Sustainability

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Dear Colleagues,

In 2003, Nobel Laureate Richard E. Smalley delineated that energy is the topmost problem faced by human society. The increasing demand for energy and concerns about environmental pollution have triggered scientists to develop high performance, cost-effective, and environmental-friendly devices for energy storage applications. Supercapacitors are one of the advanced energy storage devices, have been drawing significant attention lately, because of their unique advantages such as pulse power supply, rapid charging time, outstanding service life, and operational safety. Supercapacitors are emerging as a substitute power source over conventional batteries for a wide range of applications in electric vehicles, portable electronics, energy harvesting systems. However, the major challenge for supercapacitors is their insufficient energy density, which limits their more widespread applications. Recent works focus on development of high performance, cost-effective and green materials to improve energy density and thus the device performance.

This Special Issue includes, but is not limited, the following topics:

Green materials for energy storage
Nanostructured metal oxides as an electrode for supercapacitors
Supercapacitors for high-temperature applications
Chalcogens for energy storage applications
Carbon and related structure as an electrode material
Flexible supercapacitors
Polymers for supercapacitors

Prof. Dr. Ram K. Gupta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

Supercapacitors
Energy storage devices
Flexible supercapacitors
Supercapacitors for high-temperature applications
Nanostructured materials for supercapacitors
Carbons for electrochemical energy storage applications
Sustainable resources for energy storage
Hybrid materials for green energy storage

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 6426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Safety Control of Composite Roof in Deep Roadway Based on Energy Balance Theory

by Zhengzheng Xie, Nong Zhang, Yuxin Yuan, Guang Xu and Qun Wei

Sustainability 2019, 11(13), 3688; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133688 - 5 Jul 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2463

Abstract

Improving the safety and stability of composite roof in deep roadway is the strong guarantee for safe mining and sustainable development of coal mines. With three roadways of different composite roofs in Hulusu Coal Mine and Menkeqing Coal Mine as the research background, this paper explores the mechanical properties and energy dissipation law of coal-rock structures with different height ratios from the perspective of energy release and dissipation through lab experiments. The results indicate that the key to the stability of coal-rock structures lies in maintaining relatively low dissipation energy. Based on experimental results and the energy balance theory, two support principles were put forward and applied to experimental roadways. The field monitoring results show that the anchoring force on different composite roof displays different characteristics, proving that the work done by the support can adjust timely to the energy release and conversion so as to improve the safety and stability of roadways with different composite roofs. This study provides a reference for the deformation control in deep roadways with composite roofs under similar conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Supercapacitors for Green Energy Storage)

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Review

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22 pages, 3418 KiB

Open AccessReview

Supercapacitor Energy Storage Device Using Biowastes: A Sustainable Approach to Green Energy

by Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa, Camila Zequine, Pawan K. Kahol and Ram K. Gupta

Sustainability 2019, 11(2), 414; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020414 - 15 Jan 2019

Cited by 161 | Viewed by 15122

Abstract

The demand for renewable energy sources worldwide has gained tremendous research attention over the past decades. Technologies such as wind and solar have been widely researched and reported in the literature. However, economical use of these technologies has not been widespread due partly to cost and the inability for service during of-source periods. To make these technologies more competitive, research into energy storage systems has intensified over the last few decades. The idea is to devise an energy storage system that allows for storage of electricity during lean hours at a relatively cheaper value and delivery later. Energy storage and delivery technologies such as supercapacitors can store and deliver energy at a very fast rate, offering high current in a short duration. The past decade has witnessed a rapid growth in research and development in supercapacitor technology. Several electrochemical properties of the electrode material and electrolyte have been reported in the literature. Supercapacitor electrode materials such as carbon and carbon-based materials have received increasing attention because of their high specific surface area, good electrical conductivity and excellent stability in harsh environments etc. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in biomass-derived activated carbons as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. The development of an alternative supercapacitor electrode material from biowaste serves two main purposes: (1) It helps with waste disposal; converting waste to a useful product, and (2) it provides an economic argument for the substantiality of supercapacitor technology. This article reviews recent developments in carbon and carbon-based materials derived from biowaste for supercapacitor technology. A comparison between the various storage mechanisms and electrochemical performance of electrodes derived from biowaste is presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Supercapacitors for Green Energy Storage)

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