2026-09-17
Hailong Wang, Qianjin Xiong, Nuo Sun, Qinlang Rong, Zhenguo Wu, Stefano Passerini, Xin He
Smart batteries require materials that can regulate degradation, sense hidden internal states and support decision-oriented management. This Review discusses responsive materials, battery-integrated sensing architectures and data-assisted interpretation strategies for developing cell-compatible, manufacturable and sustainable smart batteries.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00957-92026-09-17
Hannah Hatcher
An article in Communications Materials reports a high-pressure and high-temperature processing strategy that permanently switches the carrier polarity of Bi2Te3 while also enhancing its thermoelectric and mechanical properties.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00967-72026-09-16
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in Nature Communications shows that suppressing antisite defects in single-crystal Bi2Te3 through Se alloying simultaneously enhances mechanical flexibility and thermoelectric performance.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00966-82026-09-16
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in Science Advances shows that confined copper ion dynamics in TiCu5Se3 induce strong anharmonic lattice vibrations and wave-like thermal transport, achieving high thermoelectric efficiency.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00964-w2026-09-15
Giulia Pacchioni
An article in npj Computational Materials presents a thermoelectric inverse design framework that combines generative artificial intelligence with hierarchical first principles screening to identify previously unknown thermoelectric candidates with promising predicted performance.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00965-92026-09-01
Taskeen Iqbal Janjua, Jeong-Won Choi, Benjamin P. Ross, John P. Gleeson, Samir Mitragotri, Amirali Popat
Permeation enhancers are transforming strategies for overcoming biological barriers in therapeutic delivery. This Perspective critically evaluates their mechanisms, clinical evidence, translational challenges and regulatory considerations and outlines emerging opportunities to enable broader therapeutic application across diverse delivery routes.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00954-y2026-08-25
Gianvito Vilé
Single-atom catalysts were initially developed to maximize metal utilization, but they have evolved into a powerful platform for interrogating the fundamental principles of catalysis. Recent studies reveal that their active sites continuously adapt through interactions with supports, defects and reactants. These findings challenge the conventional view of catalyst stability as structural persistence, redefining it as controlled adaptability and opening the way to catalysts that sense, switch and evolve with their reaction environment.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00960-02026-08-24
Caicai Li, Chenglong Zhao, Qidi Wang
Safety presents a central challenge in developing high-energy rechargeable batteries. Thermally responsive polymers provide an effective strategy for active safety regulation: upon heating, they undergo intrinsic structural transformations that suppress ion and electron transport, interrupt electrochemical reactions and mitigate thermal runaway, enabling safer and more reliable battery technology for next-generation energy storage.
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-026-00952-0