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: 2 days 20 hours ago
Affinity-driven electrolyte design
Nature Energy, Published online: 11 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01859-w
A quantitative theory based on cation–solvent and anion–solvent affinity has been developed to elucidate the solvation microstructure of electrolytes. This unified framework can simultaneously predict electrolyte structure, transport properties, and interfacial behaviour. Thus, the framework provides a solvent-specific design platform for the development of high-performance electrolytes.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Alternative divertor configurations improve fusion power exhaust control
Nature Energy, Published online: 11 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01825-6
Shaping the magnetic configuration in the power exhaust region brings major advantages to addressing the challenge of controlling the power exhaust in nuclear fusion. Power exhaust control in these alternative configurations is now demonstrated in the MAST-U nuclear fusion experiment, offering an increased ability to passively absorb disturbances.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Tandem amine scrubbing and CO<sub>2</sub> electrolysis via direct piperazine carbamate reduction
Nature Energy, Published online: 11 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01869-8
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Non-volatile solid-state 4-(<i>N</i>-carbazolyl)pyridine additive for perovskite solar cells with improved thermal and operational stability
Nature Energy, Published online: 10 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01864-z
Additives used in the charge transport layers of perovskite solar cells contribute to device degradation during operation. Now Kim et al. report a non-volatile, solid-state additive—4-(N-carbazolyl)pyridine—that enhances the thermal and operational stability of the devices.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Ditching nickel for manganese
Nature Energy, Published online: 09 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01851-4
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Painting humid cities cool
Nature Energy, Published online: 09 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01858-x
Passive radiative paints cool buildings without energy input, but do not perform well in humid environments and on vertical surfaces. Now, researchers report a durable cement-based paint that integrates radiative cooling and evaporative cooling mechanisms, achieving effective cooling on vertical surfaces in humid climates while maintaining the mechanical strength and substrate adhesion required for real-world building applications.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
The EU battery carbon footprint rules need urgent attention
Nature Energy, Published online: 09 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01844-3
The EU battery carbon footprint rules need urgent attention
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
High-temperature polymer composite capacitors with high energy density designed via machine learning
Nature Energy, Published online: 09 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01863-0
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.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Designing an isotropic epilayer for stable 4.2 V solid-state Na batteries
Nature Energy, Published online: 05 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01857-y
High-voltage sodium solid-state batteries often suffer from capacity loss due to harmful internal reactions. By adding a uniform protective layer to the cathode, this study greatly improves their stability—retaining 77.9% capacity after 1,500 cycles—and shows promise for developing longer-lasting, high-energy batteries.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Demonstration of Super-X divertor exhaust control for transient heat load management in compact fusion reactors
Nature Energy, Published online: 05 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01824-7
Managing power exhaust in fusion reactors is a key challenge, especially in compact designs for cost-effective commercial energy. This study shows how alternative divertor configurations improve exhaust control, enhance stability, absorb transients and enable independent plasma regulation.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
High plating currents without dendrites at the interface between a lithium anode and solid electrolyte
Nature Energy, Published online: 04 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01847-0
High plating currents are achieved in solid-state batteries without dendrites by densifying Li6PS5Cl, with modelling showing how specific microstructural changes increase the critical current density.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Taming inorganic agglomeration at the interphases
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01839-0
Long charging times remain a critical limitation for state-of-the-art lithium metal batteries. Now, an electrolyte design inhibits inorganic agglomeration in solid electrolyte interphases, unlocking fast-charging capabilities in high-energy-density lithium metal batteries.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
A hybrid-flow cell for stable pH-swing-facilitated direct air capture
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01837-2
Electrochemically induced pH swing can facilitate direct air capture at ambient temperature; however, the energy efficiency is compromised by the oxidation of the redox-active organic molecules. A hybrid flow cell that spatially isolates the oxygen-sensitive materials from air achieves stable CO2 capture from oxygen-containing gas streams with low energy demand.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Covariance of interphasic properties and fast chargeability of energy-dense lithium metal batteries
Nature Energy, Published online: 03 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01838-1
Lithium metal batteries offer high energy density for electric vehicles but face challenges with fast charging. This study investigates pyran-based electrolytes containing various substituted anions, revealing that weakly Li+-associating anions enhance fast-charging performance.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Impact of lithium dopants in hole-transporting layers on perovskite solar cell stability under day–night cycling
Nature Energy, Published online: 01 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01856-z
Lithium doping in spiro-OMeTAD negatively affects the long-term performance of perovskite solar cells. Qin and team map the degradation mechanism under repeated voltage cycling and how lithium-free dopants improve stability.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Reactions at the grain surface
Nature Energy, Published online: 27 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01819-4
The performance of perovskite solar cells with mesoscopic carbon electrodes is limited by inefficient charge transport and charge accumulation at interfaces. Now, by reacting hexamethylene diisocyanate with organic cations at the surface of perovskite grains and passivating defects, 23.2% efficiency can be achieved in small-area devices.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Stability through supersaturation
Nature Energy, Published online: 27 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01843-4
As demand for higher-energy batteries grows, pushing cathode voltages to higher voltages often triggers rapid degradation. Now, a co-doping strategy creates an ultrathin metal surface layer on advanced cathode materials, helping them maintain performance at elevated voltages.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Universal strategy for passivation
Nature Energy, Published online: 27 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01841-6
The passivation of perovskite surface defects is crucial to achieving perovskite solar cells with high performance and stability, but universal strategies remain elusive. Now, a passivation strategy is developed that has a broad processing window and shows applicability to various perovskite compositions and device architectures.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Zero-strain Mn-rich layered cathode for sustainable and high-energy next-generation batteries
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01852-3
Nickel-heavy battery chemistries raise concerns over cost, supply risk and environmental impact. A new design cuts nickel use by over one-third, replacing it with more abundant manganese—without sacrificing performance.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Direct air capture of CO<sub>2</sub> in an electrochemical hybrid flow cell with a spatially isolated phenazine electrode
Nature Energy, Published online: 22 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01836-3
Electrochemical CO2 capture is hindered by the oxidation of redox-active organic molecules by O2, affecting energy efficiency and capacity. Here the authors develop a flow cell in which the O2-sensitive components are isolated from O2, achieving 99% coulombic efficiency with low energy requirements.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)