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With the rapid expansion of battery applications, the demand for operating batteries in extreme conditions (e.g., high/low temperatures, high voltages, fast charging, etc.) is ever rising. The electrolyte is a key component in batteries, with properties that have far-reaching effects on the battery performance. Yet, according to general design principles of the electrolyte, operation under such harsh environments seems infeasible. In response, battery communities are scrambling to develop new concepts and theories. From the thermodynamics point of view, the free energy of the mixed system seriously affects the formation of the solvation structure of the liquid electrolyte, and the stability of the solid electrolyte is largely governed by entropy. Tuning the entropy of the electrolyte, in principle, represents a viable strategy to promote electrolyte features. Here, the entropy-tuning effect of electrolytes for batteries working under extreme conditions is thoroughly discussed in respect of aqueous, non-aqueous, and solid-state electrolytes. We believe that such a perspective will spark new thinking on the rational design of electrolytes aimed for use under extreme conditions.

Iodide and bromide integration facilitate bandgap tunability in wide-bandgap perovskites, yet high concentrations of bromide lead to halide phase segregation, adversely affecting the efficiency and stability of solar cell devices. In this work, 2-amino-4,5-imidazoledicarbonitrile (AIDCN), with highly polarized charge distribution and compact molecular configuration, is incorporated into a 1.86 eV wide-bandgap perovskite to effectively suppress photoinduced iodine escape and phase segregation. Hyperspectral photoluminescence microscopy reveals that AIDCN mitigates phase segregation under continuous laser exposure. Concurrent in situ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering and X-ray fluorescence measurements further validate suppressed iodine escape, evidenced by a notable slowing down of lattice shrinkage and a well-maintained overall chemical composition of the perovskite under continuous illumination. Applying this approach, we achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.52% in 1.86 eV wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells. By integrating this perovskite subcell with the PM6:BTP-eC9 organic subcell, the tandem attains a maximum PCE of 25.13%, with a certified stabilized PCE of 23.40%.

Charging current densities of solid-state batteries with lithium metal anodes and ceramic electrolytes are severely limited due to lithium dendrites that penetrate the electrolyte leading to a short circuit. We show that dendrite growth can be inhibited by different crack deflection mechanisms when multi-layered solid electrolytes, such as Li₆PS₅Cl/Li₃ScCl₆/Li₆PS₅Cl and Li₆PS₅Cl/Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂/Li₆PS₅Cl, are employed but not when the inner layer is Li₃PS₄. X-ray tomographic imaging shows crack deflection along mechanically weak interfaces between solid electrolytes as a result of local mismatches in elastic moduli. Cracks are also deflected laterally within Li₃ScCl₆, which contains preferentially oriented particles. Deflection occurs without lithium being present. In cases where the inner layers react with lithium, the resulting decomposition products can fill and block crack propagation. All three mechanisms are effective at low stack pressures. Operating at 2.5 MPa, multi-layered solid electrolytes Li₆PS₅Cl/Li₃ScCl₆/Li₆PS₅Cl and Li₆PS₅Cl/Li₁₀GeP₂S₁₂/Li₆PS₅Cl can achieve lithium plating at current densities exceeding 15 mA cm⁻².

Eric Masanet is the Mellichamp Chair in Sustainability Science for Emerging Technologies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he holds appointments in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He has authored more than 150 scientific publications on sustainability modeling of energy and materials demand systems, with particular focuses on data centers and IT systems. He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley, with a focus on sustainable manufacturing.

Nuoa Lei is a research affiliate in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division of the Energy Technologies Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. With over a decade of experience in energy modeling and sustainability analysis, Dr. Lei is dedicated to contributing to global decarbonization, environmental sustainability, and climate change mitigation. He holds a PhD in energy systems analysis and dual MS degrees in mechanical engineering and statistics from Northwestern University, Evanston.

Jonathan Koomey is president of Koomey Analytics. He was in the past a visiting professor at Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley and a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Koomey holds MS and PhD degrees from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley and an AB in history and science from Harvard. He is the author or coauthor of more than 200 articles and reports and 10 books, including Turning Numbers into Knowledge: Mastering the Art of Problem Solving and Solving Climate Change: A Guide for Learners and Leaders. More at http://www.koomey.com.

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction aims to compete with Power-to-X alternatives but is well behind the scales of water electrolyzers and thermochemical reactors. In a recent issue of Nature Chemical Engineering, Crandall and co-workers demonstrate a 1000 cm² tandem CO₂/CO electrolyzer for acetate production. The work invites discussion on scientific and engineering scale-up challenges.

Beyond phonon transport, non-propagating transport is also crucial for crystals to achieve ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity (κ_L) approaching the amorphous limitation. In our study, the demonstrated enhancement of phonon localization proves instrumental in achieving ultra-low κ_L, offering an understanding of the role of non-propagating transport. We experimentally verified this principle through a meticulously designed vapor-liquid-solid reaction in Mg₃(Sb,Bi)₂-based materials. A remarkably low κ_L of 0.19 W/mK at room temperature was obtained. This marked a 77% reduction, compared with full-density counterparts, and was attributed to enhanced localization involved in high-frequency phonons. Moreover, we achieved a record zT value close to 1.2 at room temperature, along with the highest average zT value of 1.6 from 300 to 573 K among all n-type materials. These remarkable results align precisely with electron-phonon decoupling through strengthening phonon localization for materials design and application, which underscores the pivotal role in thermal transport.

Technology modeling is a vital part of developing and understanding energy system scenarios and policy, but it is challenging due to data limitations, deep uncertainty, and the complex social and technological dynamics involved in the evolution of energy systems. These difficulties are often compounded by unsound technology forecasting practice, including overfitting, data selection bias, and ad hoc assumptions, leading to unreliable conclusions. We flag several cases where this has been problematic and analyze in detail a recent model for predicting the pace of solar photovoltaic and wind energy deployment. We discuss general takeaways and provide suggestions for how statistical testing should be conducted to avoid such problems in the future and to quantify the reliability of forecasts.

Zhuoxi Wu is currently a PhD student at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in City University of Hong Kong, under the supervision of Professor Chunyi Zhi. His current research mainly focuses on zinc-anode reversibility improvement and electrolyte modification of zinc-ion battery.

Yu Wang is a postdoc in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at City University of Hong Kong in Professor Chunyi Zhi’s group. Her current research mainly focuses on advanced aqueous zinc-ion batteries and the design of advanced metallic anodes. Dr. Wang obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemistry from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2012 and 2014. She obtained her PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and mainly focuses on Li-air and aqueous Li-ion batteries.

Chunyi Zhi obtained a PhD in condensed matter physics from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. After 2 years of being a postdoc at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan, he was promoted to ICYS researcher, researcher (faculty), and senior researcher (permanent position) in NIMS. Dr. Zhi is now a chair professor at Department of Materials Science and Engineering in City University of Hong Kong. Dr. Zhi has extensive experience in aqueous electrolyte batteries and zinc ion batteries.

The solar-driven conversion of CO₂ into molecules with high calorific value is a major challenge to reduce the carbon footprint of industrialized countries. Many concepts are proposed, but limited action has been undertaken so far to design, integrate, and scale commercially viable technologies. Here, we report on the long-term performance of an autonomous solar-driven device that continuously converts CO₂ into CH₄ under mild conditions. It couples a biomethanation reactor to a set of integrated photoelectrochemical cells, combining silicon/perovskite tandem solar cells with proton exchange membrane electrolyzers, for the production of solar hydrogen from water. The 5.5% solar-to-fuel yield (calculated from global horizontal irradiance) achieved by the bench-scale device during 72 h of outdoor operation at JRC, Ispra, Italy, in July 2022, demonstrates that re-design and close integration of proven lab-scale concepts can overcome the technological barriers to the industrial deployment of artificial photosynthesis process.