Atomically thin metallic alloy consisting of five elements can be utilized for hydrogen evolution and oxygen generation. The two-dimensional multicomponent alloys are synthesized using their quasicrystal bulk form. More details can be found in article number 2200860, Douglas S. Galvao, Chandra S. Tiwary, Arup Dasgupta, Krishanu Biswas, and co-workers.

The fundamental requirements of large-scale battery energy storage systems in scenarios of load leveling, frequency regulation, and reserve application are summarized. Then, the metrics of battery for different application scenarios are proposed from technical, economic, environmental, and safe points of view. Gaps between current studies and actual scenarios are discussed, and the future directions on the development of batteries are proposed.

The power conversion efficiency of the ternary organic solar cells now exceeds 19% owing to a good understanding of the structure–property relationship.

The article presents a design of multicomponent alloy with a decagonal quasicrystal phase with low-cost transition metals (Al₇₀Co₁₀Fe₅Ni₁₀Cu₅) and elucidates the exfoliating of metallic alloy into a two-dimensional thin sheet. 2D surfaces are unique, like many metal atoms exposed on the surface act as a bifunctional catalyst. This is promising as an alternative to noble metal catalyst materials.

Surface engineering of hole and electron transport layers with an azulene–pyridine molecule and in conjunction with perovskite treatment by an alkylammonium salt increases power conversion efficiency to 20.42% and enhances the stability of the inverted perovskite devices.

Herein, the novel composite of Ni_0.5Fe_0.5Se₂/C has been successfully fabricated through a one-step solvothermal approach. As counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the composite achieves high electrical conductivity and great electrocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSCs based on ternary Ni_0.5Fe_0.5Se₂/C CEs reaches 9.37%, which even exceeds the Pt CE (8.79%).

A new approach for improving the stability of next-generation energy storage devices is developed. This approach utilizes new reactor technology to fabricate 2D layered double hydroxides and a low-cost, solvent-mediated coating process to create highly structured electrode surfaces with unique electrochemical properties.

The power conversion efficiency for P135:Y6 (15.11%) is higher than that for P133:Y6 (10.24%), which is attributed to the efficient charge separation and transport due to the high dielectric constant of the former blend, owing to the reduced exciton binding energy due to the two polar carbonyl groups in P135 donor–acceptor copolymer.

Hollow discontinuous Ge/GeO₂ nanotubes anode is successfully fabricated by chemical vapor deposition technique and the following facile carbon nanofiber templates’ removal process in air. Improved electrochemical performance is achieved due to the enlarged surface area, which can effectively reduce the Li ions’ transporting path length and retard the large volume change of the Ge electrode during cycling.

Oxygen reduction reaction activity of the easy synthesis of PtM/C catalysts has been increased after acid-heat treatment, and among these catalysts, PtCo/C exhibits higher performance due to increased active reaction sites and modified electronic surface structure. This study represents not only the exploration of a rational conception of alloy nanoparticle systems but also highlights the control system of morphology, composition, and electronic structure.

Smart solar panel umbrella with auto open and close function toward highly efficient hybrid solar and rain energy harvesting controlled by 32-bit microcontroller is explained.

Coating layer of polyfluorosilicone shell on BaTiO₃ nanoparticles can provide additional dipoles and at the same time make the filler have better dispersion in a vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (P(VDF-HFP)) matrix. Finally, enhanced dielectric constant and suppressed dielectric loss lead to greatly improved energy storage density of the polymer nanocomposites.

Herein, inkjet-printed flexible heaters have been approved for their high reliability and stability, which is systematically studied and justified by a variety of endurance tests as well as high temperatures and bending cycles. The heaters are capable of operating during defined strains and curvatures, and their readiness for integration to flexible applications has been approved.

The in situ entrapment of ultra-small Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles inside hierarchical molybdenum polydopamine is hereby described. Functional group chemistry is utilized to decorate the surface of the nanoplatform with gold nanoparticles. The prepared nanoplatform shows efficient catalytic properties with positive onset potential of 2 mV, low Tafel slope of 50.1 mV dec⁻¹, remarkable long-term stability, and enhanced hydrogen evolution catalytic property for hydrogen.

The crystal layer spacing of nanoflower-like NH₄V₄O₁₀/C (NHVO/C) is expanding by ammonia via a rapid microwave-assisted solvothermal method and subsequent calcination, which facilitates fast and reversible intercalation/extraction of Zn²⁺. An aqueous rechargeable Zn//NHVO/C battery delivers high capacity and excellent cycling performance, whose charge storage mechanism is elucidated through in situ and ex situ electrochemical characterization.

Herein, a sandwich-type hybrid solid polymer electrolyte (SHSPE) is prepared via simple coating method. The gel polymer filled porous polyethylene (PE) separator endows SHSPEs fast ion transport (7.13 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, 25 °C) and good mechanical properties (205.67 MPa). The resulting Li//Li symmetric battery with optimized solid electrolyte can circulate steadily for more than 1800 h, and at 80 °C.

The reported microcapsules are prepared first by water treatment and then by heat oxidation treatment. The SnBi@SnO₂ microcapsules are well sealed, which can endure a melting–solidification thermal cycle over 100 cycles with good stability. The microcapsules have a melting point of around 139 °C and an enthalpy of around 43 J g⁻¹, similar to the theoretical values of SnBi.

Herein, the full process of engineering an asymmetric MnO₂-graphene oxide (GO) supercapacitor is presented. GO and manganese oxide are synthesized using a novel synthesis method. Using a self-assembly method, a MnO₂-GO composite is synthesized using GO as a support of nucleation to MnO₂. The synthesized materials are used as electrodes in an aqueous supercapacitor.

A low-cost perylene-diimide diphosphonium bromide cathode interlayer material CIL-4 for high-efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs) is reported. It has comparable photovoltaic performance with well-studied high-performing high-cost PFN-Bra landmark cathode modifying layer material. A self-n-doped effect under light results in CIL-4 high conductivity because of highly delocalized radical anions.

Herein, the fabrication of a piezo-tribo hybrid nanogenerator is highlighted, where poly(vinylidene fluoride)/MoS₂@ZnO nanocomposite acts as piezoelectric nanogenerator, which further coupled with PDMS for piezo-tribo hybrid output performances.

Polyimide coating can not only provide the –CO–N–CO– group effectively combined with Zn²⁺ to form a zinc rich layer, which provides a path for the rapid transmission of Zn²⁺, but also inhibit the growth of zinc dendrite and hydrogen evolution reaction. Therefore, the PI-Zn symmetrical (PI-Zn//PI-Zn) battery achieves steady plating/stripping above 900 h at 1 mA cm⁻².

Electroactive phase of poly(vinylidene) fluoride polymer enhances with the incorporation of silicon dioxide nanoparticles. The self-standing composite film with 5.0 wt% loading of SiO₂ is then engineered to design a wearable electronic skin with excellent pressure and temperature sensing capabilities. This electronic skin with an admirable energy generation capacity also acts as smart electronics for human health care monitoring.

Temperature and thermal stress are crucial factors that affect the working performance and thermal safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). According to a coupled electrochemical–thermal–mechanical model, the internal temperature and thermal stress distribution of the cylindrical battery at the discharge rate of 1C are simulated and analyzed. This model can be developed for the thermal management and internal structure design of LIBs.

A 2 V aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor is developed and investigated. Binder-free MnO₂-positive electrode is prepared using the electrode position process. The asymmetric cell deliveres a maximum specific capacitance of 187.5 F g⁻¹ at 0.2 A g⁻¹. Maximum specific energy (26 Wh kg⁻¹) and power of (2 kW kg⁻¹) were achieved.

Z-scheme heterojunctions by preventing the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and promoting the carrier transportation are regarded as a promising way to enhance photocatalytic performance. A Z-scheme binary heterojunction composed of I-BiOBr and g-C₃N₄ with an enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate are successfully designed and implemented.

Herein, 3-pyridine formamide (NTM) is applied to printable carbon-based mesoscopic perovskite solar cells. The adjustment of energy level distribution and the defects passivation of the perovskite films can be achieved by the multifunctional groups of NTM. The power conversion efficiency of the devices is improved from 14.36% to 16.36%.

In sunny conditions, thermal integration of a photovoltaic (PV) module and an electrolyzer (EC) stack improves device performance by cooling the PV and warming the ECs. However, in the evening and in the morning, the PV may be warmed, the electrolyte cooled, and the efficiency reduced. This can complicate device optimization and some temperature control measures may be needed.

Volume shrinkage of conventional graphene aerogel shows weight loss under the pure phase-change materials infiltration process. Hence, the modified graphene aerogel with a crosslinked structure can reduce the volume shrinkage effectively and increase the total thermal energy storage to apply for pyroelectric energy harvesting.

The interdependencies of the refrigerant, flowsheet, compressor, and operating point are evaluated for residential heat pumps. The study shows that the optimal refrigerant strongly depends on the flowsheet and the compressor modeling approach. Thus, a combined evaluation of refrigerant, flowsheet, and compressor is necessary when selecting a refrigerant to account for all effects and possible refrigerant potentials.

A pseudo-solid-state hybrid electrolyte (PHE) is synthesized by hybridizing Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ with an ionic liquid electrolyte. This PHE shows applicability to batteries under high temperature and high voltage.