Vincent C. Wu, Erick A. Lawrence, Tianyu Li, Euan N. Bassey, Chia-Yu Chang, Bing Joe Hwang, Pierre-Etienne Cabelguen and Raphaële J. Clément
{"title":"High energy density and micrometer-sized d0-free disordered rocksalt cathodes","authors":"Vincent C. Wu, Erick A. Lawrence, Tianyu Li, Euan N. Bassey, Chia-Yu Chang, Bing Joe Hwang, Pierre-Etienne Cabelguen and Raphaële J. Clément","doi":"10.1039/D5EE01564B","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE01564B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The rapidly increasing demand for Li-ion batteries motivates the search for low-cost cathode materials free of critical metals, and with a high energy density and stable cycling performance. Disordered rocksalt oxide (DRX) cathodes derived from abundant metals are particularly promising as they can achieve higher energy densities than commercial, Ni- and/or Co-containing cathodes. However, their further development is hindered by the requirement for a redox-inactive “d<small><sup>0</sup></small>” transition metal to stabilize the disordered structure, and particle nanosizing to achieve appreciable capacity, limiting their energy density and cycle life. We report a new class of d<small><sup>0</sup></small>-free DRX cathodes realized through synthetic control of atomic disorder. Impressively, the removal of d<small><sup>0</sup></small> species enables a micrometer-sized manganese-based DRX cathode to achieve a high capacity (220 mAh g<small><sup>−1</sup></small>) while extending its cycle life by more than 3×. The discovery of d<small><sup>0</sup></small>-free DRX opens a large, unexplored compositional space and represents a significant step toward the commercialization of inexpensive and Earth-abundant Li-ion cathodes.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 19","pages":" 8918-8928"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144906377","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}
Hongyu Qin, Ao Liu, Kefeng Ouyang, Sheng Chen, Shubing Wei and Yan Huang
{"title":"An MBene-based colloidal electrolyte for high depth-of-discharge and energy-density 2 Ah-scale Zn metal batteries","authors":"Hongyu Qin, Ao Liu, Kefeng Ouyang, Sheng Chen, Shubing Wei and Yan Huang","doi":"10.1039/D5EE02723C","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE02723C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Sluggish diffusion rates and exceptionally uneven distribution of Zn<small><sup>2+</sup></small> at the electrode/electrolyte interface under high depth-of-discharge (DOD) severely limit the advancement of high-energy-density Zn metal batteries (ZMBs). Herein, a hydrated eutectic colloidal electrolyte based on a two-dimensional transition metal boride, Mo<small><sub>4/3</sub></small>B<small><sub>2</sub></small>T<small><sub>2</sub></small> MBene (where T represents –OH and –F), is developed. The good Zn<small><sup>2+</sup></small> affinity of terminal groups of MBene promotes ion diffusion, thus resulting in a high Zn<small><sup>2+</sup></small> transference number of 0.89, which significantly enhances and balances the ion concentration on the Zn anode surface, improving the Zn deposition dynamics. As a result, the Zn anode with an ultrathin thickness of 10 μm demonstrates 900 h of cyclability under an ultrahigh DOD of 90%. Additionally, the enlarged Zn‖Zn pouch cell with a scale of 10 × 10 cm<small><sup>2</sup></small> shows a stable cyclic performance for 500 h at 60% DOD, meanwhile the constructed 2 Ah four-electron Zn‖I<small><sub>2</sub></small> pouch battery delivers an energy density of 158.5 Wh L<small><sup>−1</sup></small> under the same conditions. This work provides new guidelines for the development of high-DOD metal anodes and high-energy-density metal batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 19","pages":" 8941-8951"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901418","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}
So Jeong Park, Changhoon Yu, Kyu In Shim, Geon Pyo Hong, Sunwu Song, Jae Hyun Park, Sun Kyung Hwang, Yeo Jin Choi, Jeong Woo Han, Min Sang Kwon, Ik Jae Park and Jin Young Kim
{"title":"Tailored self-assembled monolayer molecules for perovskite/PERC tandem solar cells with efficiencies over 30%","authors":"So Jeong Park, Changhoon Yu, Kyu In Shim, Geon Pyo Hong, Sunwu Song, Jae Hyun Park, Sun Kyung Hwang, Yeo Jin Choi, Jeong Woo Han, Min Sang Kwon, Ik Jae Park and Jin Young Kim","doi":"10.1039/D5EE02650D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE02650D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The commercialization of perovskite/Si tandem solar cells requires low product costs, achievable through high efficiency and inexpensive components. Here, we report a highly efficient monolithic perovskite tandem device utilizing a commercial passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), with the aid of a fluorine-substituted carbazole-based self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Modified SAM molecules enhanced charge transfer due to the larger dipole moments resulting from asymmetric charge distribution. The negative adsorption energy and well-ordered molecules alleviated residual stress in perovskite films and reduced trap density at the interfaces, leading to suppressed non-radiative recombination and improved open-circuit voltage of the perovskite top cell. As a result, the best single-junction perovskite cell exhibits a certified efficiency of 20.14%, with a good operational stability maintaining 90% of its initial efficiency after 1500 hours. The best perovskite/Si tandem cell, fabricated with cost-effective PERC bottom cells, exhibits a conversion efficiency of 30.05%, which is the highest among PERC-based perovskite tandem solar cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 20","pages":" 9105-9113"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144906320","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}
Lanya Zhao, Dandan Yin, Yanan Zhang, Boyang Li, Shen Wang, Xiaofeng Cui, Jie Feng, Na Gao, Xiaowei Liu, Shujiang Ding and Hongyang Zhao
{"title":"Hydrophobic ionic liquid enabled polyiodide confined transport in a cathode, realizing high areal capacity, stable zinc–iodine batteries","authors":"Lanya Zhao, Dandan Yin, Yanan Zhang, Boyang Li, Shen Wang, Xiaofeng Cui, Jie Feng, Na Gao, Xiaowei Liu, Shujiang Ding and Hongyang Zhao","doi":"10.1039/D5EE02941D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE02941D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Aqueous zinc–iodine batteries are promising energy storage candidates due to their high safety and moderate cost. A high areal-capacity iodine cathode is the key to achieving practical batteries towards commercialization. However, high iodine loading exacerbates polyiodide shuttling and reduces the electrical conductivity of the electrodes. The traditional solution to these problems using a porous carbon matrix has a limited effect towards shuttling and leads to low volumetric energy density. In this study, we proposed a hydrophobic liquid ionic conductive agent to mediate confined iodine transport in a thick electrode, realizing a highly stable zinc–iodine battery with ultra-high iodine mass loading. A zinc–iodine battery with an ionic liquid conductive agent demonstrates an increase to 130% of the volumetric capacity compared with traditional porous carbon cathodes, reaching a 7-fold increase in cycle life (3500 cycles) at 10 mg cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> iodine loading and a 40-fold increase (2000 cycles) at 40 mg cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small>, with an initial areal capacity of 6.30 mAh cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> and a capacity decay of 0.00495% per cycle. An ultra-high loading of 60 mg cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> with an areal capacity of 11.55 mAh cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> (193 mAh g<small><sup>−1</sup></small>) can also be achieved. Consequently, the Ah-level Zn–I<small><sub>2</sub></small> pouch cell assembled with a highly loaded thick electrode demonstrates excellent cycling stability, substantiating its potential for practical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 19","pages":" 8952-8963"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901078","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":"Consecutive surface matrix engineering of FAPbI3 perovskite quantum dots for solar cells with over 19% efficiency","authors":"Mingxu Zhang, Sicong Huang, Xinyi Mei, Guoliang Wang, Bainian Ren, Junming Qiu, Zehong Yuan and Xiaoliang Zhang","doi":"10.1039/D5EE02127H","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE02127H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite quantum dots (FAPbI<small><sub>3</sub></small> PQDs) attract increasing attention to new-generation photovoltaics due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties and solution processability. However, the high density of insulating ligands on the PQD surface significantly affects the charge carrier transport in the PQD solids, thus to a large extent dominating the photovoltaic performance of PQD solar cells (PQDSCs). Herein, a consecutive surface matrix engineering (CSME) strategy is reported to promote ligand exchange of the PQDs with diminished surface vacancies. The results reveal that the CSME could disrupt the dynamic equilibrium of the proton exchange between the oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OAm) by inducing the amidation reaction between the OA and OAm, which advances insulating ligand desorption from the PQD surface and thus enhances the electronic coupling of PQDs. Meanwhile, during the CSME, the short-chain conjugated ligands with high binding energy to the PQD surface could efficiently occupy the surface vacancies of the PQDs resulting from the insulating ligand desorption, suppressing trap-assisted nonradiative recombination. Consequently, a record high efficiency of up to 19.14% is realized in FAPbI<small><sub>3</sub></small> PQDSCs with improved operation stability. This work provides important insights into the design principles of the surface ligand engineering of PQDs with executable approaches for high-performance optoelectronic devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 19","pages":" 8964-8976"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901088","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}
Yiyang Mao, Yan Zhang, Mingyu Su, Yanbin Ning, Jirui Shao, Kai Zhu and Shuaifeng Lou
{"title":"Synergetic insights into Nb single atoms and lithiophilic support for high-efficiency sulfur catalysis in Li–S batteries","authors":"Yiyang Mao, Yan Zhang, Mingyu Su, Yanbin Ning, Jirui Shao, Kai Zhu and Shuaifeng Lou","doi":"10.1039/D5EE02048D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE02048D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) is the core of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, and a comprehensive understanding of the SRR contributes to catalyst design for high-performance Li–S batteries. However, unclear relationships between active lithium ions and lithium polysulfide (LiPS) conversion activity are always overlooked. Here, we elaborately synthesized Nb-single-atom catalysts (Nb–C<small><sub>3</sub></small>N<small><sub>4−<em>x</em></sub></small>), where the strong Nb–S bond reduces the S–S bond energy and accelerates LiPS conversion. Meanwhile, inspired by aqueous electrocatalytic reactions, we propose surface-active Li<small><sup>+</sup></small> (*Li<small><sup>+</sup></small>) as a crucial intermediate for SRR kinetics. On Li<small><sup>+</sup></small>-rich catalysts, LiPSs can react directly with *Li<small><sup>+</sup></small> which avoids the slow Li<small><sup>+</sup></small> migration across the electrolyte–electrode interface to LiPSs. The Nb–C<small><sub>3</sub></small>N<small><sub>4−<em>x</em></sub></small>-based full cell works steadily at a low negative/positive capacity ratio and a lean electrolyte with a capacity retention rate of 87.01%. This work complements the comprehension of the SRR, and provides theoretical guidance for the screening of Li–S battery catalysts.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 18","pages":" 8631-8644"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901091","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}
Bartholomew T. Payne, Mikkel Juelsholt, Miguel A. Pérez-Osorio, Dominic L. R. Melvin, Gabriel J. Cuello, Emmanuelle Suard, Daniel J. M. Irving, Nicholas H. Rees, Mark Feaviour, Enrico Petrucco, Stephen P. Day, Gregory J. Rees and Peter G. Bruce
{"title":"How multi-length scale disorder shapes ion transport in lithium argyrodites","authors":"Bartholomew T. Payne, Mikkel Juelsholt, Miguel A. Pérez-Osorio, Dominic L. R. Melvin, Gabriel J. Cuello, Emmanuelle Suard, Daniel J. M. Irving, Nicholas H. Rees, Mark Feaviour, Enrico Petrucco, Stephen P. Day, Gregory J. Rees and Peter G. Bruce","doi":"10.1039/D5EE01612F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE01612F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The rate performance of all-solid-state batteries can be limited by the low conductivity of the solid electrolyte in the composite cathode. A conductivity of 10 mS cm<small><sup>−1</sup></small> is required, which exceeds that of many solid electrolytes. This limitation can be attributed to intra- and inter-grain ion transport. Understanding the limitations of ion transport is a multi-length scale problem ranging from single bond hops to particle–particle transport. Here we show that spark plasma sintering of Li<small><sub>6</sub></small>PS<small><sub>5</sub></small>Cl not only enhances ion transport on the macroscopic length scale but also on the microscopic scale. On the macroscopic length scale, greater densification improves particle-to-particle contact. On the nanoscale, short-range order (SRO) of the neighbouring 4a/4a and 4d/4d Wyckoff sites present in the cold-pressed Li<small><sub>6</sub></small>PS<small><sub>5</sub></small>Cl produces unfavourable Li ion pathways through the cell. Spark plasma heating removes the SRO, creating a connected network of microscopic pathways for the Li to migrate. Finally, on the atomistic level, spark plasma heating increases the amount of Cl<small><sup>−</sup></small> residing on the 4d site and S<small><sup>2−</sup></small> on the 4a site. By understanding the limitations of ion mobility across a range of length scales, one can target methods to produce solid-state argyrodite electrolytes with higher ionic conductivities.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 19","pages":" 8876-8888"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ee/d5ee01612f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901087","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}
Fayas Malik Kanchiralla, Selma Brynolf and Alvar Mjelde
{"title":"Correction: Role of biofuels, electro-fuels, and blue fuels for shipping: environmental and economic life cycle considerations","authors":"Fayas Malik Kanchiralla, Selma Brynolf and Alvar Mjelde","doi":"10.1039/D5EE90084K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EE90084K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Correction for ‘Role of biofuels, electro-fuels, and blue fuels for shipping: environmental and economic life cycle considerations’ by Fayas Malik Kanchiralla <em>et al.</em>, <em>Energy Environ. Sci.</em>, 2024, <strong>17</strong>, 6393–6418, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EE01641F.</p>","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":" 18","pages":" 8708-8710"},"PeriodicalIF":30.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/ee/d5ee90084k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901089","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}
{"title":"A roadmap for ammonia synthesis via electrocatalytic reduction of nitric oxide","authors":"Haoxuan Jiang, Adel Rezaeimotlagh, Sahar Nazari, Tianyu Li, Jingwen Huang, Dorna Esrafilzadeh, Renwu Zhou, Ali Rouhollah Jalili","doi":"10.1039/d5ee03443d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ee03443d","url":null,"abstract":"Electrifying ammonia production demands modular systems powered entirely by renewable energy, eliminating dependence on fossil-derived hydrogen. This perspective argues that coupling non-thermal plasma oxidation of air to nitric oxide (NO) with five-electron electrocatalytic NO-to-NH₃ reduction (NORR) is a promising, energy-efficient and cost-realistic pathway. Drawing on lessons from mature electrochemical platforms, we identify the key mechanistic challenges and system-level gaps and translate them into targeted engineering strategies bounded by explicit techno-economic constraints. Our density functional theory analysis reveals a hidden bottleneck in nitrate-based pathways: slow nitrite desorption in an eight-electron/nine-proton deoxygenation and hydrogenation cascade, which NORR circumvents. To achieve industrially relevant rates and selectivity, we quantify the engineered reaction microenvironment, clarify associative versus dissociative pathways, and emphasise the role of gas-fed membrane assemblies and flow-by gas-diffusion electrodes. We also address integration, durability, and electrolyser design compatible with scale-out plasma–electrolyser architectures and set performance targets linked to TRLs. Finally, integrated techno-economic modelling indicates that NORR can reach cost parity with Haber–Bosch supplied by electrolytic hydrogen by ~2035, with the potential to capture ~1–5% of the global ammonia market by 2050 via distributed, modular deployment.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144901302","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}