Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research最新文献

{"title":"High-Throughput Optimization of Organic Photovoltaics for Performance and Stability","authors":"Rosemary M. Thompson,&nbsp;Reilly Seban,&nbsp;Natalia Maahs,&nbsp;John S. Mangum,&nbsp;Bertrand J. Tremolet de Villers,&nbsp;James B. Whitaker,&nbsp;Bryon W. Larson","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70280","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) demonstrate great potential for low-cost and low-energy intensity electricity production. Progress in OPVs historically arises from discovery of new organic semiconductors. However, the molecular and polymeric organic semiconductor design space is vast and performance evaluation in new materials is slow. Adding to the challenge, device optimization has been overly focused only on highest efficiency, generally incorporating processes at odds with scale-up and durability efforts that precede commercialization. We have developed a framework to address this problem, named HOOPS (high-throughput optimization of OPVs for performance and stability), where device fabrication variables that affect both performance and stability are equally weighted in an iterative feedback loop while optimizing device fabrication processes. Applicable to all layers of the OPV, PTQ-10:Y6-BO, and ZnO are used as an exemplary materials in an inverted architecture OPV where HOOPS reveals that a performance and stability optimum is not always achieved by the same fabrication methods used to achieve exclusively top initial performance. The results underscore the importance of both high-throughput methods as well as an equal focus on performance and stability, especially early in research as OPVs continue to transition from lab to market.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70280","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149145672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aqueous Processing of High-Loading LNMO Electrodes for High-Energy Lithium Batteries","authors":"Buket Boz,&nbsp;Lukas Neidhart,&nbsp;Susan Montes,&nbsp;Carolyn Reinhold,&nbsp;Yuanchun Huang,&nbsp;Wilhelm Pfleging,&nbsp;Stefano Passerini","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70281","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Transitioning toward more sustainable materials and production methods has been one of the most critical points for expanding the lithium-ion battery (LIB) market in the last decade. At the same time, energy storage applications require high energy density and high power with demanding performance targets such as wide operating voltage and fast charging capabilities. Along with these high-performance requirements, environmental concerns such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS)-based binders, organic solvents for electrode manufacturing, critical raw materials in the positive electrode (cathode), and mining conditions are a few of the many issues in LIB manufacturing that need to be addressed urgently by the R&amp;D community. To tackle the abovementioned issues, engineering the cathode from material selection to production scale is key. In this study, we develop PFAS-free, aqueous processing of high loading—6.2 mAh cm⁻²—LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) on an industrial pilot line, aiming to bridge the gap between research and industry on sustainable and thick cathode manufacturing.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70281","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149146907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research Progress on Solar Energy Storage and Conversion Technologies for Sustainable Development: Prospects, Challenges, and Future Outlooks","authors":"Md. Golam Kibria,&nbsp;S. R. Shajid,&nbsp;Md. Shahriar Mohtasim,&nbsp;Md. Sanowar Hossain,&nbsp;Barun K. Das,&nbsp;Md Shamim Ahamed,&nbsp;Monjur Mourshed","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70250","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Solar energy is inherently intermittent, and as demand grows for dependable low-carbon power, efficient storage is essential to the sustainable energy transition and long-term energy security. Yet most reviews examine these technologies in isolation rather than comparing them directly. This study compares six leading routes for storing solar energy: sensible heat, latent heat, thermochemical, electrochemical, supercapacitor, and large-scale mechanical systems. Each is assessed within a single framework spanning thermodynamic performance, storage density, operating temperature, efficiency, commercial readiness, and application suitability. The thermal technologies differ markedly. Sensible heat storage reaches efficiencies of 50%–90% but has low storage density (~0.18 GJ m⁻³), latent heat storage holds nearly 2.5 times more energy than a conventional water tank (150–200 kJ kg⁻¹), and thermochemical storage achieves the highest density (~1.8 GJ m⁻³) with very low standby losses, making it suitable for seasonal use. Among nonthermal options, lithium-ion batteries deliver 85%–95% round-trip efficiency, supercapacitors exceed 90% over 30,000 cycles, and pumped hydro sustains 70%–85% at grid scale. Overall, hybrid systems integrating thermal, electrochemical, hydrogen, and mechanical pathways offer the most promising route to dispatchable renewable power.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70250","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149146882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"AVA-MAPbI3 Cap-and-Root Islands on Mesoporous TiO2 Toward Neutral-Color Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells in Agrivoltaics","authors":"Salvatore Valastro,&nbsp;Gaetano Calogero,&nbsp;Emanuele Smecca,&nbsp;Giovanni Mannino,&nbsp;Valentina Arena,&nbsp;Ioannis Deretzis,&nbsp;Corrado Bongiorno,&nbsp;Salvatore Ethan Panasci,&nbsp;Filippo Giannazzo,&nbsp;Miriam Distefano,&nbsp;Giovanni Avola,&nbsp;Ezio Riggi,&nbsp;Antonino La Magna,&nbsp;Alessandra Alberti","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70278","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70278","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Semi-transparent perovskite solar cells offer a route to agrivoltaics, combining electricity generation with controlled light transmission for crop cultivation. However, conventional perovskite films preferentially absorb blue photons, producing redshifted transmitted spectra that can affect plant photophysiology. This work presents quasi-neutral-color semi-transparent perovskite films based on AVA-MAPbI₃ islands rooted in mesoporous TiO₂ (mp-TiO₂). This architecture localizes absorption within the islands while ensuring spectrally balanced, visually neutral transmitted light and efficient charge extraction via the extended perovskite/mp-TiO₂ interface. Films are fabricated through a one-step, antisolvent-free process where controlled de-wetting and crystallization form islands anchored to the mp-TiO₂ scaffold. Island coverage and size are tuned via spin-coating speed and annealing temperature. Using HTL-free carbon-based architecture as a testbed, perovskite coverage is identified as the main factor governing the transmittance-efficiency trade-off. Photocurrent scaling with coverage and conductive AFM measurements suggest that each island behaves as an independent photogeneration unit. Year-long outdoor simulations at 37.3°N project that a device with an ideal transparent cathode can reach 4.50% efficiency and generate 116.38 kWh m⁻² year⁻¹, sufficient to power energy-intensive greenhouses. Lettuce grown under an LED-simulated perovskite spectrum showed uncompromised biomass, pigments, leaf nitrogen-carbon content, and carbon/nitrogen ratio, supporting perovskite island-based photovoltaics for agrivoltaic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70278","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149068277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrogel Separator Membrane to Preserve Soil Microbial Fuel Cells Operation Under Hydric Stress","authors":"Júlia Mingot,&nbsp;Sonia Lanzalaco,&nbsp;Elaine Armelin","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70248","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70248","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study demonstrated one new concept in single-compartment soil microbial fuel cells (s-MFCs) to save tap water irrigation required to preserve the battery working for prolonged periods. The study employed poly(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) as thermosensitive and super-hydrophilic hydrogels to retain the soil humidity. Under soil moisture stress, caused by natural or forced drying conditions (three scenarios tested), the battery operation autonomy gradually decayed, at a lower speed than MFC single-chamber without hydrogel membrane. In extreme heating conditions, i.e., reaching temperatures above the PNIPAAm/PVA LCST (32–33 °C), even though both cells had similar soil volumetric humidity of 14%–17% after 28 days of device operation, the hydrogel-based s-MFC reached a maximum power density of 0.071 μW/cm² and current density of 1.24 μA/cm², whereas the pristine cell remained with values relatively inferior (0.043 μW/cm² and current density of 0.88 μA/cm²). The sensors installed in the soil, close to the separator hydrogel membrane, proved that temperature, humidity and volumetric conductivities were stable over 28 days in the hydrogel-based biobattery. Altogether, the superabsorbent hydrogel copolymer showed a capability for a gradual battery hydration, which represents a step-forward in s-MFC field for future investigations with such thermoresponsive materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70248","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149048274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Computational Design of Transition-Metal-Doped C2O Monolayers for Efficient and High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage","authors":"Afsal S. Shajahan,&nbsp;Manikandan Kandasamy,&nbsp;Erica Smith,&nbsp;Tanveer Hussain,&nbsp;Brahmananda Chakraborty","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70273","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present work demonstrates the impressive H₂ storage performance of the experimentally synthesized C₂O monolayer decorated with selected transition metals (TMs), namely Sc, Ti, and V. The transition metals are strongly adsorbed on C₂O, with all three, Sc, Ti, and V, exhibiting robust and stable anchoring. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations confirm the structural stability of the TM-doped C₂O systems up to 600 K, while their dynamical stability is verified through phonon calculations. Furthermore, nudged elastic band calculations reveal substantial energy barriers for metal migration (Sc = 2.47 eV, Ti = 2.48 eV, and V = 2.37 eV), indicating the absence of metal aggregation and clustering effects. Electronic structure calculations reveal that pristine C₂O is semiconducting (2.06 eV), whereas TM incorporation induces metallic behavior with enhanced conductivity. The TM-decorated C₂O monolayer efficiently adsorbs up to five H₂ molecules per metal site through synergistic electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. Remarkably, the Sc-, Ti-, and V-decorated C₂O monolayers deliver theoretical gravimetric hydrogen storage capacities of 8.69, 8.47, and 6.72 wt%, respectively, all exceeding the 5.50 wt% benchmark set by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for 2025. At full hydrogenation, the average H₂ adsorption energies are calculated to be −0.26, −0.47, and −0.21 eV per H₂ molecule for Sc-, Ti-, and V-doped C₂O systems, respectively. Storage properties under fuel-cell operating conditions are evaluated in terms of H₂ uptake and occupation number using the canonical partition function. The corresponding desorption temperature analysis further confirms the reversibility and practical viability of hydrogen storage in these systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70273","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149048300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Comprehensive Review of Quantum Dots/Metal–Organic Framework-Based Composites for Hydrogen Production and Wastewater Treatment","authors":"Sheriff A. Balogun,&nbsp;Daniel Masekela,&nbsp;Kabelo E. Ramohlola,&nbsp;Kwena D. Modibane","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70275","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The growing global demand for sustainable energy and clean water has accelerated the development of advanced multifunctional materials capable of addressing both challenges simultaneously. In this review, we present a comprehensive and integrated overview of quantum dots/metal–organic frameworks (QDs/MOFs) composites as emerging catalysts for hydrogen production and wastewater remediation. Various synthesis strategies, including in situ growth, post-synthetic incorporation, encapsulation, and self-assembly methods, are critically discussed in relation to their influence on interfacial interactions and catalytic performance. The review further highlights the performance of these composites in photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reactions, emphasizing enhanced solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies, improved conductivity, and optimized active site utilization. In parallel, their application in photocatalytic water remediation is explored, where efficient generation of reactive oxygen species enables the degradation of organic pollutants, heavy metals, and microbial contaminants. Finally, strategies for performance enhancement—including band structure engineering, defect engineering, co-catalyst incorporation, and process optimization—are discussed. This work provides a unified perspective on the design and application of QDs/MOFs composites, offering insights into their potential for scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions in energy conversion and environmental remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70275","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149047866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aqueous Processing of Ni-Rich Layered Oxides: Impact of Native Surface Layer on Crystal Water and Feasible Sulfate-Based Processing Additive Strategies","authors":"Simon Albers,&nbsp;Jens Timmermann,&nbsp;Marcel Heidbuechel,&nbsp;Stephen L. Dorn,&nbsp;Stefan van Wickeren,&nbsp;Julius Buchmann,&nbsp;Ardavan Makvandi,&nbsp;Martin Peterlechner,&nbsp;Gerhard Wilde,&nbsp;Anna I. Gerlitz,&nbsp;Dominik Voigt,&nbsp;Martin Winter,&nbsp;Johannes Kasnatscheew","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70269","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aqueous processing of conventional Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes (here LiNi_0.83Co_0.12Mn_0.05O₂, NCM) can be a sustainable alternative to conventional organic solvent-based processing. However, the LiOH-based native surface layer of NCM dissolves in water and increases pH of the electrode paste, which can cause Al corrosion after slurry coating on the current collector. In contrast, a decreased pH via, e.g., acid addition increases risk of NCM dissolution. Here, this dilemma is partly circumvented via a decreased acid exposure, i.e., by adding H₂SO₄ directly before the slurry coating, which also yields the literature-known Li₂SO₄ surface layer on final NCM. The mechanism of this beneficial measure is further investigated by systematically varying the cations of the sulfates as slurry additives. Without these processing additives, the recrystallization of LiOH in course of drying is concluded to deposit as inhomogeneous agglomerates, which increases content of detrimental crystal water. The addition of Li₂SO₄, Na₂SO₄, or MgSO₄ as slurry additives—contrary to sulfates with, e.g., Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Mn²⁺, Al³⁺—are shown to suppress the detrimental LiOH agglomerates as these cations are better soluble with OH⁻ and can effectively interfere with the detrimental LiOH recrystallization process in the final, i.e., almost solvent-free, drying stage within the cathode composite.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70269","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148994623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ambient-Synthesized Tin-Based Single and Double Perovskite Additives for High-Efficiency and Long-Term-Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells","authors":"Rachel Anne E. Lagunay,&nbsp;Ayagoz Ibrayeva,&nbsp;Zulfiya Imanbekova,&nbsp;Annie Ng,&nbsp;Bakhytzhan Baptayev,&nbsp;Mannix P. Balanay","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70272","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study presents novel tin-based perovskites as multifunctional additives for liquid electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), enabling significant improvements in photovoltaic performance and operational stability. Single- and double-cation tin-based perovskites (Pe and Ca-Pe) were synthesized under ambient conditions using the ligand-assisted reprecipitation method and subsequently incorporated into conventional liquid electrolytes. These perovskite additives effectively address traditional DSSC challenges, including limited long-term stability and suboptimal charge transport. Electrochemical characterization revealed that incorporating Pe and Ca-Pe significantly enhances ionic conductivity and reduces charge-transfer resistance at the electrode–electrolyte interface, resulting in improved charge-transport kinetics. Under standard AM 1.5G illumination, DSSCs employing LE + Pe achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.55%, while LE + Ca-Pe devices delivered a superior PCE of 10.99% and a short-circuit current density of 19.38 mA cm⁻². Long-term stability testing at 23 °C demonstrated excellent durability, with LE + Ca-Pe-based devices retaining 96.6% of their initial efficiency after 720 h of continuous operation. The benefits extended to indoor illumination (6097 Lx), where LE + Pe and LE + Ca-Pe devices achieved PCEs of 25.45% and 26.09%, respectively, surpassing baseline devices. These results demonstrate that tin-based perovskite additives offer a promising pathway toward high-performance DSSCs for both outdoor and indoor energy-harvesting applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70272","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148994622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modulation of Thermal and Dielectric Properties in Poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinyl ether)s via Alkyl Side-Chain Length Variation","authors":"Can H. Zimmerli,&nbsp;Malte S. Beccard,&nbsp;Thulasinath Raman Venkatesan,&nbsp;Joseph Lumba,&nbsp;Dorina M. Opris","doi":"10.1002/aesr.70271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aesr.70271","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;The chemical structure of a polymer matrix fundamentally governs its macroscopic thermal, mechanical, and dielectric performance. High dielectric permittivity (&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;ε&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;′&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;$varepsilon &amp;#x0027;$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt;) polymers are essential for transducers, and introducing strongly polar nitrile groups effectively elevates &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;ε&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;′&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;$varepsilon &amp;#x0027;$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt;. However, standard nitrile polymers face key trade-offs: polyacrylonitrile features a high glass transition temperature (&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;g&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;$T_{mathrm g}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt;) that inhibits dipolar polarization at room temperature (RT), while copolymerizing acrylonitrile (AN) with butadiene yields materials prone to aging. Copolymerizing AN with vinyl ethers (VE) offers a promising solution, yet the influence of lateral alkyl substituents on these systems has not been systematically studied. Herein, we synthesized a series of poly(AN-&lt;i&gt;co&lt;/i&gt;-VE) copolymers with varying alkyl side-chain lengths and, by systematically tuning the VE side-chain length, macrostructural behavior was tailored from rigid plastics to soft elastomers. The resulting copolymers exhibited &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;T&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;g&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msub&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;$T_{mathrm g}$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt; values spanning 5–45 °C and RT &lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;math&gt;\u0000 &lt;semantics&gt;\u0000 &lt;mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;mi&gt;ε&lt;/mi&gt;\u0000 &lt;mo&gt;′&lt;/mo&gt;\u0000 &lt;/msup&gt;\u0000 &lt;/mrow&gt;\u0000 &lt;annotation&gt;$varepsilon &amp;#x0027;$&lt;/annotation&gt;\u0000 &lt;/semantics&gt;&lt;/math&gt; values between 3.7 and 13.7 (at 1 Hz). Blending with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide yielded an ionic conductivity of 4.4 × 10&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt; S/cm at 60 °C. Furthermore, a representative crosslinked formulation demonstrated a high dielectric breakdown strength exceeding 100 V/μm, tensile strains up to 200%, and shape-memory behavior.&lt;/","PeriodicalId":29794,"journal":{"name":"Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research","volume":"7 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aesr.70271","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149047949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}