Themed collection Green and Sustainable Batteries

This review examines the potential capability of Nb–C and VC MXenes as advanced anode materials for enhancing the performance of Na-ion batteries (SIBs). The crucial challenges and future prospects of these SIB electrodes have elaborated in detail.

First critical review paper on LIBs direct recycling strategies, covering a broader scope with the positive electrode, negative electrode, and electrolyte, while discussing the substantial challenges to their effective implementation.

The review delves into six modulation strategies of carbon-based single-atom catalysts, emphasizing the relationship between electronic structure and performance to aid in the development of bifunctional electrocatalysts for zinc–air batteries.

A long cycle-life, high-rate SnSb@C-SiOC nanohybrid anode for SIBs is designed. The multi-functional shell boosts electrochemical kinetics, and the heterostructure effectively suppresses huge volume change and structural degradation of SnSb.

Sustainable regeneration of graphite anodes through novel treatments boosts performance and supports circular economy in batteries.

Gram-scale microwave synthesis and environmental impact assessment of sodium carboxylates for use as organic electrode materials in sodium-ion batteries.

Workflow of the direct recycling of various LNMO electrode scraps through three distinct separation routes, with the resulting materials used directly for the preparation of new electrodes with no need for re-synthesis of the active material.

Ni, N-codoped macroporous carbon fibers have been developed as efficient electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction and Zn–CO₂ batteries.

Acid-assisted hydrothermal carbonisation of vine shoots, followed by annealing, yields tailored hard carbon anodes for Na-ion batteries. Diglyme-based electrolytes improved capacity, efficiency, and stability, showcasing sustainable energy solutions.

This work is the first report of a suitable formulation and application in lithium-ion battery full-cells of an electrolyte incorporating the novel bio-based solvent 5-methyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-one (LA-H,H) with imide-based salts.

We demonstrate a macromolecular electrolyte engineering strategy to break the Zn²⁺ solvation sheath using a porphyrin-based additive, which can facilitate the formation of the Zn-porphyrin complex and achieve superior electrochemical performance.

The low-cost and sustainable non-woven carbon fibers produced from petroleum pitch using a melt-blowing process are shown to be an ideal alternative to expensive polyacrylonitrile-based carbon felt electrode material for redox flow batteries.

The role of the linker (the group connecting viologen moieties to peptide-based backbones) in electron transfer was studied. The backbone dictated the mechanism of electron transfer, whereas the linker length altered the rate of electron transfer.

This work highlights a cis-oligomer as an organic coverage. Results show that the oxygen atom on the NCM811 surface deprotonates the cis-oligomer rather than carbonates. Cis-oligomer adjustes the solvation of the carbonates for controllable CEI formation.

Crystalline AB-stacked CTFs were synthesized in the AlCl₃–NaCl–KCl ternary eutectic salt system, and a CTF-based biphase coupled cathode (BPCC) has been proposed and proved to show significantly enhanced electrochemical performance.

We report a series of 2D tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based COFs incorporating different organic linkers between the electroactive moieties that were investigated as p-type organic cathode materials for lithium-organic batteries.