Themed collection Most Highly Cited in RSC Energy 2024

This perspective highlights the challenges and opportunities in interfacial evaporation, heat and water management, materials synthesis, and device development for solar steam generation.

This review presents the important progress of Cu-based catalysts for the NH₃-SCR reaction. Special attention is given to elucidating the design of high-performance catalysts, as well as anti-inactivation measures in industrial applications.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are clay networks with brucite (Mg(OH₂)) layers that are coupled with anions between the produced layers.

Flatland materials were meticulously surveyed to explore their functionality in photochemical and electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction applications. New insights are presented for pilot-scale NRR operations via 2D materials.

This review provides a comprehensive overview detailing the advancements in desolvation strategies pertaining to aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) performances, addressing the applications and working mechanisms of desolvation strategies in AZIBs.

The recent progress in visible light driven photocatalysis by describing the integration of TiO₂ with variety of materials, and how it helps in tailoring electronic, structural and optical properties towards improved solar H₂ production activity.

With the ever-increasing demand for efficient and sustainable energy solutions, rechargeable Fe-ion batteries have emerged as a viable alternative to conventional rechargeable batteries.

This review provides an overview of Cu-based catalysts for electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia. It encompasses materials, reaction mechanisms, analysis methods and insights into the practical applications and economic prospects.

A quantitative review of 89 hydrogen production cost forecasts, providing future prospects and multifaceted analyses.

Thin films mediated photocatalytic hydrogen production is the recent intriguing challenge to overcome the global energy demand. By development of fine nanomaterials and preparation of thin films hydrogen production can be increased to large scale.

The demonstration of disposal and utilisation of waste cooking oil as potential feedstock towards biodiesel synthesis by catalytic heterogeneous transesterification.

This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances on crystalline carbon nitrides, including their preparation, optimization strategies, photocatalytic applications, as well as challenges and prospects.

This article summarizes the regulation strategies of Fe-based MOFs-derived electrocatalysts for ZABs, and provides a prospect for their future development.

In this review, research progress on layered oxide cathodes for SIBs in recent years is summarized, with emphasis on the problems of poor cycle life caused by irreversible phase transition, Jahn–Teller effect and interface deterioration, and several strategies are proposed to alleviate these issues.

Diagram depicting the internal structure of various p-type and n-type legs in thermoelectric power generators.

Designing hybrid materials with superior electrochemical properties has attracted tremendous interest in recent years for energy-storage applications owing to a high demand for energy sources and the depletion of fossil fuel resources.

This review discusses recent insights in catalyst layer design strategies for anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers, including electrode design, catalyst/ionomer integration, operational variables, in situ diagnostics, and cell durability.

This review summarizes the integration of single atom catalysts and catalyst-coated membrane architecture, exhibiting high utilization of SACs, facile ion transport, low interfacial resistance, and excellent scalability.

In this review we show how DFT gas-phase errors affect computational models of electrocatalytic reactions.

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia offers a sustainable approach for nitrogenous waste upcycling. This review outlines recent advances in the design of electrocatalysts through cross-scale structural engineering.

Photocatalytic nitrogen reduction using inexhaustible solar energy has been considered as a promising strategy for NH₃ synthesis. The design of heterogeneous photocatalysts with tunable MSIs is of great significance.

The proposal of dispersion region can complete the HC model, explain the anomalous diffusion in the low-voltage region, guide the microstructure design of high-performance HC materials, and provide new insights into the storage mechanism of SIBs.

A novel RCC process using modified CZA DFMs to produce renewable MeOH is presented. K/CZA provides exceptionally high productivity of MeOH compared to previously reported attempts of RCC to MeOH.

Adopting a green and environmentally friendly strategy requires the development of supercapacitor electrodes using sustainable, renewable, and environmentally beneficial materials.

NiCoMn oxide nanoneedles with a cactus-like morphology are shown as bifunctional electrocatalysts that selectively oxidize glycerol to HCOOH and concurrently produce H₂.

Unveiling structure-performance relationship for different ZnO-based electrodes used for aqueous dye-sensitized solar cell.

A noble bimetallic nanoparticle-modified UiO-66-NH₂ MOF (Ag/Pd@UiO-66-NH₂) composite photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen production.

This study investigates Pd–SrO@TiO₂/gCN photocatalysts for eco-friendly H₂ generation through water splitting.

With the focus on feasibility evaluation of scaling-up plasma-based nitrogen fixation by combined experiments and thermodynamic modelling, we aim to tackle the challenge of design and development of an energy-efficient and scaled-up plasma reactor.

Plasmonic metal nanoparticle integrated mesoporous TiO₂ nanocomposites (Ag/TiO₂, Cu/TiO₂ and Ag–Cu/TiO₂), prepared by a simple chemical reduction method, have been demonstrated to show superior activity in thin-film form for solar H₂ generation.

UV-light illumination converts the aromatic conformation of polymer donors into a rigid quinone structure, resulting in compact fibrillar aggregation of the active layer to achieve a maximum efficiency of 19.9% of single-junction organic solar cells.

Low-carbon ammonia competitive with conventional process with policy support. Novel hybrid processes and biomethane integration can offer additional benefits.

Herein, a multifunctional binary nickel–copper-modified MXene on nickel foam was synthesized and employed as an electrode material for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), overall water splitting and supercapacitors.

The configuration entropy is increased by substitution of beryllium and magnesium for nickel. And sodium-ion diffusion rate and cycling performance at high rates were improved with the co-doping strategy.

A urea-assisted water splitting electrolyzer based on Pt nanoparticle-anchored Ni(OH)₂@Ni-CNF catalyst and Pt@Ni-CNF catalyst is constructed for effectively reducing the energy consumption of H₂ production.

The addition of cyclane 1,5-diiodocycloctane (DICO) provides critical roles in extending exciton diffusion length within active layer, consequently contributing to the improvement in the power conversion. efficiency in thick film organic solar cells.

Meticulously designed neighboring WOR and ORR active sites significantly enhance the overall photocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide.

Nitrate ligands and Co atoms not only promote the formation of Ni⁴⁺ by accelerating deprotonation and attracting electrons, but also adsorb the electron-withdrawing bridge hydroxyl to stabilize Ni⁴⁺.

Manganese oxides such as LiMn₂O₄ exhibit two distinct Mn dissolution processes; one independent of oxygen evolution and the other associated with it. Less Mn⁴⁺ before the onset of the OER lowers the Mn dissolution rate.

Loading Pt exclusively on the surface of USY constructs a consecutive hydrocracking process of polyolefin wastes.