Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from anthropogenic sources are major contributors to global warming and climate change, necessitating efficient separation from gas mixtures for mitigation and utilization. Polymeric membranes have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional CO₂ separation technologies, such as amine absorption and cryogenic distillation, due to their lower energy consumption, modular design, and operational simplicity. Recent advances suggest that membrane-based systems can reduce energy penalties while offering scalable solutions for carbon capture and storage (CCS), natural gas purification, and biogas upgrading. This review highlights that advanced polymeric membrane materials, particularly polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) and mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs), have demonstrated substantial improvements in CO₂ permeability while maintaining competitive selectivity. This reflects significant progress toward overcoming the traditional permeability−selectivity trade-off. Compared to conventional technologies, membranes offer operational and energy advantages, although challenges remain under high-pressure and mixed-gas conditions. Various membrane materials are discussed, including cellulose-based membranes for low cost and biodegradability, polyimides for thermal and chemical stability, polybenzimidazole and polysulfone for mechanical strength, and rubbery polymers for high CO₂ permeability. The incorporation of inorganic fillers further enhances performance, though issues such as plasticization and aging remain critical barriers to large-scale application. Fabrication approaches, particularly dense and thin-film composite membranes, are also emphasized for their industrial relevance. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive assessment of recent material advancements, performance trends, and key challenges (plasticization, aging, and thermal stability), offering insights into the future development of high-performance polymeric membranes for CO₂ separation.

The cycle life of rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion and sodium-ion systems, is a critical performance metric that determines their suitability for various applications in the context of a low-carbon economy, such as electric vehicles and grid-scale renewable energy storage. Accurate prediction of battery cycle life is vital for optimizing battery design, improving safety, and enabling effective battery management systems. Recent advances demonstrate that machine learning (ML) methods are extremely beneficial for extracting insights from experimental and simulated data to model and predict battery degradation. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of ML applications for predicting the cycle life of lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. We also outline the core principles of widely used algorithms, including supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised, and deep learning methods, and discuss their relative strengths and limitations in this context, thereby accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy by reducing experimental waste, optimizing battery utilization, and enabling second-life applications.

Ammonia serves as a dual-purpose nitrogen and hydrogen carrier, essential for global food security and the ongoing renewable energy transition. The century-old industrial Haber-Bosch process, however, is limited by considerable energy consumption and massive carbon emissions, necessitating efficient catalysts for low-temperature ammonia synthesis. Despite recent progress in diverse catalytic systems, including electrides, nitrides, hydrides, and engineered transition-metal sites, differences in active-site architecture give rise to distinct reaction routes, and a unified mechanistic framework remains absent. This review systematically summarizes recently developed catalytic systems based on a mechanism-driven classification covering dissociative, hydrogen-assisted, and associative routes, with emphasis on structure–activity relationships and mechanistic insights revealed through advanced characterization techniques. By critically evaluating state-of-the-art catalysts, this review establishes strategic design principles to guide the rational development of next-generation ammonia synthesis catalysts.

Developing highly efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) requires precise regulation of both electronic structure and interfacial reaction kinetics. Herein, we report the synthesis of highly dispersed PtRu clusters anchored on hollow mesoporous carbon spheres (Pt₁Ru₁/HMCS) via an organic-inorganic co-assembly strategy. Benefiting from strong Pt-Ru electronic coupling and robust metal-support interactions, Pt₁Ru₁/HMCS exhibit synergistically optimized hydrogen adsorption/desorption behavior and accelerated proton transfer dynamics. In particular, Ru sites play a pivotal role in enriching and ordering interfacial hydronium species, thereby facilitating the rapid generation and directional migration of H* intermediates to the active sites, and establishing a favorable local microenvironment for HER. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations identify Ru as the primary active center with near-thermoneutral hydrogen binding, while Pt modulates the electronic structure to optimize overall reaction energetics. As a result, Pt₁Ru₁/HMCS deliver an ultralow overpotential of 5.3 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², a high turnover frequency of 11.39 H₂ s⁻¹ at 50 mV (≈9.8-fold higher than commercial Pt/C), and outstanding durability over 100 h without noticeable degradation. This work establishes a strategy that integrates alloy synergy with interfacial water network engineering, providing new insights into designing next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient energy conversion.

Hypoxia, a hallmark pathological feature of liver fibrosis, upregulates HIF-1α expression to drive hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, resulting in fibrotic lesions. Targeting activated HSCs (aHSCs) and achieving efficient liver fibrosis treatment remain daunting challenges. For the first time, we constructed a biomimetic carbon nitride-based drug–gas codelivery platform HMCCNs@MAN for precise mild photothermal immunotherapy (< 45°C) for liver fibrosis. Specifically, by utilizing the immunocamouflage and fibrosis-targeting properties of macrophage (MΦ) membranes, along with the homologous targeting ability of aHSCs membranes, the hybrid MΦ-aHSC membrane-coated, carbon dot-doped carbon nitride (HMCCNs) achieved a dual-targeted delivery of mangiferin (MAN) to liver fibrosis lesions. At the lesion site, HMCCNs enabled NIR-triggered water splitting to produce oxygen and exhibited catalase-like enzymatic activity, synergistically ameliorating hypoxic conditions. Simultaneously, HMCCNs demonstrated a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 69.52%. Furthermore, the photocorrosive effect endowed HMCCNs@MAN with significant NIR-responsive drug release capability. Released MAN and generated oxygen cooperatively modulated the HIF-1α/HSP27 axis, leading to an increased sensitivity of fibrotic lesions to thermotherapy. Notably, HMCCNs@MAN + NIR activated natural killer cells, thereby enhancing the immune response against aHSCs. This study reveals the great potential of HMCCNs@MAN as a mild photothermal-immunotherapy strategy for liver fibrosis treatment.

The efficient conversion of CO₂ into sustainable fuels remains one of the most demanding challenges in catalysis and energy research. Beyond the discovery of new materials, recent progress reveals that the decisive factor governing activity and selectivity pertains to the microenvironment of the reaction, how space, charge, and molecular motion are confined and regulated. This work integrates mechanistic understanding from electrochemical CO₂ reduction and thermocatalytic hydrogenation to establish a unified perspective on confinement engineering. By manipulating spatial confinement, local electric fields, and electronic structures, catalytic interfaces evolve from passive surfaces into dynamic microreactors capable of stabilizing intermediates and directing multi-electron reactions. Experimental and theoretical studies on Cu-, Fe-, and Na-promoted systems demonstrate that hierarchical confinement enhances C–C coupling, regulates proton–electron transfer (ET), and maintains structural integrity over long-term operation. These effects collectively enable direct CO₂ hydrogenation to jet-fuel-range hydrocarbons (C₈–C₁₆) with balanced olefin–paraffin distributions under mild conditions. The emerging picture reframes catalyst design as an environmental control problem wherein one can achieve programmable selectivity and stability by engineering active sites rather than solely relying on material composition optimization. This confinement-driven strategy offers a blueprint for constructing adaptive catalytic ecosystems that transform CO₂ into high-energy fuels, bridging molecular-scale reactivity with global carbon neutrality.

Inhibiting the excessive oxidation of Ru, regulating the composition, and optimizing the electronic structure are the keys to achieving efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of Ru/RuO₂ heterojunctions over the full pH range, yet significant challenges remain. To address the existing challenges, oxophilic Bi single atoms (SA) were introduced into the Ru precursor and partially oxidized to construct Bi SA decorated amorphous/crystalline Ru/RuO₂ heterojunctions with abundant oxygen vacancies (Bi_SA-Ru@RuO₂-2%). The key innovation lies in the fact that Bi SA subtly reduces the formation energy of defective RuO₂, restrains Ru over-oxidation, and promotes the formation of amorphous/crystalline Ru/RuO₂ heterostructures. Moreover, Ru–O–Bi interfacial bonds trigger efficient charge redistribution, activating adjacent Ru active centers. Electron-deficient RuO₂ enhances H₂O adsorption and reduces the O–H bond cleavage barrier, while electron-rich metallic Ru optimizes hydrogen adsorption Gibbs free energy, boosting intrinsic HER kinetics. Benefiting from these advantages, Bi_SA-Ru@RuO₂-2% exhibits exceptional HER activity in alkaline (15 mV), neutral (30 mV), and acidic (32 mV) media at 10 mA cm⁻², better than most reported noble metal electrocatalysts, along with outstanding long-term stability over 500 h without obvious activity loss in alkaline seawater. This study contributes to a viable strategy for the rational design of high-performance HER electrocatalysts through single-atom modification and heterojunction engineering, as well as assists in developing efficient, stable, and versatile electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion applications.

Cs₃Bi₂Br₉ has emerged as a competitive lead-free photocatalyst owing to its low toxicity and favorable stability. However, its practical application is still limited by the rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers and a narrow photoresponse range. Herein, we report a facile in situ photodeposition strategy to engineer Cs₃Bi₂Br₉ with controlled silver loadings, enabling the selective construction of S-scheme Cs₃Bi₂Br₉@AgBr and Type I Cs₃Bi₂Br₉@Cs₂AgBiBr₆ heterojunctions. Among these, the optimized S-scheme heterojunction (CBB-Ag₂) delivers a CO yield 4.7 times higher than that of pristine Cs₃Bi₂Br₉, achieving superior CO₂ photoreduction performance. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the built-in electric field within the S-scheme heterojunction establishes efficient interfacial charge transfer channels, effectively suppressing carrier recombination and promoting ^•OH generation, which collectively lower the energy barrier for *COOH formation—the rate-determining step in CO₂-to-CO conversion. This work presents a scalable and phase-controllable strategy for constructing high-performance, lead-free perovskite photocatalysts, offering valuable insights into rational heterojunction design for efficient CO₂ valorization toward carbon neutrality.

Wide-bandgap perovskite materials with high bromine content (> 1.7 eV) suffer from severe light-induced phase separation, leading to irreversible device degradation—yet effective suppression strategies remain scarce. Here, we introduce guanidine phosphate (GP) as a bifunctional additive that simultaneously passivates defects and regulates crystal orientation. The Gua⁺ and PO₄³⁻ ions act cooperatively: Gua⁺ passivates undercoordinated Pb²⁺ and reacts with excess surface Pb²⁺, while PO₄³⁻ stabilizes iodide vacancies through strong Pb–O–P bonds. This dual passivation suppresses ion migration and promotes (100)-oriented crystallization, thereby improving film quality. Consequently, GP-modified 1.78 eV perovskite solar cells achieve a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.54% (control: 19.72%)—the highest reported for devices in the 1.74–1.79 eV range. Unencapsulated devices retain 90.64% of their initial efficiency after 1400 h in N₂ atmosphere. The strategy also yields 19.64% efficiency for 1.85 eV perovskites, demonstrating its generality. Furthermore, all-perovskite tandem cells incorporating this approach achieve a PCE of 28.72%.

We report a bioinspired, transparent green plant-like window that integrates passive cooling, thermal insulation, and solar-driven waste heat recovery to reduce building energy consumption. By mimicking leaf transpiration, the system uses a carbon quantum dot-doped CPPB hydrogel to achieve high visible transmittance (~92%) while blocking UV and NIR radiation. A self-powered water circulation layer repurposes solar heat for domestic water heating. Outdoor field tests and 168-h solar simulator exposure confirm long-term thermal stability and cooling up to 21.9°C. Simulations across 30 global cities show annual cooling energy savings up to 569.1 MJ/m². This scalable, multifunctional window offers a sustainable path toward net-zero energy buildings.

Photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ into valuable hydrocarbon products offers a potential pathway to mitigate excessive CO₂ emissions and support carbon neutrality goals. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs)-based composites have emerged as promising platforms owing to their interconnected network, high specific surface area, electronic conductivity, and photothermal properties. This review focuses on controllable preparation strategies, including sol-gel, chemical vapor deposition, vapor-phase flow catalysis, and electrospinning, and discusses how different synthesis processes and precursor choices influence the pore structure, graphitization degree, defects, and surface functional groups of CNFs. From kinetic and thermodynamic perspectives, rational design strategies such as heteroatom doping, heterostructure construction, single-atom loading, and interface engineering are explored to optimize band structures and lower activation barriers. Recent breakthroughs in solar-driven hydrogen production, CO₂ reduction, nitrogen fixation, organic pollutant degradation, heavy metal removal, antibacterial, and photothermal treatment are highlighted. Photo-generated charge separation pathways and surface reaction enhancement mechanisms under light-thermal-electric multifield synergy are systematically analyzed. Finally, the main challenges are summarized, including the need for in-depth structure-activity relationship analysis and scalable preparation. Promising future directions involving machine learning-assisted screening, multi-scale structural design, and in-situ characterization may contribute to advancing CNFs-based photocatalysts toward efficient, stable, and scalable solar conversion systems.

The escalating concerns of global warming have intensified the global demand for clean energy solutions, coupled with effective carbon management strategies. Biomethanation offers a promising approach by producing energy-dense biomethane (bCH₄) while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. However, the potential to leverage in-situ generated “orange hydrogen (H₂)” from geochemical reactions as a more efficient and integrated electron donor for this process remains largely unexplored. This study explored the efficacy of CO₂ biomethanation using orange H₂ generated from water-olivine-CO₂ interactions and externally supplied green H₂. Results showed that the orange H₂-assisted biomethanation strategy achieved H₂ to bCH₄ conversion efficiency of up to ~84.47%, which is approximately 12% higher than that of green H₂ to bCH₄ under identical experimental conditions. Molecular analysis (16S rRNA and mcrA gene sequencing) identified Methanothermobacter as the key archaeon driving the hydrogenotrophic conversion of CO₂ to bCH₄. In addition to biotic CO₂ utilization via biomethanation, experimental characterization combined with atomistic simulations revealed that carbonate mineral formation (e.g., siderite and magnesite) serves as an abiotic sink for CO₂ sequestration. This integrated approach highlights the dual CO₂ reduction potential of biomethanation using orange H₂ for both sustainable energy production and long-term carbon management, advancing the vision of a clean and green future.

The growing adoption of flexible electronics, electric mobility, and decentralized energy systems has intensified the demand for scalable electrochemical energy-storage technologies capable of delivering high power under dynamic and mechanically flexible conditions, which are essential for self-sustaining energy ecosystems. In this work, binder-free tungsten disulfide (BF-WS₂) nanoarchitectured electrodes were directly grown on carbon cloth via a one-step hydrothermal process and investigated for scalable supercapacitor applications. Structural and chemical analyses confirm the formation of a hexagonal WS₂ nanostructure grown on the carbon cloth substrate. The BF-WS₂ electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 1261 F g⁻¹ at 5 mV s⁻¹, demonstrating excellent electrochemical energy storage capability. A flexible BF-WS₂ symmetric solid-state supercapacitor (BF-WS₂ SSC) fabricated using a PVA/H₂SO₄ gel electrolyte delivers a device capacitance of 363.5 F g⁻¹ at 7.5 mA, achieving an energy density of 50 Wh kg⁻¹ and a power density of 9090.9 W kg⁻¹. Moreover, modular series-parallel integration enables tunable voltage/current output, and direct coupling with a water-flow-driven hydroelectric generator demonstrates renewable-energy-driven charging of the stacked BF-WS₂ SSC device to 5 V. This work highlights binder-free WS₂ nanostructure as a scalable electrode platform for modular, flexible, and hydroelectric-assisted self-powered supercapacitor systems.