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Gels
Special Issues
Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications
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Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 4616

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mobinul Islam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Materials Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
Interests: advanced gels for Li and Na ion batteries; gel characterization; gel membrane; electrocatalyst; electrochemistry; nanomaterials; X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS); ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering; X-ray nano imaging
Dr. Madagonda M Vadiyar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Materials Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul 04620, Republic of Korea
Interests: metal–organic framework; solid-state gel electrolytes; covalent triazine frameworks; porous doped carbon; supercapacitors; ionic liquids

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gels have been widely studied and applied in bio-related fields and are also highly desirable in energy generation, conversion, and storage devices. The term 'gel' refers to a cross-linked network that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and robust. They also have excellent electronic, optoelectronic, and electrochemical properties. In the energy field, numerous advantages are offered by gel materials. Several hybrid materials can be developed using gel materials since they have an interconnected gel network that supports other active materials (e.g., metal oxide, metal sulfide, etc.) and allow a second network to be introduced.

This Special Issue is focused on the synthesis and characterization of diverse gel-based materials for energy generation (solar cell, fuel cell), energy conversion (ammonia production, CO2 capture, etc.), and energy storage (supercapacitors, batteries) applications. It will be our pleasure to receive advanced studies and reviews on the development and applications of gel materials as well as their precursors in the field of energy including, but not limited to, the following topics:

(1) Hybrid polymer gel can replace the TiO2 active layer in the photoelectrode of DSSCs. In addition, polymer gel electrolyte (PGE), formed by entrapping liquid electrolyte into polymer networks, is the best choice in DSSCs.

(2) Hybrid polymer gels are popular as a fuel cell membrane material. Hybrid polymer hydrogels are advantageous in terms of electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), etc.

(3) Hybrid polymer gels are useful as electrolyte, electrode, and binder for all types of batteries such as Li+, Na+, vanadium, hybrid ion, Li–O2, and Li salt batteries, as well as for flexible supercapacitors. Moreover, metal–alkoxide-based chelate gel and organic polymeric gel precursors are commonly used for synthesizing diverse advanced cathode and anode materials for batteries in the sol–gel method.

(4) Gel materials for hydrogen, ethanol, ammonia (NH3), H2O2 production, CO2 capture, and NOx removal.

Dr. Mobinul Islam
Dr. Madagonda M Vadiyar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • polymer gel electrolyte
  • polymer gel electrode
  • polymer gel binder
  • polymer gel membrane
  • photoelectrode
  • hybrid polymer hydrogels
  • gel precursor
  • sol–gel method
  • gel electrocatalyst
  • CO2 capture
  • ammonia production
  • NOx removal
  • supercapacitor

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 4092 KiB  
Article
Flexible Composite Hydrogels Based on Polybenzoxazine for Supercapacitor Applications
by Shakila Parveen Asrafali, Thirukumaran Periyasamy, Gazi A. K. M. Rafiqul Bari and Seong-Cheol Kim
Gels 2024, 10(3), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10030197 - 13 Mar 2024
Viewed by 815
Abstract
Polybenzoxazines (Pbzs) are advanced forms of phenolic resins that possess many attractive properties, including thermal-induced self-curing polymerization, void-free polymeric products and absence of by-product formation. They also possess high Tg (glass transition temperature) and thermal stability. But the produced materials are brittle [...] Read more.
Polybenzoxazines (Pbzs) are advanced forms of phenolic resins that possess many attractive properties, including thermal-induced self-curing polymerization, void-free polymeric products and absence of by-product formation. They also possess high Tg (glass transition temperature) and thermal stability. But the produced materials are brittle in nature. In this paper, we present our attempt to decrease the brittleness of Pbz by blending it with polyvinylalcohol (PVA). Benzoxazine monomer (Eu-Ed-Bzo) was synthesized by following a simple Mannich condensation reaction. The formation of a benzoxazine ring was confirmed by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic analyses. The synthesized benzoxazine monomer was blended with PVA in order to produce composite films, PVA/Pbz, by varying the amount of benzoxazine monomer (1, 3 and 5 wt. % of PVA). The property of the composite films was studied using various characterization techniques, including DSC, TGA, water contact angle analysis (WCA) and SEM. WCA analysis proved that the hydrophobic nature of Pbz (value) was transformed to hydrophilic (WCA of PVA/Pbz5 is 35.5°). These composite films could play the same role as flexible electrolytes in supercapacitor applications. For this purpose, the composite films were immersed in a 1 M KOH solution for 12 h in order to analyze their swelling properties. Moreover, by using this swelled gel, a symmetric supercapacitor, AC//PVA/Pbz5//AC, was constructed, exhibiting a specific capacitance of 170 F g−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications)
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13 pages, 3291 KiB  
Article
Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride-Hexafluoropropylene)–Lithium Titanium Aluminum Phosphate-Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes Synthesized by Immersion Precipitation for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries
by Xuanan Lu, Jianguo Luo, Lingxiao Lan, Bing Zhang, Zhikun Chen, Yujiang Wang, Xinghua Liang and Qinglie Mo
Gels 2024, 10(3), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10030179 - 04 Mar 2024
Viewed by 880
Abstract
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have high safety and excellent electrochemical performance, so applying GPEs in lithium batteries has received much attention. However, their poor lithium ion transfer number, cycling stability, and low room temperature ionic conductivity seriously affect the utilization of gel polymer [...] Read more.
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have high safety and excellent electrochemical performance, so applying GPEs in lithium batteries has received much attention. However, their poor lithium ion transfer number, cycling stability, and low room temperature ionic conductivity seriously affect the utilization of gel polymer electrolytes. This paper successfully synthesized flexible poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene)–lithium titanium aluminum phosphate (PVDF-HFP-LATP) gel polymer electrolytes using the immersion precipitation method. The resulting GPE has a porous honeycomb structure, which ensures that the GPE has sufficient space to store the liquid electrolyte. The GPE has a high ionic conductivity of 1.03 ×10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature (25 °C). The GPE was applied to LiFePO4/GPE/Li batteries with good rate performance at room temperature. The discharge specific capacity of 1C was as high as 121.5 mAh/g, and the capacity retention rate was 94.0% after 300 cycles. These results indicate that PVDF-HFP-LATP-based GPEs have the advantage of simplifying the production process and can improve the utility of gel polymer lithium metal batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications)
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Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 6126 KiB  
Review
Gels in Motion: Recent Advancements in Energy Applications
by Aditya Narayan Singh, Abhishek Meena and Kyung-Wan Nam
Gels 2024, 10(2), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10020122 - 02 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1280
Abstract
Gels are attracting materials for energy storage technologies. The strategic development of hydrogels with enhanced physicochemical properties, such as superior mechanical strength, flexibility, and charge transport capabilities, introduces novel prospects for advancing next-generation batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Through a refined comprehension of [...] Read more.
Gels are attracting materials for energy storage technologies. The strategic development of hydrogels with enhanced physicochemical properties, such as superior mechanical strength, flexibility, and charge transport capabilities, introduces novel prospects for advancing next-generation batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Through a refined comprehension of gelation chemistry, researchers have achieved notable progress in fabricating hydrogels endowed with stimuli-responsive, self-healing, and highly stretchable characteristics. This mini-review delineates the integration of hydrogels into batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors, showcasing compelling instances that underscore the versatility of hydrogels, including tailorable architectures, conductive nanostructures, 3D frameworks, and multifunctionalities. The ongoing application of creative and combinatorial approaches in functional hydrogel design is poised to yield materials with immense potential within the domain of energy storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications)
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30 pages, 7120 KiB  
Review
Comprehensive Insights and Advancements in Gel Catalysts for Electrochemical Energy Conversion
by Gazi A. K. M. Rafiqul Bari and Jae-Ho Jeong
Gels 2024, 10(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10010063 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1267
Abstract
Continuous worldwide demands for more clean energy urge researchers and engineers to seek various energy applications, including electrocatalytic processes. Traditional energy-active materials, when combined with conducting materials and non-active polymeric materials, inadvertently leading to reduced interaction between their active and conducting components. This [...] Read more.
Continuous worldwide demands for more clean energy urge researchers and engineers to seek various energy applications, including electrocatalytic processes. Traditional energy-active materials, when combined with conducting materials and non-active polymeric materials, inadvertently leading to reduced interaction between their active and conducting components. This results in a drop in active catalytic sites, sluggish kinetics, and compromised mass and electronic transport properties. Furthermore, interaction between these materials could increase degradation products, impeding the efficiency of the catalytic process. Gels appears to be promising candidates to solve these challenges due to their larger specific surface area, three-dimensional hierarchical accommodative porous frameworks for active particles, self-catalytic properties, tunable electronic and electrochemical properties, as well as their inherent stability and cost-effectiveness. This review delves into the strategic design of catalytic gel materials, focusing on their potential in advanced energy conversion and storage technologies. Specific attention is given to catalytic gel material design strategies, exploring fundamental catalytic approaches for energy conversion processes such as the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and more. This comprehensive review not only addresses current developments but also outlines future research strategies and challenges in the field. Moreover, it provides guidance on overcoming these challenges, ensuring a holistic understanding of catalytic gel materials and their role in advancing energy conversion and storage technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Applications)
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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: Gels in Different Devices -A Review
 
Author: Sharnaliy Akter Rubina, Md Murshed Bhuyan and Jae-Ho Jeong
 
Affiliation:  Research Center for Green Energy Systems, Department of Mechanical, Smart, and Industrial Engineering (Mechanical Engineering Major), Gachon University,  1342, Seongnam-daero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea -13120 Author's Fax: +82-42-750-5654. 
Tentative date of Submission: 25 June 2024. 
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