Nature Energy is an online-only journal interested in all aspects of energy, from its generation and storage, to its distribution and management, the needs and demands of the different actors involved, and the impacts that energy technologies and policies have on different societies. The journal has a particular interest in studies that advance our knowledge and inform the development of next-generation technologies and solutions. Nature Energy publishes research from the natural, behavioural and social sciences.
Updated: 1 day 13 hours ago
Binding and release in balance
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01884-9
Integrating CO2 capture and electrochemical conversion may lower energy consumption relative to the separated processes, but scale-up is limited by low carbon conversion and energy-intensive solvent regeneration. Now, research shows that piperazine, alongside a Ni single-atom catalyst, allows effective, stable CO2 capture, and conversion to CO in a low-energy process.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Isotropic armour for high-voltage operation
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01878-7
High-voltage solid-state sodium batteries often fail at the cathode–electrolyte interface due to side reactions. An isotropic metal–organic framework epilayer that conformally coats the cathode particles helps prevent side reactions, enabling stable cycling at an unusually high cutoff voltage of 4.2 V (vs Na/Na+), exceeding the typical ~3.9 V (vs Na/Na+) limit for polyethylene oxide-based sodium cells.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Additives for thermal stability
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01879-6
In perovskite solar cells, the conventional n–i–p structure employing spiro-MeOTAD as a p-type hole transport layer suffers from poor thermal stability. Now, a non-volatile solid-state additive, 4-(N-carbazolyl)pyridine, is introduced to improve the thermal stability of spiro-MeOTAD and enable solar cells to perform more reliably under harsh conditions.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Aromatic interaction-driven out-of-plane orientation for inverted perovskite solar cells with improved efficiency
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01882-x
Uncontrolled crystallization of perovskite limits the performance of solar cells. Zhou et al. address this through aromatic interactions between naphthalene ammonium salts and naphthalenesulfonates, achieving improved efficiency in cells and modules.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Sulfonated polybenzimidazole for low-alkalinity ion solvating membrane water electrolysis
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01876-9
KOH-doped membranes, so-called ion-solvating membranes (ISMs), have been used in alkaline water electrolysers but face challenges with stability and narrow operational windows. Here a non-crosslinked, partially sulfonated polybenzimidazole ISM with enhanced conductivity and stability is reported, achieving high current densities and prolonged operation.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Overcoming high-voltage limits in all-solid-state batteries with a fluoride-based shielding layer
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01866-x
Voltage instability of battery materials has hindered the realization of high-voltage all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Now, 5 V-class ASSBs are enabled by a fluoride-based shielding layer, LiCl–4Li2TiF6, that combines high oxidative stability and Li+ conductivity. Applied to high-voltage cathodes, the shielding layer mitigates interfacial degradation and enables stable cycling at >5 V, including under high-capacity conditions.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Bringing deformability to lithium metal
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01877-8
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
CO electrolysers with 51% energy efficiency towards C<sub>2+</sub> using porous separators
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01846-1
Electrochemical COx reduction to multi-carbon products is hindered by low energy efficiency, in part due to sluggish ion transport across charge-selective membranes used in electrolysers. Here the authors use a porous, non-charge-selective separator that enhances ion transport and improves performance for CO electrolysis.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Five-volt-class high-capacity all-solid-state lithium batteries
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01865-y
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Swapping membranes for separators
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01833-6
Carbon monoxide electrolysis has the potential to defossilize the production of chemicals and fuels, but its widespread adoption requires costs to be reduced. Now, an electrolysis device using a separator instead of a membrane achieves high-rate ethylene production with a low electricity input.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Heat pumps can help alleviate residential energy insecurity in the USA
Nature Energy, Published online: 02 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01840-7
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
The comfort rebound from heat pumps and impact on household cooling behaviour and energy security
Nature Energy, Published online: 02 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01845-2
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Increasing the efficiency of binary organic solar cells through a two-step crystallization process
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01881-y
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Two-step crystallization modulated through acenaphthene enabling 21% binary organic solar cells and 83.2% fill factor
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01862-1
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Performance seasonality
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01875-w
Performance seasonality
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Guiding lithium through thick cathodes
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01873-y
Guiding lithium through thick cathodes
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Contested environmental views
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01874-x
Contested environmental views
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
A broader view of energy
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01855-0
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Breaking the cycle of underinvestment in climate-resilient energy infrastructure
Nature Energy, Published online: 19 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01868-9
Breaking the cycle of underinvestment in climate-resilient energy infrastructure
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Solution-processed kesterite solar module with 10.1% certified efficiency
Nature Energy, Published online: 15 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01860-3
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)