidrich
{"title":"The EU battery carbon footprint rules need urgent attention","authors":"Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar, Daniel Philipp Müller, Martin Hanton, Oliver Heidrich","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01844-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01844-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 10","pages":"1179-1180"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145017339","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01858-x
Ying Liu, Dangyuan Lei
{"title":"Painting humid cities cool","authors":"Ying Liu, Dangyuan Lei","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01858-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01858-x","url":null,"abstract":"Passive radiative paints cool buildings without energy input, but do not perform well in humid environments and on vertical surfaces. Now, researchers report a durable cement-based paint that integrates radiative cooling and evaporative cooling mechanisms, achieving effective cooling on vertical surfaces in humid climates while maintaining the mechanical strength and substrate adhesion required for real-world building applications.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":56.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145017338","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01851-4
Michael De Volder
{"title":"Ditching nickel for manganese","authors":"Michael De Volder","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01851-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01851-4","url":null,"abstract":"Electric vehicles rely on batteries that use elements like nickel and cobalt, usually sourced through mining, which raises ecological and ethical concerns. Now, a new cathode design replaces 35% of the nickel with abundant manganese, easing raw material demand without compromising energy density or lifetime.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 10","pages":"1185-1186"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145017336","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":"Designing an isotropic epilayer for stable 4.2 V solid-state Na batteries","authors":"Yuan Liu, Huican Mao, Rui Bai, Suting Weng, Qiangqiang Zhang, Xiaohui Rong, Xiao Chen, Chu Zhang, Shuai Han, Feixiang Ding, Xuefeng Wang, Yaxiang Lu, Junmei Zhao, Fei Wei, Liquan Chen, Yong-Sheng Hu","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01857-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01857-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Side reactions between high-voltage cathodes and electrolytes remain a critical obstacle to the advancement of solid-state batteries—particularly for Na-ion systems—due to the higher Na<sup>+</sup>/Na redox potential. Despite recent extensive efforts, achieving a long cycle life is still challenging at the 4.2 V cut-off (versus Na<sup>+</sup>/Na). Here we design a room-temperature isotropic epitaxial growth to achieve a relatively uniform and dense metal–organic framework epilayer on Na<sub>3</sub>V<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>F surfaces. Despite using polyethylene oxide, a typical ether-based solid polymer electrolyte, the cathode with isotropic epilayer exhibits enhanced cycling performance at the 4.2 V cut-off (retaining up to 77.9% of its initial capacity after 1,500 cycles). Combining experimental measurements and theoretical analyses, the key factor governing isotropic epitaxial growth behaviour is explicitly elucidated. Furthermore, we develop a self-designed high-sensitivity characterization method, in situ linear sweep voltammetry coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, to elucidate the failure mechanism of polyethylene oxide on Na<sub>3</sub>V<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>F surfaces and and to reveal the excellent electrochemical stability of the isotropic epilayer. Interestingly, the universality of this approach has also been validated, highlighting its strong potential as an effective strategy for enabling high-energy-density batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":56.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995657","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-05DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01824-7
B. Kool, K. Verhaegh, G. L. Derks, T. A. Wijkamp, J. T. W. Koenders, N. Lonigro, G. McArdle, C. Vincent, J. Lovell, S. S. Henderson, F. Federici, D. Brida, H. Reimerdes, N. Osborne, M. van Berkel, The EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Team, the MAST-U team
{"title":"Demonstration of Super-X divertor exhaust control for transient heat load management in compact fusion reactors","authors":"B. Kool, K. Verhaegh, G. L. Derks, T. A. Wijkamp, J. T. W. Koenders, N. Lonigro, G. McArdle, C. Vincent, J. Lovell, S. S. Henderson, F. Federici, D. Brida, H. Reimerdes, N. Osborne, M. van Berkel, The EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Team, the MAST-U team","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01824-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01824-7","url":null,"abstract":"Nuclear fusion could offer clean, abundant energy. However, managing the power exhausted from the core fusion plasma towards the reactor wall remains a major challenge. This is compounded in emerging compact reactor designs promising more cost-effective pathways towards commercial fusion energy. Alternative Divertor Configurations (ADCs) are a potential solution. In this work, we demonstrate exhaust control in ADCs, employing a novel method to diagnose the neutral gas buffer, which shields the target. Our work on the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak Upgrade shows that ADCs tackle key risks and uncertainties for fusion energy. Their highly reduced sensitivity to perturbations enables active exhaust control in otherwise unfeasible situations and facilitates an increased passive absorption of transients, which would otherwise damage the divertor. We observe a strong decoupling of each divertor from other reactor regions, enabling near-independent control of the divertors and core plasma. Our work showcases the real-world benefits of ADCs for effective heat load management in fusion power reactors. 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.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 9","pages":"1116-1131"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01824-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144995671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-04DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01847-0
Dominic L. R. Melvin, Marco Siniscalchi, Dominic Spencer-Jolly, Bingkun Hu, Ziyang Ning, Shengming Zhang, Junfu Bu, Shashidhara Marathe, Anne Bonnin, Johannes Ihli, Gregory J. Rees, Patrick S. Grant, Charles W. Monroe, T. James Marrow, Guanchen Li, Peter G. Bruce
{"title":"High plating currents without dendrites at the interface between a lithium anode and solid electrolyte","authors":"Dominic L. R. Melvin, Marco Siniscalchi, Dominic Spencer-Jolly, Bingkun Hu, Ziyang Ning, Shengming Zhang, Junfu Bu, Shashidhara Marathe, Anne Bonnin, Johannes Ihli, Gregory J. Rees, Patrick S. Grant, Charles W. Monroe, T. James Marrow, Guanchen Li, Peter G. Bruce","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01847-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01847-0","url":null,"abstract":"Avoiding lithium dendrites at the lithium/ceramic electrolyte interface and, as a result, avoiding cell short circuit when plating at practical current densities remains a significant challenge for all-solid-state batteries. Typically, values are limited to around 1 mA cm−2, even, for example, for garnets with a relative density of >99%. It is not obvious that simply densifying ceramic electrolytes will deliver high plating currents. Here we show that plating currents of 9 mA cm−2 can be achieved without dendrite formation, by densifying argyrodite, Li6PS5Cl, to 99%. Changes in the microstructure of Li6PS5Cl on densification from 83 to 99% were determined by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy tomography and used to calculate their effect on the critical current density (CCD). Modelling shows that not all changes in microstructure with densification act to increase CCD. Whereas smaller pores and shorter cracks increase CCD, lower pore population and narrower cracks act to decrease CCD. Calculations show that the former changes dominate over the latter, predicating an overall increase in CCD, as observed experimentally. 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.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 10","pages":"1205-1214"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01847-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144987440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-03DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01838-1
Hyeokjin Kwon, Seongyeong Kim, Jonghyun Hyun, Ha Eun Lee, Seong Su Kim, Yesom Kim, Il Ju Kim, Kyungjae Shin, Sejin Kim, Changhoon Park, Hongsin Kim, Dongseok Shin, Hee-Tak Kim
{"title":"Covariance of interphasic properties and fast chargeability of energy-dense lithium metal batteries","authors":"Hyeokjin Kwon, Seongyeong Kim, Jonghyun Hyun, Ha Eun Lee, Seong Su Kim, Yesom Kim, Il Ju Kim, Kyungjae Shin, Sejin Kim, Changhoon Park, Hongsin Kim, Dongseok Shin, Hee-Tak Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01838-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01838-1","url":null,"abstract":"Lithium metal batteries can achieve high energy density, alleviating range anxiety for electric vehicles. However, the rational interphase design under fast charging conditions remains difficult. Here we explore a series of pyran-based electrolytes with various substitutional anions under a fast charging condition and observe weakly Li+-associating anions facilitating uniform lithium plating under a fast charging condition. We demonstrate lithium metal batteries achieving a 5–70% state of charge (SoC) within 12 min over 350 repeated cycles at a 4C (8.4 mA cm−2) charging rate, as well as high-energy designs delivering projected energy densities of 386 Wh kg−1 reaching a 10–80% SoC within 17 min over 180 cycles. We propose that the improved fast charging performance is in tandem with the ability of the weakly Li+ associating anions to suppress inorganic species clustering within the solid–electrolyte interphase and demonstrate the potential for electrolyte advancement based on the proposed mechanism. Lithium metal batteries offer high energy density for electric vehicles but face challenges with fast charging. This study investigates pyran-based electrolytes containing various substituted anions, revealing that weakly Li+-associating anions enhance fast-charging performance.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 9","pages":"1132-1145"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144930395","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-03DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01837-2
{"title":"A hybrid-flow cell for stable pH-swing-facilitated direct air capture","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01837-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01837-2","url":null,"abstract":"Electrochemically induced pH swing can facilitate direct air capture at ambient temperature; however, the energy efficiency is compromised by the oxidation of the redox-active organic molecules. A hybrid flow cell that spatially isolates the oxygen-sensitive materials from air achieves stable CO2 capture from oxygen-containing gas streams with low energy demand.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 9","pages":"1058-1059"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144930394","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}
Nature EnergyPub Date : 2025-09-03DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01839-0
Wei Liu
{"title":"Taming inorganic agglomeration at the interphases","authors":"Wei Liu","doi":"10.1038/s41560-025-01839-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-025-01839-0","url":null,"abstract":"Long charging times remain a critical limitation for state-of-the-art lithium metal batteries. Now, an electrolyte design inhibits inorganic agglomeration in solid electrolyte interphases, unlocking fast-charging capabilities in high-energy-density lithium metal batteries.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"10 9","pages":"1054-1055"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144930393","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}