Although central to the global energy mix, certain technologies like nuclear energy receive comparatively little attention at Nature Energy. We aim to reflect the diversity of innovation driving the energy transition, including critical advances in systems design and engineering that enable these technologies.

Controlling the morphology of the active layer in organic solar cells (OSCs) is challenging. Now, acenaphthene is shown to induce the two-step crystallization of non-fullerene acceptors to achieve a highly oriented arrangement. The resulting improvement in the charge transport properties enables a binary OSC with 21% efficiency and a 83.2% fill factor.

Void formation between the solid electrolyte layer and electrode is a critical barrier to the long-term operation of solid-state batteries. Now, an electrochemically inactive yet mechanically soft metallic phase is integrated into the lithium metal anode, which preserves the electrical contact and enables reliable operation in practical cell settings.

In the USA, households with heat pumps tend to cool their homes earlier, and this adoption helps narrow the income-based disparities in cooling usage. Heat pumps can help to alleviate residential energy insecurity and contribute to making energy more affordable and homes more comfortable, especially in the summer.

The upscaling of kesterite photovoltaics is challenging and results in low performance. Xiang et al. tune the thiourea/metal precursor ratio to improve the morphology of the kesterite film, achieving 10.1% certified power conversion efficiency in 10.48-cm2 modules.

Polymer dielectrics are key for capacitors in energy applications but are hard to improve for high temperatures. This work uses artificial intelligence to design fillers with a large bandgap and high affinity, enabling durable, high-energy polyimide composites for harsh environments.

Integrating CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion avoids the thermal release of CO2 and thus could potentially lower the energy needed to make useful products from CO2, but choosing optimal system components is still challenging. Here the authors use piperazine alongside a nickel catalyst for capture and achieve high energy efficiency and stable CO production.

Realizing >5 V batteries is hindered by the instability of electrolytes. Here, a fluoride shielding layer, LiCl-4Li2TiF6, enables high-voltage, high-capacity all-solid-state batteries because of its combined oxidative stability and Li+ conductivity.

Optimizing the crystallization of the active materials in organic solar cells is challenging. Fu et al. use an acenaphthene additive to induce a two-step crystallization of the non-fullerene acceptor, achieving a certified 20.5% power conversion efficiency.

Controlling the morphology of the active layer in organic solar cells (OSCs) is challenging. Now, acenaphthene is shown to induce the two-step crystallization of non-fullerene acceptors to achieve a highly oriented arrangement. The resulting improvement in the charge transport properties enables a binary OSC with 21% efficiency and a 83.2% fill factor.

US households with heat pumps begin cooling earlier, and this adoption narrows the income-based disparities in cooling. Heat pumps help alleviate energy insecurity, make energy more affordable and make homes more comfortable.

Cleaner energy technologies such as heat pumps have the potential to improve indoor comfort levels all year round. Based on electricity records from Arizona,...

The upscaling of kesterite photovoltaics is challenging and results in low performance. Xiang et al. tune the thiourea/metal precursor ratio to improve the morphology of the kesterite film, achieving 10.1% certified power conversion efficiency in 10.48-cm2 modules.

Polymer dielectrics are key for capacitors in energy applications but are hard to improve for high temperatures. This work uses artificial intelligence to design fillers with a large bandgap and high affinity, enabling durable, high-energy polyimide composites for harsh environments.

Integrating CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion avoids the thermal release of CO2 and thus could potentially lower the energy needed to make useful products from CO2, but choosing optimal system components is still challenging. Here the authors use piperazine alongside a nickel catalyst for capture and achieve high energy efficiency and stable CO production.

Although central to the global energy mix, certain technologies like nuclear energy receive comparatively little attention at Nature Energy. We aim to reflect the diversity of innovation driving the energy transition, including critical advances in systems design and engineering that enable these technologies.

Electric vehicles rely on batteries that use elements like nickel and cobalt, usually sourced through mining, which raises ecological and ethical concerns. Now, a new cathode design replaces 35% of the nickel with abundant manganese, easing raw material demand without compromising energy density or lifetime.

Optimizing the crystallization of the active materials in organic solar cells is challenging. Fu et al. use an acenaphthene additive to induce a two-step crystallization of the non-fullerene acceptor, achieving a certified 20.5% power conversion efficiency.

Controlling the morphology of the active layer in organic solar cells (OSCs) is challenging. Now, acenaphthene is shown to induce the two-step crystallization of non-fullerene acceptors to achieve a highly oriented arrangement. The resulting improvement in the charge transport properties enables a binary OSC with 21% efficiency and a 83.2% fill factor.

The upscaling of kesterite photovoltaics is challenging and results in low performance. Xiang et al. tune the thiourea/metal precursor ratio to improve the morphology of the kesterite film, achieving 10.1% certified power conversion efficiency in 10.48-cm2 modules.

Polymer dielectrics are key for capacitors in energy applications but are hard to improve for high temperatures. This work uses artificial intelligence to design fillers with a large bandgap and high affinity, enabling durable, high-energy polyimide composites for harsh environments.

Integrating CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion avoids the thermal release of CO2 and thus could potentially lower the energy needed to make useful products from CO2, but choosing optimal system components is still challenging. Here the authors use piperazine alongside a nickel catalyst for capture and achieve high energy efficiency and stable CO production.