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: 49 min 12 sec ago
Getting the microstructure right
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01478-x
Getting the microstructure right
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Impact of soil carbon changes
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01480-3
Impact of soil carbon changes
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Inhibition of halide oxidation and deprotonation of organic cations with dimethylammonium formate for air-processed p–i–n perovskite solar cells
Nature Energy, Published online: 26 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01471-4
Manufacturing of perovskite solar cells under ambient conditions is desirable. Meng et al. show that dimethylammonium formate suppresses halide oxidation and deprotonation of organic cations, enabling air-processed inverted solar cells with 24.7% efficiency.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Field testing hydrogen
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01466-1
Injecting hydrogen into subsurface environments could provide seasonal energy storage, but understanding of technical feasibility is limited as large-scale demonstrations are scarce. Now, field tests show that hydrogen can be stored and microbially converted to methane in a depleted underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Synthesis via cation replacement reactions
Nature Energy, Published online: 23 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01464-3
The scarcity of raw materials and complex synthesis procedures have impeded the development of electrolytes for Mg and Ca metal batteries. Research now reports a facile synthesis of organoborate electrolytes through cation replacement reactions, offering highly reversible Mg or Ca electrochemistry.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Factors associated with the use of liquefied petroleum gas in Ghana vary at different stages of transition
Nature Energy, Published online: 22 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01462-5
The clean-cooking transition in the Global South can support major improvements in public and environmental health and societal conditions. This study draws on survey data from greater than 7,000 households in Ghana to understand determinants of household fuel use through the transition and proposes a stage-based framework to support policy interventions.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Mild pH-decoupling aqueous flow battery with practical pH recovery
Nature Energy, Published online: 19 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01474-1
Establishing pH differences in aqueous flow batteries widens their voltage window, but acid–base mixing shortens their lifespan. In this study, the authors introduced a pH recovery system to address crossover issues, ensuring long-lasting, high-voltage pH-decoupled flow batteries.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
High-concentration silver alloying and steep back-contact gallium grading enabling copper indium gallium selenide solar cell with 23.6% efficiency
Nature Energy, Published online: 19 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01472-3
Keller et al. use high-concentration silver alloying and steep gallium grading close to the back contact to minimize bandgap fluctuations and thus voltage losses, achieving 23.6% certified efficiency in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Tuning the solvation structure with salts for stable sodium-metal batteries
Nature Energy, Published online: 19 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01469-y
Electrolytes with non-flammable solvents are important for the safe operation of sodium-metal batteries. Here the authors report an electrolyte engineering approach, employing salts as a diluent, to enhance interfacial stability and overall safety.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Hydrogen storage and geo-methanation in a depleted underground hydrocarbon reservoir
Nature Energy, Published online: 16 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01458-1
Geologic formations could be used for hydrogen storage and conversion to methane, yet technical feasibility is unclear as field-scale data are lacking. Here the authors perform field tests demonstrating that hydrogen can be stored and microbially converted to methane in a depleted underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Carrier concentration resolved
Nature Energy, Published online: 13 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01460-7
Inhomogeneities in the optoelectronic properties of polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorbers can limit solar cell performance. Now, researchers quantify the spatial distribution of charge carrier concentration with nanometre resolution and show how different alkali-metal post-deposition treatments reduce the grain-to-grain fluctuations.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Selective and energy-efficient electrosynthesis of ethylene from CO<sub>2</sub> by tuning the valence of Cu catalysts through aryl diazonium functionalization
Nature Energy, Published online: 09 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01461-6
Achieving high selectivity towards the formation of a single type of multi-carbon product from CO2 electroreduction is difficult. Here Wu and colleagues show that the valence state of Cu can be tuned by functionalization of the catalyst surface with organic salts, boosting selectivity towards ethylene.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Development transitions for fossil fuel-producing low and lower–middle income countries in a carbon-constrained world
Nature Energy, Published online: 08 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-023-01440-3
Development ramifications of global decarbonization efforts for fossil fuel-producing low and lower–middle income countries remain underexplored. This Perspective suggests three transition pathways for navigating these ramifications.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Publisher Correction: The influence of additionality and time-matching requirements on the emissions from grid-connected hydrogen production
Nature Energy, Published online: 05 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01475-0
Publisher Correction: The influence of additionality and time-matching requirements on the emissions from grid-connected hydrogen production
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Light alters reaction pathways
Nature Energy, Published online: 02 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01457-2
Carbon monoxide can be reacted with water to synthesize hydrocarbons, but low activity and poor selectivity has plagued the conventional thermal catalytic route. Now, leveraging photocatalytic and thermocatalytic effects, a TiO2–x/Ni catalyst is shown to produce C2+ hydrocarbons directly from carbon monoxide and water with high yield and selectivity.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Economic modelling fit for the demands of energy decision makers
Nature Energy, Published online: 02 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-024-01452-7
Decision makers need sector-specific, policy-focused, dynamic economic models with rich representations of technological progress. These allow them to understand how the energy transition is likely to unfold with different policies and what its impacts might be. A new generation of models is emerging to meet these demands, but more action is needed.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)
Sub-nano fillers for high-temperature storage
Nature Energy, Published online: 01 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s41560-023-01446-x
Polymer nanocomposite-based dielectric capacitors are promising candidates for high- power-density energy storage devices. However, they exhibit poor performance at high temperatures. A polymer nanocomposite based on sub-nanosheets shows high energy density at elevated temperatures due to the unique structure, geometry, and high surface area to volume ratio of the nanosheets.
Categories: Nanoscience News (<front>)