Reviews & Analysis

Solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries promise high energy density, long-term performance, and enhanced safety, but face challenges with interfacial issues due to poor solid–solid contact. Here, the authors review the benefits and challenges of in situ polymerization, discussing its potential to enhance electrode-electrolyte integration and improve battery performance, and proposing future prospects for multifunctional polymer solid-state electrolytes.

Catalysis in lithium-sulfur batteries can address issues related to limited capacity and cycle durability. This Perspective discusses the mechanisms behind the role catalysts play in LiPS adsorption, ion and electron transport, conversion of intermediate species, and decomposition of discharge products.

Solid-state electrolytes are key to the successful implementation of high-performance all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries. This Review discusses the different classes of materials that can be used for electrolytes, focusing on sulfides, halides, oxides, and borohydrides.

Synthesizing phase-pure zirconium-porphyrin metal-organic frameworks is challenging. This Perspective discusses different synthetic approaches and investigations to guide conditions to achieve phase-pure zirconium-porphyrin metal-organic frameworks.

Additive manufacturing has emerged as a powerful approach for achieving properties that are not possible in conventionally processed alloys. This Perspective provides a state-of-art overview of the use of operando x-ray techniques for understanding solidification dynamics and melt pool behavior in additive processes.

Engineering defects into metal-organic frameworks is a strategy to grant additional properties but there are still challenges with their reproducibility. Here, this Perspective presents the benefits of defects in metal-organic framework properties and key challenges in the field.

Wearable sensors can expedite personalized medicine by integrating sensors into our daily lives. This Perspective discusses mechanical and electrochemical sensors, including their operating principles, device synthesis, and examples of their use in monitoring disease, and cardiovascular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems

Naturally occurring organisms continue to provide inspiration for advanced functionality in soft robots. This Perspective discusses how achieving autonomy in robots will require interactions with their environment to be taken into consideration in their design.

A major challenge in materials scale-up is the variation in properties between batches. Here, the difficulties in the pilot-scale production of metal-organic frameworks are discussed and suggestions are provided to help improve large-scale synthesis development.

Personalized medicine requires wearable sensors that can detect biomarkers for a wide range of diseases. Here, wearable sensors for identifying chronic kidney disease are discussed, including promising systems, challenges and opportunities.

Thermomechanical stability is a limiting factor when scaling-up perovskite solar cells. This Perspective discusses several aspects of device design that control thermomechanical degradation, including adhesion of layers and encapsulation, and the importance of accelerated degradation testing.

Biomedicinal applications of metal-organic frameworks have mainly focused on nanoscale drug delivery. This Perspective provides an overview of reproducibility issues faced when applying metal-organic framework in nanomedicine, specifically covering their preparation and in vitro analysis.

Wearable electronics provide opportunities for personalized health monitoring and treatment. This Perspective addresses challenges in the field, including material selection for devices, device integration strategies, and public adoption factors.

The design and manufacture of materials that replicate the form, function, and sustainability of biological solutions remains difficult. Here, key challenges and promising approaches to materials development informed by biology are identified.

High-entropy materials have been realized in a wide number of alloys and ceramics, usually in bulk form. This Perspective discusses the emerging field of two-dimensional high-entropy materials, focusing on their formation, structure and applications.

Lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics are known for their large piezoelectric response, but the relation between the response and the nanoscale structure of these materials is still under debate. In this Perspective, the microscopic implications of the polar nature of disordered relaxor ferroelectrics are critically reviewed.

Electrolytes are a key component of a battery and therefore receive extensive research interest. This Perspective discusses how to ensure that reports of non-aqueous electrolyte solutions for lithium batteries are reliable and can be reproduced by others.

High-entropy materials are defined by the configurational entropy of their bulk phase, yet it is interesting to consider whether grain boundaries can also be “high entropy”. This paper discusses a thermodynamic framework for “high-entropy grain boundaries” and relevant concepts and unique thermodynamic properties.

Coin and pouch cells are typically fabricated to assess the performance of new materials and components for lithium batteries. Here, parameters related to cell fabrication that influence the reliability of these measurements are discussed, including guidelines for reliable cell preparation.

3D perovskites are widely researched for their use in optoelectronic devices, yet suffer from issues with environmental stability. Here, the improved stability of 2D and quasi-2D perovskites under a range of environmental factors, as compared to their 3D counterparts, is discussed.