Reviews & Analysis

Although reversible solid oxide cells show promise for clean energy conversion, performance and stability is still limited by their oxygen electrodes. New work demonstrates a design that accelerates oxygen exchange by targeting balanced transport of oxide ions and electrons.

Energy policy support hinges on public perceptions of the impacts of these policies on society and the environment, of how fair impacts are, and on policy-related emotions. These aspects should be given priority when designing and communicating new policies.

Fe-based polyanionic cathodes are promising for large-scale Na-ion batteries but are limited by incomplete Na utilization. Now, research shows that tuning the local Na coordination via V substitution in phosphate-based cathode allows additional Na sites to participate, enabling near-complete Na utilization, enhancing energy density and cycling stability.

As silicon solar cells approach their theoretical efficiency limit, further performance gains become increasingly difficult. Two studies now demonstrate advances in mainstream tunnel oxide passivating contact technology: one improves the boron emitter and polysilicon in the standard design, while the other proposes an alternative cell architecture that overcomes limitations of the mainstream approach.

Internal self-discharge can compromise the shelf life of solid-state batteries. Now, physico-chemical analysis of charge loss shows that the internal self-discharge over time is not solely determined by the electronic conductivity of the solid separator but also by its electrochemical stability. This model could help guide separator and cell design.

The presence of lead in perovskite photovoltaics requires careful scrutiny before commercialization. In this Review Lin and colleagues discuss mitigation strategies and the end-of-life implications for recycling and sustainability.

When households install rooftop solar panels, they often increase their electricity consumption due to the perception of ‘free’ energy, a phenomenon known as the solar rebound effect. Energy scenarios should reflect this additional demand, while associated policy should incentivize use during sunny hours to limit system costs and unfair cost shifting.

Designing photocatalysts typically demands complex engineering of junctions. Vanadium dioxide (VO₂), however, can spontaneously form homogeneous junctions upon undergoing an insulator–metal transition. This transition in VO₂ thin films under light increases the photocatalytic conversion rate of methane into hydrogen and light alkanes.

Silicon anodes promise far higher capacity than graphite but suffer from rapid decay at rest. Researchers evaluate cycling stability and calendar life of micron-sized silicon anodes after tuning electrolytes to form a LiF-rich solid–electrolyte interphase and propose a metric to assess calendar ageing.

Anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) face performance challenges due to CO₂ in ambient air, which forms carbonate ions that reduce ionic conductivity. In this Perspective, the authors explore CO₂ management strategies and discuss its potential stabilizing effects, offering insights to enhance AEMFC performance and stability.

While nuclear fusion power is often hailed as a future source of abundant, clean energy, current dominant fusion designs, magnetic and laser inertial, are unlikely to become competitive due to their expected low experience rates. Accordingly, policymakers should not rely on, or fund, fusion power as a core pillar of future clean energy systems unless designs with different characteristics are developed.

The upper stability limit of formamidinium–caesium (FACs) lead iodide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under thermal and light stress is poorly understood. Now, analysis of the photothermal stability of hundreds of FACs PSCs reveals distinct temperature-dependent degradation modes. On the basis of the mechanistic insight, stabilizing strategies are proposed to mitigate the degradation pathways.

Perovskite photovoltaics that use self-assembled monolayers as hole-transport layers are unstable under reverse bias, but the underlying mechanism has not been well understood. This instability is now shown to arise from formamidinium deprotonation triggered by the discontinuities in the self-assembled monolayer on the indium tin oxide substrate.

The Energy Access and Energy Poverty Pillar framework may enable municipalities worldwide to operationalize energy interventions relating to security, sustainability and affordability. Voluntarily reported municipal data and local contextual knowledge should be used together to expand energy access and energy poverty policies, with coordination across governance levels supporting this process.

Oxidation and reduction reactions undermine the stability of perovskite solar cells under illumination and bias. In this Perspective, Ren et al. examine the impact of irreversible reactions involving organic cations, identify key knowledge gaps, and outline strategies for mitigation.

Substantial heterogeneity is evident in stances towards the development of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems in the UK. An assessment of individual preferences reveals substantial valuations of specific ATES characteristics that are nevertheless modified by latent attitudes regarding systemic and local benefits, safety concerns, information provision, and policy support.

Improved technologies are required to curb the substantial greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooling. Researchers have now revisited endothermic cooling to design a sustainable, reversible sorption-driven dissolution refrigeration cycle, which holds broad potential for cooling, heating, and thermal storage applications.

The operational stability of perovskite solar modules under real-world conditions remains a critical challenge. In this Review, Luigi A. Castriotta et al. analyse the degradation pathways and discuss how accelerated tests can predict outdoor performance.

Electrolyte solvents in sodium-ion batteries have long been regarded as passive ion-transport media, while sluggish Na⁺ diffusion in layered cathodes limits kinetics. Now, researchers show that reversible solvent intercalation actively enhances Na⁺ transport, enabling fast kinetics with preserved redox chemistry and cycling stability.

Salinity gradients can be converted into electrical energy via charge-selective membranes, yet controlling the solid–liquid interfacial properties at the nanometre scale remains a key challenge. Now, highly charged nanopores coated with a lipid bilayer are shown to enable hydration lubrication, enhancing ion transport, selectivity and osmotic power generation.