Insect-scale robots with embodied intelligence: Challenges and future perspectives
July 2026
Inspired by the agility, adaptability, and efficiency of insects, insect-scale robots are emerging as promising platforms for applications in environmental monitoring, search and rescue, precision agriculture,...
Data-driven chemical feature extraction and material design for halide solid-state electrolytes
Available online 5 May 2026
All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage, offering high safety and energy density. Halide solid-state electrolytes (HSSEs) have garnered significant...
A review of advanced SOFCs and SOECs: Materials, innovative synthesis, functional mechanisms, and system integration
March 2026
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are next-generation energy conversion technologies that have attracted widespread attention due to their high efficiency, fuel...
A microscopic view of diffusion and failure mechanisms of lithium anodes in solid-state batteries
September 2026
Although all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLBs) have long been regarded as successors of the commercially available lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), SSLBs do not yet deliver sufficient and competitive...
Bubble evolution dynamics in alkaline water electrolysis
July 2025
It is anticipated that alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) technology will assume a significant role in the future energy sector, facilitating the integration of renewable energy and hydrogen production....
Solvent-coordination-regulated gel polymer electrolyte for stable high-voltage lithium metal batteries
Available online 23 March 2026
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) represent critical components for next-generation lithium metal batteries (LMBs), combining superior ionic conductivity with enhanced safety. Nevertheless, their practical...
Solid polymer electrolyte chemistries tailored by solvation structures
July 2026
Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) endow lithium (Li) metal batteries with superior safety and energy density. However, sluggish Li ion (Li+) transport within the SPE inhibits its practical application....
Insights for understanding multiscale degradation of LiFePO4 cathodes
March 2022
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) based on olivine LiFePO4 (LFP) offer long cycle/calendar life and good safety, making them one of the dominant batteries in energy storage stations and electric vehicles,...
Novel approaches to aqueous zinc-ion batteries: Challenges, strategies, and prospects
November 2025
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) represent a forefront technology for grid-scale energy storage, distinguished by inherent safety, economic viability, and ecological compatibility. Nevertheless, prevailing...
High-entropy alloys for hydrogen storage, separation, and detection: Recent progress and prospects
March 2026
As a pivotal clean energy carrier with promising efficiency, environmental friendliness, and sustainability, hydrogen stands at the forefront of the global energy technology revolution. However, achieving...
Hydrogel polymer electrolytes toward better zinc-ion batteries: A comprehensive review
March 2025
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) represent a promising solution for “beyond-lithium-ion” chemistries, but certain problems hinder their further development, especially when conventional aqueous electrolytes...
Scalable production of high-performance electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting at large current densities
July 2025
Electrochemical water splitting is a pivotal technology in the large-scale production of green hydrogen for sustainable future energy provisions. Highly active, stable electrocatalysts have been extensively...
Regulating PTFE fibrillation via LLZO solid electrolyte incorporation for mechanically robust dry-processed sulfide solid electrolyte membranes
Available online 25 May 2026
The fabrication of thin and mechanically robust sulfide-based solid electrolyte (SE) membranes remains a key challenge for the practical commercialization of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). In particular,...
Machine-learning guided design of non-precious-metal high-entropy electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution
May 2026
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as a promising class of electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production driven by renewable electricity, owing to their compositional diversity and flexible...
30 years of AI for electrocatalysis: Where we are and what’s next?
March 2026
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved over the past three decades from the initial pioneering stage to become a transformative force in electrocatalytic research yet is far from realizing its full...
Composition-driven anion vacancy control in I–III–VI CuIn(S1−xSex)2 quantum dots for efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen production
September 2026
Heavy-metal-free I–III–VI quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for solar energy conversion owing to their strong light absorption, broadly tunable bandgap spanning the full solar spectrum, and...
Mechanically robust cellulose hydrogel electrolyte with ion transport/deposition dual regulation for stable aqueous zinc ion batteries
Available online 17 April 2026
Hydrogel electrolytes show promise for stabilizing aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), but achieving both uniform Zn2+ transfer and deposition as well as strong mechanical properties remains challenging....
Electrosynthesis of amino acids: Innovations, challenges, and future prospects
Available online 27 April 2026
Amino acids are fundamental building blocks of living systems and indispensable chemicals for pharmaceuticals, food, feed, and fine-chemical industries. Conventional amino acid synthesis relies mainly...
Mutual stabilization of hybrid and inorganic perovskites for photovoltaics
January 2026
Stabilizing black-phase formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI3) is critical for high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We present a stabilization strategy utilizing co-evaporated cesium lead...
Anode optimization strategies for zinc–air batteries
May 2025
With issues of energy security and environmental crisis intensifying, we urgently need to develop energy storage systems with high energy density and high safety. Zinc–air batteries have attracted extensive...
Strategies to maximize the oxygen evolution reaction in layered double hydroxides by electronic defect engineering
September 2025
Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have emerged as highly promising oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts because of their naturally forming two-dimensional (2D) layer structure and intrinsic oxygen...
Self-healing supramolecular cathode binder additive with dynamic bonds for durable high-voltage solid-state lithium batteries
September 2026
Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes are indispensable for high-energy polymer-based solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs), yet their application is plagued by severe volumetric strain and unstable...
Advances in bismuth-telluride-based thermoelectric devices: Progress and challenges
June 2023
By effectively converting waste heat into electricity, thermoelectric materials and devices can provide an alternative approach to tackle the energy crisis. Amongst thermoelectric materials, bismuth...
Understanding multi-scale ion-transport in solid-state lithium batteries
January 2025
Solid-state lithium battery (SSLB) is considered as one of the promising candidates for next-generation power batteries due to high safety, unprecedented energy density and favorable adaptability to...
Synergistic solar-thermal icephobic armor: Ultrasmall-bandgap MOFs drive efficient anti-/de-icing via superhydrophobic photothermal cooperation
September 2026
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been positioned as promising candidates for fabricating photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces, due to their gas-trapping porosity, tunable nanoarchitectures, and...