Application of Novel Nanofibers for Energy Conversion

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 2479

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Applied Science and Technology (DISAT), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: microbial fuel cell-based sensors; microfluidic devices for (bio)sensing, energy, fluid analysis; nanostructured catalysts; electrospun composite and multifunctional nanofibers
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Guest Editor
1. Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy
2. Center for Sustainable Future Technologies – CSFT, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia – IIT Via Livorno 60, 10144 Torino, Italy
Interests: microbial fuel cell-based sensors; nanomaterials as sensitive elements for (bio)sensors; nanomaterials applied to biological systems; nanomaterials for microfluidic devices; nanostructured catalysts; electrospun composite and multifunctional nanofibers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The employment of nanofibers in technologies for energy conversion represents an intriguing and growing area of academic research, with huge potential for commercial applications. There are many techniques suitable for providing different kinds of nanomaterials that can be applied in energy-related devices with the main aim to optimize their conversion capabilities. Among all these techniques, the electrospinning process represents an intriguing opportunity with huge potential in several fields, ranging from mechanical energy conversion to electrochemical energy conversion. Indeed, electrospinning is a unique, robust, and reliable process for the fabrication of 1D nanomaterials, especially in the form of nanofibers that can be arranged with high precision in final mats with different structures. Electrospinning is an electro-hydrodynamic process that provides polymer-based fibers with diameter distribution in the range from a few nanometers to several micrometers by involving electrostatic forces. The process is based on the concept that electrostatic forces induce Columbic interactions between charged elements of the polymeric fluid, leading then to overcome surface tension in a charged polymeric jet, ensuring nanofiber formation. Therefore, through this technique, polymer can be arranged in a mat with a high surface area ratio to volume, showing a micro/macroporous structure. One of the main advantages of this process stems from the fact that final nanofibers are based not only on polymers, but also on metals, ceramics, and metal oxides, obtained by implementing further different chemical and thermal treatments. This Special Issue on “Application of Novel Nanofibers for Energy Conversion” aims to provide an overview of the most recent progress and new developments in the design and utilization of electrospun nanofibers for highly efficient, novel energy conversion devices.

Energy conversion processes of interest for this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) mechanical, solar, thermal, chemical, electrochemical, and biochemical conversion processes. The Special Issue includes but is not limited to the following topics:

Energy conversion;

Electrospun nanofiber synthesis and characterizations;

Integration methods of nanofibers into energy conversion devices;

Electrode design for electrochemical energy conversion;

New technological approaches;

Nanofibers for sustainability.

Original research papers or review articles are welcome in this Special Issue. Emphasis will be given to experimental analysis both at lab scale as well as practical, in situ applications. Fundamental studies in line with the scope of this Special Issue can also be considered for publication.


Dr. Marzia Quaglio
Dr. Giulia Massaglia
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Energy conversion
  • Design of nanofibers for electrochemical
  • Chemical and biochemical conversion processes
  • Electrospun nanofibers synthesis and characterizations
  • Integration methods of nanofibers
  • Nanostructured electrodes for electrochemical energy conversion
  • New technological approaches
  • Nanofibers for sustainability

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 3289 KiB  
Article
Living Bacteria Directly Embedded into Electrospun Nanofibers: Design of New Anode for Bio-Electrochemical Systems
by Giulia Massaglia, Adriano Sacco, Angelica Chiodoni, Candido Fabrizio Pirri and Marzia Quaglio
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 3088; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11113088 - 16 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2025
Abstract
The aim of this work is the optimization of electrospun polymeric nanofibers as an ideal reservoir of mixed electroactive consortia suitable to be used as anodes in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SCMFCs). To reach this goal the microorganisms are directly embedded into [...] Read more.
The aim of this work is the optimization of electrospun polymeric nanofibers as an ideal reservoir of mixed electroactive consortia suitable to be used as anodes in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SCMFCs). To reach this goal the microorganisms are directly embedded into properly designed nanofibers during the electrospinning process, obtaining so called nanofiber-based bio-composite (bio-NFs). This research approach allowed for the designing of an advanced nanostructured scaffold, able to block and store the living microorganisms inside the nanofibers and release them only after exposure to water-based solutions and electrolytes. To reach this goal, a water-based polymeric solution, containing 5 wt% of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and 10 wt% of environmental microorganisms, is used as the initial polymeric solution for the electrospinning process. PEO is selected as the water-soluble polymer to ensure the formation of nanofiber mats offering features of biocompatibility for bacteria proliferation, environment-friendliness and, high ionic conductivity. In the present work, bio-NFs, based on living microorganisms directly encapsulated into the PEO nanofiber mats, were analyzed and compared to PEO-NFs made of PEO only. Scanning electron microscopy allowed researchers to confirm the rise of a typical morphology for bio-NFs, evidencing the microorganisms’ distribution inside them, as confirmed by fluorescence optical microscopy. Moreover, the latter technique, combined with optical density measurements, allowed for demonstrating that after electrospinning, the processed microorganisms preserved their proliferation capability, and their metabolic activity after exposure to the water-based electrolyte. To demonstrate that the energy-production functionality of exo-electrogenic microorganisms was preserved after the electrospinning process, the novel designed nanomaterials, were directly deposited onto carbon paper (CP), and were applied as anode electrodes in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SCMFCs). It was possible to appreciate that the maximum power density reached by bio-NFs, which resulted in being double of the ones achieved with PEO-NFs and bare CP. SCMFCs with bio-NFs applied as anodic electrodes reached a current density value, close to (250 ± 5.2) mA m−2, which resulted in being stable over time and was comparable with the one obtained with carbon-based electrode, thus confirming the good performance of the whole device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Novel Nanofibers for Energy Conversion)
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