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Crystals
Special Issues
Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy
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Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 December 2025 | Viewed by 1678

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Raluca Mereu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos Street, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: nanocomposite

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue “Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy” aims to focus on relevant material properties and material design strategies that may lead to efficient and sustainable applications. Therefore, the goal of this issue is to emphasize the connection between synthesizing and characterizing suitable nanostructured materials to be used in strategic applications, which may lead to final performant products.

The adoption of nanomaterials holds the potential to enhance efficiency, affordability, and environmental sustainability. Nanomaterials, of different sizes and shapes, have applications spanning various areas, including generating, converting, transporting, and storing the oldest and newest sources of energy. This includes a wide range of applications, such as photocatalysis and solar cells, as well as energy storage and saving technologies.

Papers that aim to address the transition towards more efficient and sustainable solar energy systems are welcomed. 

Dr. Raluca Mereu
Guest Editor

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

  • structural characterization
  • nanocrystalline materials
  • thermal behavior
  • design materials
  • electronic structures (interface electronic structure)
  • photocatalytic (materials, behavior, degradation)
  • solar energy (solar cells, energy conversion)
  • energy storage (electrolytes, energy storage materials, batteries)
  • transport properties
  • electrochemical energy systems (battery; supercapacitor)
  • functional materials
  • sustainable materials
  • electrochemical materials
  • materials for energy

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3209 KiB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of GAGG:Ce Crystalline Scintillator Properties Under X-Ray Radiation
by Anastasios Dimitrakopoulos, Christos Michail, Ioannis Valais, George Fountos, Ioannis Kandarakis and Nektarios Kalyvas
Crystals 2025, 15(7), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15070590 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 142
Abstract
The scope of this study was to evaluate the response of Ce-doped gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) crystalline scintillator under medical X-ray irradiation for medical imaging applications. A 10 × 10 × 10 mm3 crystal was irradiated at X-ray tube voltages ranging [...] Read more.
The scope of this study was to evaluate the response of Ce-doped gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) crystalline scintillator under medical X-ray irradiation for medical imaging applications. A 10 × 10 × 10 mm3 crystal was irradiated at X-ray tube voltages ranging from 50 kVp to 150 kVp. The crystal’s compatibility with several commercially available optical photon detectors was evaluated using the spectral matching factor (SMF) along with the absolute efficiency (AE) and the effective efficiency (EE). In addition, the energy-absorption efficiency (EAE), the quantum-detection efficiency (QDE) as well as the zero-frequency detective quantum detection efficiency DQE(0) were determined. The crystal demonstrated satisfactory AE values as high as 26.3 E.U. (where 1 E.U. = 1 μW∙m−2/(mR∙s−1)) at 150 kVp, similar, or in some cases, even superior to other cerium-doped scintillator materials. It also exhibits adequate DQE(0) performance ranging from 0.99 to 0.95 across all the examined X-ray tube voltages. Moreover, it showed high spectral compatibility with commonly used photoreceptors in modern day such as complementary metal–oxide–semiconductors (CMOS) and charge-coupled-devices (CCD) with SMF values of 0.95 for CCD with broadband anti-reflection coating and 0.99 for hybrid CMOS blue. The aforementioned properties of this scintillator material were indicative of its superior efficiency in the examined medical energy range, compared to other commonly used scintillators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy)
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12 pages, 3008 KiB  
Article
Structural, Thermophysical, and Radiation Shielding Properties of Lead–Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) Synthesized by Induction Melting
by Radu Cristian Gavrea, Emanoil Surducan, Răzvan Hirian, Mioara Zagrai and Vasile Rednic
Crystals 2025, 15(6), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15060581 - 19 Jun 2025
Viewed by 123
Abstract
Lead–bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE, Pb44.5Bi55.5) has emerged as a promising candidate for use in advanced nuclear and solar energy systems due to its favorable thermophysical characteristics and radiation shielding capabilities. The aim of this research is to assess the [...] Read more.
Lead–bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE, Pb44.5Bi55.5) has emerged as a promising candidate for use in advanced nuclear and solar energy systems due to its favorable thermophysical characteristics and radiation shielding capabilities. The aim of this research is to assess the applicability of the induction melting technique to synthesize LBE. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of the structural, thermophysical, and radiation shielding properties of the obtained LBE sample. Various techniques were employed to investigate the solid-to-liquid eutectic transformation, phase composition, morphology, and homogeneity of the obtained material. Experimental and theoretical determinations on density, void, molar volume, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and electrical conductivity were performed. Radiation shielding performance over photon energies ranging from 0.015 to 15 MeV was simulated using the Phy-X/PSD program. The results revealed the eutectic structure comprising Pb7Bi3 and Bi phases with near-ideal stoichiometry and a melting point of 127.6 °C. The alloy demonstrated a small void that corresponds to a high degree of sample compaction, high specific heat capacity, moderate thermal conductivity, low thermal diffusivity, and effective radiation shielding. These findings confirm that LBE obtained by the induction melting technique possesses the necessary structural stability and functional properties for integration into nuclear reactor and solar thermal technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy)
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11 pages, 1970 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical and Photoresponsive Behavior of MOF-Derived V2O3/C Cathodes for Zinc-Ion Batteries: ZIF-8 as a Nanoscale Reactor and Carbon Source
by Byoungnam Park
Crystals 2025, 15(5), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15050436 - 3 May 2025
Viewed by 334
Abstract
In this study, a V2O3/carbon (V2O3/C) composite was synthesized using zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8) as both a sacrificial template and in situ carbon source. The composite was prepared by mixing ZIF-8 with NH4 [...] Read more.
In this study, a V2O3/carbon (V2O3/C) composite was synthesized using zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8) as both a sacrificial template and in situ carbon source. The composite was prepared by mixing ZIF-8 with NH4VO3, followed by annealing at 800 °C, resulting in nanoscale V2O3 embedded in a nitrogen-doped porous carbon matrix. Fabricated into a thin-film cathode via alternating current electrophoretic deposition (AC-EPD), the composite exhibited mixed capacitive–diffusion-controlled charge storage behavior with favorable Zn2+ transport kinetics, as confirmed by a b-value analysis (b = 0.72) and diffusion coefficient measurements (DZn = 6.2 × 10−11 cm2/s). Notably, the cathode displayed photoresponsive redox behavior under 450 nm illumination, enhancing the Zn-ion kinetics. These findings demonstrate the potential of MOF-derived V2O3/C composites for high-performance, photo-enhanced zinc-ion energy storage applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy)
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18 pages, 6005 KiB  
Article
High Optical Performance TiO₂- and SiO₂-Based Composites with CuO and SrO Additions
by Mioara Zagrai, Izabell Craciunescu, Alexandrina Nan, Septimiu Tripon, Alexandru Turza and Vasile Rednic
Crystals 2025, 15(4), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15040343 - 5 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 467
Abstract
Our research aims to determine the optical properties of binary composites based on TiO2 and SiO2 oxides combined with additional metal oxides such as CuO and SrO. The inclusion of CuO and SrO together with TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles [...] Read more.
Our research aims to determine the optical properties of binary composites based on TiO2 and SiO2 oxides combined with additional metal oxides such as CuO and SrO. The inclusion of CuO and SrO together with TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles is driven by their ability to introduce intermediate energy levels in the forbidden band, acting as electron traps that reduce the recombination rate and increase the efficiency of solar conversion. Morphological and structural characterization of the materials was carried out to evidence the homogeneity of the final composite materials as well as their high specific surface area. Additionally, an extensive characterization of the optical properties was performed, revealing that the optical parameters of the studied samples depend on their composition. The results indicate that the optical performance of TiO2-CuO and SiO2-SrO composites is significantly superior to that of the pure sample. Therefore, these materials are proposed as promising candidates for enhancing the efficiency of solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring New Materials for the Transition to Sustainable Energy)
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