Advanced Electrode Materials for Energy Storage Devices
A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 6365
Special Issue Editor
Interests: materials science; electrochemical applications; energy storage; dental materials; nanomaterials; synthesis and characterization of materials; biomedical applications
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With the advent of advanced technology, various portable and large-scale applications, such as consumer electronics, smart grids, electric vehicles, and potentially aircraft, have been developed to ease our livelihoods. Consequently, this has caused a jump in energy consumption of fossil fuels, leading to depletion of energy resources and environmental issues. In 1991, alternative renewable energy resources were proposed to replace traditional energy with the first commercialization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Since then, a variety of inorganic materials have been tailored into advanced electrode materials to develop different energy storage devices with high performance, safety, lifespan, and cost-effective batteries.
Advanced electrode materials are key to the advancement of energy storage devices. Numerous of synthesis and fabrication techniques have been attuned to augment and produce novel electrode materials by exploring the composition of materials, doping, shape, morphology, nanostructures, surface modification, and design of electrode materials, such as graphene/carbon-inorganic materials and 3D structures. Through advanced characterization (in situ and ex situ techniques), it has been discovered that the macro- and microstructures of electrode materials can be tailored to enhance charge transfer kinetics, accelerate redox reaction rates, improve electron transport and ion diffusion kinetics, increase activity, and improve structural stability while studying their reaction mechanisms and addressing problems to establish fundamental studies.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. The papers presented in this Special Issue will provide insights into the topics related to (but are not limited by) electrode material design, synthesis, characterization, reaction mechanisms, electrode–electrolyte interfaces, and electrochemical properties and performance investigation. Both experimental and computational studies are welcome in this Special Issue. We aim to give a platform to multidisciplinary approaches to build a comprehensive fundamental understanding of advanced electrode materials for various energy storage devices.
Dr. Chek Hai Lim
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- synthesis
- characterization
- electrode materials
- electrolyte
- reaction mechanism
- electrochemical properties
- nanostructure
- supercapacitors
- energy storage devices
- batteries
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Designing of Electrode Nanomaterials for Energy Storage Devices
Authors: Chek Hai Lim
Affiliation: Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Abstract: Global efforts to shift from non-renewable to renewable resources are one of the strategies used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Emerging electrochemical energy storage devices, such as metal-alkali batteries, metal batteries, supercapacitors, and other devices, have been developed to transform renewable resources between electricity and chemical energy to power electronics, electric vehicles, and other applications. Since the introduction of lithium-ion batteries in 1991, scientists have discovered various active materials and other component materials for energy storage devices, including metal oxides and non-metal oxides, such as anode, cathode, separator, and electrolyte. Most bulk active materials are poor in electronic or ionic conductivities and tend to crack after reaching a threshold of ion storage. Thus, numerous efforts have been dedicated to developing electrode materials that could contribute to high power and energy densities in energy storage devices with long-term cycling stability. Nanomaterials have recently received tremendous attention due to their unique properties when reduced from bulk micron-sized to nano-sized materials. Owing to their small size, nanomaterials possess a large surface area to provide more active sites for electrochemical reactions. Another advantage of nanomaterials is the short ion diffusion path, which induces fast ionic transportation and electrochemical kinetics. Although nanomaterials can improve the conductivities of the electrodes, the instability of nanometer-sized materials has deteriorated the electrochemical performance, especially the degradation of cycling and rate-capability performances. The major drawback of the large active surface area of nanomaterials is their high contact area with electrolytes, leading to the decomposition of electrolytes to form an electrolyte interphase layer due to parasitic reactions. Another problem of the large surface area is their high surface energy, and the open surface structure tends to agglomerate into secondary particles due to thermodynamically metastable, which is not beneficial in electronic and ionic transportation and poses a difficulty in shape or morphology-controlled synthesis. Scientists have recently devoted their efforts to overcome the limitations of nanomaterials. Tuning and designing of material structures and composition could potentially produce thermodynamically stable nanostructured materials through various techniques such as structure modification, coating, spatial arrangement, and assembly of nanostructured materials into micro/nanostructure (3D structures). We, therefore, reviewed the fundamental aspects of mitigating the side effects of various dimensional nanomaterials for energy storage devices. Surface modification and structural design of heterogeneous nanostructures with synergetic properties are also presented to explore the contemporary state-of-the-art rational design of various dimensional nanomaterials with different complexity in structure for energy storage devices. Further improving the power and energy density of electrode nanomaterials requires assembling nanostructured materials into densely packed hierarchical complex 3D interconnected networks (nanoarchitecture) to eliminate unused spaces or dead areas. Some examples of nanoarchitecture in constructing 3D active materials or electrodes will be provided in this review as an extension to the advancement and utilization of nanomaterials in energy storage devices.
Title: The improvement of low-temperature lithium-ion batteries.
Authors: Chong Yan
Affiliation: Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081 P.R. China
Abstract: The improvement of low-temperature lithium-ion batteries.
Title: synthesis and characterization of a new kind of functionalized hexagonal boron nitride which has potential for battery and other applications.
Authors: Karoly Nemeth
Affiliation: Physics Department, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Title: MOF-Derived Fe2CoSe4@NC and Fe2NiSe4@NC Composite Anode Materials towards High-Performance Na-Ion Storage
Authors: Hangxuan Xie; Wei Zhang; Chao Wang; Shangcheng Zhao; Zhentao Hao; Xiaolian Huang; Kanghua Miao; Xiongwu Kang
Affiliation: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangzhou University, 230 Wai Huan Xi Road, Guangzhou Higher Education 6 Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Abstract: Bi-transition metal selenides (BTMSs) have been utilized as promising anodes materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their improved energy capacity in comparison to single metal selenides. However, the additionally added metal element towards improved SIBs performance remains elusive. In this study, two types of binary transition metal selenides (BTMSs), namely iron-cobalt selenide (Fe2CoSe4@NC) and iron-nickel selenide (Fe2NiSe4@NC) nanoparticles, were synthesized by carbonization of bi-metal-organic-framework prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. When utilized as anode materials of SIBs, the two materials exhibit excellent long-term cycling and rate performance, maintaining a capacity of 352 and 282.2 mAh g−1 after 2100 cycles at 1.0 A g−1, with outstanding rate capabilities of 270 and 270 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1, respectively. This straightforward strategy could be extended to the synthesis of various other transition metal selenides, serving as a reference for the development of novel materials for sodium-ion batteries.
Title: An Overview of the Ionic Liquids and Their Hybrids Operating in Electrochemical Cells and Capacitors
Authors: José Pereira; Reinaldo Souza; Ana Moita
Affiliation: IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Abstract: The present review is focused on the recent advancements regarding the exploration of the ionic liquids, ionic liquids with the incorporation of nanoparticles of several materials, and ionic liquids-grafted nanoparticles operating as liquid electrodes in electrochemical cells and capacitors. The ionic liquids are synthesized at room temperature and by adding a solution, which can be an acid, a base, or a salt in water, and are composed of organic cations and a great number of charge-delocalized organic/inorganic anions. The electrochemical features like the electrical conductivity and capacitance of the promising ionic liquids and their hybrids is addressed thoroughly, together with their influencing factors like the nature, concentration, and functionalization of the nanoparticles, type of base fluids, working temperature, and addition of surfactants. Moreover, this overview identifies and discusses the main applications of the ionic liquids and their hybrids with nanoparticles in various possible electrochemical devices configurations, along with a brief evaluation of the associated feasibility issues. This survey of the scientific papers on the matter enabled the listing and evaluation of the beneficial features related to the usage of these fluids including an enhanced electrical conductivity and improved capacitance in comparison with the commonly employed solvents and electrolytes. Finally, it addresses the main problems associated with such types of fluids and outlines the primary prospects for further research and use of the ionic liquids and their nanocomposites in different electrochemical technological applications.
Title: Maximizing Lithium-Air Battery Performance with Polystyrene-Based Membranes in Humid Environments
Authors: Muhammad Naqvi
Affiliation: College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait
Abstract: The Lithium Air Battery (LAB) is considered as the most promising battery type due to its significantly high theoretical energy density. Most LAB research takes place in pure oxygen environments, as operating them under normal conditions with moisture raises safety concerns. Hydrophobic membranes prove highly effective at preventing moisture infiltration, thereby enabling operation of Lithium Air Batteries (LAB) under regular environmental conditions. This novel study incorporates a Polystyrene-based graphite membrane with added graphite enhancing their properties to safeguard against moisture intrusion and extend durability for various applications including electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. To assess the performance, five distinct membranes are fabricated, with varying graphite content ranging from 0 to 1 wt.% of Polystyrene. Subsequently, such membranes are integrated into the battery, and implications of incorporating Polystyrene membranes in LAB operation are thoroughly discussed. The comprehensive study reveals that 0.7 wt.% graphite-infused PS membrane performs efficiently and is subsequently employed in LAB. Additionally, the use of MnO2 as a catalyst in the cathode material is explored through Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), showing promising results. The enhancement of the cyclic performance of the battery is investigated through the substitution of carbonate-based electrolyte with TEGDME.
Title: Rational Design of Advanced Sulfur Cathode for Practical Lithium Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Jiajin Li; Xinhai Yuan; Lijun Fu; Yuping Wu
Affiliation: Southeast University