Fully autonomous discovery of new materials could rapidly accelerate the development of better batteries, solar cells, high-power electronics, and more. This Perspective highlights current limitations in the autonomous identification of truly new materials and identifies bottlenecks where attention should be focused.

Real-time in situ x-ray observations of new nickel-rich lithium-ion batteries reveal that reduced performance comes from lithium ions getting trapped in the cathode.

Feature on:
Ashok S. Menon et al.
PRX Energy 3, 013004 (2024)

Toward understanding a relationship between the shapes of electrochemical impedance plots and volcano plots for electrocatalytic activity, a systematic mathematical analysis of electrocatalytic reactions is presented and compared to experimental data.

Using neutron and x-ray scattering complemented by advanced simulations, this study explores the structure and dynamics of Cs${}_2$AgBiBr${}_6$ and provides insight into electron-phonon and phonon-phonon couplings that dictate this material’s optoelectronic and thermal properties.

By combining the world’s oldest photovoltaic material with today’s most used one, researchers have taken a step toward next-generation solar devices.

Synopsis on:
Rasmus Nielsen et al.
PRX Energy 3, 013013 (2024)

Experiment and device simulation are combined to explore a monolithically integrated selenium/silicon tandem solar cell, offering insights toward positioning tandem solar cells as strong contenders for photovoltaic technologies.

Using ab initio calculations, mechanical properties of promising cathode materials are systematically assessed toward guiding the development of robust and reliable lithium ion batteries.

APS has selected 156 Outstanding Referees for 2024 who have demonstrated exceptional work in the assessment of manuscripts published in the Physical Review journals. A full list of the Outstanding Referees is available online.

In the pursuit of advancing particle physics and gaining deeper insights into the Higgs boson, proposals for electron-positron colliders are being examined. This Perspective takes a closer look at one such collider, the Cool Copper Collider, and introduces strategies aimed at minimizing its carbon footprint, while also conducting a thoughtful comparison with other Higgs factories.

Lead Editor, David Scanlon, and Managing Editor, Jacilynn Otero, are delighted to introduce the first issue of PRX Energy. They are excited for it to take shape as a leading, fully open access journal for the multidisciplinary energy science and technology research communities, and invite you to help build this new highly selective journal.

The American Physical Society (APS) is delighted to announce the appointment of David Scanlon, Professor of Computational Materials Design, University College London, United Kingdom, to the role of Lead Editor of PRX Energy, APS’s new, highly selective, open access journal covering energy science and technology. Professor Scanlon will serve as the inaugural Lead Editor of the journal, which will open for submissions December 7, 2021 and offer an introductory promotion in which all article publication charges (APCs) will be paid by APS through the end of 2022.

• Highly selective to showcase high-quality, innovative research with outstanding and lasting impact
• Open access, under a CC-BY license, to maximize the visibility and impact of published articles
• Connect seamlessly with members of the physics community and the broader energy research community, across all disciplines
• Promotion of all published articles via social media, and newsworthy research to the media resulting in coverage in outlets such as Physics Magazine, The New York Times, Scientific American, Nature News, and Le Monde
• Article Publication Charges (APCs) will be waived through the end of 2024 as part of an introductory promotional period subsidized by APS to allow all authors to try publishing with this new journal
• The Physical Review experience researchers value and trust