Joule最新文献

{"title":"Vacuum-driven precrystallization enables efficient all-perovskite tandem solar cells","authors":"Mingyu Li ,&nbsp;Jun Yan ,&nbsp;Afei Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinzhao Zhao ,&nbsp;Xuke Yang ,&nbsp;Shuwen Yan ,&nbsp;Ning Ma ,&nbsp;Tianjun Ma ,&nbsp;Dingfu Luo ,&nbsp;Zhenhua Chen ,&nbsp;Luying Li ,&nbsp;Xiong Li ,&nbsp;Chao Chen ,&nbsp;Haisheng Song ,&nbsp;Jiang Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101825","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101825","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The power conversion efficiency of all-perovskite tandem solar cells (TSCs) suffers from inferior film quality and the susceptible fabrication processes of lead-tin narrow band-gap (Pb-Sn NBG) perovskite subcells. Herein, we developed a robust vacuum-driven precrystallization (VDP) strategy for high-quality Pb-Sn NBG perovskite films. Compared with traditional anti-solvent methods, the present precrystallization step could significantly retard the perovskite crystallization process by mild vacuum pumping. The above evolution process was quantitatively studied for the perovskite intermediate phase (PIP). The slow solvent extraction of the VDP strategy promotes a low surface energy of (100) plane-oriented precrystallization and provides sufficient time for grain ripening. The obtained Pb-Sn perovskite presented overall texture homogeneity and high crystallinity. The resulting all-perovskite TSCs yielded a top certified efficiency of 28.87% (28.09%) under reverse (forward) scan. Our VDP strategy promises efficient perovskite TSCs and contributes a key step toward robust and scalable photovoltaic technology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101825"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083875","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":"Quantitative electrolyte engineering for Zn-based aqueous batteries","authors":"Hongrun Jin ,&nbsp;Dongyuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Dongliang Chao","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101917","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101917","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantitative descriptors in electrolyte engineering facilitate the rational design of Zn-based aqueous batteries (ZABs). In a recent issue of <em>Joule</em>, Wang et al. proposed comprehensive criteria for selecting organic molecules for ZABs electrolytes. This preview summarizes the key criteria in electrolyte engineering and provides insights into the development of ZABs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101917"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834050","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":"Spinodal decomposition promoting high thermoelectric performance in half-Heusler","authors":"Sichen Duan ,&nbsp;Xin Bao ,&nbsp;Jiawei Huang ,&nbsp;Rongpei Shi ,&nbsp;Linfeng Fei ,&nbsp;Wenhua Xue ,&nbsp;Honghao Yao ,&nbsp;Xiaofang Li ,&nbsp;Jian Wang ,&nbsp;Xingjun Liu ,&nbsp;Jun Mao ,&nbsp;Feng Cao ,&nbsp;Yumei Wang ,&nbsp;Qian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101854","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101854","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spinodal decomposition typically manifests in partially miscible solid solutions in relevant phase diagrams as primarily dictated by the underlying thermodynamics, which is viewed as a powerful means for enhancing thermoelectric performance. Yet, the incomplete ternary phase diagrams of thermoelectric materials pose a challenge for microstructure design via spinodal decomposition. In addition, experimental investigation of microstructure evolution upon spinodal decomposition in thermoelectric alloys is rare, and its influence on electron and phonon transport remains largely unexplored. Herein, we constructed the (Ti, Zr, Hf)NiSn phase diagram experimentally, revealing a miscibility gap within 973–1,273 K. Spinodal decomposition with anisotropic composition modulation was observed in Ti_0.5Zr_0.25Hf_0.25NiSn_0.99Sb_0.01 by <em>in situ</em> transmission electron microscopy. The phase-field simulation further elucidates the microstructure evolution upon spinodal decomposition and provides insights into the generation of dislocations during further heat treatment. The annealing process not only induces dense dislocation arrays formed by spinodal evolution but also homogenizes the multiphase to facilitate electron transport. Consequently, a record-high average <em>zT</em> of ∼1.1 between 300 and 973 K has been realized in n-type Ti_0.5Zr_0.25Hf_0.25NiSn_0.99Sb_0.01. Importantly, the half-Heusler module achieves a maximum conversion efficiency of ∼12% and an output power density of ∼3.7 W cm⁻² at a temperature difference of 653 K. This “double-high” result outperforms all of the current devices. Our results highlight spinodal decomposition as an effective avenue to advance materials for highly efficient thermoelectric power generation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101854"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143560950","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":"Active support of γ-Mo2N and α-MoC for sustainable hydrogen production","authors":"Hai Wang ,&nbsp;Feng-Shou Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent issues of <em>Nature</em> and <em>Science</em>, Ma and colleagues demonstrate novel catalytic strategies for hydrogen production from alcohol reforming over γ-Mo₂N and α-MoC supported metal catalysts, achieving excellent performance, even at near-zero carbon dioxide emission. These studies emphasize the importance of γ-Mo₂N and α-MoC for sustainable hydrogen production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101918"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833338","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":"An inconvenient truth of thermal nonreciprocity’s impact on radiative cooling efficiency","authors":"Mengqi Liu ,&nbsp;Shenghao Jin ,&nbsp;Chenglong Zhou ,&nbsp;Boxiang Wang ,&nbsp;Changying Zhao ,&nbsp;Cheng-Wei Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101887","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101887","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Mengqi Liu received her bachelor’s degree in energy and power engineering from Shandong University in 2016 and a joint PhD degree in engineering thermophysics from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2022. Now, she is a postdoctoral researcher at SJTU and a visiting scholar at NUS. Her research interests include micro/nanoscale thermal radiation, nonreciprocal thermal photonics, topological properties in thermal photoncis, metamaterials energy devices, etc.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Shenghao Jin obtained his bachelor’s degree at the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Dalian University of Technology, China. He is currently a PhD student in the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics at SJTU, China. His research interests include the design of colorful radiative cooling devices, smart windows, electrochromic display, and efficient dynamic spectrum engineering.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Chenglong Zhou obtained his bachelor’s degree in energy and power engineering from Harbin Engineering University, a master’s degree in engineering thermophysics from Harbin Institute of Technology, and a PhD from Harbin Institute of Technology. After that, he joined the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, in 2024, where he is currently working as an associate researcher. He works in the near-field radiative heat transfer, aiming to address the constraints imposed by the blackbody radiation limit and the challenges in precise regulation of radiative energy utilization within novel energy systems.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Boxiang Wang received a BS degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2012 and then a PhD from SJTU in 2018. Then he worked successively as a postdoctoral researcher (2018–2021), an assistant professor (2021–2022), and then an associate professor (2022–2024) at the same university. After that, he joined Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a young professor and the principal investigator of SIMIT Thermal Radiation Group. His research interests include nanoscale thermal radiation, nanophotonics, micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensors, smart windows and radiative cooling.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Changying Zhao is the chair professor and the director of the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of SJTU. His research covers micro/nanoscale thermal radiation and metamaterial energy devices, advanced thermal energy storage and hydrogen storage, and heat transfer in porous media. He has published over 300 papers in peer-reviewed high-quality journals with over 20,000 citations in total. His contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards, including a 2023 William Begell Medal and 2024 Prominent Research Award. He is the editor-in-chief of &lt;em&gt;Carbon Neutrality&lt;/em&gt;, an associate editor of &lt;em&gt;Thermal Science and Engineering Progress&lt;/em&gt;, and an editorial board member of several other international journals.&lt;/d","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101887"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143767050","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":"Unlocking battery lifetime potential","authors":"Jia Guo ,&nbsp;Gregory James Offer","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101886","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101886","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Battery cycling protocols are critical for battery performance evaluation and application. In a recent issue of <em>Nature Energy</em>, Onori et al. showed that compared to constant-current discharge with the same average current, batteries discharging under dynamic cycling protocols achieved 38% longer battery lifetime. This suggests typical lab experiments may be significantly over-estimating battery degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101886"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834051","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":"Surface chemistry-induced reconstruction of inorganic perovskites for efficient and stable inverted solar cells","authors":"Tianfei Xu ,&nbsp;Shengzhong Liu ,&nbsp;Sang Il Seok ,&nbsp;Wanchun Xiang","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metal halide inorganic perovskites, known for their excellent thermal stability and ideal bandgaps, have shown tremendous potential for high-performance tandem solar cells. However, the performance of inorganic perovskite solar cells with inverted structures remains far from practical usage due to undesirable interfaces. Herein, we report that the introduction of benzyl chloromethyl sulfide can <em>in situ</em> induce surface chemical reactions, forming a new phase on the inorganic perovskite surface and incorporating chloride to coordinate with surface lead. These dual functions fundamentally optimize the interfacial charge transfer, resulting in a considerable increase in device power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 18.50% to 20.82% (certified 20.20%). More importantly, the treated solar cell demonstrates outstanding operational stability by tracking at maximum power point under continuous 1-sun illumination, preserving 90% of its PCE for over 3,000 h. By contrast, the reference devices drop to 48% in 1,500 h.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101826"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143077397","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":"Grain selection growth of soft metal in electrochemical processes","authors":"Minghao Zhang ,&nbsp;Karnpiwat Tantratian ,&nbsp;So-Yeon Ham ,&nbsp;Zhuo Wang ,&nbsp;Mehdi Chouchane ,&nbsp;Ryosuke Shimizu ,&nbsp;Shuang Bai ,&nbsp;Hedi Yang ,&nbsp;Zhao Liu ,&nbsp;Letian Li ,&nbsp;Amir Avishai ,&nbsp;Lei Chen ,&nbsp;Ying Shirley Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101847","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101847","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soft metals like lithium and sodium play a critical role in battery technology owing to their high-energy density. Texture formation by grain selection growth of soft metals during electrochemical processes is a crucial factor affecting power and safety. Here, a general thermodynamic theory and phase-field model are formulated to study the grain selection growth of soft metals. Our study focuses on the interplay between surface energy and atomic mobility-related intrinsic strain energy in grain selection growth. Differences in grain selection growth arise from the anisotropy in surface energy and the diffusion barrier of soft metal atoms. Our findings highlight the kinetic limitations of solid-state Li metal batteries, which originate from load stress-induced surface energy anisotropy. These insights lead to the development of an amorphous Li_xSi_1−x (0.50 &lt; x &lt; 0.79) seed layer, improving the critical current density at room temperature for anode-free Li solid-state batteries through the control of grain selection growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101847"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143375525","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":"Electrolyte design for aqueous Zn batteries","authors":"Jiyun Heo ,&nbsp;Dejian Dong ,&nbsp;Zeyi Wang ,&nbsp;Fu Chen ,&nbsp;Chunsheng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polarity scales are often used as descriptors for selecting organic molecules for aqueous Zn battery (AZB) electrolytes. However, failure to accurately predict the solvation of Zn²⁺ raises questions about their applicability for designing high-performance AZB electrolytes. Here, Dimroth and Richardt’s Et(30) polarity scale is introduced as an effective guideline for screening organic molecules. A clear volcanic correlation is demonstrated between Et(30) and Zn Coulombic efficiency (CE). This challenges the common consensus in the aqueous electrolyte design formula, which typically uses highly polar organic molecules to improve Zn CE, and indicates that the roles of organic molecules beyond altering the Zn²⁺ solvation structure are critical for obtaining high AZB performances. Based on the Et(30) scale, the designed electrolyte achieves a high average Zn CE (99.8%), an exceptionally long cycle life (5,500 h), and a high specific energy (110 Wh kg⁻¹). Et(30) polarity scale offers general frameworks for selecting organic molecules in aqueous electrolytes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101844"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143084020","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":"Hydrophobic-unit-regulated hydrogel electrolytes with high water content and low salt concentration for high-voltage aqueous batteries","authors":"Chuan Li ,&nbsp;Tairan Wang ,&nbsp;Ho Chi Joseph Lai ,&nbsp;Se Weon Park ,&nbsp;Wai Yan Kannie Chan ,&nbsp;Qing Li ,&nbsp;Yuwei Zhao ,&nbsp;Jun Fan ,&nbsp;Zengxia Pei ,&nbsp;Chunyi Zhi","doi":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joule.2025.101827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Common aqueous electrolytes with extended electrochemical stability windows (ESWs) have a low water content; thus, water molecules are well confined. However, confinement to metal cations of these aqueous electrolytes, which leads to poor compatibility with available metal-ion charge carriers, has been overlooked. We demonstrated that hydrogel electrolytes with high water content and low salt concentration exhibit wide ESWs through effective water interactions. Moreover, these electrolytes have well-suppressed confinement to metal cations, leading to high battery performance and excellent compatibility with charge carriers. The fabricated hydrophobic-unit-regulated hydrogel electrolyte (HHE) features trace amounts of hydrophobic moieties, which disperse evenly in the HHEs. The hydrophobicity in the vicinity of hydrophilic groups enhances their hydrogen bond strength with water molecules, resulting in an ESW of 3.3 V at a water concentration of 68 wt %. The 2.3, 1.9, and 1.75 V discharge plateaus were observed in aqueous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂||LiMn₂O₄, Zn||MnO₂, and potassium-ion batteries, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":343,"journal":{"name":"Joule","volume":"9 4","pages":"Article 101827"},"PeriodicalIF":38.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143077398","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}