Special Issue on New Concepts and Advances in Photocatalytic Materials for Sustainable Energy

The use of solar energy to drive the chemical and energy processes,and the chemical storage of solar energy are the key elements to move to a low-carbon economy,sustainable society and to foster energy transition.For this reason,there is a fast-growing scientific interest on this subject,which is part of the general effort for a solar-driven chemistry and energy,the chemistry of the future.To realize this

High-entropy oxides as energy materials:from complexity to rational design

High-entropy oxides(HEOs),with their multi-principal-element compositional diversity,have emerged as promising candidates in the realm of energy materials.This review encapsulates the progress in harnessing HEOs for energy conversion and storage applications,encompassing solar cells,electrocatalysis,photocatalysis,lithium-ion batteries,and solid oxide fuel cells.The critical role of theoretical calculations and simulations is underscored,highlighting their contribution to elucidating material stability,deciphering structure-activity relationships,and enabling performance optimization.These computational tools have been instrumental in multi-scale modeling,high-throughput screening,and integrating artificial intelligence for material design.Despite their promise,challenges such as fabrication complexity,cost,and theoretical computational hurdles impede the broad application of HEOs.To address these,this review delineates future research perspectives.These include the innovation of cost-effective synthesis strategies,employment of in situ characterization for micro-chemical insights,exploration of unique physical phenomena to refine performance,and enhancement of computational models for precise structure-performance predictions.This review calls for interdisciplinary synergy,fostering a collaborative approach between materials science,chemistry,physics,and related disciplines.Collectively,these efforts are poised to propel HEOs towards commercial viability in the new energy technologies,heralding innovative solutions to pressing energy and environmental challenges.

Geopolitics of the energy transition

Geopolitics of energy transition has increasingly become the frontier and hot research area of world energy geography and global political science.Different historical periods are characterised by obvious differences in energy connotations,attributes,and geopolitical characteristics.In the new energy era,energy geopolitics becomes more diversified,complex,and comprehensive.In this paper,we compare the geopolitical characteristics of energy in the fossil fuel and renewable energy periods,and provide an overview of current study trends in new energy geopolitics.Recent research shows that the global energy transition will intensify the reconstruction of geopolitical patterns,change the relationship between geopolitical security and conflict dominated by traditional energy security,alter the role of different countries in global energy geopolitical games,reshape national energy relationships formed in the traditional oil and gas era.In addition,geopolitics will be affected by new energy technologies,availability of key rare materials,and energy cybersecurity measures.Despite considerable attention to this research topic,the likely geopolitical impact of energy transition remains uncertain,and there is still room for the development and improvement of the theoretical framework,technical methods,and research perspective.Looking forward to the future,the research into geopolitics of energy transition urgently needs to strengthen its theoretical basis and rely on the scientific and quantitative methods.The practical conclusions of the research into geopolitics of energy transition should strengthen major national energy security decisions,explore the geographical effect of energy transition,and determine the impact of energy transition on energy security.Research into geopolitics of energy transition should be carried out taking into account international academic frontiers such as climate change,“carbon peak”and“carbon neutral”goals,and global energy governance,to enrich the research perspective of world energy geography.