Nature EnergyPub Date : 2026-05-27DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02084-9
Matthew Allinson
{"title":"Energy use in AI responses","authors":"Matthew Allinson","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02084-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02084-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 5","pages":"650-650"},"PeriodicalIF":60.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148024756","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":"Stable tin–lead perovskite inks for efficient all-perovskite tandems","authors":"Tianshu Ma, Yue Zhao, Jingwei Zhu, Xinxing Yin, Yidan An, Cong Chen, Minghui Shang, Huayang Wang, Zhanghao Wu, Yuhui Liu, Chen Chen, Yuxiang Guan, Jincheng Luo, Jing Zhang, Minghui Li, Chuanxiao Xiao, Fang Yao, Qianqian Lin, Zhenhai Yang, Guoyang Cao, Changlei Wang, Dewei Zhao, Xiaofeng Li","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02077-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02077-8","url":null,"abstract":"Low-bandgap (Eg ~ 1.25 eV) tin–lead perovskite solar cells hold great potential for constructing efficient all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs). However, rapid degradation of perovskite precursor solutions, owing to easy oxidation of Sn2+, remains a major challenge. Here we elucidate oxidation pathways in Sn–Pb perovskite precursors. We further introduce basic amino acids and basic amino acids sulfate (BAAS) as proton scavengers, which stabilize the ink for over 300 days. BAAS neutralizes excess protons to mitigate dimethyl sulfoxide-driven oxidation reactions, whereas sulfate ions coordinate Sn2+ to passivate defects and regulate crystallization. The optimized low-bandgap perovskite solar cell achieves a power conversion efficiency of 24.06% with an open-circuit voltage of 0.905 V, enabling two-terminal all-perovskite TSCs with a power conversion efficiency of 30.24% (certified 29.56%). The BAAS-passivated TSCs retain over 85% of their initial performance after 1,000 hours of the maximum power point operation under 1-sun illumination. Low-bandgap tin–lead perovskites can boost solar cell efficiency but degrade quickly due to tin oxidation. Here the authors add proton-scavenging additives that stabilize inks for over 300 days, enabling 24.06% single cells and 29.56% certified tandem efficiency.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 9","pages":"1260-1271"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149007565","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 : 2026-05-25DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02081-y
Amy Myers Jaffe, Evan S. Michelson
{"title":"Reimagining energy research and education","authors":"Amy Myers Jaffe, Evan S. Michelson","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02081-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02081-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 9","pages":"1227-1228"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149007560","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":"Additive-assisted liquid medium annealing relieving strains in perovskite solar cells for improved stability","authors":"Xiaofeng Gao, Xuefei Jia, Yanping Mo, Chao Wang, Qi Li, Tongle Bu, Yi-Bing Cheng, Fuzhi Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02072-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02072-z","url":null,"abstract":"Annealing, while indispensable for achieving high-quality perovskite crystals, introduces strain into the material, undermining the stability of perovskite solar cells. Here we incorporate 1,4-butanesultam as an additive into the perovskite precursor film to address this issue. During annealing, the additive liquifies and promotes grain boundary reconstruction and crystal reorganization, resulting in large, strain-free perovskite grains. The liquid state also facilitates the conformal deposition of the self-assembled molecules that serve as a hole transport layer at the bottom surface of the perovskite, further minimizing tensile strain. The resulting solar cell achieves a power conversion efficiency of 26.79% and retains 95% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 h of ISOS-V-2 testing, as well as 98% after 1,500 h of diurnal cycling between dark at 20 °C and light at 85 °C. The annealing process introduces strain into the perovskite and undermines the stability of the solar cells. Xiaofeng Gao et al. address this issue by using a meltable additive, 1,4-butanesultam, to relieve strain and improve operational stability.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 8","pages":"1194-1202"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148785297","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 : 2026-05-22DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02061-2
{"title":"A thin and robust polymer electrolyte membrane with dynamic metal-ion crosslinking","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02061-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02061-2","url":null,"abstract":"Dynamic copper-ion crosslinking of polybenzimidazole yields a thin yet mechanically robust polymer electrolyte membrane. Fuel cells incorporating this membrane achieve a high peak power density and exhibit good stability at elevated temperatures.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 7","pages":"953-954"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522971","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 : 2026-05-20DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02065-y
Silvana Lakeman
{"title":"Resilient electricity infrastructure and energy transitions in island states","authors":"Silvana Lakeman","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02065-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02065-y","url":null,"abstract":"Nature Energy talks to Paul Bertheau, Head of the Research Unit Off-Grid Systems at the Reiner-Lemoine-Institut, about challenges and approaches to enhancing resilience in island states when it comes to electricity and energy access in the transition away from fossil fuels.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 7","pages":"939-940"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522935","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 : 2026-05-20DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02076-9
Lei Tong, Hai-Wei Liang
{"title":"CO2-enabled recovery","authors":"Lei Tong, Hai-Wei Liang","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02076-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02076-9","url":null,"abstract":"Cation contamination has long hindered deployment of highly active platinum-alloy catalysts in commercial proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Now, a CO2-assisted recovery protocol allows contaminants to be removed from inside an operating cell, potentially redefining the practical outlook for platinum-alloy catalysts.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 6","pages":"799-800"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148300161","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 : 2026-05-19DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02068-9
Alexander Diercks, Sofía Chozas-Barrientos, Lidón Gil-Escrig, Federico Ventosinos, Inma Gomar-Fernández, Cristina Roldán-Carmona, Nathan Rodkey, Tonghan Zhao, Julian Petermann, Maximiliano Senno, Vladimir Held, Perrine Carroy, Delfina Muñoz, Paul Fassl, Michele Sessolo, Ulrich W. Paetzold, Henk J. Bolink
{"title":"Close-space sublimation as a versatile deposition process for efficient perovskite silicon tandem solar cells","authors":"Alexander Diercks, Sofía Chozas-Barrientos, Lidón Gil-Escrig, Federico Ventosinos, Inma Gomar-Fernández, Cristina Roldán-Carmona, Nathan Rodkey, Tonghan Zhao, Julian Petermann, Maximiliano Senno, Vladimir Held, Perrine Carroy, Delfina Muñoz, Paul Fassl, Michele Sessolo, Ulrich W. Paetzold, Henk J. Bolink","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02068-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02068-9","url":null,"abstract":"The envisaged breakthrough of perovskite photovoltaic technologies demands rapid advances in scalable and robust high-throughput fabrication methods. Here we present close-space sublimation (CSS) as a vacuum-based, industrially relevant deposition method for the conversion of sublimed PbI2 inorganic scaffolds into high-quality wide-bandgap perovskite absorbers (MAPb(I0.79Br0.21)3, 1.64 eV), employing a reusable mixed-halide organic source for stable bandgap control. We provide mechanistic insights into the substitution-reaction-limited CSS process and achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 18.5% for fully vacuum-processed p–i–n single-junction devices. Monolithic integration in tandem solar cells onto planar, nano- and micro-textured silicon bottom cells reveals consistent optoelectronic and morphological properties across all configurations without requiring adjustments of deposition parameters, as corroborated by comprehensive characterization techniques. The resulting perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells reach PCEs up to 24.3%, with minimal variation across the different bottom cells. Our findings highlight the broad process window and versatility of CSS, positioning it as an industry-suitable deposition method for solvent-free high-throughput fabrication. Research on perovskite solar cells shows that scaling up production will require faster, more reliable film-making methods. This work introduces a simple high-rate process that forms high-quality wide-bandgap films for efficient single-junction and tandem devices.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 7","pages":"1078-1089"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-026-02068-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522939","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 : 2026-05-19DOI: 10.1038/s41560-026-02074-x
Shuibin Tu, Ming Chen, Long Qian, Yukun Lei, Shaojian Zhang, Chao Ye, Clotilde S. Cucinotta, Shi-Zhang Qiao
{"title":"Anion-reduction catalytic centres regulate interfacial solvation structures for fast-charging Si anodes","authors":"Shuibin Tu, Ming Chen, Long Qian, Yukun Lei, Shaojian Zhang, Chao Ye, Clotilde S. Cucinotta, Shi-Zhang Qiao","doi":"10.1038/s41560-026-02074-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41560-026-02074-x","url":null,"abstract":"Anion-rich interfacial solvation structures (ISS) are critical for stable fast charging of anodes. Here we propose interfacial anion-reduction catalysis as a new paradigm, in which catalytic centres regulate the ISS to direct solid electrolyte interphase formation. Using S vacancies as prototypical catalytic sites, we demonstrate that electrostatic potential wells induced by these centres attract bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI−) to the interface and form contact ion pairs during charging, creating FSI−-rich ISS in commercial electrolytes. This catalytically regulated ISS promotes preferential FSI− reduction and ultrafine LiF grain formation, generating a compact LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase with rapid Li+ transport pathways. Si-based anode with catalytic interface demonstrates stable cycling with an average coulombic efficiency of ~99.94%. Pouch cells achieve ~91.4% and ~85.3% charge in 10 min and 6 min, respectively, while providing ~240.4 Wh kg−1 under 6 min charging. This work establishes catalytic regulation of ISS as a promising strategy for fast battery charging. Interfacial solvation structures are key to stable fast charging in Si anodes. Qiao and colleagues show that S-vacancy-driven anion-reduction catalysis regulates these structures to form a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase, enabling ultrafast charging and long cycle life.","PeriodicalId":19073,"journal":{"name":"Nature Energy","volume":"11 7","pages":"1067-1077"},"PeriodicalIF":70.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-026-02074-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148522938","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}