Volume 11 Issue 4, April 2026

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.

The effectiveness of solar-driven water splitting is constrained by inefficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers and their rapid recombination. Researchers now show that multilayered structures that exhibit quantum effects by confining electrons in thin layers can optimize charge carrier dynamics, resulting in photocatalysts with remarkable efficiency.

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.

Experts from 13 countries gathered in Yancheng, China to share recent research and technological and operational progress in renewable energy integration, and to identify urgent solutions in some key areas needed to accelerate the global energy transition.

A crystallization strategy enables the successful deposition, through blade-coating under ambient conditions, of phase-pure, wide-bandgap perovskite films with a homogeneous halide distribution. Using this approach, a monolithic perovskite/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ tandem solar cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 27.3% and exhibited high operational stability.

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.

Oxide cathodes underpin both Li- and Na-ion batteries, but their performance is often interpreted empirically. This Perspective shows how intrinsic chemical factors govern their behaviour and offers guidance for designing more stable, higher-energy cathodes.

Low- and middle-income countries face unique challenges when it comes to balancing growing energy needs with broader, long-term development needs. This Perspective argues for innovative, context-specific modelling practices to support these goals.

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.

The efficiency of perovskite/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ tandem solar cells is limited by halide segregation in the perovskite layer. Zhang et al. use 2-pyrrolidinone to slow the crystallization of halide intermediates, ensuring a homogeneous distribution and achieving a power conversion efficiency of 27.3%.

Silicon anodes promise much higher battery capacity but are limited by poor storage life. This work identifies key ageing mechanisms and suggests ways to improve long-term stability.

Splitting water using sunlight is a promising route to green hydrogen, yet inefficient charge carrier utilization in photocatalysts limits their solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. Here the authors introduce excitonic quantum superlattices to prolong exciton lifetimes and optimize charge steering, achieving a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 3% under ambient conditions.

Two-dimensional perovskite phases at the bottom interfaces of solar cells improve performance, but their formation is challenging. To address this, Zhao et al. graft the 2D perovskite-phase precursor onto a functionalized SnO₂ electrode substrate.

Nickel-rich layered oxide cathodes suffer from chemomechanical degradation, and current mitigation methods require complex syntheses. Here the researchers show that simple control of LiOH melting produces uniform microstructures that stabilize the cathodes without doping or coatings.

Electrified CO₂ capture from air could lead to net-negative emissions, yet current methods face high energy costs and sensitivity to oxygen. Here the authors introduce an electrochemical approach using MnO₂ as a stable, redox-active sorbent, achieving CO₂ capture with promising energy consumption and minimal oxygen sensitivity.

Photocatalysts for methane conversion can suffer from inefficient charge carrier diffusion, limiting their effectiveness. Here the authors exploit the insulator–metal transition in VO₂ to create an electronic phase junction, enhancing the non-oxidative conversion of methane into hydrogen, ethane and propane, with peak efficiency at the transition’s critical temperature.

The operational stability of perovskite solar cells remains a challenge. Zhang et al. incorporate photoswitchable isomers at grain boundaries to improve their resilience and the stability of the solar cells under light cycling and ultraviolet exposure.

New technologies are needed to reduce the large greenhouse gas footprint of heating and cooling. Wu et al. propose a reversible sorption-driven dissolution refrigeration cycle with promise for cooling, heating and thermal energy storage.