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Materials for Emerging Electrochemical Devices—2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 2275

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Centro de Química e Departamento de Química, Universidade do Minho, Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Interests: solid polymer electrolytes; natural polymers; batteries; smart windows; electrochromic devices
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is a growing demand for electrochemical devices, such as displays, smart windows, sensors, capacitors, fuel cells, solar cells, and batteries, all of which are becoming more and more sophisticated. These devices have to be powerful enough to meet the technological advances and the development we are witnessing today, and, as such, they require an innovative vision for new materials and concepts.

Despite the potential high impact and applications for electrochemical devices, the problems with their materials’ development (electrodes, electrolytes, passivation, etc.), reliability, safety, and the possibility of integrating them into complex systems remain clear challenges. We invite authors to submit original research and review articles that seek to address the current limitations related to some of the abovementioned challenges. We are interested in articles that explore aspects concerning novel materials, new methods for preparation and characterization, environmental friendliness, low cost, etc.

Dr. Maria Manuela Silva
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. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • solid-state devices
  • batteries
  • electrochromic devices
  • smart windows
  • electrochemical devices

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 3948 KiB  
Article
Self-Standing Carbon Fiber Electrodes Doped with Pd Nanoparticles as Electrocatalysts in Zinc–Air Batteries
by Cristian Daniel Jaimes-Paez, Miguel García-Rollán, Francisco José García-Mateos, Ramiro Ruiz-Rosas, Juana M. Rosas, José Rodríguez-Mirasol, Tomás Cordero, Emilia Morallón and Diego Cazorla-Amorós
Molecules 2025, 30(12), 2487; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30122487 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 211
Abstract
In this work, the effect of the palladium precursor on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) performance of lignin-based electrospun carbon fibers was studied. The fibers were spun from a lignin-ethanol solution free of any binder, where different Pd salts were added at two [...] Read more.
In this work, the effect of the palladium precursor on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) performance of lignin-based electrospun carbon fibers was studied. The fibers were spun from a lignin-ethanol solution free of any binder, where different Pd salts were added at two concentration levels. The system implemented to perform the spinning was a coaxial setup in which the internal flow contains the precursor dispersion with the metallic precursor, and ethanol was used as external flow to help fiber formation and prevent drying before generating the Taylor cone. The obtained cloths were thermostabilized in air at 200 °C and carbonized in nitrogen at 900 °C. The resulting carbon fibers were characterized by physicochemical and electrochemical techniques. The palladium precursor significantly affects nanoparticle distribution and size, fiber diameter, pore distribution, surface area and electrochemical behavior. The fibers prepared with palladium acetylacetonate at high Pd loading and carbonized at 900 °C under a CO2 atmosphere showed high mechanical stability and the best ORR activity, showing near total selectivity towards the 4-electron path. These features are comparable to those of the commercial Pt/C catalyst but much lower metal loading (10.6 wt.% vs. 20 wt.%). The most promising fibers have been evaluated as cathodes in a zinc–air battery, delivering astonishing stability results that surpassed the performance of commercial Pt/C materials in both charging and discharging processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Emerging Electrochemical Devices—2nd Edition)
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Review

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24 pages, 4926 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Fabrication of Pinhole-Free Thin Films Based on Electrodeposition Technology: Theory, Methods and Progress
by Zike Gao, Yuze Jiang, Yao Meng, Minshu Du and Feng Liu
Molecules 2024, 29(23), 5615; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29235615 - 27 Nov 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1623
Abstract
Pinhole defects in thin films can significantly degrade their physical and chemical properties and act as sites for electrochemical corrosion. Therefore, the development of methods for the preparation of pinhole-free films is crucial. Electrodeposition, recognised for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, shows great potential [...] Read more.
Pinhole defects in thin films can significantly degrade their physical and chemical properties and act as sites for electrochemical corrosion. Therefore, the development of methods for the preparation of pinhole-free films is crucial. Electrodeposition, recognised for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, shows great potential for applications in electrochemistry, biosensors, solar cells and electronic device fabrication. This review aims to elucidate the role of nucleation and growth models in understanding and optimising the electrodeposition process. Key parameters, such as crystal structure, orientation, surface morphology and defect control, are highlighted. In addition, the causes of pinhole defects, the effects of impurities and the potential and electrolyte composition on the deposited films are discussed. In particular, methods for minimising pinhole defects and two exemplary cases for a compact layer in relatively large-scale perovskite solar cells and nano-scale ultramicroelectrodes are discussed, exploring the influence of surface morphology, thickness and fabrication size under current common film preparation experiments. Finally, the critical aspects of controlled preparation, theoretical and technological advances, and the ongoing challenges in the field are provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Emerging Electrochemical Devices—2nd Edition)
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