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Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion
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Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 18760

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Il Tae Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
Interests: secondary batteries; fuel cells; electrode materials; smart binder; electrolytes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sheng-Heng Chung

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City, Taiwan
Interests: energy conversion and storage materials; metal-sulfur batteries; SOFC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A substantial amount of energy is utilized daily throughout the world. As a result, much research has been conducted to determine highly efficient methods of storing and converting essential energy. Examples of energy-storage systems that have been extensively explored for power sources with high energy/power density, long operation life-time, and high system stability include lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, hybrid supercapacitors, multivalent-ion batteries, metal–sulfur/air batteries, and energy conversion systems, including the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, solid oxide fuel cell, and alkaline fuel cell.

A variety of device components, including anodes, cathodes, membranes, electrolytes, and catalysts, have been investigated for the purpose of improving energy storage and conversion systems, from which material design and performance optimization can be carried out.

Comprehensive research of energy storage and conversion requires a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to inspire energy storage/conversion-related researchers to share their interesting and promising works, particularly, advanced materials design and electrochemical performance including the analysis of process–structure–property relationships.

We invite authors to submit original research articles, review articles, and significant preliminary communications describing current research trends and future perspectives in energy storage and conversion.

Dr. Sheng-Heng Chung
Prof. Il Tae Kim
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. Materials 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 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

  • anodes
  • cathodes
  • catalysts
  • smart binder
  • electrolytes
  • advanced membranes
  • nanostructures
  • energy storage
  • energy conversion

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

2 pages, 162 KiB  
Editorial
Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion
by Il Tae Kim
Materials 2021, 14(3), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14030696 - 02 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1721
Abstract
n/a Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 4767 KiB  
Article
GeTe-TiC-C Composite Anodes for Li-Ion Storage
by Woo Seob Kim, Thuan Ngoc Vo and Il Tae Kim
Materials 2020, 13(19), 4222; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13194222 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2253
Abstract
Germanium boasts a high charge capacity, but it has detrimental effects on battery cycling life, owing to the significant volume expansion that it incurs after repeated recharging. Therefore, the fabrication of Ge composites including other elements is essential to overcome this hurdle. Herein, [...] Read more.
Germanium boasts a high charge capacity, but it has detrimental effects on battery cycling life, owing to the significant volume expansion that it incurs after repeated recharging. Therefore, the fabrication of Ge composites including other elements is essential to overcome this hurdle. Herein, highly conductive Te is employed to prepare an alloy of germanium telluride (GeTe) with the addition of a highly conductive matrix comprising titanium carbide (TiC) and carbon (C) via high-energy ball milling (HEBM). The final alloy composite, GeTe-TiC-C, is used as a potential anode for lithium-ion cells. The GeTe-TiC-C composites having different combinations of TiC are characterized by electron microscopies and X-ray powder diffraction for structural and morphological analyses, which indicate that GeTe and TiC are evenly spread out in the carbon matrix. The GeTe electrode exhibits an unstable cycling life; however, the addition of higher amounts of TiC in GeTe offers much better electrochemical performance. Specifically, the GeTe-TiC (20%)-C and GeTe-TiC (30%)-C electrodes exhibited excellent reversible cyclability equivalent to 847 and 614 mAh g−1 after 400 cycles, respectively. Moreover, at 10 A g−1, stable capacity retentions of 78% for GeTe-TiC (20%)-C and 82% for GeTe-TiC (30%)-C were demonstrated. This proves that the developed GeTe-TiC-C anodes are promising for potential applications as anode candidates for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)
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12 pages, 3520 KiB  
Article
SnO2 Nanoflower–Nanocrystalline Cellulose Composites as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Quang Nhat Tran, Il Tae Kim, Sangkwon Park, Hyung Wook Choi and Sang Joon Park
Materials 2020, 13(14), 3165; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13143165 - 15 Jul 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2526
Abstract
One of the biggest challenges in the commercialization of tin dioxide (SnO2)-based lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes is the volume expansion of SnO2 during the charge–discharge process. Additionally, the aggregation of SnO2 also deteriorates the performance of anode materials. In [...] Read more.
One of the biggest challenges in the commercialization of tin dioxide (SnO2)-based lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes is the volume expansion of SnO2 during the charge–discharge process. Additionally, the aggregation of SnO2 also deteriorates the performance of anode materials. In this study, we prepared SnO2 nanoflowers (NFs) using nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) to improve the surface area, prevent the particle aggregation, and alleviate the change in volume of LIB anodes. Moreover, CNC served not only as the template for the synthesis of the SnO2 NFs but also as a conductive material, after annealing the SnO2 NFs at 800 °C to improve their electrochemical performance. The obtained CNC–SnO2NF composite was used as an active LIB electrode material and exhibited good cycling performance and a high initial reversible capacity of 891 mA h g−1, at a current density of 100 mA g−1. The composite anode could retain 30% of its initial capacity after 500 charge–discharge cycles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)
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14 pages, 4419 KiB  
Article
Diatoms Biomass as a Joint Source of Biosilica and Carbon for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes
by Andrzej P. Nowak, Myroslav Sprynskyy, Izabela Wojtczak, Konrad Trzciński, Joanna Wysocka, Mariusz Szkoda, Bogusław Buszewski and Anna Lisowska-Oleksiak
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13071673 - 03 Apr 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3463
Abstract
The biomass of one type cultivated diatoms (Pseudostaurosira trainorii), being a source of 3D-stuctured biosilica and organic matter—the source of carbon, was thermally processed to become an electroactive material in a potential range adequate to become an anode in lithium ion [...] Read more.
The biomass of one type cultivated diatoms (Pseudostaurosira trainorii), being a source of 3D-stuctured biosilica and organic matter—the source of carbon, was thermally processed to become an electroactive material in a potential range adequate to become an anode in lithium ion batteries. Carbonized material was characterized by means of selected solid-state physics techniques (XRD, Raman, TGA). It was shown that the pyrolysis temperature (600 °C, 800 °C, 1000 °C) affected structural and electrochemical properties of the electrode material. Biomass carbonized at 600 °C exhibited the best electrochemical properties reaching a specific discharge capacity of 460 mAh g−1 for the 70th cycle. Such a value indicates the possibility of usage of biosilica as an electrode material in energy storage applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)
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19 pages, 35979 KiB  
Article
High Temperature Interaction of Si-B Alloys with Graphite Crucible in Thermal Energy Storage Systems
by Jianmeng Jiao, Jafar Safarian, Bettina Grorud and Merete Tangstad
Materials 2020, 13(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13010029 - 19 Dec 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2930
Abstract
Si-B alloys are proposed as a potential phase change material (PCM) in the novel high temperature thermal energy storage systems. For successfully introducing the new PCM, the selection of proper refractory material in the PCM container is vital. At present, graphite is chosen [...] Read more.
Si-B alloys are proposed as a potential phase change material (PCM) in the novel high temperature thermal energy storage systems. For successfully introducing the new PCM, the selection of proper refractory material in the PCM container is vital. At present, graphite is chosen as a potential refractory material for the PCM container, due to its high temperature stability, low thermal expansion, and high thermal conductivity. The Si-B alloys and the high-temperature interaction with graphite are hence studied. The phase formation in the Si-B alloys and the interaction with graphite at B content of 2–11 mass % and temperatures of 1450–1750 °C were investigated. Carbides were observed at the interface between the solidified alloys and the graphite. A single SiC layer was produced at B content of 2 and 3.25 mass %. Otherwise, SiC and B4C layers were generated at B content higher than 5 mass %. In the Si-B-C system, the phase formation is dependent on the B content. Moreover, the equilibrium B content is calculated to be 3.66 mass % in the molten Si-B alloys at 1450 °C in equilibrium with SiC and B4C, based on the experimental results. In this regard, the eutectic alloy (3.25 mass % B) is recommended to be used as the new PCM in the graphite container, due to that it produces simple phases and also because it is expected not to deplete any B to the B4C layer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)
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11 pages, 2071 KiB  
Article
Effects of Cell Temperature and Reactant Humidification on Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Van Men Truong, Ngoc Bich Duong, Chih-Liang Wang and Hsiharng Yang
Materials 2019, 12(13), 2048; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12132048 - 26 Jun 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4189
Abstract
The performance of an anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) under various operating conditions, including cell temperature and humidification of inlet gases, was systematically investigated in this study. The experimental results indicate that the power density of an AEMFC is susceptible to the [...] Read more.
The performance of an anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) under various operating conditions, including cell temperature and humidification of inlet gases, was systematically investigated in this study. The experimental results indicate that the power density of an AEMFC is susceptible to the cell temperature and inlet gas humidification. A high performance AEMFC can be achieved by elevating the cell operating temperature along with the optimization of the gas feed dew points at the anode and cathode. As excess inlet gas humidification at the anode is supplied, the flooding is less severe at a higher cell temperature because the water transport in the gas diffusion substrate by evaporation is more effective upon operation at a higher cell temperature. The cell performance is slightly affected when the humidification at the anode is inadequate, owing to dehydration of the membrane, especially at a higher cell temperature. Furthermore, the cell performance in conditions of under-humidification or over-humidification at the cathode is greatly reduced at the different cell temperatures tested due to the dehydration of the anion exchange membrane and the water shortage or oxygen mass transport limitations, respectively, for the oxygen reduction reaction. In addition, back diffusion could partly support the water demand at the cathode once a water concentration gradient between the anode and cathode is formed. These results, in which sophisticated water management was achieved, can provide useful information regarding the development of high-performance AEMFC systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Next-Generation Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion)
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