Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage

Modern society relies on a network of technologies that generate, convert and store energy to meet the fluctuating demands of industry, transport and everyday life. Electricity is produced from primary resources—such as fossil fuels, nuclear heat and renewable flows of wind, sunlight and water—and is then converted via electrochemical, thermal and mechanical processes into storable forms. Rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors capture surplus power for later use, while electrolyser–fuel cell systems interconvert electrical and chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen. Photovoltaic cells harvest sunlight directly, and protonic and solid-oxide devices enable combined heat and power cycles at elevated temperatures. Emerging materials—including perovskite ceramics, topological semimetals and metal–organic frameworks—are pushing the boundaries of efficiency, lifetime and cost. As global grids integrate ever larger shares of variable renewables, advances in durable, high-density storage and low-overhead conversion will be essential for carbon-neutral energy systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Topological chiral semimetals have been shown to exert extraordinary control over spin-polarised electron flows in alkaline electrolytes, dramatically accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction by harnessing strong spin–orbit coupling and reducing reaction barriers. By carefully tuning crystal chirality and spin-polarisation effects, these materials achieve over-two-order-of-magnitude improvements in catalytic current compared with conventional oxides. In complementary work, the application of a static magnetic field to ferromagnetic catalysts has been revealed to reorganise magnetic domains, eliminating domain walls and converting multi-domain surfaces into single-domain states where spin-facilitated pathways dominate water oxidation kinetics. This change enhances intrinsic activity without altering chemical composition. In another advance, a protonic ceramic electrochemical cell employing a triple-conducting perovskite electrode has demonstrated self-sustained, reversible operation between hydrogen and power production at intermediate temperatures (400–600 °C), pointing the way to efficient combined electrolysis and fuel-cell cycles.

Research from all publishers

A recent review of flexible energy storage devices surveys binder-free nanoarrays derived from metal–organic frameworks grown on conductive fabrics. These three-dimensional structures eliminate inactive binders, expose ultrahigh surface areas and sustain rapid ion and electron transport under bending stress, yielding exceptional capacity and mechanical robustness for wearable supercapacitors. In parallel, advances in aqueous battery technology identify ferruginous anodes in alkaline electrolytes as cost-effective alternatives for grid-scale and wearable systems. Detailed studies of charge–storage mechanisms on iron-based electrodes suggest routes to mitigate passivation and enhance cycle life through tailored nanostructures and electrolyte formulations. Meanwhile, renewed attention to nickel–iron cells has uncovered strategies to overcome iron passivation and hydrogen evolution via electrode composition tuning and protective surface coatings, leading to substantial gains in energy density and cyclability for off-grid storage applications.

Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in energy generation, conversion and storage across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER): The electrochemical four-electron oxidation of water to oxygen, typically the rate-limiting step in water-splitting and regenerative fuel-cell processes.

Electrocatalyst: A material that accelerates an electrochemical reaction at an electrode surface without being consumed.

Spin-polarisation: The alignment of electron spins in a preferred direction, which can alter reaction energetics and facilitate spin-sensitive pathways.

Topological semimetal: A class of quantum materials with symmetry-protected electronic bands that exhibit intrinsic chirality and strong spin–orbit coupling.

Triple-conducting perovskite: A ceramic oxide that simultaneously conducts protons, oxide ions and electrons, enabling reversible fuel-cell and electrolyser operation.

Pseudocapacitance: Charge storage arising from fast, reversible Faradaic reactions at or near the surface of an electrode, distinct from non-faradaic electric double-layer capacitance.

Binder-free nanoarray: An electrode architecture in which active nanomaterials are directly grown or deposited on a conductive substrate, eliminating inactive polymer binders and maximising accessible surface area.

References

1. Topological semimetals with intrinsic chirality as spin-controlling electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. Nature Energy (2024).
2. The origin of magnetization-caused increment in water oxidation. Nature Communications (2023).
3. Self-sustainable protonic ceramic electrochemical cells using a triple conducting electrode for hydrogen and power production. Nature Communications (2020).
4. Binder‐Free MOF‐Based and MOF‐Derived Nanoarrays for Flexible Electrochemical Energy Storage: Progress and Perspectives. Small (2023).
5. Iron anode‐based aqueous electrochemical energy storage devices: Recent advances and future perspectives. Interdisciplinary Materials (2022).
6. A Tale of Nickel-Iron Batteries: Its Resurgence in the Age of Modern Batteries. Batteries (2023).