Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.6
2.7
Journals
Crystals
Special Issues
New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis
share announcement

New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 5213

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mauro Francesco Sgroi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro Ricerche FIAT S.C.p.A., Strada Torino 50, 10043 Orbassano, Italy
Interests: electrochemistry; modelling of materials; li-ion batteries, catalysts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays,  electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices are fundamental components of the green transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly society independent from fossil fuels. Batteries, ultra-capacitors and fuel cells are more and more applied in the transport sector and in stationary energy production and storage and their diffusion will be further stimulated by the uneven geographical distribution of fossil fuels and by the needs of many countries to reach

On the other hand, catalysis has a wide range of high industrial impact applications, ranging from the production of polymers to the treatment of noxious emissions. In the energy field, the most evident use is in fuel cell electrodes but catalytic materials are also applied for the conversion of carbon dioxide or biogenic streams to synthetic fuels and for the electrochemical or photo assisted splitting of water to produce hydrogen.

Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to reveal insights into the materials used for electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices and for catalysis applied to the energy field. The intended scope of the selected publications is to shed light on the complex relationship between the crystal structure and morphology and the properties of the materials that determine the final performances of the devices where they are applied.

We invite interested authors to submit their original experimental, theoretical and review papers focusing on the subject for inclusion in this Special Issue.

Dr. Mauro Francesco Sgroi
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 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

  • electrochemical energy storage
  • batteries
  • super-capacitors
  • fuel cells
  • catalytic conversion of CO2
  • hydrogen production
  • synthetic fuels

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 5620 KiB  
Article
Binder-Free Two-Dimensional Few-Layer Titanium Carbide MXene Ink for High-Performance Symmetric Supercapacitor Device Applications
by Vediyappan Thirumal, Palanisamy Rajkumar, Jin-Ho Kim, Bathula Babu and Kisoo Yoo
Crystals 2024, 14(3), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14030261 - 6 Mar 2024
Viewed by 933
Abstract
A heightened interest in developing MXene (Ti3C2Tx) for energy storage is evident in binder-free MXene ink being directly applied to current collector Ni-foam. Moreover, 2D titanium carbide MXene, with a few layers of nanostructure, has been prepared [...] Read more.
A heightened interest in developing MXene (Ti3C2Tx) for energy storage is evident in binder-free MXene ink being directly applied to current collector Ni-foam. Moreover, 2D titanium carbide MXene, with a few layers of nanostructure, has been prepared for symmetric supercapacitor device applications. As-prepared MXene nanosheets exist in two forms: dried powder and ink, achieved through wet-chemical etching and dimethyl sulfoxide delamination from the MAX (Ti3AlC2) phase. This comparative study of electrode devices involves (i) MX-dry powder with binder/additive electrodes and (ii) binder-free MXene inks with directly applied MX-conductive inks. The surface morphological images of pure MX-powder/ink display few layers, and material analysis reveals the good crystalline nature of delaminated MXene (Ti3C2Tx) inks. The electrochemical symmetric supercapacitor device performances of pure MXene powder and binder-free directly applied/coated MXene (Ti3C2Tx) ink, in terms of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance spectroscopy (EIS), exhibit galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) curves that show high specific capacitance (Csp) at 105.75 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. A comparison of active material electrodes demonstrated excellent cycle stability. Hence, in this work, we confirmed the superior capacitive behavior of binder-free MXene ink (MX-I) compared to conductive additives with polymeric binders included in MXene electrodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 5015 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Influence of Three Different Atmospheric Conditions during the Synthesis Process of NMC811 Cathode Material
by Arianna Tiozzo, Keyhan Ghaseminezhad, Asya Mazzucco, Mattia Giuliano, Riccardo Rocca, Matteo Dotoli, Giovanna Nicol, Carlo Nervi, Marcello Baricco and Mauro Francesco Sgroi
Crystals 2024, 14(2), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14020137 - 29 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1178
Abstract
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are fundamental for the energetic transition necessary to contrast climate change. The characteristics of cathode active materials (CAMs) strongly influence the cell performance, so improved CAMs need to be developed. Currently, Li(Ni0.8Mn0.1Co0.1)O2 (NMC811) [...] Read more.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are fundamental for the energetic transition necessary to contrast climate change. The characteristics of cathode active materials (CAMs) strongly influence the cell performance, so improved CAMs need to be developed. Currently, Li(Ni0.8Mn0.1Co0.1)O2 (NMC811) is state-of-the-art among the cathodic active materials. The aim of this work is the optimization of the procedure to produce NMC811: two different syntheses were investigated, the co-precipitation and the self-combustion methods. For a better understanding of the synthesis conditions, three different types of atmospheres were tested during the calcination phase: air (partially oxidizing), oxygen (totally oxidizing), and nitrogen (non-oxidizing). The synthesized oxides were characterized by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), and Particle Size Distribution (PSD). The most promising materials were tested in a half-cell set up to verify the electrochemical performances. The procedure followed during this study is depicted in the graphical abstract. The oxidizing atmospheric conditions turned out to be the most appropriate to produce NMC811 with good electrochemical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 8281 KiB  
Article
Structural and Electrochemical Properties of F-Doped RbTiOPO4 (RTP:F) Predicted from First Principles
by Adriana Bocchini, Yingjie Xie, Wolf Gero Schmidt and Uwe Gerstmann
Crystals 2024, 14(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14010005 - 20 Dec 2023
Viewed by 761
Abstract
Batteries based on heavier alkali ions are considered promising candidates to substitute for current Li-based technologies. In this theoretical study, we characterize the structural properties of a novel material, i.e., F-doped RbTiOPO4 (RbTiPO4F, RTP:F), and discuss aspects of its electrochemical [...] Read more.
Batteries based on heavier alkali ions are considered promising candidates to substitute for current Li-based technologies. In this theoretical study, we characterize the structural properties of a novel material, i.e., F-doped RbTiOPO4 (RbTiPO4F, RTP:F), and discuss aspects of its electrochemical performance in Rb-ion batteries (RIBs) using density functional theory (DFT). According to our calculations, RTP:F is expected to retain the so-called KTiOPO4 (KTP)-type structure, with lattice parameters of 13.236 Å, 6.616 Å, and 10.945 Å. Due to the doping with F, the crystal features eight extra electrons per unit cell, whereby each of these electrons is trapped by one of the surrounding Ti atoms in the cell. Notably, the ground state of the system corresponds to a ferromagnetic spin configuration (i.e., S=4). The deintercalation of Rb leads to the oxidation of the Ti atoms in the cell (i.e., from Ti3+ to Ti4+) and to reduced magnetic moments. The material promises interesting electrochemical properties for the cathode: rather high average voltages above 2.8 V and modest volume shrinkages below 13% even in the fully deintercalated case are predicted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 11457 KiB  
Article
Pore-Scale Investigation of Mass Transport in Compressed Cathode Gas Diffusion Layer of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Hao Wang, Guogang Yang, Shian Li, Qiuwan Shen, Fengmin Su, Guoling Zhang, Zheng Li, Ziheng Jiang, Jiadong Liao and Juncai Sun
Crystals 2023, 13(10), 1430; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13101430 - 26 Sep 2023
Viewed by 734
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered a promising energy source in the field of transport and distributed power generation. Fundamental research into their key components is needed to improve PEMFC performance and accelerate commercialization. Binder addition and compression induced by assembly [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered a promising energy source in the field of transport and distributed power generation. Fundamental research into their key components is needed to improve PEMFC performance and accelerate commercialization. Binder addition and compression induced by assembly pressure can significantly change the microstructure of the gas diffusion layer and affect mass transport. A two-dimensional multicomponent lattice Boltzmann (LB) model considering the cathode electrochemical reaction was developed, and a GDL was reconstructed numerically and considering a binder structure. The effects of the binder and compression on mass transport and electrochemical performance within the GDL were investigated. The results showed that an increase in binder volume fraction led to more chain-like structures and closed pores that were unfavorable for mass transport. Compression increased the mass transfer resistance of the GDL in the region under the rib, leading to a decrease in oxygen concentration and local current density. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 21688 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Silver Nanocubes@Cobalt Ferrite/Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Electrochemical Water Splitting
by Ausrine Zabielaite, Olegas Eicher-Lorka, Zenonas Kuodis, Ramunas Levinas, Dijana Simkunaite, Loreta Tamasauskaite-Tamasiunaite and Eugenijus Norkus
Crystals 2023, 13(9), 1342; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13091342 - 2 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1150
Abstract
This study presents the synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its nanostructures with cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and silver nanocubes (Ag) when using the combined pyrolysis of melamine and the polyol method. The resulted nanostructures [...] Read more.
This study presents the synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its nanostructures with cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and silver nanocubes (Ag) when using the combined pyrolysis of melamine and the polyol method. The resulted nanostructures were tested as electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions in alkaline media. It was found that Ag@CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 showed the highest current density and gave the lowest overpotential of −259 mV for HER to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in a 1 M KOH. The overpotentials for reaching the current density of 10 mA·cm−2 for OER were 370.2 mV and 382.7 mV for Ag@CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 and CoFe2O4/g-C3N4, respectively. The above results demonstrated that CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 and Ag@CoFe2O4/g-C3N4 materials could act as bifunctional catalysts due to their notable performances and high stabilities toward hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER). Total water splitting in practical applications is a promising alternative to noble-metal-based electrocatalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems and Catalysis)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop