Frontiers in Energy最新文献

{"title":"Synergistic d-band center modulation and interfacial charge distribution on a ZrO2/CdS catalyst for solar-driven CO2 conversion","authors":"Shengnan Lan,&nbsp;Hongbin He,&nbsp;Yuqi Ren,&nbsp;Pengyu Fei,&nbsp;Yutong Wu,&nbsp;Jiancheng Zhou,&nbsp;Naixu Li","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1071-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1071-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction for solar fuel production is a critical technology enabling carbon cycling and efficient renewable energy storage. However, conversion efficiency remains severely limited by bottlenecks such as rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, high activation barriers for CO₂ molecules, and inadequate catalyst stability. To overcome these challenges, this study constructed an <i>in situ</i> ZrO₂ nanoparticle protective layer on CdS nanospheres, yielding a ZrO₂/CdS-20 (ZOCS-20) core-shell composite photocatalyst. Under light conditions, this catalyst demonstrated exceptional performance, with a CO production rate of 330.23 µmol/(g·h) and near 100% CO selectivity. Systematic characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the underlying enhancement mechanism. The core-shell heterostructure suppresses charge recombination through interfacial engineering, significantly improving charge separation efficiency and carrier transport kinetics while enhancing material stability. Crucially, strong electron coupling at the ZrO₂/CdS interface shifts the d-band center of catalyst toward the Fermi level, strengthening CO₂ chemisorption and lowering its activation barrier. The optimized electronic interface also reduces the energy barrier for forming the *COOH intermediate, substantially decreasing activation energy of the rate-determining step (RDS) and providing additional thermodynamic driving force. This work elucidates an interface-band synergy enhancement mechanism, offering both theoretical insights and experimental guidance for the design of efficient photocatalytic materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148008719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Localization of high-entropy metal oxide in iron oxide nanoparticles for efficient oxygen evolution reaction","authors":"Liang Qiu,&nbsp;Baowen Zhou,&nbsp;Ying Li,&nbsp;Muhammad Imran Abdullah,&nbsp;Zhaosong Wu,&nbsp;Jianqing Chen,&nbsp;Wanglan Zhou,&nbsp;Tingting Ren,&nbsp;Yuqi Wang,&nbsp;Zhen Huang","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1067-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1067-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of efficient, durable, and cost-effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is essential for advancing renewable energy technologies. Herein, a novel strategy is reported that spatially confines a nanoscale localized high-entropy oxide (LHEO) consisting of Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, and Mn within α-Fe₂O₃, forming a unique α-Fe₂O₃@LHEO nanoarchitecture. The catalyst exhibits outstanding OER performance for alkaline water splitting, achieving a current density of 10 mA/cm² at a low overpotential of 229 mV with a small Tafel slope of 34.4 mV/dec, significantly outperforming commercial RuO₂ (326 mV, 118.8 mV/dec). It also shows excellent long-term stability over 1000 h at 100 mA/cm² without notable activity degradation. Applied in rechargeable zinc–air batteries with natural seawater, the α-Fe₂O₃@LHEO cathode delivers a high power density of 88.3 mW/cm² and stable operation over 600 cycles, substantially surpassing the benchmark Ru-Pt electrocatalyst (74.7 mW/cm², 170 cycles). Combined experimental and theoretical studies reveal that LHEO induces lattice strain in α-Fe₂O₃, modulates its electronic structure, and lowers the crystal field splitting energy to stabilize high-spin Fe³⁺. These effects enhance metallic character for efficient charge transfer and optimize the adsorption/desorption of key oxygen reaction intermediates, thus shifting the OER pathway from the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) to the more energetically favorable lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM) with the energy barrier reduced from 1.85 to 1.71 eV. Overall, this work proposes a novel localized high-entropy engineering approach that overcomes key bottlenecks in designing efficient and durable OER electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11708-026-1067-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148783476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Techno-economic and life-cycle assessment comparisons of hydrogen delivery options","authors":"Alessandro Arrigoni,&nbsp;Tatiana D’Agostini,&nbsp;Francesco Dolci,&nbsp;Eveline Weidner","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1069-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1069-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11708-026-1069-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148783473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photocatalytic valorization of biomass and plastics: A critical review focusing on bond-selective activation","authors":"Ying Li,&nbsp;Guangyu Chen,&nbsp;Jieying Lin,&nbsp;Wanbing Gong,&nbsp;Yujie Xiong","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1064-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1064-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The transition from a linear economy to a circular carbon economy urgently requires sustainable and efficient technologies for converting non-fossil biomass and waste plastics into fuels and high-value chemicals. Solar-driven photocatalytic technology has emerged as a promising strategy due to its mild reaction conditions and potential for selective transformation, which addresses the limitations of traditional recycling and conversion methods (e.g., high energy consumption, harsh conditions, and poor selectivity). However, current photocatalytic valorization systems still suffer from insufficient activity and selectivity, mainly due to the inability to precisely regulate reaction pathways. Considering that selective bond activation (especially C–H and C–C bond activation) is the key determinant, this review focuses on the photocatalytic valorization of biomass and plastics, classifies reaction pathways based on dominant bond selectivity, and mainly emphasizes the contrast between C–H and C–C bond activation. This classification approach overcomes the limitations of traditional substrate-based classification, providing new insights for the rational design of highly selective photocatalytic systems to realize the valorization of biomass and waste plastics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147938395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stabilizing the Li metal–electrolyte interface: Electrolyte design strategies and synergistic optimization","authors":"Xiongwu Dong,&nbsp;Liang Chen,&nbsp;Xufeng Zhou,&nbsp;Zhaoping Liu","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1063-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1063-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Li metal batteries (LMBs), owing to their high theoretical specific energy, are considered a crucial development direction for future high-energy-density battery systems. However, the high reactivity of the Li metal anode leads to extreme electrochemical and chemical instability at the interface with the electrolyte. This instability triggers detrimental effects, including Li dendrite growth, repeated cracking and reformation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and continuous irreversible consumption of both active Li and electrolyte. Therefore, designing high-performance electrolytes to precisely regulate interfacial chemistry has become one of the core strategies for advancing the practical application of LMBs. Significant progress has recently been made in stabilizing the Li metal–electrolyte interface (Li-electrolyte interface) through strategies including additives, weakly solvating electrolytes (WSEs), high-concentration/localized high-concentration electrolytes (HCEs/LHCEs), and novel molecular design. Nevertheless, these advanced strategies and their corresponding stabilization mechanisms have not yet been systematically organized. To address this gap, this review focuses on four core electrolyte design strategies and systematically summarizes their mechanisms for stabilizing the Li-electrolyte interface. Building on this foundation, it discusses the inherent limitations of individual electrolyte design strategies. It then focuses on the potential of synergistic electrolyte design to achieve a more electrochemically stable Li-electrolyte interface. Finally, it proposes future research directions requiring key focus for existing electrolyte design strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147796791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial for the special issue on beyond fossil fuels: Solar refinery for carbon recycling","authors":"Baowen Zhou,&nbsp;Ding Wang,&nbsp;Jin Zhong Zhang,&nbsp;Yujie Xiong,&nbsp;Seong-Ju Hwang,&nbsp;Ying Zhou,&nbsp;Hui Zhou,&nbsp;Xu Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1066-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1066-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147938560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ammonia thermal atmosphere compression ignition engine: Stable combustion mechanism and intake control strategy","authors":"Rui Yang,&nbsp;Shouzhen Zhang,&nbsp;Jiuling Sun,&nbsp;Zongyu Yue,&nbsp;Hu Wang,&nbsp;Leilei Xu,&nbsp;Xue-Song Bai,&nbsp;Mingfa Yao","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1065-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1065-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ammonia is a promising carbon-free fuel for internal combustion engines (ICEs). However, existing research has not yet provided satisfactory solutions for ammonia combustion, a crucial gap that significantly limits its practical application. In this study, ammonia thermal atmosphere compression ignition (TACI) combustion mode was proposed as a promising solution to achieve efficient and clean ammonia diffusion combustion in ICEs. This study investigates the stable combustion mechanism of ammonia spray, the formation characteristics of nitrogen oxides, and the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential of the ammonia TACI combustion mode. Experimental results of the TACI mode demonstrate high thermal efficiency, low NO_<i>x</i> emissions, ultra-low N₂O emissions, and negligible unburned ammonia slip. Intake control strategies, including intake pressure and intake temperature, are explored to further improve the ammonia substitution ratio (ASR) and GHG reduction performance. Intake air heating significantly improves the ASR, but must be coupled with high intake pressure to ensure sufficient oxygen supply. The combined strategy of intake air heating and high intake pressure increases the ASR by 17% and the GHG reduction ratio by 9%. Under medium-load conditions, this approach achieves an ASR over 80% and GHG reduction exceeding 70%, meeting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2040 GHG reduction target.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147829853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atomic-layer-deposited hydrophobic-zincophilic Pd/g-C3N4 coating for ultra-stable aqueous Zn batteries","authors":"Ziying Shi,&nbsp;Huimin Sang,&nbsp;Shaobo Li,&nbsp;Feng Yuan,&nbsp;Xianghong Liu,&nbsp;Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1061-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1061-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as promising candidates for large-scale energy storage systems in the post-lithium era, owing to their inherent safety and cost-effectiveness. However, their practical implementation faces significant challenges, including chemical corrosion, uncontrolled dendrite formation, and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). To address these limitations, an innovative “hydrophobic-zincophilic” Pd/g-C₃N₄ composite coating was developed for Zn anodes by atomic-layer-deposition (ALD). The g-C₃N₄ matrix serves as an ion flux regulator, while uniformly dispersed Pd nanoparticles function as zincophilic nucleation sites, enabling homogeneous Zn deposition. <i>In situ</i> optical characterization demonstrates the coating’s dual functionality: the hydrophobic component effectively minimizes water contact, while the zincophilic phase guides ordered Zn plating, jointly suppressing parasitic reactions. The modified Pd/g-C₃N₄@Zn anode achieves exceptional cycling stability (&gt; 2500 h) and maintains a remarkable Coulombic efficiency of 99.56% over 5000 cycles at 2 A/g, representing a significant advancement in AZIB anode engineering. This work provides a generalizable interfacial design strategy for developing high-performance AZIB systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147737346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of CoP/Co2P heterojunctions on hollow carbon rods as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting","authors":"Jinli Yao,&nbsp;Lingfei Li,&nbsp;Haishan Liu,&nbsp;Kaili Wang,&nbsp;Shu-Qi Deng,&nbsp;Wei Yan,&nbsp;Jiujun Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1062-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1062-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of efficient and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production. In this work, a nitrogen-rich porous Co-MOF precursor was employed to synthesize heterostructured CoP/Co2P catalysts supported on nitrogen-phosphorus co-doped hollow carbon nanorods (CoP/Co₂P@NC-T-<i>x</i>P). The interfacial coupling between CoP and Co₂P within the catalyst facilitates rapid electron transfer and optimizes the adsorption/desorption behavior of reaction intermediates, thereby enhancing the catalytic reaction kinetics for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the interfacial effect in the CoP/Co₂P heterojunction can modulate the catalyst’s electronic structure, thereby optimizing the Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption (Δ<i>G</i>_H*). Furthermore, the metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived hollow carbon support promotes electrolyte infiltration, exposes abundant active sites, and shortens the mass transport pathways for reactive species. Electrochemically, the CoP/Co₂P@NC-400-10P catalyst exhibits outstanding performance in alkaline media, achieving overpotentials as low as 127.6 mV for HER and 279.4 mV for OER at a current density of 10 mA/cm². Moreover, a CoP/Co₂P@NC-400-10P∥CoP/Co₂P@NC-400-10P electrolyzer requires only 1.73 V to deliver a current density of 100 mA/cm² for overall water splitting and demonstrates excellent durability over 100 h without significant voltage degradation. This work highlights the effective synergy between the MOF-derived heterojunction structure and the hollow carbon architecture in designing highly efficient electrocatalysts, and provides a valuable reference for the development of other low-cost, high-activity bifunctional electrocatalysts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147737614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Charge-engineered Pt for sustained hydrogen generation and high-purity Mg(OH)2 co-production in direct seawater electrolysis","authors":"Huxiao Wang,&nbsp;Tianyi Kou","doi":"10.1007/s11708-026-1057-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11708-026-1057-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The teams of Lu and Tian reported a halide ion modification strategy that endows a Pt cathode with strong anti-scaling capability while sustaining an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction during direct seawater electrolysis. The surface-bound halide ligand optimizes *H adsorption on adjacent Pt sites to boost Heyrovsky step and repels interfacial OH⁻ to shift the local pH maximum into the bulk electrolyte. These combined effects drive continuous hydrogen generation and high-purity Mg(OH)₂ precipitation without observable decay in a long-term stability measurement at 100 mA cm⁻² in direct seawater electrolysis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":570,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Energy","volume":"20 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}