All-PbS quantum dot (QD) tandem solar cells (TSC), modified with D18-Cl interfacial passivation, achieve a record 13.15% efficiency and superior stability boosted by enhanced carrier extraction in semi-transparent wide-bandgap top cells.

Looking for cleaner, low-carbon fuel alternatives? A new review in Engineering breaks through the complex combustion chemistry of biomass-derived oxygenated fuels. It reveals how molecular structures shape burning behaviors, summarizes key reaction patterns of five major fuel types, and points out clear research paths for more accurate kinetic models. This article offers accessible insights for anyone interested in renewable energy and sustainable combustion development.

Researchers have identified a simple and inexpensive chemical additive that overcomes a major hurdle in developing fluoride shuttle batteries, a high-energy alternative to conventional lithium-ion technologies.

By adding potassium tetrafluoroborate to a liquid electrolyte, the team significantly increased the availability of active fluoride ions without permanently trapping them, enabling reversible battery cycling.

This minimal and highly scalable approach provides a new design strategy for stable liquid electrolytes, paving the way for cost-effective and sustainable high-energy storage systems.

Ionic liquid-based localized high-concentration electrolytes (IL-based LHCEs), derived from non-solvating diluents and ionic liquid electrolytes (ILEs), are promising candidates for long-life and safe lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, conventional understanding holds that diluents merely reduce electrolyte viscosity and enhance ionic conductivity at the macroscopic level, overlooking their influence on the solvation structure at the molecular scale. Herein, we propose an anion–diluent decoupled solvation structure that is more conducive to stable cycling of high-voltage LMBs. Specifically, diluents with weak interactions toward FSI⁻ anions effectively promote coordination between FSI⁻ anions and Li⁺, leading to a solvation structure dominated by contact ion pairs (CIPs). The small anionic clusters within CIPs in IL-based LHCEs further facilitate Li⁺ ion transport. Moreover, compared to aggregate (AGG)-dominated solvation structures rich in anions and electrons, the CIPs exhibit superior oxidation resistance, contributing to the formation of a thin and compact cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI). As a proof, an IL-based LHCE incorporating 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl methyl ether (TFE) as the diluent (TFE-LHCE) was developed. A Li||TFE-LHCE||NCM523 (LiNi_0.5Mn_0.3Co_0.2O₂) cell cycled at 4.3 V achieves a capacity retention of 70% after 600 cycles, while a Li||NCM811 (LiNi_0.8Mn_0.1Co_0.1O₂) cell at 4.5 V retains 88% capacity after 200 cycles. Furthermore, a 2.6 Ah Li||NCM83 (LiNi_0.83Mn_0.1Co_0.07O₂) pouch cell demonstrates stable cycling over 40 cycles and successfully passes a nail penetration safety test. This work elucidates the critical mechanism by which nonsolvating diluents reconstruct the Li⁺ ion solvation structure, establishing a theoretical foundation for the rational screening and design of highperformance electrolyte diluents.

POSTECH research team led by Professor Chang-Ki Baek reveals the mechanism by which hollow-core nanotube structures suppress heat conduction through phonon localization.

Researchers at Kyushu University have developed an innovative method that turns agricultural waste into high-purity, porous biochar with exceptional efficiency. The new technique, which uses pressurized carbon dioxide, overcomes a long-standing challenge in materials science: the trade-off between producing a high quantity of material and achieving a high-quality porous structure. This work provides a sustainable pathway for manufacturing adsorbents essential for carbon capture, energy storage, and other environmental applications.

The investigation, led by Md. Amirul Islam and Bidyut Baran Saha at the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), focused on transforming Bangladeshi jute sticks, an abundant and low-cost biomass, into activated carbon. The team designed a custom Inconel reactor capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures. In their process, carbonized jute sticks were activated at 800 °C using CO₂ at pressures up to 10 bar, a method that is cleaner and less energy-intensive than conventional chemical or steam activation.