Search

Battery recyclability presents a sustainability challenge in materials design. Now it has been shown that aramid amphiphile self-assembly yields solid-state electrolytes with fast ion conductivity and electrochemical stability, which disassemble to the monomeric state upon solvent exposure, enabling inherently recyclable, molecularly engineered battery designs.

Gong et al. report an all-perovskite photovoltaic-powered battery using ethyl viologen diiodide and its derivative to modify the perovskite solar cell and the battery cathode, enabling an overall energy conversion efficiency of 18.54%. The flexible version powers a wearable glucose monitor for 24 h.

This study demonstrates the role of non-local exchange and correlation interactions in solid electrolytes (SEs) for lithium-ion batteries. Through analysis of argyrodite SEs, it reveals how non-local interactions influence lithium diffusion and structural stability, guiding future SE design.

Zn batteries suffer from low voltage due to the high redox potential of the Zn anode and the low potential of traditional cathodes. Here, the authors develop a polymer hetero-electrolyte, which allows separated Zn and Li reversibility and achieves a 2.4 V-Zn battery based on the LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ cathode.

Structural instability is a major drawback of high-capacity lithium-based battery cathodes. Here, the authors report a cathode active material with a medium-entropy state created by partial cation disordering capable of restraining the structural evolution in the high-capacity operated spinel phase.

Oxygen-anion redox in lithium-rich layered oxides can boost the capacity of lithium-ion battery cathodes. Here, the authors investigate the mechanism of surface degradation caused by oxygen oxidation and the kinetics of surface reconstruction.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are well known breast cancer predisposition genes, however, many variants have not yet been classified for their pathogenicity. Here, the authors analyse a large combined cohort to provide evidence of variant pathogenicity.

Non-covalent dispersion interactions between a static framework of anions and a sublattice of mobile cations are paramount to the structural stability of solid electrolytes. Here the authors show that these interactions regulate the migration energy barrier using an advanced hybrid functional coupled with a non-local many-body dispersion term that accounts for long-range exchange-correlation effects in M₂B₁₂H₁₂ closo-dodecaborates.

The performances of rechargeable batteries are detrimentally affected by low temperatures (e.g., < 0 °C). Here, the authors report a few-layer Bi2Se3 material capable of improving battery cycling performances when operational temperatures are shifted from +25 °C to −20 °C.

The p85 regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) exists in two major isoforms: p85-alpha and -beta. Here, the authors reveal that p85-beta has a unique nuclear activity where it regulates gene transcription and contributes to tumorigenesis.

Long-lasting zinc metal electrodes are crucial in developing commercial zinc-based batteries. Here, the authors investigate the different morphology evolution between the stripping and plating process and propose electrochemical protocols to prolong the lifespan of zinc anodes.

Water–oxide interfaces are ubiquitous in nature, yet a molecular-level understanding of these complex environments is still lacking. Now, using in situ nonlinear optical spectroscopy, unconventional reaction pathways have been revealed during the structural evolution of a silicon oxide surface in liquid water, resolving long-standing controversies and providing new microscopic insights.

Heterogeneous feature spaces and technical noise hinder the cellular data integration and further analysis. Here, authors report a Modal-Nexus Auto-Encoder (Monae) to effectively integrate unpaired multi-modality cellular data and generate imputation counts for downstream analysis.

Development of negative electrode active materials alternative to Ca metal is essential for the progress of Ca-ion battery technology. Here, the authors disclose the proton-assisted Ca-ion storage behavior of a pentacenetetrone organic crystal reporting high-power cell performances.

Aqueous batteries with multivalent-ion storage chemistry offer higher theoretical capacity than monovalent-ion. Here, authors report divalent copper intercalation into vanadium disulfide with additional copper redox that provides higher capacity than intercalation transition metal redox alone.

A high-κ dielectric ceramic, magnesium niobate, can be epitaxially grown on a mica substrate and then transferred to form the gate dielectric in molybdenum disulfide transistors, providing van der Waals interfaces and high robustness to temperature and voltage.

Breaking the geometric symmetry of metal-N₄ sites and boosting catalytic activity are significant but challenging. Here, using chlorination engineering, authors convert the Zn-N₄ site with low activity and selectivity for the electroreduction of CO₂ into highly active Zn-N₃ site with broken symmetry.

Chalcogen-driven static conversion batteries based on multielectron transfer are promising for efficient high-energy storage applications because of their high capacity and high voltage output. This Review comprehensively discusses current chalcogen-based batteries, with emphasis on the issues and performance improvements of those involving positive-valence conversion of chalcogens.

Aqueous iron batteries are safe and cost-effective candidates for large-scale energy storage. However, their long-term cycling stability is inadequate. Here, the authors propose a crosslinked polyaniline-based positive electrode for high-power aqueous iron batteries with electrochromic properties.

The negative electrode reversibility limits the lifespan of Zn metal batteries. Here, authors report an aqueous electrolyte with a reverse micelle structure that improves the reversibility of the Zn metal anode enabling the production of an ampere-hour-level pouch cell with five months lifetime.

Aqueous copper-based batteries suffer from low voltage due to the high copper negative electrode potential. Here, utilizing the coordination of chloride with copper ions, authors lower copper’s redox potential by 0.3 V, resulting in a high-voltage aqueous copper-chlorine battery.

Cl-redox reactions cannot be fully exploited in batteries because of the Cl2 gas evolution. Here, reversible high-energy interhalogen reactions are demonstrated by using a iodine-based cathode in combination with a Zn anode and a Cl-containing aqueous electrolyte solution.

Antibody design still heavily relies on isolating antigen-specific antibodies from serum. Here the authors report a Pre-trained Antibody generative large Language Model (PALM-H3) for the de novo generation of artificial antibodies heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 with desired antigen-binding specificity.

Designing carbon-defect engineering is significant for boosting the catalytic performance of metal single-atom sites catalysts. Herein, the authors report a self-carbon-thermal-reduction strategy for carbon defect engineering to boost the Fenton-like activity of single Fe-N₄ sites.

Pentamidine and melarsoprol are drugs used to treat sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei. Here, authors present cryo-EM structures of TbAQP2 with molecular dynamic simulations, revealing mechanisms shaping substrate specificity and drug permeation.

Excess water in hydrogel-based zinc ion batteries causes side reactions, but reduced water content results in low conductivities. Here, authors develop a lean-water hydrogel based on molecular lubrication mechanism for fast ion transportation, extended stability, and reversible Zinc plating/stripping.

Structure relaxation is an iterative process particularly demanding in large-scale material discovery campaigns. Here, the authors realize a deep generative model able to relax material structures in a single step while estimating its accuracy.

Research on electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia in acidic conditions has been less extensive than that conducted in alkaline conditions. Here, the authors report a hybrid of iron phthalocyanine and TiO₂ catalyst with improved efficiency toward acidic nitrate reduction and its application in Zn-nitrate batteries and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cell.

Substantial progress in halide chemicals and redox mechanisms has spawned a boom in halogen-powered static conversion batteries. This Review tracks the natural benefits and intricate redox behaviour of halogen conversion chemistry, highlighting its pivotal role in electrochemical energy storage.

Anion effects can be well tuned to effectively improve their electrochemical performances in many aspects. This Review highlights the considerable effects of anions on surface and interface chemistry, mass transfer kinetics and solvation sheath structure across various energy storage devices.

Observations are reported of HClO₃ and HClO₄ in the atmosphere and their widespread occurrence over the pan-Arctic during spring, providing further insights into atmospheric chlorine cycling in the polar environment.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysers have potential cost advantages over proton exchange membrane electrolysers, but their performance has lagged behind. Here the authors investigate the cause of the poor performance of anion exchange membrane electrolysers and design ionomers that can overcome some of the challenges.

Nitrogen monoxide at low concentrations can promote the formation of highly oxygenated organic molecules, which are crucial precursors to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), rather than inhibit it as traditionally thought.

Neuro-inspired vision systems hold great promise to address the growing demands of mass data processing for edge computing. Here the authors, develop a neuro-inspired optical sensor based on NbS₂/MoS₂ films that can operate with monolithically integrated functions of static image enhancement and dynamic trajectory registration.

The interactions between water molecules, electrode materials and anions are essential yet challenging for aqueous dual ion batteries. Here, the authors demonstrate the voltage manipulation of dual ion batteries through matching intercalation energy and solvation energy of different anions.

Nanopore electrical detection has shown potential in sensing subtle protein and peptide conformation changes, and its sensitivity makes it promising for point-of-care applications. In this Review, the authors discuss the capability of nanopore sensing for detecting and quantifying conformational modifications and enantiomers in biomarker proteins and peptides, as well as the practicalities and challenges for this approach to be used for clinical and point-of-care diagnosis.

While Zinc anodes are thermodynamically unstable in aqueous solutions, the protons (H+) from the water favor the cathodes of Zinc batteries. Here, the authors address this contradiction by designing an asymmetric electrolyte composed of an inorganic solid-state electrolyte and a hydrogel electrolyte.

Dramatic innovations in surface and bulk chemistry enable MXenes to flourish in electrochemical applications. This Review analyses the recorded footprints of MXene components for energy storage, with particular attention paid to a coherent understanding of the fundamental relationship between MXene components and their qualified roles from a nuanced chemical perspective.

Magmatism associated with early growth of subduction zones is unlike that of mature island arc systems. Here, the authors find basalts with distinct mineralogical and geochemical characteristics were erupted during this early stage, and derived from extremely refractory, hot mantle sources.

Several chemotherapeutic agents, including newer drugs, can have toxic cardiac effects. In this month's Case Study, To and colleagues present their patient who had capecitabine-induced cardiogenic shock. They examine the best course of action for this serious complication of chemotherapy.

This Review discusses non-metallic charge carriers for aqueous batteries, investigating fundamental mechanisms of charge storage and electrode interactions, as well as battery design and performance.