The aqueous zinc ion battery has emerged as a promising alternative technology for large-scale energy storage due to its low cost, natural abundance, and high safety features. However, the sluggish kinetics stemming from the strong electrostatic interaction of divalent zinc ions in the host crystal structure is one of challenges for highly efficient energy storage. Oxygen vacancies (VO ••), in the present work, lead to a larger tunnel structure along the b axis, which improves the reactive kinetics and enhances Zn-ion storage capability in VO2 (B) cathode. DFT calculations further support that VO •• in VO2 (B) result in a narrower bandgap and lower Zn ion diffusion energy barrier compared to those of pristine VO2 (B). VO ••-rich VO2 (B) achieves a specific capacity of 375 mAh g–1 at a current density of 100 mA g–1 and long-term cyclic stability with retained specific capacity of 175 mAh g–1 at 5 A g–1 over 2000 cycles (85% capacity retention), higher than that of VO2 (B) nanobelts (280 mAh g–1 at 100 mA g–1 and 120 mAh g–1 at 5 A g–1, 65% capacity retention).

The reversibility and cyclability of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are largely determined by the stabilization of the Zn anode. Therefore, a stable anode/electrolyte interface capable of inhibiting dendrites and side reactions is crucial for high-performing ZIBs. In this study, we investigated the adsorption of 1,4-dioxane (DX) to promote the exposure of Zn (002) facets and prevent dendrite growth. DX appears to reside at the interface and suppress the detrimental side reactions. ZIBs with the addition of DX demonstrated a long-term cycling stability of 1000 h in harsh conditions of 10 mA cm–2 with an ultrahigh cumulative plated capacity of 5 Ah cm–2 and shows a good reversibility with an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7%. The Zn//NH4V4O10 full battery with DX achieves a high specific capacity (202 mAh g–1 at 5 A g–1) and capacity retention (90.6% after 5000 cycles), much better than that of ZIBs with the pristine ZnSO4 electrolyte. By selectively adjusting the Zn2+ deposition rate on the crystal facets with adsorbed molecules, this work provides a promising modulation strategy at the molecular level for high-performing Zn anodes and can potentially be applied to other metal anodes suffering from instability and irreversibility.

The nucleation stage has an important influence on the lead halide perovskite film morphology, and therefore the solar cell performance.

The synthesis and growth of CHNHPbI films with controlled nucleation is a key issue for the high efficiency and stability of solar cells. Here, 4-tert-butylpyridine (tBP) was introduced into a CHNHPbI antisolvent to obtain high quality perovskite layers. In situ optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction patterns were used to prove that tBP significantly suppressed perovskite nucleation by forming an intermediate phase. In addition, a gradient perovskite structure was obtained by this method, which greatly improved the efficiency and stability of perovskites. An effective power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.41% was achieved via the tBP treatment, and the high-efficiency device could maintain over 89% of the initial PCE after 30 days at room temperature.

Researchers working in the field of photovoltaic are exploring novel materials for the efficient solar energy conversion. The prime objective of the discovery of every novel photovoltaic material is to achieve more energy yield with easy fabrication process and less production cost features. Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) delivering the highest efficiency in the passing years with different stoichiometry and fabrication modification have made this technology a potent candidate for future energy conversion materials. Till now, many studies have shown that the quality of active layer morphology, to a great extent, determines the performance of PSCs. The current and potential techniques of solvent engineering for good active layer morphology are mainly debated using primary solvent, co-solvent (Lewis acid-base adduct approach) and solvent additives. In this review, the dynamics of numerously reported solvents on the morphological characteristics of PSCs active layer are discussed in detail. The intention is to get a clear understanding of solvent engineering induced modifications on active layer morphology in PSC devices via different crystallization routes. At last, an attempt is made to draw a framework based on different solvent coordination properties to make it easy for screening the potent solvent contender for desired PSCs precursor for a better and feasible device.