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Nanomaterials
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Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage
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Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 21154

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jung Tae Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
Interests: polymer; metal-organic framework; energy conversion; energy storage; solar cell; (photo)electrochemical cell; supercapacitor; Li-ion battery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomaterials hold the key to fundamental advances in energy conversion and storage, both of which are vital in order to meet the challenge of global warming and the finite nature of fossil fuels. Nanomaterials offer unique properties or combinations of properties as electrodes and electrolytes in a range of energy conversion and storage devices. One of the key challenges facing the widespread use and commercialization of promising energy conversion and storage devices is the high cost of the electrode and electrolyte materials and inefficiencies in their assembly and utilization.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will attempt to cover the most recent advances in energy conversion and storage devices based on nanomaterials, not only their preparation and characterization but also reports of their physical/chemical properties to be applied in devices.

Prof. Jung Tae Park
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy conversion
  • energy storage
  • material characterizations
  • renewable energy
  • metal–organic framework

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

7 pages, 1462 KiB  
Article
Lateral PbS Photovoltaic Devices for High Performance Infrared and Terahertz Photodetectors
by Emmanuel K. Ampadu, Jungdong Kim and Eunsoon Oh
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(7), 1692; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11071692 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
We fabricated a lateral photovoltaic device for use as infrared to terahertz (THz) detectors by chemically depositing PbS films on titanium substrates. We discussed the material properties of PbS films grown on glass with varying deposition conditions. PbS was deposited on Ti substrates [...] Read more.
We fabricated a lateral photovoltaic device for use as infrared to terahertz (THz) detectors by chemically depositing PbS films on titanium substrates. We discussed the material properties of PbS films grown on glass with varying deposition conditions. PbS was deposited on Ti substrates and by taking advantage of the Ti/PbS Schottky junction, we discussed the photocurrent transients as well as the room temperature spectrum response measured by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Our photovoltaic PbS device operates at room temperature for wavelength ranges up to 50 µm, which is in the terahertz region, making the device highly applicable in many fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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13 pages, 3245 KiB  
Article
Shape-Controlled TiO2 Nanomaterials-Based Hybrid Solid-State Electrolytes for Solar Energy Conversion with a Mesoporous Carbon Electrocatalyst
by Seung Man Lim, Juyoung Moon, Uoon Chul Baek, Jae Yeon Lee, Youngjin Chae and Jung Tae Park
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(4), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11040913 - 3 Apr 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2372
Abstract
One-dimensional (1D) titanium dioxide (TiO2) is prepared by hydrothermal method and incorporated as nanofiller into a hybrid polymer matrix of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and employed as a solid-electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Mesoporous carbon electrocatalyst with a high surface area is [...] Read more.
One-dimensional (1D) titanium dioxide (TiO2) is prepared by hydrothermal method and incorporated as nanofiller into a hybrid polymer matrix of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and employed as a solid-electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Mesoporous carbon electrocatalyst with a high surface area is obtained by the carbonization of the PVDC-g-POEM double comb copolymer. The 1D TiO2 nanofiller is found to increase the photoelectrochemical performance. As a result, for the mesoporous carbon-based DSSCs, 1D TiO2 hybrid solid-state electrolyte yielded the highest efficiencies, with 6.1% under 1 sun illumination, in comparison with the efficiencies of 3.9% for quasi solid-state electrolyte and 4.8% for commercial TiO2 hybrid solid-state electrolyte, respectively. The excellent photovoltaic performance is attributed to the improved ion diffusion, scattering effect, effective path for redox couple transfer, and sufficient penetration of 1D TiO2 hybrid solid-state electrolyte into the electrode, which results in improved light-harvesting, enhanced electron transport, decreased charge recombination, and decreased resistance at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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20 pages, 4932 KiB  
Article
Direct Transesterification for Biodiesel Production and Testing the Engine for Performance and Emissions Run on Biodiesel-Diesel-Nano Blends
by T. M. Yunus Khan
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(2), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11020417 - 6 Feb 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2473
Abstract
In the current research, the biodiesel was prepared from feedstocks of Neem oil and Karanja oil employing a single step direct transesterification method using acid-base catalysts simultaneously. The fuel properties of both Neem and Karanja biodiesel along with different biodiesel-diesel blends were studied [...] Read more.
In the current research, the biodiesel was prepared from feedstocks of Neem oil and Karanja oil employing a single step direct transesterification method using acid-base catalysts simultaneously. The fuel properties of both Neem and Karanja biodiesel along with different biodiesel-diesel blends were studied and compared. Biodiesel produced from Neem oil was found better in terms of kinematic viscosity, calorific value and cloud point for all its blends with diesel compared to Karanja biodiesel-diesel blends. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of addition of graphene nano particles on fuel properties of biodiesel-diesel blends. The B20 biodiesel-diesel blend was selected, which was blended with graphene nano particles in different proportions (35, 70, 105 ppm) to get different stable and symmetric B20-nano blends. The fuel properties except kinematic viscosity were further improved with higher dosages of nano particles with the biodiesel-diesel blend. The performance and emissions tests were conducted on 4-stroke variable compression ratio diesel engine. Higher concentrated B20-nano blends of Neem (NOME20GO105) and Karanja (KOME20GO105) resulted in 31 and 30.9% of brake thermal efficiency, respectively, compared with diesel of 32.5%. The brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was reduced by 10 and 11% for NOME20GO105 and KOME20GO105, respectively, compared to their respective B20 blends. Similarly, carbon monoxide (CO) was reduced significantly by 27 and 29% for NOME20GO105 and KOME20GO105, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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12 pages, 6140 KiB  
Article
Reduction of Grain Boundary Resistance of La0.5Li0.5TiO3 by the Addition of Organic Polymers
by Iker Boyano, Aroa R. Mainar, J. Alberto Blázquez, Andriy Kvasha, Miguel Bengoechea, Iratxe de Meatza, Susana García-Martín, Alejandro Varez, Jesus Sanz and Flaviano García-Alvarado
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(1), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11010061 - 29 Dec 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3033
Abstract
The organic solvents that are widely used as electrolytes in lithium ion batteries present safety challenges due to their volatile and flammable nature. The replacement of liquid organic electrolytes by non-volatile and intrinsically safe ceramic solid electrolytes is an effective approach to address [...] Read more.
The organic solvents that are widely used as electrolytes in lithium ion batteries present safety challenges due to their volatile and flammable nature. The replacement of liquid organic electrolytes by non-volatile and intrinsically safe ceramic solid electrolytes is an effective approach to address the safety issue. However, the high total resistance (bulk and grain boundary) of such compounds, especially at low temperatures, makes those solid electrolyte systems unpractical for many applications where high power and low temperature performance are required. The addition of small quantities of a polymer is an efficient and low cost approach to reduce the grain boundary resistance of inorganic solid electrolytes. Therefore, in this work, we study the ionic conductivity of different composites based on non-sintered lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (La0.5Li0.5TiO3) as inorganic ceramic material and organic polymers with different characteristics, added in low percentage (<15 wt.%). The proposed cheap composite solid electrolytes double the ionic conductivity of the less cost-effective sintered La0.5Li0.5TiO3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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13 pages, 2553 KiB  
Article
Molecular Weight Effects of Biscarbazole-Based Hole Transport Polymers on the Performance of Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
by Minseon Kong, Kyeong Seok Kim, Nguyen Van Nga, Yeonju Lee, Yu Seong Jeon, Yunsung Cho, Younghwan Kwon and Yoon Soo Han
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2516; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122516 - 15 Dec 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1983
Abstract
The leakage and volatilization of liquid electrolytes limit the commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). As solid-state (ss) hole-transporting materials, free from leakage and volatilization, biscarbazole-based polymers with different molecular weights (PBCzA-H (21,200 g/mol) and PBCzA-L (2450 g/mol)) were applied in combination with [...] Read more.
The leakage and volatilization of liquid electrolytes limit the commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). As solid-state (ss) hole-transporting materials, free from leakage and volatilization, biscarbazole-based polymers with different molecular weights (PBCzA-H (21,200 g/mol) and PBCzA-L (2450 g/mol)) were applied in combination with additives to produce ssDSCs. An ssDSC with PBCzA-H showed a better short-circuit current (Jsc), open-circuit voltage (Voc), and fill factor (FF) than a device with PBCzA-L, resulting in 38% higher conversion efficiency. Compared to the PBCzA-L, the PBCzA-H with a higher molecular weight showed faster hole mobility and larger conductivity, leading to elevations in Jsc via rapid hole transport, Voc via rapid hole extraction, and FF via lowered series and elevated shunt resistances. Thus, it is believed that PBCzA-H is a useful candidate for replacing liquid electrolytes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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15 pages, 3662 KiB  
Article
A Facile Chemical Synthesis of PbTe Nanostructures at Room Temperature
by Anil B. Gite, Balasaheb M. Palve, Vishwasrao B. Gaikwad, Gotan H. Jain, Habib M. Pathan, Samir Haj Bloukh and Zehra Edis
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1915; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101915 - 25 Sep 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2795
Abstract
Thermoelectric (TE) materials are possible solutions of the current problems in the energy sector to overcome environmental pollution, increasing energy demand and the decline of natural resources. Thermoelectric materials are a promising alternative for the conversion of waste heat to electricity. Nanocrystalline PbTe [...] Read more.
Thermoelectric (TE) materials are possible solutions of the current problems in the energy sector to overcome environmental pollution, increasing energy demand and the decline of natural resources. Thermoelectric materials are a promising alternative for the conversion of waste heat to electricity. Nanocrystalline PbTe powder was synthesized by a simple chemical method at room temperature and systematically investigated at various durations as samples A1–A5. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the composition of the samples. TE parameters as thermo-emf of samples A1–A5 and electrical conductivity were measured. The cyclic voltammetry gives a band gap of 0.25 eV, which is in agreement with the optical band gap of the material. The A4 sample has an average crystal size of 36 nm with preferred orientation in (200) verifying the cubic morphology. The obtained TE parameters are beneficial for the non-uniform TE materials which might be due to strong current boundary scattering and extremely low thermal conductivity of the samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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18 pages, 3889 KiB  
Article
Nanocomposites of NiO/CuO Based MOF with rGO: An Efficient and Robust Electrocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation Reaction in DMFC
by Tayyaba Noor, Sadaf Pervaiz, Naseem Iqbal, Habib Nasir, Neelam Zaman, Muhammad Sharif and Erum Pervaiz
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1601; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081601 - 15 Aug 2020
Cited by 74 | Viewed by 5701
Abstract
In this work a novel bimetallic nickel oxide/copper oxide metal–organic framework (NiO/CuO MOF) has been developed by using two linkers: Benzene Dicarboxylic acid (BDC) and Pyrazine. The composites of NiO/CuO MOF with different amounts of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were synthesized through a [...] Read more.
In this work a novel bimetallic nickel oxide/copper oxide metal–organic framework (NiO/CuO MOF) has been developed by using two linkers: Benzene Dicarboxylic acid (BDC) and Pyrazine. The composites of NiO/CuO MOF with different amounts of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were synthesized through a hydrothermal method and subsequently characterized by multiple significant techniques like XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR and Raman IR for an investigation of their structural and morphological properties. The prepared series of material was later employed for electrochemical oxidation of methanol, tested by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in basic medium on a modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical response depicts that increasing concentration of rGO enhances the electrocatalytic activity of the catalyst for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The catalyzed oxidation reaction of methanol by NiO/CuO MOF and rGO-NiO/CuO MOF composites give a superlative current density of 437. 28 mA/cm2 at 0.9 V potential at 50 mV/s scan rate. This activity makes it a promising catalytic material for electrolysis of methanol in direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterial for Energy Conversion and Storage)
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