The recent advances and new insights resulting thereof in applying defect engineering to improving the thermoelectric performance and mechanical properties of inorganic materials are reviewed.

E‐waste generated from end‐of‐life spent lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is increasing at a rapid rate owing to the increasing consumption of these batteries in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage worldwide. On the one hand, landfilling and incinerating LIBs e‐waste poses environmental and safety concerns owing to their constituent materials. On the other hand, scarcity of metal resources used in manufacturing LIBs and potential value creation through the recovery of these metal resources from spent LIBs has triggered increased interest in recycling spent LIBs from e‐waste. State of the art recycling of spent LIBs involving pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy processes generates considerable unwanted environmental concerns. Hence, alternative innovative approaches toward the green recycling process of spent LIBs are essential to tackle large volumes of spent LIBs in an environmentally friendly way. Such evolving techniques for spent LIBs recycling based on green approaches, including bioleaching, waste for waste approach, and electrodeposition, are discussed here. Furthermore, the ways to regenerate strategic metals post leaching, efficiently reprocess extracted high‐value materials, and reuse them in applications including electrode materials for new LIBs. The concept of “circular economy” is highlighted through closed‐loop recycling of spent LIBs achieved through green‐sustainable approaches.

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Owing to the large surface area and adjustable surface properties, the two‐dimensional (2D) MXenes have revealed the great potential in constructing hybrid materials and for Na‐ion storage (SIS). In particular, the facilitated Na‐ion adsorption, intercalation, and migration on MXenes can be achieved by surface modification. Herein, a new surface modification strategy on MXenes, namely, the reactive surface modification (RSM), is focused and illustrated, while the recent advances in the research of SIS performance based on MXenes and their derivatives obtained from the RSM process are briefly summarized as well. In the second section, the intrinsic surface chemistries of MXenes and their surface‐related physicochemical properties are first summarized. Meanwhile, the close relationship between the surface characters and the Na‐ion adsorption, intercalation, and migration on MXenes is emphasized. Following the SIS properties of MXenes, the surface‐induced SIS property variations, and the SIS performance of RSM MXene‐based hybrids are discussed progressively. Finally, the existing challenges and prospects on the RSM MXene‐based hybrids for SIS are proposed.

Construction of local nanostructures shins new light on separately modulate electric and thermal transport toward high thermoelectric performance.

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Phosphide-based thermoelectrics are a relatively less studied class of compounds, primarily due to the presence of light elements, which result in high thermal conductivity and inherent stability problems. In this work, we present a stable phosphide−tetrahedrite, Ag 6 Ge 10 P 12 , which possesses the highest zT (∼0.7) among all known phosphides at intermediate temperatures (750 K). We examine the intrinsic electronic and thermal transport properties of this compound by expressing the transport properties in terms of weighted mobility (μ W ), transport coefficient (σ E 0 ), and material quality factor (B), from which we are able to elucidate that the origin of its high zT can be attributed to the platelike Fermi surface and high level of band multiplicity related to its complex band structure. Finally, we discuss the origin of the low lattice thermal conductivity observed in this compound using experimental sound velocity, elastic properties, and Debye− Callaway model, thus laying the foundation for similar stable phosphides as potentially earth-abundant and nontoxic intermediatetemperature thermoelectric materials.

Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials are among the most mature thermoelectric materials and have found wide nearroom-temperature applications in power generation and spot cooling. Their practical applications often involve complicated service conditions, such as prolonged and large temperature gradients, clamping forces, and vibrational stresses. Thus, it is important to investigate the thermal stability and mechanical response of Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the service performances of Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials. The thermal stabilities of both nand p-type Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials are discussed when exposed to repetitive thermal loading, or fixed operational temperatures in vacuum or ambient atmosphere. Then, the mechanical responses of Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials are overviewed, including the quasi-static mechanical strength, compressive fatigue, and creep behavior. Lastly, the current concerns and future development of Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials are outlined.