This study presents a scalable and cost-effective spray-drying method for synthesizing graphite/silicon/carbon nanotube (G-Si-CNT) composites as high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries. By integrating graphite fines, nano-silicon (nSi), and a low loading (1 wt%) of single-walled CNTs, the resulting composites exhibit enhanced cycling stability and rate capability. The spray-drying process ensures uniform particle morphology and strong adhesion between components, effectively mitigating the mechanical degradation typically caused by silicon’s volume expansion during cycling. Electrochemical tests reveal that the G-15% nSi-1%CNT composite achieves a capacity retention of 95.3% after 100 cycles with a discharge capacity of 630 mAh·g^-1 (3.15 mAh·cm^-2), outperforming CNT-free counterparts. While CNTs increase solid electrolyte interphase-related losses due to higher surface area, their mechanical and conductive benefits outweigh this drawback. Impedance spectroscopy and post-mortem analyses confirm reduced charge-transfer resistance and improved structural integrity due to CNTs incorporation. The use of low-cost by-products from natural graphite spheroidization and low CNTs content offers significant economic advantages, positioning these composites as promising candidates for scalable, high-energy lithium-ion battery anodes.

Antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) solar cells exhibit significant potential in tandem and indoor photovoltaic applications. The quality of cadmium sulfide (CdS)/Sb₂S₃ heterojunction, affected by energy-level misalignments and lattice-mismatch defects, is crucial for achieving high-performance devices. Herein, we propose a MgCl₂-CdCl₂ mixed treatment strategy for the CdS/Sb₂S₃ interface to suppress interfacial recombination caused by defects and energy band offsets. The obtained preferentially [100]-oriented CdS film effectively mitigates lattice mismatch and induces the subsequent hydrothermal deposition of a well-crystallized, vertically oriented Sb₂S₃ absorber. The MgCl₂-CdCl₂ mixed treatment introduces Mg²⁺ doping in the CdS layer, achieving an enhanced surface potential and well-matched interfacial energy band alignments. The CdS/Sb₂S₃ heterojunction interface forms a spike-type energy band structure with a small conduction band offset. Compared with the conventional CdCl₂ treatment, the MgCl₂-CdCl₂ mixed-treated device exhibits a stronger built-in electric field (1.31 V) and low-temperature activation energy (1.63 eV), indicating the suppression of carrier recombination. Consequently, the champion Sb₂S₃ solar cells achieve an improved efficiency from 7.5% to 8.1%. This heterojunction treatment strategy is expected to provide an effective method for fabricating high-performance inorganic thin film solar cells.

A major unresolved challenge in inverted organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (I-PSCs) is interfacial non-radiative recombination. To tackle this issue, we introduced trace dimethylformamide (tDMF) in isopropanol (tDMF/IPA) as a passivation material, carefully modifying the interface between FA_0.95Cs_0.05PbI₃ and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester. The experimental results of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy at different voltages and angles, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate that oxygen lone pair of electrons in carbonyl group (-C=O) of polar solvent N,N-dimethylformamide form coordination bonds (Pb²⁺ → O=C) with Pb²⁺ suspension bond on the surface of perovskite. Tafel polarization curve and dark current results reveal decrease in the charge recombination rate at the interface and decrease in leakage current, respectively, after tDMF/IPA passivation. The photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of I-PSCs treated with tDMF/IPA is significantly increased from 21.44% to 23.24%, and the open-circuit voltage is also increased from 1.01 to 1.12 V. Encapsulated devices based on tDMF/IPA passivation retained over 77% of their initial PCE after being stored in ambient air for 2,736 h.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical process in electrochemical water splitting, yet challenging in activation of lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM) for cost-effective transition metal oxides, in which strong metal-oxygen (M-O) bonds inherently inhibit lattice oxygen reactivity. Here, we design a molybdenum/fluorine (Mo/F) co-dopant in NiFe₂O₄ spinel to engineer the electronic structure via an LOM pathway. The incorporation of high-valence Mo and highly electronegative F collaboratively optimizes the electronic configuration of Ni/Fe sites, facilitating the formation of stable high-valent metal species and effectively weakening the M-O bonds. This synergy not only results in faster OER kinetics but also promotes oxygen vacancy formation, thereby enabling direct lattice oxygen involvement. Real-time ¹⁸O-labeled differential electrochemical mass spectrometry coordinates with in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy conclusively verify the activation of the LOM. The Mo/F-NiFe₂O₄ catalyst exhibits outstanding OER performance, requiring low overpotentials of 247 and 311 mV to achieve current densities of 50 and 100 mA cm^-2, respectively. Remarkably, it demonstrates exceptional durability in seawater electrolytes, operating steadily for over 300 h at a high current density of 100 mA cm^-2. This work provides a general and effective doping strategy to activate the LOM in robust oxide catalysts, paving the way for efficient hydrogen production from both pure water and seawater resources.

Round-the-clock photocatalytic hydrogen production is essential for overcoming the intermittency of solar energy and achieving continuous solar-to-hydrogen conversion. However, the development of efficient round-the-clock photocatalysts remains a considerable challenge due to limited light availability and inefficient charge utilization in the dark. In this work, a long-afterglow-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst, Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:(Eu,Dy)/CdS (referred to as SMSED/CdS), is constructed via a ball-milling strategy. The luminescence from Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:(Eu,Dy) (referred to as SMSED) is efficiently captured by CdS, thus serving as a built-in light source to drive dark catalytic reactions. Meanwhile, the unique electron transfer pathway in SMSED provides sufficiently long-lived electrons for the SMSED/CdS system. The S-scheme heterojunction formed between SMSED and CdS directs the photogenerated charge transfer, while maintaining the strong redox capability of SMSED/CdS. Consequently, the SMSED/CdS exhibits hydrogen production of 45.20 mmol g^-1 under ultraviolet-visible light within 1 h and a dark activity of 4.37 mmol g^-1 sustained over 3 h. The corresponding mechanism was comprehensively studied via analysis of physicochemical properties, band structure, ex-situ and in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. This study provides a significant breakthrough in developing round-the-clock photocatalysts.

The development of technologies that convert solar or electrical energy into sustainable chemical fuels remains a central challenge in the field of energy research. Among various strategies, photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) that enable the direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added fuels such as carbon monoxide (CO), formic acid (HCOOH), formaldehyde (HCHO), and methanol (CH₃OH) using sunlight have gained considerable attention. While most PEC systems rely on heterogeneous catalysts, the emerging approach of heterogenizing homogeneous molecular catalysts onto electrode surfaces offers a promising pathway that combines the molecular-level tunability of homogeneous systems with the robustness and recyclability of heterogeneous platforms. Anchoring molecular catalysts onto conductive or semiconductive surfaces not only enhances charge transport efficiency from the substrate to the active site, enabling high current densities, but also facilitates integration into device-scale architectures. Among various immobilization strategies, covalent anchoring via functionalized ligands has proven particularly effective in ensuring strong surface binding. However, the impact of such covalent anchoring on the catalytic activity and long-term stability of molecular catalysts remains poorly understood. This review highlights recent advances in hybrid molecular PEC systems for selective CO₂ reduction to CO and formate, focusing on the design of modular ligands with surface anchoring functionalities. We summarize current covalent immobilization techniques and discuss the mechanistic implications of catalyst-surface interactions. Finally, we outline key challenges and future directions toward the rational design of robust, selective, and scalable molecular-material hybrid catalysts for solar fuel production.

Developing efficient carbon capture, utilization and storage methods is essential to offset adverse global climate changes. Among those methods, photocatalytic CO₂ conversion is emerging as an effective and sustainable solution. Among the various photocatalysts, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are particularly promising for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) due to their unique features, such as quantum confinement effect, large absorption coefficient, and beneficial surface properties. This review provides a comprehensive and distinctive perspective by integrating three critical dimensions: advanced mechanistic understanding through cutting-edge characterization techniques, systematic stability analysis under realistic operating conditions, and direct CO₂ capture-utilization integration. We highlight recent strategies for improving the CO₂RR performance of QDs, including bandgap tuning, ion doping, defect and heterojunction engineering, ligand modification and cocatalyst loading. We also explore integrated approaches that couple CO₂ capture with photocatalytic conversion. Furthermore, we address the critical transition from laboratory demonstrations to real-world implementation by analyzing long-term stability, degradation mechanisms, and realistic cyclic operating conditions inadequately addressed in current research. Finally, we address prevailing challenges and future prospects, aiming to spark continuous innovation in applying QDs to CO₂ capture and conversion.

Thermal evaporation offers precise thickness control and compatibility with large-area processing, making it an attractive route for perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). However, evaporated devices have historically shown lower efficiency and stability than solution-processed counterparts. This review summarizes recent progress in enhancing the performance of thermally evaporated PeLEDs through process optimization and additive engineering. Process optimization strategies include tuning precursor ratios, deposition rates, substrate temperatures, post-annealing conditions, and the thickness of emissive and charge-transport layers. Such adjustments improve film crystallinity, exciton confinement, and charge balance while suppressing non-radiative losses. In parallel, organic and inorganic additives have been widely applied to passivate defects, stabilize emissive phases, and enhance operational stability, leading to significant gains in external quantum efficiency. Beyond these approaches, advanced design concepts are emerging. Host-dopant systems enable efficient energy transfer and controlled emission, multi-quantum well structures enhance carrier confinement, and single-source thermal evaporation using solid powder precursors simplifies fabrication and improves reproducibility. These strategies define a pathway toward bridging the performance gap with solution-processed devices. Finally, we highlight applications of evaporated PeLEDs in active-matrix displays, where integration with thin-film transistors demonstrates their promise for scalable, high-resolution display technologies. Broader opportunities in lighting, flexible optoelectronics, and integrated photonics further underscore the versatility of this approach. By consolidating progress in process control, additive engineering, and device design, this review outlines critical directions for advancing thermally evaporated PeLEDs toward commercial viability, combining fundamental insights with practical engineering strategies to achieve efficient, stable, and scalable optoelectronic devices.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a promising next-generation photovoltaic (PV) technology for space applications. Their high power-to-weight ratio, mechanical flexibility, and tunable optoelectronic properties make them particularly attractive for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications. PSCs demonstrate favorable behavior under low light and partial shading, as well as a unique self-healing response under certain space conditions. They also achieve specific power densities of 23-30 W g^-1, representing a 10-15× improvement over conventional silicon arrays (0.5-2 W g^-1) and 4-6× improvement over III-V multijunction cells (5.5 W g^-1), while maintaining > 92% efficiency retention under 1 × 10¹⁶ e cm^-2 electron irradiation. The key challenges and opportunities for PSCs in the LEO environment arise from intense ultraviolet radiation, vacuum exposure, thermal cycling, and proton irradiation. In this review, a comprehensive understanding of PSCs in the space environment is presented, including recent strategies to improve efficiency, as well as thermal and mechanical durability, while also addressing performance optimization and space PV analysis. This overview highlights the potential of perovskite photovoltaics for satellite power systems by enabling high-efficiency energy harvesting with minimal mass and processing constraints, positioning PSCs as a promising new PV paradigm for the coming decade.

The preparation of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO) by the sol-gel method often requires a uniform distribution of metal ions in the precursor so as to obtain a uniform and fine particle feature. It can be realized via chelation and condensation reactions in the sol and gel stages. However, the molecular structure of the metal ion chelate or condensation polymer in the precursors does not easily decompose during thermal decomposition, and the LTO grains formed after calcination are relatively large and nonuniform. Herein, we propose a novel photothermal decomposition process with ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, which could cause the cracking of the stable chelating or polymerizing structure during thermal decomposition and facilitate the formation of small and uniform LTO grains after calcination. After the UV irradiation, the Zr-doped Li₄Ti_5-xZr_xO₁₂ (LTZO) exhibits a smaller grain size and larger lattice parameters. As a consequence, the Li⁺ ion diffusion coefficient of the photothermally treated LTO with the optimum Zr dopant amount of x = 0.15 (UV-0.15LTZO) is twice that of the 0.15-LTZO sample prepared by the traditional process. The UV-0.15LTZO anode presents a specific capacity of 129 mAh·g^-1 at a discharge rate of 10 C and still exhibits a capacity retention rate of 99.4% after 100 cycles, which are higher than that of the 0.15LTZO sample (95 mAh·g^-1, 94.8%). The photothermal decomposition strategy proposed in this paper refines grain and expands the lattice of LTO electrodes and offers a valuable reference for controlling the properties of other electrode materials and nanomaterials.