Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A Recent Review Articles

Let's quantum: topological quantum materials offer high electron mobility, stable surface states, and resistance to contamination, making them ideal candidates for next-generation heterogeneous catalysts.

Zinc–air batteries (ZABs) stand at the forefront of energy storage technologies. However, challenges like slow kinetics and low rechargeability persist. MOF–MXene hybrids enhance performance, enabling sustainable ZAB technology.

Higher energy density can be obtained by increasing the charging cut-off voltage of Ni-rich materials to meet the range requirements of electric vehicles.

Fast-charging materials are necessary for a battery-centric future. Ionic and electronic transport crucially determine performance where their capacity-weighted figures-of-merit account for performance across all states-of-charge.

Scanning probe microscopy can be used to obtain topographical, mechanical, electrical, and electrochemical information on a wide range of materials in a variety of environments, including in situ and operando studies for rechargeable battery systems.

Atmospheric water harvesting is an emerging technique that can potentially increase water access to water-constrained communities.

The principles, equipment, and recent advancements of Joule heating in materials synthesis and waste management were systematically reviewed. Applications were highlighted while challenges and future research directions were addressed.

High-entropy compounds harness multi-element synergy to deliver exceptional photo(electro)catalytic activity, stability and tunable functionality, while addressing mechanistic challenges and design strategies for energy/environmental applications.

Solution-processed top electrodes are crucial for PSC commercialization. This TOC image illustrates solution-processed top electrodes for commercial-scale perovskite photovoltaics.

This review emphasizes novel strategies in zeolite membrane preparation and optimization for enhanced performance in petrochemical applications.

The utilization of 2D CTFs in advanced electrochemical energy storage systems not only demonstrates the enhancement of the energy and power densities of these devices, but also promotes their cycling stability and rate performance.

The confinement effect can effectively enhance photocatalytic activity by restricting active species to the nanoscale region through a special spatial structure. This work reviews the recent advances of confinement effect in photocatalysis.

Alkaline HER involves the oxophilic site speeding up the adsorption and dissociation of the H–OH molecule, ensuring a consistent proton supply, while *OH adsorption is crucial for HOR. This concept needs urgent attention and detailed discussion.

In this work, a bibliometric study based on Web of Science database have been carried out to analyse the progress in facilitated transports membranes for CO₂ capture based on countries, institutions, authors and journals.

This review systematically examines the failure mechanisms of low-temperature solid-state metal batteries and summarizes corresponding design strategies to enhance their efficiency and reliability in low-temperature applications.

Overview of the applications and performance improvement strategies of pyro-catalysis.

This review summarizes the molecular design strategy for benzodithiophene-based donor–acceptor polymers and presents recent examples of their applications in high-efficiency solar cells.

Solvate ionic liquids (SILs) are modular and tuneable, enabling their utilisation in diverse applications spanning energy storage, electrodeposition, and advanced synthesis.

This review provides a comprehensive tutorial about the promising potential of ferroelectric materials as unconventional photocatalysts for methane conversion applications.

We reviewed the recent advances in surface modification strategies of catalysts for improving CO₂RR performance.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging contaminants that significantly impact ecosystems and pose serious risks to aquatic life and human health.

In response to the serious photodegradation problem of organic solar cells, this review explores the factors influencing photostability from materials to devices and highlights recent progress in strategies to improve the photostability of OSCs.

Functionalizing the membrane framework with the introduction of MOFs, robust hybrid membranes separator devised in ARFBs that outperformed the pristine membrane separators in terms of electro-chemical efficiencies and capacity retention rates.

UiO-66 (Zr), well-acknowledged as an outstanding MOF nanomaterial, has emerged as a promising candidate for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction—a green and sustainable process that utilizes renewable solar energy to convert CO₂ into valuable products.

This review aims to discuss and summarize the optimization strategies for the performance of flexible ARSIBs, their stability under extreme conditions, and the multifunctional applications in wearable integrated electronic systems.

In surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based gas sensing applications, the sensitive material coated on the SAW sensor is critical for selectivity, limit of detection, and sensitivity, as it directly affects changes in sensing signals.

This review systematically discusses performance limiting factors and materials-related strategies for high-performance AC-TENGs and DC-TENGs.

This review investigates the challenges and recommends various mitigation strategies for general cell failure and degradation mechanisms in polymer electrolyte membrane-based fuel cells and electrolysers.

This review discusses recent advances in the selective production of C₂₊ products via electrocatalytic CO₂RR based on C–C coupling, offering insightful guidelines and strategies to develop efficient catalysts for real-world applications.

The present document delineates the optimization strategy of MOF-808 and its intrinsic mechanism of CO₂ capture, separation and catalytic process.

Article describes the properties of isolated atoms on QDs and COFs for the importance of combining state-of-the-art design and attributes. Described methods for fabricating M-SA-QDs and M-SA-COFs and their structural and electronic properties.

This review explores the paradigm shift from traditional non-contact sensors to tele-perception, highlighting the foundational principles, representative system architectures, and cutting-edge optimization strategies.

This review highlights advances in perovskite-MOF hybrids for PEC water splitting, offering design guidelines for high-performance photoelectrodes while emphasising critical factors that affect their photoelectrochemical activity and application.

This review analyzes key recycling and regeneration methods for spent cathodes, emphasizing scientific advances and their significance. It discusses challenges, future directions, and scalable solutions for industrial implementation.

We explored the cutting-edge dual-functional CaL-ICCC process, addressing current limitations and proposing future strategies to minimize energy penalties through integrated multiscale approaches spanning materials, reactors, and systems.

Advances in portable water quality sensors focusing on improving sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. Trends show rising interest, while triboelectric nanosensors demonstrate distinct voltage responses for analytes at different concentrations.

This review showcases the development of covalently connected donor–acceptor molecules for single-component organic solar cells.

This review explores MXene–polymer hybrids to enhance MXene oxidation stability and polymer functionality. It covers fabrication techniques, uses in various fields, and highlights challenges and future opportunities for MXene–polymer nanocomposites.

Strategies and influencing factors for enhanced efficiency of solar steam generation systems with an analysis of the gap between theoretical and experimental efficiency.

Illustration of different approaches for tailoring sulfur cathodes for RT Na–S batteries.

This review explores the advancements in PFAS nano-sensor technology, detailing their molecular interactions, cutting-edge materials, and challenges, with an aim to improve the detection of PFAS for human and environmental safety.

The physicochemical properties accurately captured by the precise descriptors enable researchers to efficiently screen and identify optimal compounds for designing high-performance electrolytes for Li batteries.

The relationship between TENG performance and dielectric enhancement by inorganic nano-fillers was comprehensively and systematically analysed.

In this review, strategies to enhance the pyrocatalytic performance of perovskite oxides are highlighted. The applications of perovskite oxide pyrocatalysis are then summarized. Finally, the outlook for perovskite oxide pyrocatalysis are presented.

This review summarizes recent progress in perovskite materials for concentrated photovoltaics (CPVs), highlighting their properties, addressing thermal challenges, and discussing strategies to enhance CPV performance and feasibility.

Outlines of the properties, synthesis, surface modification, and photodetection applications of InSb CQDs.

Oil spills and the environmental pollution accidents caused by them have gradually become a serious problem that human industrial and commercial development must face.

This work focuses on the multistage synergistic degradation of HCHO in bifunctional composite materials from the perspective of adsorption enhanced catalytic degradation of HCHO.

This review outlines the recent advancements in nickel cobalt phosphate- and phosphide-based supercapacitors by providing their structure–property–performance relationships and employing advanced machine learning as a predictive tool.

This article presents an overview of the utilization of semiconductor materials and electrolytes in supercapacitors, emphasizing their performance across a wide temperature range.

In order to cope with the environmental crisis and the depletion of non-renewable resources, the combination of metal–organic framework (MOF) and biomass materials has become an important breakthrough in sustainable materials science.

Chlorination roasting enables nickel recovery rates up to nearly 100% from primary and secondary sources. This technology has great potential in promoting nickel recycling and resource conservation in modern industry.