Nanoarchitected inorganic materials for sustainable energy technologies

Nanoarchitected materials are created by assembling distinct components at the nanoscale to overcome individual limitations and generate new synergistic functionalities. This talk presents the concept of nanoarchitectonics and a versatile platform based on immiscible liquid interfaces for fabricating bi- and tri-component systems. The nanoarchitectures integrate two-dimensional materials such as MoS₂ and graphene, carbon nanotubes, copper or manganese oxide nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and Prussian blue analogues. These materials are designed for transparent and flexible aqueous sodium- or potassium-ion batteries, pseudocapacitors, and hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis. Nanoscale structuring strongly enhances structure–property relationships. A MoS₂/graphene/Cu₂O tri-component film delivers a specific capacity of 1316 mA h g⁻¹ in aqueous sodium-ion batteries, among the best reported values. A transparent, flexible aqueous sodium-ion full battery with high stability is also demonstrated. Waste-derived graphene/manganese oxide nanostructures achieve 902 F g⁻¹, and an unprecedented MoS₂/Au thin film shows outstanding HER electrocatalytic performance.