Front cover image: In article number 10.1002/cnl2.26, Hui Ying Yang and co-workers focus on a low-cost method to fabricate an advanced sodium anode. The leftover cooked rice is shown here as an important element. By effective multi-step heat treatment, the anode of CoSe2 nanoparticles embedded in a matrix containing carbon nanotubes and rice-derived hard carbon can be synthesized. The red spheres in the battery represent electrons and sodium ions. The intrinsically formed 3D network is effective in shortening the diffusion paths of both electrons and sodium ions, leading to fast transport and impressive sodium storage characteristic.

Back cover image: The dramatic increase of spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs) has led to resource waste and environmental pollution. In article number 10.1002/cnl2.31, the current challenges and future directions in the field of SLIBs recycling are clarified by systematically explaining current advanced recycling processes and industrial application examples, as well as the introduction of emerging concepts such as intelligent and sustainable recycling, providing ideas for achieving energy efficiency and environmental protection while also achieving significant economic benefits.

A low-cost and sustainable method was developed for the synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical composites composed of CoSe₂ nanoparticles embedded in rice-derived hard carbon interconnected with carbon nanotubes (CoSe₂@RHC@CNTs) for efficient sodium storage. Benefiting from its prominent structural and compositional features, CoSe₂@RHC@CNTs as sodium-ion batteries anode showed enhanced sodium storage properties with high reversible capacity (550 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹), excellent rate capability (451 mAh g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹) and ultra-long cycle life (100% capacity retention over 2500 cycles after electrochemical stabilization).

The engagement of various interface structures has realized the further enhancement of thermoelectric performance for skutterudites-based thermoelectric materials. It is of vital importance to bridge a relationship between the interface type and thermoelectric transport properties.

This review sheds light on current challenges and prospects for future directions by summarizing current mainstream approaches and emerging ideas in the recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries. The pattern of battery recycling and reuse will drive a paradigm shift in waste lithium battery processing technology, and ultimately achieve carbon neutralization goals such as an efficient circular economy and a green environment.

Here, we fabricated a highly active Mo-Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets on Ni foam for efficient electrocatalysis of urea oxygen reaction (UOR) and explored its UOR mechanism by taking advantage of in situ method. Finally, we fabricated an entirely flexible direct urea fuel cell for the first time, in combination with a hydrogel electrolyte self-storing the liquid urea fuel.

Lignin-derived carbons have the coupling merits of easy synthesis, low cost, and wide ranges of resources. Through the strategies of morphology tailoring, heteroatom doping, and heterostructure construction, lignin-derived carbons can exhibit different functional properties, making them show great potential in the applications of thermocatalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, supercapacitors, and secondary batteries.

Environmentally friendly small-bandgap Cs₂CuSbCl₆ and Cs₄CuSb₂Cl₁₂ halide double perovskites microcrystals and quantum dots (QDs) are fabricated successfully, and the Cs₄CuSb₂Cl₁₂ QDs present an impressive electron consumption of 1053 µmol g⁻¹ under 3 h illumination.

China versus the United States in driving the oil price.

The development of high energy density and stable power output of flexible lithium-based batteries requires the cooperation of flexible components and advanced interfaces. However, interface issues seriously affect its stable power output under dynamic deformation. In this review, the formation and characteristics of the interface are elaborated in-depth. The design of advanced flexible free-standing materials, novel battery architecture, and the strategy of interface optimization are summarized, and rational opinions on eliminating the interface issues are also put forward.