Electrochemical technologies promise to provide the means for electrical energy storage of electricity generated from wind, solar, or nuclear energies. The challenge is to provide this storage in rechargeable batteries or clean fuels at a cost that is competitive with fossil fuels for replacement: (1) of vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine by electric vehicles and (2) of centralized power plants using intermittent electricity generated by wind and solar energy or constant electricity from a nuclear power plant, all serving a variable demand. This perspective outlines existing and possible lines of materials research for the development of rechargeable batteries or the production of clean fuels within the constraints of electrochemical technology.

Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) photovoltaics (PV) have long been considered promising candidates for large-scale PV deployment due to the availability of constituent elements and steady improvements in device efficiency over time. The key limitation to high efficiency in this technology remains a deficit in the open-circuit voltage with respect to the band gap. The past decade has seen significant progress toward understanding how the various material properties such as bulk and surface composition, point defects (intrinsic and extrinsic), and grain boundaries all impact the optoelectronic properties of CZTSSe materials, and consequently device performance. This paper aims to summarize what is known about the CZTSSe bulk and surfaces, and how these material properties may be related to the Voc deficit.

Some of the stable isotopes of silicon and carbon have zero nuclear spin, whereas many of the other elements that constitute semiconductors consist entirely of stable isotopes that have nuclear spins. Silicon and diamond crystals composed of nuclear-spin-free stable isotopes (28Si, 30Si, or 12C) are considered to be ideal host matrixes to place spin quantum bits (qubits) for quantum-computing and -sensing applications, because their coherent properties are not disrupted thanks to the absence of host nuclear spins. The present paper describes the state-of-the-art and future perspective of silicon and diamond isotope engineering for development of quantum information-processing devices.

Self-assembled vertical heteroepitaxial nanostructures (VHN) in the complex oxide field have fascinated scientists for decades because they provide degrees of freedom to explore in condensed matter physics and design-coupled multifunctionlities. Recently, of particular interest is the perovskite-spinel-based VHN, covering a wide spectrum of promising applications. In this review, fabrication of VHN, their growth mechanism, control, and resulting novel multifunctionalities are discussed thoroughly, providing researchers a comprehensive blueprint to construct promising VHN. Following the fabrication section, the state-of-the-art design concepts for multifunctionalities are proposed and reviewed by suitable examples. By summarizing the outlook of this field, we are excitedly expecting this field to rise with significant contributions ranging from scientific value to practical applications in the foreseeable future.

Colloidal quantum dot photovoltaic devices have improved from initial, sub-1% solar power conversion efficiency to current record performance of over 7%. Rapid advances in materials processing and device physics have driven this impressive performance progress. The highest-efficiency approaches rely on a fabrication process that starts with nanocrystals in solution, initially capped with long organic molecules. This solution is deposited and the resultant film is treated using a solution containing a second, shorter capping ligand, leading to a cross-linked, non-redispersible, and dense layer. This procedure is repeated, leading to the widely employed layer-by-layer solid-state ligand exchange. We will review the properties and features of this process, and will also discuss innovative pathways to creating even higher-performing films and photovoltaic devices.

Over the past three decades, the combination of inorganic-nanoparticles and organic-polymers has led to a wide variety of advanced materials, including polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Recently, synthetic innovations for attaching polymers to nanoparticles to create “hairy nanoparticles” (HNPs) has expanded opportunities in this field. In addition to nanoparticle compatibilization for traditional particle–matrix blending, neat-HNPs afford one-component hybrids, both in composition and properties, which avoids issues of mixing that plague traditional PNCs. Continuous improvements in purity, scalability, and theoretical foundations of structure–performance relationships are critical to achieving design control of neat-HNPs necessary for future applications, ranging from optical, energy, and sensor devices to lubricants, green-bodies, and structures.

Offering a unique suite of mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) show significant promise as engineering materials. Unfortunately, most BMGs exhibit low tensile ductility at ambient temperature that limits their use as structural (load-bearing) materials. To overcome this problem, BMG composites (BMGCs) containing a second phase are being developed for improving ductility by controlling the mechanics of shear band nucleation and growth in the glassy matrix, which is the primary mode of failure in these materials. This review describes some recent developments in BMGCs and discusses the influence of the type of second phase on mechanical behavior.

Polymeric nanostructures can be synthesized where the catalytic motif is covalently attached within the core domain and protected from the environment by a polymeric shell. Such nanoreactors can be easily recycled, and have shown unique properties when catalyzing reactions under pseudohomogeneous conditions. Many examples of how these catalytic nanostructures can act as nanosized reaction vessels have been reported in the literature. This prospective will focus on the exclusive features observed for these catalytic systems and highlight their potential as enzyme mimics, as well as the importance of further studies to unveil their full potential.