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Crystals
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The Development of Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and...
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The Development of Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials for Energy Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2025 | Viewed by 6175

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhipeng Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Avenida Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
Interests: electrocatalysis; photocatalysis; hydrogen evolution; single-atom catalysts; metal-air battery; high entropy alloy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hong Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Advanced Carbon-based Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Institute of Science and Technology, Yueyang 414006, China
Interests: carbon-based materials; nano fibers; energy storage; photovoltaic conversion; micro and nano-fabrication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The rapid growth of renewable energy sources and the increasing demand for efficient energy storage solutions necessitate the development of advanced materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. This Special Issue aims to address the critical challenges and advancements in this field, highlighting innovative research that contributes to the enhancement of energy density, power density, and overall efficiency of electrochemical systems. The emphasis is on innovative research that contributes to the enhancement of energy density, power density, and overall efficiency of electrochemical systems. Novel materials, including nanostructured materials, composites, and novel electrolytes, are highlighted for their potential in offering promising solutions for next-generation batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other electrochemical devices. The exploration of new synthesis methods, characterization techniques, and theoretical models is crucial to understanding and optimizing these materials' performance. This Special Issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the transition towards sustainable energy systems by bringing together leading researchers and showcasing their cutting-edge work.

Dr. Zhipeng Yu
Dr. Hong Yin
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. Crystals 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 2100 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

  • advanced materials
  • electrochemical energy conversion
  • electrochemical energy storage
  • water electrolysis
  • fuel cells
  • batteries
  • supercapacitors
  • nanostructured materials
  • composite materials
  • novel electrolytes
  • energy efficiency

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4314 KiB  
Article
Rationally Designed PPy-Coated Fe2O3 Nanoneedles Anchored on N-C Nanoflakes as a High-Performance Anode for Aqueous Supercapacitors
by Zhiqiang Cui, Siqi Zhan, Yatu Luo, Yunfeng Hong, Zexian Liu, Guoqiang Tang, Dongming Cai and Rui Tong
Crystals 2025, 15(4), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15040346 - 7 Apr 2025
Viewed by 307
Abstract
Flexible supercapacitors have emerged as pivotal energy storage components in wearable smart electronic systems, owing to their exceptional electrochemical performance. However, the widespread application of flexible supercapacitors in smart electronic devices is significantly hindered by the developmental bottleneck of high-performance anode materials. In [...] Read more.
Flexible supercapacitors have emerged as pivotal energy storage components in wearable smart electronic systems, owing to their exceptional electrochemical performance. However, the widespread application of flexible supercapacitors in smart electronic devices is significantly hindered by the developmental bottleneck of high-performance anode materials. In this study, a novel electrode composed of surface-modified Fe2O3 nanoneedles uniformly coated with a polypyrrole (PPy) film and anchored on Co-MOF-derived N-C nanoflake arrays (PPy/Fe2O3/N-C) is designed. This composite electrode, grown in situ on carbon cloth (CC), demonstrated outstanding specific capacity, rate performance, and mechanical flexibility, attributed to its unique hierarchical 3D arrayed structure and the protective PPy layer. The fabricated PPy/Fe2O3/N-C@CC (P-FONC) composite electrode exhibited an excellent specific capacitance of 356.6 mF cm−2 (143 F g−1) at a current density of 2 mA cm−2. The current density increased to 20 mA cm−2, and the composite electrode material preserved a specific capacitance of 278 mF cm−2 (112 F g−1). Furthermore, the assembled quasi-solid-state Mn/Fe asymmetric supercapacitor, configured with P-FONC as the negative electrode and MnO2/N-C@CC as the positive electrode, demonstrated robust chemical stability and notable mechanical flexibility. This study sheds fresh light on the creation of three-dimensional composite electrode materials for highly efficient, flexible energy storage systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development of Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage)
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11 pages, 3096 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Electrochemical Characterization of Y-Doped Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 Solid Electrolytes for Lithium-Metal Batteries
by Zhongran Yao, Fen Qi, Qiang Sun, Lin Ye, Xiaowei Yang, Guojie Chao, Pei Tang and Kongjun Zhu
Crystals 2025, 15(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15010031 - 30 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 861
Abstract
Lithium-conducting NASICON materials have emerged as a promising alternative to organic liquid electrolytes for high-energy-density Li-metal batteries, owing to their superior ionic conductivity and excellent air stability. However, their practical application is hindered by poor sintering characteristics and high grain boundary resistance. In [...] Read more.
Lithium-conducting NASICON materials have emerged as a promising alternative to organic liquid electrolytes for high-energy-density Li-metal batteries, owing to their superior ionic conductivity and excellent air stability. However, their practical application is hindered by poor sintering characteristics and high grain boundary resistance. In this investigation, Li1.3Al0.3−xYxTi1.7(PO4)3 (LAYTP-x, x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07) were successfully synthesized via conventional solid-state reaction to explore the impact of Y3+ on both ionic conductivity and chemical stability. The structural, morphological, and transport properties of the samples were comprehensively characterized in order to identify the optimal doping concentration. All samples exhibited a NASICON structure with a uniform distribution of Y elements within the electrolyte. Due to its highest relative density (95.8%), the LAYTP-0.03 electrolyte demonstrated the highest total conductivity of 2.03 × 10−4 S cm−1 with a relatively low activation energy of 0.33 eV, making it suitable for solid-state batteries. When paired with the NCM811 cathode, the Li/LAYTP-0.03/NCM811 cell exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance: a high capacity of 155 mAh/g was achieved at 0.2C after 50 cycles with a Coulombic efficiency of approximately 100%, indicating highly reversible lithium plating/stripping facilitated by the LAYTP-0.03 electrolyte. These results suggest that the LAYTP-0.03 ceramic electrolyte could be a promising alternative for developing safe solid-state Li-metal batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development of Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage)
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Review

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48 pages, 7039 KiB  
Review
A Review of Nanocarbon-Based Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Nagaraj Nandihalli
Crystals 2024, 14(9), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14090800 - 10 Sep 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4183
Abstract
Renewable and non-renewable energy harvesting and its storage are important components of our everyday economic processes. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with their rechargeable features, high open-circuit voltage, and potential large energy capacities, are one of the ideal alternatives for addressing that endeavor. Despite their [...] Read more.
Renewable and non-renewable energy harvesting and its storage are important components of our everyday economic processes. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with their rechargeable features, high open-circuit voltage, and potential large energy capacities, are one of the ideal alternatives for addressing that endeavor. Despite their widespread use, improving LIBs’ performance, such as increasing energy density demand, stability, and safety, remains a significant problem. The anode is an important component in LIBs and determines battery performance. To achieve high-performance batteries, anode subsystems must have a high capacity for ion intercalation/adsorption, high efficiency during charging and discharging operations, minimal reactivity to the electrolyte, excellent cyclability, and non-toxic operation. Group IV elements (Si, Ge, and Sn), transition-metal oxides, nitrides, sulfides, and transition-metal carbonates have all been tested as LIB anode materials. However, these materials have low rate capability due to weak conductivity, dismal cyclability, and fast capacity fading owing to large volume expansion and severe electrode collapse during the cycle operations. Contrarily, carbon nanostructures (1D, 2D, and 3D) have the potential to be employed as anode materials for LIBs due to their large buffer space and Li-ion conductivity. However, their capacity is limited. Blending these two material types to create a conductive and flexible carbon supporting nanocomposite framework as an anode material for LIBs is regarded as one of the most beneficial techniques for improving stability, conductivity, and capacity. This review begins with a quick overview of LIB operations and performance measurement indexes. It then examines the recently reported synthesis methods of carbon-based nanostructured materials and the effects of their properties on high-performance anode materials for LIBs. These include composites made of 1D, 2D, and 3D nanocarbon structures and much higher Li storage-capacity nanostructured compounds (metals, transitional metal oxides, transition-metal sulfides, and other inorganic materials). The strategies employed to improve anode performance by leveraging the intrinsic features of individual constituents and their structural designs are examined. The review concludes with a summary and an outlook for future advancements in this research field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Development of Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage)
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