Energy advances最新文献

{"title":"Fe-functionalised N-doped Ti3C2Tz MXene for the alkaline oxygen reduction reaction","authors":"Luc Bouscarrat, Alex Scrimshire, Paul A. Bingham, Gaurav Gupta, Richard Dawson and Nuno Bimbo","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00371G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00371G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Alkaline fuel cells are promising technologies to decarbonise current energy systems. One of the main advantages they present is that non-expensive metals can be used as catalysts, reducing overall manufacturing costs. A promising family of electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, which is the most difficult reaction in most fuel cell systems, are Fe–N–C catalysts, which have shown performance close to platinum-based catalysts. Coupling these with MXenes is a promising alternative, as MXenes can act as supports that will homogeneously disperse the metal species and catalyse the formation of carbon species that increase performance for the ORR. In this paper, we intercalate Fe species and urea in Ti<small>₃</small>C<small>₂</small>T<small>_<em>z</em></small> MXene and fully characterise the materials using a range of techniques, including Mössbauer spectroscopy. The materials are then tested for the ORR in alkaline media, with one sample (Ti<small>₃</small>C<small>₂</small>-U50-Fe-800) showing excellent performance and stability in 0.1 M KOH, including an onset potential of 0.93 V <em>vs.</em> RHE, an electron transfer number of 3.8 at 0.8 V <em>vs.</em> RHE, a Tafel slope of 66 mV dec<small>⁻¹</small>, and a small shift of 37 mV for the half-wave potential for linear sweep voltammetry before and after 2000 cycles. This performance is attributed to the high nitrogen content that favourably forms pyridinic N species on this sample, and the MXene support, which disperses the Fe species and catalyses the formation of favourable carbon materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 454-466"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00371g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734809","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":"Optimizing carrier collection in solar cells through nanoscale junction design","authors":"Melanie Micali, Raphaël François Lemerle, Anja Tiede, Anna Fontcuberta i Morral and Esther Alarcón-Lladó","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00251F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5YA00251F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A key challenge in thin-film photovoltaics is achieving selective carrier collection that minimizes recombination losses while maintaining efficient charge extraction. This study presents a theoretical analysis of how reducing junction contact area can enhance the open-circuit voltage (<em>V</em><small>_OC</small>) and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) in thin-film solar cells. Using a zinc-phosphide (Zn<small>₃</small>P<small>₂</small>) -based heterojunction as a model, we simulate the effect of geometrically minimizing contact <em>via</em> silicon-dioxide (SiO<small>₂</small>) layers with patterned holes. The smaller the contact area, the lower the reverse saturation current, which results in a significant increase in the <em>V</em><small>_OC</small> up to 100 mV. However, the reduced contact area also increases the series resistance, thereby limiting the gain in PCE. This approach is especially effective with non-absorbing highly-doped transport layers, such as titanium-dioxide (TiO<small>₂</small>) (PCE gain up to 1.45%). This work underscores the importance of balancing reduced recombination with parasitic resistance and current crowding for optimal performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 427-433"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13001637/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147500616","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":"Solid-state batteries: integration-ready separators, quantified interfaces and manufacturable microstructures","authors":"Bora Karasulu, Nella M. Vargas-Barbosa and Pooja Goddard","doi":"10.1039/D6YA90007K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6YA90007K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A graphical abstract is available for this content</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 376-378"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d6ya90007k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734760","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":"Life cycle assessment of grid-scale battery storage: evaluating the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion systems","authors":"Friedrich B. Jasper, Yuhuan Zhou, Hüseyin Ersoy, Manuel J. Baumann, Jens Peters, Dirk Holger Neuhaus and Marcel Weil","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00341E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00341E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The large-scale deployment of stationary battery storage is critical for enabling renewable energy integration, yet life cycle assessments (LCAs) of these systems often overlook the contributions of balance-of-system (BOS) components. This study establishes a life cycle inventory (LCI) model for two container storage systems (CSSs), a liquid-cooled and an air-cooled system. Consequently, a full LCA is carried out with four different cell types, focusing on sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The resource and environmental impacts of all BOS subsystems, including containers, thermal management systems (TMSs), power converters, control systems and auxiliary components, are investigated in detail. The results show that BOS components contribute between 32 and 58% of impacts in global warming potential (GWP) and 63–88% in resource use, minerals and metals, emphasizing their significant role in the sustainability of grid-scale storage. Due to its high demand for copper and steel, a transformer is particularly important in this regard. However, the environmental impact attributable to its production can be reduced through correct dimensioning and adequate recycling. It is further shown that SIBs are competitive with lithium-ion batteries in CSSs with regard to environmental impacts, despite their lower energy densities. By shedding light on previously underexplored system elements, this work provides a robust foundation for more comprehensive LCAs of containerized battery storage solutions and enables more informed design, scaling, and policy decisions for future energy systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 550-570"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00341e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734831","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":"Exploring performance limits toward 20.79% efficiency in 2D-layered Ruddlesden–Popper perovskite solar cells","authors":"Mustafa Kareem, Ethar Yahya Salih, Sampangi Rama Reddy B. R, Praveen Priyaranjan Nayak, Sridharan Sundharam and Sanjeev Kumar","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00364D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00364D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Two-dimensional Ruddlesden–Popper (2DRP) halide perovskites have attracted considerable interest in photovoltaics due to their optoelectronic properties and superior environmental stability. Herein, a 2-(methylthio)ethylamine (MTEA<small>⁺</small>) bulky spacer was introduced as the organic interlayer with sulfur–sulfur bonding, which interacted electrostatically with the inorganic framework to induce the oriented (MTEA)<small>₂</small>(MA)<small>₄</small>Pb<small>₅</small>I<small>₁₆</small> 2DRP perovskite and lattice stabilization. We demonstrated, through numerical simulations, that the performance of 2DRP-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) could be improved by adapting the perovskite film thickness, trap-state density, parasitic resistances, and temperature. Optical analyses revealed that the 2DRP perovskite dominated light-harvesting in the visible spectrum, while charge transport materials remained largely transparent. PSCs with 2DRP (<em>n</em> = 5) showed a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.79% with an outstanding open circuit voltage (<em>V</em><small>_OC</small>) of 1.49 V under standard AM1.5G illumination. Moreover, the proposed simulation predicted potentially improved thermal stability for the optimized device, theoretically retaining 95% of its initial performance. A simulated PCE of 20.79% represented a theoretical upper limit achievable only under optimized charge dynamic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 419-426"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00364d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734764","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":"Mechanistic insights into Li2O2–solvent reactions: water-induced parasitic chemistry in Li–air batteries","authors":"Leonardo H. Baumer, Carmen M. Sinitsyna and Ana E. Torres","doi":"10.1039/D6YA00068A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6YA00068A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Despite being long considered inert, the common electrolyte solvent acetonitrile can actively participate in parasitic reactions that dictate Li–O<small>₂</small> battery efficiency. Identifying how solvents interact with discharge products in solution or on the surface is key to mitigating parasitic reactions and extending battery lifetimes. Herein, we present a theoretical mechanistic study on the lithium peroxide degradation products in acetonitrile in the presence of water as a contaminant. Under these conditions, the oxidation of acetonitrile takes place in solution. According to the cluster model, the surface electronic effects are insufficient to initiate the acetonitrile oxidation reaction. Water as a contaminant in Li–O<small>₂</small>/ACN cells participates in LiOH formation that decomposes by reacting with intermediates to produce the original discharge product Li<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small>, but at the expense of producing the parasitic product acetamide. We proposed a reaction of Li<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small> with water to serve as a prototype for conducting intensive and comprehensive computational analysis aimed at testing different solvents for their use in electrolyte solutions or in surface models for Li–O<small>₂</small> batteries straightforwardly.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 587-596"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d6ya00068a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734777","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":"Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy-based screening of membrane effects via gas diffusion electrode half-cells for PEMFC performance optimization","authors":"Yawen Zhu, Mena-Alexander Kräenbring, Ivan Radev, Ahammed Suhail Odungat, Lars Grebener, Oliver Pasdag, Thai Binh Nguyen, Doris Segets and Fatih Özcan","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00372E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00372E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The widespread commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is constrained by the performance and durability of the polymer electrolyte membrane, a critical bottleneck for gigawatt-scale technology. In traditional PEMFC setups with thin, reinforced membranes, the experimentally measured ohmic resistance (<em>R</em><small>_ohm</small>) typically comprises contributions from contact resistances and high-frequency transport processes. Consequently, membrane thickness cannot be directly obtained as an independent resistance parameter in full-cell measurements. However, this study employed a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) half-cell setup combined with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis to directly assess the membrane-related resistance. Under well-defined and reproducible conditions, this approach enables the separation and quantification of membrane- and interface-related contributions to ohmic, charge-transfer, and mass transport contributions. By comparing a GDE without membrane (true zero-thickness) as baseline to the extrapolated zero-thickness data, we quantify for the first time how membrane insertion itself reconfigures the catalyst layer (CL)/membrane interface, introducing a significant and fundamental baseline resistance. While our results confirm the established principle that total resistance (<em>R</em><small>_total</small>) increases with membrane thickness, the initial membrane insertion – rather than thickness alone – is the primary driver of <em>R</em><small>_ohm</small>. Conversely, membrane thickness is the key factor governing charge-transfer resistance (<em>R</em><small>_ct</small>), whereas mass-transport resistance (<em>R</em><small>_mt</small>) is fundamentally dictated by polymer chemistry and operating conditions. Beyond demonstrating the well-established GDE half-cell concept, this study establishes a quantitative, thickness-resolved framework for isolating and characterising membrane-induced resistances, offering mechanistic insights to guide rational membrane and electrode design for advanced PEMFCs.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 434-447"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00372e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734766","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":"Graphene oxide precursor effects on 3D-printed carbon scaffolds","authors":"Megan C. Freyman, Xinzhe Xue, Dun Lin, Yat Li, Marcus Worsley and Swetha Chandrasekaran","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00116A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00116A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Manganese oxide (MnO<small>₂</small>), an earth-abundant material, is a promising component for energy storage devices, with uses in both pseudocapacitors and batteries. However, high MnO<small>₂</small> loading often leads to reduced performance due to poor ion diffusion. 3D printing, particularly using the direct ink writing (DIW) technique, offers a solution by enabling the fabrication of electrodes with hierarchical porous structures and open channels that enhance mass transport and ion diffusion. Previous work demonstrated that 3D-printed graphene aerogels with MnO<small>₂</small> coatings exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, even with thick electrodes, due to their optimized structure. Building on this work, the current study investigates the performance differences between aerogels developed using graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as carbon precursors. Both materials were incorporated into thixotropic inks, 3D-printed into lattice structures, and carbonized. Despite expected similarities between the final graphene aerogel, rGO-based aerogels exhibited superior areal capacitance, compared to GO-based aerogels. These differences are attributed to the lower oxygen content and defect density of rGO, which influence its interaction with cellulose viscosifiers in the ink formulation. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis revealed that rGO aerogels exhibit a larger surface area and mesoporous structure, further enhancing their performance. When coated with MnO<small>₂</small>, rGO-based aerogels maintained their superior capacitive behavior over GO-based aerogels. This study highlights the effect of carbon precursor on the end performance of graphene aerogels.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 448-453"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00116a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734767","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":"Deciphering solid–electrolyte interface in cellulose-montmorillonite nanocomposites for sodium batteries","authors":"Sneha Mandal, Catherine Tom, Subbiah Alwarappan, Ravi Kumar Pujala, Surendra K. Martha and Vijayamohanan K. Pillai","doi":"10.1039/D6YA00014B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6YA00014B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Electrolytes and their interphases are critical for emerging battery chemistries such as metal–sulphur and metal–oxygen, especially in the case of solid electrolytes, which offer attractive energy storage possibilities but involve drastic phase transitions and structural challenges. Therefore, developing improved electrolytes and interphases is a key to achieving sustainable battery performance. Here, we introduce a novel polymer composite electrolyte utilising abundant montmorillonite and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), creating a stable interphase with the Na metal and alleviating common degradation issues. For example, this electrolyte exhibits a stability window of 2.3–5.3 V and a transference number of ∼0.87, although its durability and performance need further improvement. FT-IR spectroscopy, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy provide valuable insights into the interfacial chemistry, as evidenced by a prominent hydroxyl stretching band associated with the CNC. While hydroxyl groups may compromise interfacial stability at the cathode, possibly causing cell degradation, they simultaneously enhance the sodium-ion mobility at the anode by facilitating favourable coordination with sodium metal. This dual function underscores the need for tuning functional groups in electrolyte design.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 538-549"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d6ya00014b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734830","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":"Electroreduction of zirconia – a multi-step process","authors":"Christian Rodenbücher, Kiana Khosravani, Parham Shokouhi, Kristof Szot, Michał Pilch, Heinrich Hartmann, Dominik Wrana, Franciszek Krok and Carsten Korte","doi":"10.1039/D5YA00338E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5YA00338E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The phenomenon of electroreduction, or electrocoloration, in yttria-stabilised zirconia (YSZ) has garnered significant attention due to its dual role as a possible degradation mechanism in solid oxide electrolysers and as a beneficial effect during the flash sintering of ceramics with tailored properties. Despite extensive investigation over several decades, the precise mechanisms underlying the transformation of the transparent, purely ionic conductor YSZ into a black, mixed ionic-electronic conductor, and eventually into a metallic state, remain inadequately understood. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis that integrates electrical characterisation during electroreduction with <em>in situ</em> microscopy and <em>ex situ</em> spectroscopy techniques. Our findings enable us to delineate three primary stages: a reversible electrocoloration associated with the development of blackening fingers, an accelerated electroreduction facilitated by the formation of mixed ionic-electronic conducting pathways between the anode and cathode, and a runaway-type process that induces morphological changes and filamentary phase transformations in the surface region.</p>","PeriodicalId":72913,"journal":{"name":"Energy advances","volume":" 4","pages":" 408-418"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ya/d5ya00338e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147734763","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}