Nanotechnology in Renewable Energy

Dear Colleagues,

The demand for energy, globally, is expected to double to 28 terawatts in about 30 years time. In that time, increasing energy efficiency and developing clean energy sources to protect our environment will become more pronounced. Nanotechnology presents exciting and necessary approaches to address these challenges, while also retaining our energy security. For example, in rechargeable batteries:

1. Nanostructured carbons and ceramics may improve the reliability and lifetime of electrodes.
2. Nanoparticles may be superior to sulphur in encouraging lithium or sodium transport during charge-discharge cycles.
3. Tin sulphide and other 2D nanosheet materials may prove useful compared to nanostructured carbons for better sodium uptake and release characteristics.
4. Specific nanoparticles may be capable of bi-functional catalysis, namely oxygen reduction and evolution, in metal-air batteries.

Nanoscale phenomena of relevance include the rudimentary steps of energy conversion, such as charge transfer, molecular rearrangement, and chemical reactions. The development of new nanoscale materials, and the methods to characterize, manipulate, and assemble them, enable the development of potent energy technologies. Contributions are solicited in but not limited to contemporary or futuristic nanotechnology for:

1. Scalable methods to split water with sunlight for hydrogen production
2. Highly selective catalysts for clean and energy-efficient manufacturing
3. Harvesting solar energy
4. Solid-state lighting
5. Reversible hydrogen storage materials
6. Fuel cells, batteries, thermoelectrics, and ultra-capacitors

Prof. Dr. Muralidharan Paramsothy
Guest Editor

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