Scientists Discover “Hidden” Materials That Could Transform Clean Energy and Batteries

Researchers discovered previously unseen intermediate materials formed during heating of precursor molecules.

One new bismuth vanadate phase shows a larger band gap than β-BiVO4, suggesting promise for solar-fuel and photocatalytic applications.

They also found another hidden material with high lithium-storage capacity, pointing to potential battery uses.

The study highlights that short-lived reaction stages can host useful, tunable materials for clean-energy technologies.