Herein we demonstrate how peat, abundant and cheap biomass, can be successfully used as a precursor to synthesize peat-derived hard carbons (PDCs), applicable as electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIB). The PDCs were obtained by pre-pyrolysing peat at 300–800 °C, removing impurities with base–acid solution treatment and thereafter post-pyrolysing the materials at temperatures (T) from 1000 to 1500 °C. By modification of pre- and post-pyrolysis temperatures we obtained hard carbons with low surface areas, optimal carbonization degree and high electrochemical Na⁺ storage capacity in SIB half-cells. The best results were obtained when pre-pyrolysing peat at 450 °C, washing out the impurities with KOH and HCl solutions and then post-pyrolysing the obtained carbon-rich material at 1400 °C. All hard carbons were electrochemically characterized in half-cells (vs. Na/Na⁺) and capacities as high as 350 mA h g⁻¹ at 1.5 V and 250 mA h g⁻¹ in the plateau region (E < 0.2 V) were achieved at charging current density of 25 mA g⁻¹ with an initial coulombic efficiency of 80%.

Batteries based on sulfur cathodes offer a promising energy storage solution due to their potential for high performance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. However, commercial viability is challenged by issues such as polysulfide migration, volume changes, uneven phase nucleation, limited ion transport, and sluggish sulfur redox kinetics. Addressing these challenges requires insights into the structural, morphological, and chemical evolution of phases, the associated volume changes and internal stresses, and ion and polysulfide diffusion within the battery. Such insights can only be obtained through real-time reaction monitoring within the battery's operational environment, supported by molecular dynamics simulations and advanced artificial intelligence-driven data analysis. This review provides an overview of in situ/operando techniques for real-time tracking of these processes in sulfur-based batteries and explores the integration of simulations with experimental data to provide a holistic understanding of the critical challenges, enabling advancements in their development and commercial adoption.

Halide perovskites are crystalline semiconductors gaining increasing attention as low-cost, high-performance materials for optoelectronics. Their processing from solution at low temperatures is compatible with rapid manufacturing of thin-film devices, including solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Therefore, understanding the coordination chemistry in metal halide perovskite precursor solutions would allow controlling the crystallization of thin films, their material properties and device performance. Here, we present a direct nanostructural technique to characterize the colloidal structure of perovskites in precursor solutions. Small-angle scattering is particularly adept for measuring nanoparticles in solution. Applying this technique to perovskite precursor solutions, we can study their colloidal properties. We show that not only do the colloids themselves matter, but also we can reveal their strong interactions in the early stages of crystallization. In particular, we focus on the prearrangement of particles into cluster-like formations. As an example, we present the concentration dependence, which is additionally supported using ²⁰⁷Pb NMR.