ACS Energy Letters 最新文献

The practical application of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) requires reliable operation at low pressures, which remains a significant challenge. In this work, we examine the role of a cathode composite microstructure composed of solid-state electrolyte (SSE) with different particle sizes. A composite made of LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) and fine-particle Li₆PS₅Cl (LPSC) shows a more uniform distribution of SSE on the surface of NCM811 particles, ensuring intimate contact. Moreover, the composite features reduced tortuosity, which enhances Li ion conduction. These microstructural advantages result in significantly reduced charge transfer resistance, helping to suppress mechanical distortion and electrochemical degradation during cycling under low-pressure conditions. As a result, the fine-LPSC cathode composite exhibits enhanced cycling stability at a moderate stack pressure of 2 MPa, outperforming its coarse-LPSC counterpart. Our finding confirms the important role of microstructure design in enabling high-performance ASSBs operating under low-pressure conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are indispensable for modern technology, yet their limited lifespan contributes substantially to electronic waste. Effective recycling methods are crucial to mitigating material scarcity, enhancing sustainability, and fostering a circular economy. This perspective examines the current LIB recycling processes, with a focus on the emerging potential and challenges of direct recycling methods. Unlike traditional pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, which often destroy valuable materials, direct recycling seeks to recover and restore functional components, preserving the integrity of active materials. However, this method faces significant technical hurdles, particularly due to the complex design of LIBs and the degradation of key components over time. This perspective explores the intricacies of battery structure and component degradation, examines the challenges of scaling up direct recycling for industry applications, and proposes future directions to improve the efficiency and viability of this sustainable recycling approach.

With the rapid advancements in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices, their stability has garnered increasing attention. While material innovation has played a critical role in recent years, the Q-PHJ (quasi-planar heterojunction) architecture offers an alternative approach to device optimization. This article aims to explain how the introduction of the Q-PHJ architecture can mitigate degradation under various conditions without compromising device performance. It begins by illustrating the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the degradation of OPV devices. Following this, the advantages of the Q-PHJ device and the mechanism are explained by introducing our recent work as well as highlighting other researchers’ work in this field. Different aspects and factors such as morphology, the ternary strategy, additive engineering, and vertical distribution were analyzed. The role of material innovation is also discussed. In the end, the feasibility and challenges of applying bilayer and bilayer-dominated devices to industrial manufacturing are analyzed in detail.

Spiro-OMeTAD is a widely used hole transport material (HTM) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs), but its inherent low hole mobility and poor thermal stability affect the overall performance of PSCs. To overcome these limitations, we develop a series of fluorene-terminated Spiro-type HTMs, engineered by modulating the fluorene substitution site and π-conjugated intensity. Among these, the p-BM material exhibits high energetic ordering in film, appropriate energy levels, and efficient carrier extraction, enabling PSCs to achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 25.5% and 24.03% for aperture areas of 0.0625 and 1 cm², respectively. Additionally, a perovskite solar mini-module (size 16 cm²) based on p-BM HTM achieved a PCE of 22.4%. More importantly, p-BM exhibits a high glass transition temperature and enhanced film hydrophobicity, significantly improving the stability of devices in relation to heat and humidity. Our findings provide a promising alternative HTM for developing efficient and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices.

Thermoelectric conversion technology can realize direct conversion between heat and electricity, providing a promising approach to relieve the energy crisis. The application of thermoelectric technology is closely related to materials’ thermoelectric and mechanical properties. However, the strong coupling of key parameters involving charge carriers and phonon transport hinders the substantial improvements in overall thermoelectric performance. In recent years, a high-entropy strategy promoted remarkable progress in the field of thermoelectric materials by leveraging the four core effects. In this review, we first discuss the theoretical basis for how a high-entropy strategy synergistically optimizes thermoelectric performance. We then classify the examples where high-entropy effects can optimize electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties in thermoelectric materials. Following this, we summarize the overall advances that the high-entropy strategy has brought to thermoelectric materials and devices. Finally, we point out the remaining challenges in high-entropy thermoelectrics and offer perspectives on future research directions in this field.