Civilization continues to be transformed by our ability to harness energy beyond human and animal power. A series of industrial and agricultural revolutions have allowed an increasing fraction of the world population to heat and light their homes, fertilize and irrigate their crops, connect to one another and travel around the world. All of this progress is fuelled by our ability to find, extract and use energy with ever increasing dexterity. Research in materials science is contributing to progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energy efficiency, and better energy management systems.

Nature Materials 16, 16–22 (2017) doi:10.1038/nmat4834
Received 13 November 2016 Accepted 24 November 2016 Published online 20 December 2016

http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v16/n1/abs/nmat4834.html