Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A HOT Papers

This review highlights that screen-printed gas sensors are cost-effective and scalable, ideal for environmental, industrial, and healthcare applications.

This review focuses on the transformative role of the carbon-based covalent bridging bonds in the field of sodium-ion batteries, providing valuable insights for advancing the next-generation high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

We review the progress on MOF-based separators for LSBs, with a particular focus on the relationship between the MOF structures and their functional roles in polysulfide capture, catalytic conversion, and uniform Li⁺ ion flux regulation.

The construction of multilayer electrolytes can improve the electrode interface and enhance the performance of solid-state batteries.

This review focuses on pore engineering (intrinsic pore size, extrinsic porosity, and pore environment) in porous organic cages and summarizes the roles of pore engineering in various fields.

This review highlights recent advances in Ir-based electrocatalysts based on different design strategies. This review will guide future research in the development of high-performance Ir-based HOR electrocatalysts for AEMFCs.

The utilization of ferroelectrics offers an additional lever to surpass the performance limits of traditional photoelectrodes. In this review, design strategies for ferroelectric photoelectrodes from materials to PEC system design are assessed.

This review examines the integration of artificial intelligence with nanogenerators to develop self-powered, adaptive systems for applications in robotics, wearables, and environmental monitoring.

DFT reveals oxygen vacancies on SnO₂ stabilize polarons, driving efficient O₂ activation and CO oxidation. These findings enable advanced SnO₂-based sensor design, leveraging defect engineering to boost catalytic and sensing performance.

Yang and co-workers report a high-performance PEDOT:F-based hole-selective contact for silicon solar cells, achieving a record efficiency of 21.6% in organic–silicon heterojunction solar cells while demonstrating good environmental stability.

Inspired by the wet adhesion behavior of mussels, a polydopamine layer with high conductivity and robust mechanical stability was decorated onto an MnO₂ cathode to enhance the electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

For a tandem electrode of (Cu₇/Ag₃)₇-Ru₃/C, the (Cu₇/Ag₃)₇ heterostructure maximized the formation of NO₂⁻, and Ru nanoparticles exhibited excellent NO₂⁻ adsorption and water dissociation, facilitating the hydrogenation of NO₂⁻ and avoiding the HER.

H₂S/CH₄ and CO₂/CH₄ separations show opposing trends, making simultaneous improvement challenging. This is addressed by increasing free volume to enhance competitive sorption effects and boosting diffusion selectivity through in situ crosslinking.

Iron oxalate, a coordination polymer known for its sustainability, is a potential candidate for high-capacity and high-rate anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

The exceptional performance of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials often stems from their high conductivity.

We identify 62 Z-scheme heterostructures with excellent photocatalytic performance from 11 935 hetero-bilayer structures using high-throughput calculations and machine learning.

Oversaturated Fe–N₅ moieties incorporated into N-doped carbon nanocages are fabricated to facilitate polysulfide adsorption and sulfur redox reactions for Li–S batteries, which achieve excellent specific capacity and long-term cycle stability.

A frost-resistant hydrogel electrolyte with high ionic conductivity at −40 °C has been developed for wearable Zn//WO_3−x electrochromic devices.

A self-healing, deformation-resistant MXene double-network hydrogel for stable solar-driven interfacial evaporation.

10Ni/MgO_ET catalyst with a unique light-promoted synergy enabled a sustainable strategy for efficiently converting abundant biomass into syngas with excellent durability.

An integrated passivation strategy was employed to simultaneously suppress Sn oxidation and interfacial defect states of tin–lead mixed perovskite films effectively using p-guanidinobenzonitrile hydrochloride.

The developed Pd-rHGO nanocomposite material exhibited great potential for hydrogen storage, achieving a hydrogen storage capacity of 6.62 wt% at nearly ambient conditions and a pressure of 50 bar.

Introducing bismuth (Bi) into antimony (Sb) to form Sb–Bi alloys offers a promising way to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of Sb for CO₂ reduction to formate.

Gradually releasing reactants within a heterogeneous catalysis system is crucial to promote catalytic performance.

Identifying the nanostructure of residual Li in high-Ni cathodes is important for their long-term survival. This paper highlights the in-depth understanding of residual Li in nanoscale and suggests appropriate approaches to control the residual Li.

This study develops a self-assembled, hydrophobic, and compact C₃₂H₆₇O₄P layer on O3-NaNi_0.33Fe_0.33Mn_0.33O₂ cathode, effectively shielding the electrode from air degradation and metal dissolution, thereby enhancing sodium-ion battery performance.

TiSe₂ micro–nanoparticles with high rate and long life have been prepared by a simple one-step selenization method. The sodium storage mechanism was investigated by in situ and ex situ technologies.

In a visible-light-driven GaN:ZnO@α-Ga₂O₃ heterostructure, the GaN:ZnO core absorbed O₂ and stored photo-electrons at V_O sites to form ·O₂⁻, while the α-Ga₂O₃ shell absorbed H₂O/O₂ at V_O and trapped photo-holes at V_Ga to generate ·OH/¹O₂.

The Y₂Ti₂O₅S₂ have been prepared by using carbon disulfide (CS₂) as a sulfurizing reagent in the presence of a flux, which represents a new approach to the synthesis of oxysulfide photocatalysts in a manner that may be suitable for mass production.

Promising thermoelectric performance at low temperatures (300–600 K) realized in n-type polycrystalline SnSe by regulating the lattice structure.

Atomically precise alloy nanocluster artificial photosystems are exquisitely designed for photocatalytic selective organic transformation under visible light.

Designing of lignin-based vitrimers using phenol-yne chemistry to develop sustainable and recyclable aromatic polymer materials.

The obtained E500-CN serves dual functions in piezo-photocatalysis by providing effective piezoelectric responses and reduced charge carrier recombination, benefiting from the shortened diffusion pathway and the synergistic piezo-phototronic effect.

This study details the formulation of nano-polycarbazole (PCz) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid (PCz@CNT) nanofillers in Pithecellobium dulce polyester-amide coatings, showcasing their superior anticorrosive and antimicrobial properties on carbon steel.

Formally charged double acceptors strontium vacancies prove to be the primary source of the hole excess over negative carriers supplied by donor species, contributing to the material's p-type conductivity.

Two oligomer acceptors with a specific A–DA′D–A structure and different π-bridge lengths were constructed for organic solar cells, and the PM6:CH-TRZ binary solar cell achieves an impressive efficiency of 17.07% along with excellent device stability.

The introduction of porous sheath TiO₂ with controllable morphology and thickness into a Pt/CNTs catalyst effectively improves the catalytic activity toward glycerol electrooxidation and the selectivity of tartronic acid.

Promotion of alkaline hydrogen electrode reaction kinetics based on the phase transition via introducing gallium.

High thermoelectric performance and excellent cooling performance of flexible Bi₂Te₃ based films have been achieved via flaky Bi₂Te₃ powders with weak surface oxidation, prepared by ultrasonically induced liquid-phase exfoliation.

COFs with polysulfobetaine brushes (TpDh-P) could efficiently regenerate NAD⁺ from NADH under red light. The polysulfobetaines brushes capture and neutralize ROS, protecting native enzymes, and modulate NADH oxidation with electrolyte-sensitivity.

FeOOH/FeNiCo-LDH/HCNC, by virtue of the reconstruction-generated highly active and stable FeNiCoOOH together with the conductive honeycomb-channel carbon, exhibits superior OER performance for highly-stable industrial-level seawater electrolysis.

Incorporating DipyCl₂ into perovskite solar cells boosts moisture resistance and operational stability, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 24.2% and retaining 80% of efficiency after 2000 hours of air exposure.

An alkyl chain protected fluorenyl indoline donor was employed to improve the photovoltaic performance of doubly concerted companion dyes.

Manganese cobalt sulfide-doped fibrous sulfurized polyacrylonitrile with an increased graphitization degree and stable cathode electrolyte interphase shows fast electronic and ionic conductivity and improved kinetics.

The incorporation of the high-acidity cation Ti⁴⁺ into Co-free BiFeO_3−δ-based air electrodes demonstrates superior catalytic activity and significantly enhanced durability in reversible solid oxide cells.

Axial coordination significantly enhances the OER activity of Fe–N₄ sites due to the electron-withdrawing effect of ligands, which destabilizes OER intermediates and improves catalysis.

A plasma-modified ALD (PMALD) approach has been developed for depositing SnO_x thin-films with a tunable composition as electron extraction layers in perovskite solar modules using poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) as the hole transport layer.

We proposed a high-efficiency Zn-ion battery by heat charging. A record absolute high temperature coefficient of 3.157 mV K⁻¹ was achieved. When the battery is charged at 45 °C and discharged at 5 °C, a high energy efficiency of 105.16% is realized.

Three-dimensional ordered meso-structured PtCo alloy nanoparticles are fabricated to enhance O₂ diffusion and accelerate the kinetics of oxygen reduction in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.

Based on a supramolecular self-assembly strategy, an advanced sulfur-doped hollow g-C₃N₄ nanovesicle (HV-SCN) is developed successfully for efficient photocatalytic H₂ evolution.

Immiscible alloys with interlocking structures were synthesized at moderate temperatures for use as anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), showing high capacity and remarkable long-term cycling stability.

Our work provides a detailed mechanistic pathway for the oxygen reduction reaction during the discharging process and the potentiality of a C₂N monolayer as the cathode catalyst in non-aqueous Li–air batteries.

Simulations of large models of lithium solid state electrolytes reveal possible nanoscopic mechanisms for dendrite formation.

In situ golden ratio tomography revealed that the laser drilling process is crucial for decoupling dimensional changes of wood from moisture uptake.

A widely adopted approach in the field of adsorbent preparation for uranium extraction involves grafting acrylonitrile onto inert polymer substrates, followed by amidoximation.

The conversion of nitrate (NO₃⁻) contaminants into ammonia (NH₃) through electrochemical reduction presents a viable strategy for the dual purposes of wastewater purification and ammonia production.

An oxazole-linked donor–acceptor COF (BTT-DABD) is developed and demonstrated as an excellent electrocatalyst for lithium–sulfur batteries. The oxazole linkage endows BTT-DABD with enhanced chemical stability and catalytic activity.

This study repurposes e-waste retired ternary lithium-ion battery cathodes as catalysts for CO₂ reduction to CO via the reverse water–gas shift reaction.

A high-entropy transition metal sulfide anode composite is prepared using a high-pressure, high-temperature technique, which demonstrates enhanced cycling stability, reduced polysulfide shuttle effect, and improved sodium storage performance.

SnS₂/COF3 is a promising photocatalyst for water splitting. Excited-state carrier dynamics simulations show that compressive strain can further enhance its photocatalytic performance.

This work presents an eco-friendly Na₂CO₃-modified photocatalyst fabricated via the optimization of thermodynamic bonding during polymerization with improved mass and energy transfer.

Herein, an Ni₉Fe₁/NiAlO_z catalyst is reported to be an efficient catalyst for conversion of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) and 2-phenethyl phenyl ether (PPE), a lignin dimer model compound.