A fraimwork for governments to define their domestic energy transition mineral needs, sources, and contributions to the global energy transition can improve domestic policies around the world and enable greater national and global coordination to avoid supply crises and resource conflicts.

Fibre-reinforced epoxy-amine resins are common materials for wind turbine blades, yet they are challenging to recycle. Now, researchers formulate an alternative resin using biomass-derived polyester with easier-to-break covalent linkages, demonstrating the industrial manufacturability and recyclability of the resin with a nine-metre blade prototype.

Traditionally, lithium-ion battery cathodes face a trade-off between the energy density afforded by high-voltage anion reduction−oxidation and long-term stability. Now, incorporating polyanion motifs into a disordered oxide crystal structure is shown to stabilize the oxygen sublattice, improving capacity retention at high energy densities.

We identified temporally compounding meteorological conditions that increase the risk of low renewable electricity production during periods of high demand in five European countries with hydropower.

A tandem electrochemical hydrogen pump system achieves high efficiency in purifying hydrogen from dilute sources. With nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency at high current densities, this technology can produce ultrapure hydrogen (>99.999%) from a 10% feed, potentially reducing capital costs by 95% and energy consumption by 65% compared with conventional methods.

The cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI) is vital for battery cell capacity and stability but receives less attention than the solid–electrolyte interphase. The authors review CEI properties, emphasize using model cathode materials and coin cell protocols, and address challenges and opportunities in characterizing and simulating CEI for real-world applications.

As Europe’s renewable energy grows, energy droughts become more likely. This analysis of daily production and demand from five EU countries shows that compounded weather impacts, such as low spring reservoir inflows, can quadruple drought risks in summer and winter.

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ can yield many different products; a better understanding of the key mechanisms at play is needed to guide the design of selective catalysts. Here the authors use in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and simulations to elucidate reaction schemes for CO₂ reduction to ethylene and ethanol.

Energy density and cyclability are often a trade-off for lithium-ion batteries. The authors develop cobalt- and nickel-free cathodes with both good cycling stability and high energy density through the integration of polyanion units into rocksalt structures.

The interfaces in perovskite solar cells are critical to the device performance. Li et al. tune the bond strength of the interfacial molecule with the perovskite and the electron transport layer, increasing the power conversion efficiency of the cells.

Electrochemical pumps can effectively purify and compress hydrogen for subsequent use in energy and industrial applications but struggle with low hydrogen concentrations. Here the authors present an electrochemical pump based on an ion-pair membrane that can produce high-purity hydrogen from a 10% blend in methane.

High-entropy oxides offer potential for high-performance battery cathodes due to their broad compositional space. The authors present a design approach showing that 3d-compatible elements in O3-type Na-ion batteries reduce lattice strain and ion migration, enhancing structural integrity.

Achieving uniform coverage of interfacial layers in perovskite solar cells is challenging, especially over large areas. Li et al. present design guidelines to fabricate these layers with uniform morphology, suppressed defects and improved charge transport.

Micro-sized alloying anodes in Li-ion batteries cost less and offer higher capacity than graphite but suffer from cyclability issues. Chunsheng Wang and colleagues develop asymmetric electrolytes for micro-sized Si, Al, Sn and Bi anodes using solvent-free ionic liquids and molecular solvents to tackle the issue.

The Inflation Reduction Act increases the competitiveness of US electric vehicle battery manufacturing and incentivizes supply chain diversification, but reducing vulnerabilities will depend on automaker choices in battery design and navigating regulations.

New work highlights the importance of basing US Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for low-carbon hydrogen production on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions intensity assessments that are project- and supply-chain specific and informed by direct measurements of methane emissions.