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High-entropy materials (HEMs) have garnered tremendous attention for electrocatalytic water oxidation because of their extraordinary properties. Nevertheless, scant attention has been directed toward comprehending the origin of their excellent activity and intricate atomic arrangements. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of high-entropy metal selenides (HEMSs) using a rapid joule-heating method, effectively circumventing the immiscibility challenges inherent in combining multiple metal elements. This achievement is collectively verified by a convergence of diverse analytical techniques encompassing quasi in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and operando attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The HEMS exhibits a low overpotential of 222 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and extraordinary durability with negligible degradation over a 1,000 h durability test at 10 mA cm⁻² and 500 h at 100 mA cm⁻². Further, our theoretical investigations establish the pronounced mechanism of asymmetric Cu-Co-Ni active units in HEMS by manipulating the interaction of oxygen-containing intermediates, which leads to enhanced OER activity and durability.

The choice of donor (D) and acceptor (A) materials in organic solar cells (OSCs) determines the so-called golden triangle of organic photovoltaics (OPV), namely, cost, power conversion efficiency (PCE), and device stability. However, despite the recent advancements in material and device development, determining the optimal material combination for industrialization remains a challenge. Herein, we unveil the optimal material combination that exhibits maximum industrial viability. Specifically, the industrial figure of merit (i-FoM) of seven OPV categories is calculated and further analyzed, including blends of small-molecule donor (SMD):fullerene acceptor, SMD:non-fullerene acceptor (NFA), oligomer donor:NFA, terpolymer:NFA, polymer donor:NFA, polymer donor:polymer acceptor, and single-component materials. Because OPV is approaching wide-scale industrialization, insights into the successes and challenges of these material combinations, particularly their PCE, photostability, and synthetic complexity (SC) index, offer guidance toward accelerating the industrialization of OPV.

Eva M. Herzig is a professor at the Institute of Physics of the University of Bayreuth. She received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and worked in industry on renewable energies and as a postdoc at the Technical University of Munich (Germany). Her group focuses on nanostructure control via processing and the characterization of thin films, applying time-resolved, multi-modal measurement methods to resolve structures on the nanoscale with a current focus on organic and hybrid energy materials.

Feng Gao is a professor and Wallenberg Scholar at Linköping University in Sweden. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 2011, followed by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoc fellowship at Linköping University. His group currently focuses on research into solution-processed energy materials and devices, mainly based on organic semiconductors and metal halide perovskites.

Jonas Bergqvist is CTO at Epishine AB. He holds a master’s degree in applied physics and a doctoral degree in biomolecular and organic electronics from Linköping University, Sweden. Jonas has 15 years of experience within organic solar cells and is one of the cofounders of Epishine AB, where he leads the technology development of roll-to-roll manufacturing of printed organic solar cells for indoor applications.

Maria A. Loi is a professor at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She received a PhD in physics from the University of Cagliari, Italy, in 2001. She has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria, and at the National Research Council in Bologna, Italy. She joined the University of Groningen in 2006 as a Rosalind Franklin Fellow, and she became full professor in the same institution in 2014. She focuses on the investigation of the photophysics of unconventional semiconductors and in their application into optoelectronic devices.

Sebastian B. Meier is the director of OPV technology and manufacturing at ASCA GmbH & Co. KG. He holds a diploma degree in materials science and a doctoral degree in engineering from the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He has 15 years of industrial experience in the field of organic and printed electronics and is author and co-author of numerous scientific publications in recognized international journals as well as patents in the field of organic light-emitting devices and solar cells.

Omics is a discipline that identifies and quantifies molecular processes that contribute to the form and function of living systems. Here, we translate omics to study battery systems. By employing precision analytical capabilities across chemical space, we delineate the structure, function, and evolution of interphases when cycling Li-nickel manganese oxide (NMC)811 cells at high power and high voltage with mixed-salt locally superconcentrated electrolytes. Despite differences in their make-up, top-performing electrolytes converged in their cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI) chemistries, which were unexpectedly enriched with fluoroethers (upregulation) and depleted with LiF (downregulation). Moreover, these atypical CEIs more effectively suppressed leakage current, cathode corrosion, and cathode fracturing, extending battery life. Pouch cells (130 mAh) assembled with 50-μm-thick Li foil, semi-solid NMC811 electrodes (9 mAh cm⁻²), and lean electrolyte (2.2 Ah g⁻¹) showed excellent power retention over more than 100 cycles using a realistic mission for electric vertical take-off and landing.

Green hydrogen produced by electrolysis with renewable electricity can be used directly or in synthetic fuels (e-fuels) to decarbonize road, rail, marine, and air transportation. However, system inefficiencies during hydrogen or e-fuel production, storage, transportation, dispensing, and use lead to approximately 80%–90% loss of the initial electrical energy input. Electric-powered ground, marine, and air transport is approximately 3–8 times more energy efficient than hydrogen alternatives. Renewable electricity sources in the US are insufficient to support hydrogen production for light-duty vehicles. Therefore, green hydrogen should be used strategically in heavy-duty road, rail, aviation, and marine transportation, where electrification alternatives are constrained by load and range. Energy intensity for hydrogen transport measured by renewable electricity per unit of service follows the current trends for petroleum-fueled transport. For freight, ships and rail are the least intensive modes, followed by heavy-duty trucks, then aircraft: 0.04, 0.2, 2, and 20 MJ per t-km, respectively.

Dr. Brandon J. Hopkins is a lead battery technology engineer at MITRE in the emerging technology division with expertise in techno-economics and decarbonization strategy focused on energy storage, the grid, and electric vehicles. Previously, he worked at Ford Motor Company as a research engineer to advance Ford’s electrification strategy. At the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, he performed research on primary and rechargeable zinc batteries. He received a BA from Harvard University and an MS and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in mechanical engineering. He is an inventor on 5 patents and has co-authored 17 journal articles.

Dr. Nicholas H. Bashian is a senior battery technology scientist at MITRE in the emerging technology division. His research focuses on the investigation of next-generation batteries as well as the analysis of military battery usage and system integration. His previous work includes the electrochemical and in situ structural characterization of chalcogenide electrode materials for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries in addition to the development of solid electrolytes. With extensive experience in maturing battery technologies for defense applications and assessing energy storage needs for specialty applications, Dr. Bashian has co-authored 15 journal articles.

The efficiency and stability of organic solar cells (OSCs) is often restricted by the metastable photoactive and charge transport layers. Here, we report the acquiring of stable photovoltaics via vacuum-assisted thermal annealing (VTA), which not only enhances the molecular packing of donor and acceptor but also restrains the over-growth of photovoltaic molecules and leads to a slender fibrillar network, resulting in enhanced charge transport and suppressed carrier recombination. In situ ellipsometry measurements reveal that VTA can remove the trapped solvents and reduce the free volume of the photoactive layer, leading to slower structural relaxation during operation and therefore superior morphological and operational stability. As a result, the VTA-treated D18:L8-BO and PM6:L8-BO OSCs exhibit superior PCEs of 19.7% and 19.2%, respectively, with an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/PDINN/Ag structure, and a PCE of 18.0% with a T₈₀ lifetime of 45,200 h for the ITO/MoO₃/PM6:L8-BO/C₆₀/BCP/Ag-structured device, corresponding to an unprecedented lifetime of 30 years.

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells generate electricity by converting infrared radiation emitted by a hot thermal source. Air-bridge TPVs have demonstrated enhanced power conversion efficiencies by recuperating a large amount of power carried by below-band-gap (out-of-band) photons. Here, we demonstrate single-junction InGaAs(P) air-bridge TPVs that exhibit up to 44% efficiency under 1,435°C blackbody illumination. The air-bridge design leads to near-unity reflectance (97%–99%) of out-of-band photons for ternary and quaternary TPVs whose band gaps range from 0.74 to 1.1 eV. These results suggest the applicability of the air-bridge cells to a range of semiconductor systems suitable for electricity generation from thermal sources found in both consumer and industrial applications, including thermal batteries.

Bessie Noll is a post doctoral researcher at the Energy and Technology Policy Group at ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on the effects of policy intervention on the development of clean energy technologies and transitional outcomes of modern energy systems. She holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and a PhD in energy and technology policy from ETH Zurich.

Bjarne Steffen is assistant professor and head of ETH Zurich’s Climate Finance and Policy Group. His research addresses the impact of public policy interventions on technological change in the energy sector, with a particular focus on the role of financial actors in reallocating capital. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Mannheim and a PhD in energy economics from the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Tobias Schmidt is ETH Zurich’s professor of energy and technology policy and directs the Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy. His research focuses on the interaction of public policy and its underlying politics with technological change in energy-related sectors. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from TU Munich and a doctorate from ETH Zurich.