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Lithium doping in spiro-OMeTAD negatively affects the long-term performance of perovskite solar cells. Qin and team map the degradation mechanism under repeated voltage cycling and how lithium-free dopants improve stability.
The performance of perovskite solar cells with mesoscopic carbon electrodes is limited by inefficient charge transport and charge accumulation at interfaces. Now, by reacting hexamethylene diisocyanate with organic cations at the surface of perovskite grains and passivating defects, 23.2% efficiency can be achieved in small-area devices.
As demand for higher-energy batteries grows, pushing cathode voltages to higher voltages often triggers rapid degradation. Now, a co-doping strategy creates an ultrathin metal surface layer on advanced cathode materials, helping them maintain performance at elevated voltages.
The passivation of perovskite surface defects is crucial to achieving perovskite solar cells with high performance and stability, but universal strategies remain elusive. Now, a passivation strategy is developed that has a broad processing window and shows applicability to various perovskite compositions and device architectures.
Nickel-heavy battery chemistries raise concerns over cost, supply risk and environmental impact. A new design cuts nickel use by over one-third, replacing it with more abundant manganese—without sacrificing performance.
Electrochemical CO2 capture is hindered by the oxidation of redox-active organic molecules by O2, affecting energy efficiency and capacity. Here the authors develop a flow cell in which the O2-sensitive components are isolated from O2, achieving 99% coulombic efficiency with low energy requirements.
Methane can be converted into other useful chemicals and fuels via photocatalytic oxidative coupling, yet producing molecules with more than two carbon atoms remains difficult. Here the authors show that highly strained Au confined within the nanopores of TiO2 can convert methane to propane with high selectivity.
A selective templating growth strategy unlocks access to a previously inaccessible class of chemically inert low-dimensional (CI LD) interfaces for the protection of the underlying three-dimensional (3D) perovskite in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Prototype 1-cm2 3D/CI LD PSCs achieve an efficiency of over 25% and exhibit high operational and thermal stability.
Electrolyte design is key for high-energy lithium metal batteries, but structure–performance links are hard to predict. A framework using the normalized cation/anion–solvent affinity enables quantitative prediction of microstructure, transport and interphase, driving exceptional performance.
Stack pressure plays a critical role in battery performance, influencing electrochemical behaviour, material integrity and system efficiency. The authors analyse existing stack pressure data and establish relationships between stack pressure and battery performance to provide insights for improving battery design and efficiency.
Single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes improve mechanical stability but suffer from long diffusion paths and structural strain. This study presents an intralattice-bonded design that achieves near-zero degradation and exceptional cycling performance.
Printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells are a promising device design, yet their efficiency is limited by charge collection. Ma et al. use hexamethylene diisocyanate to eliminate unreacted organic cations at grain boundaries, enhancing hole collection.
Elastocaloric cooling is a promising alternative to conventional vapour-compression systems, but greater cooling power is needed for practical use. Now, a series of design optimizations have produced an elastocaloric system delivering kilowatt-scale cooling power, a milestone towards practical solid-state cooling.
Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) can store and transport hydrogen using existing fuel infrastructure, but typically require fossil-derived storage compounds, precious-metal catalysts and pure hydrogen feeds. Now, a diol/lactone LOHC system in combination with an inverse Al2O3/Cu catalyst addresses all three issues.
Ni-rich layered cathodes promise higher energy density at high voltages, but suffer from poor cycling stability. This study improves stability by introducing a supersaturated high-valence cation surface layer that stabilizes the structure and suppresses side reactions for durable cycling at 4.8 V.
The chemistry at the lithium metal–electrolyte interface determines the cycling stability of lithium-metal electrodes but is challenging to control. A new study demonstrates that polymer coatings can both passivate the reactive lithium metal and selectively modulate interfacial electrolyte species, enabling stable cycling of high-energy-density pouch cells.
A majority of US households can reduce energy costs and access affordable backup power during outages through rooftop solar and battery storage. Policymakers need to evaluate and adopt measures to ensure high-outage-risk and energy-burdened communities have equitable access to these adaptation solutions as climate impacts intensify outages.
