Bridging current and future innovations to unlock the potential of multifunctional materials for sustainable energy applications

Abstract

The growing demand for clean and reliable energy is pushing researchers to explore a wide variety of advanced materials for energy applications. These materials are at the heart of many technologies that aim to produce, store, and use energy more efficiently and sustainably. Today, energy materials are being developed for a broad range of applications, including solar cells (photovoltaics), thermoelectric devices, batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Each of these technologies requires materials with specific properties, and finding or designing such materials presents exciting opportunities and complex challenges. For instance, high-performance battery materials are essential for grid-scale energy storage systems, which are needed to balance the supply of and demand for electricity, especially when using renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. In fuel cells, materials must support fast ion transport and be chemically stable over long periods. Similarly, in carbon capture systems, materials must effectively absorb and store carbon dioxide to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These diverse requirements have led the scientific community to search for new materials with enhanced properties, such as higher conductivity, better thermal stability, and improved mechanical strength. Recently, the use of machine learning (ML) and nature-inspired optimization (NIO) has started to transform how materials are discovered and optimized. Instead of relying only on trial-and-error experiments, researchers can now use AI tools to predict which materials might perform well in specific energy applications. This significantly speeds up the development process and helps design materials with customized features. Overall, this review highlights a wide selection of current and next-generation materials, along with the role of machine learning in shaping the future of sustainable energy. Together, these advancements hold great promise for addressing global energy challenges and building a cleaner, more efficient energy landscape.