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Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition
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Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 6562

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Liwen Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: electrochemical energy storage; materials science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianjun Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 189 Songling Road, Qingdao 266101, China
Interests: solid-state lithium/sodium batteries; polymer electrolytes; separators; in situ polymerization; interfacial chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to cope with the energy crisis and with environmental pollution, countries have accelerated the establishment of a new energy system, dominated by renewable energy sources such as wind, water, and solar power. The rechargeable battery will be a core piece of storage and supply energy equipment on account of its high efficiency in energy storage and conversion based on chemical reactions. At present, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) equipped with graphite electrodes have dominated the global energy storage market, but their practical energy density has reached theoretical limits and still cannot satisfy the future market demand. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop new rechargeable battery systems with higher energy densities. However, enabling the practical application of new battery systems calls for an improved understanding and utilization of the chemical reactions in batteries—for example, the effect of metal anode–electrolyte interface chemistry on the growth of dendrites in metal-based batteries, and the mechanism and kinetics of cathodic oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) processes in the presence of catalysts in metal-oxygen batteries.

In this Special Issue, we wish to cover the most recent advances in battery chemistry for different rechargeable battery systems by hosting a mix of original research articles and reviews. The topics of interest for this Special Issue include (but are not restricted to) the following:

  • Electrochemical reactions in rechargeable batteries;
  • Surface/interface chemistry of metal-based rechargeable batteries;
  • Electrocatalytic reactions in metal–sulfur batteries;
  • Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes in metal–oxygen batteries;
  • Quantum chemistry methods in the study of rechargeable batteries;
  • Materials chemistry (e.g., solid electrolytes) for advanced rechargeable batteries.

Dr. Liwen Tan
Dr. Jianjun Zhang
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. 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

  • electrochemistry
  • surface/interface chemistry
  • electrocatalytic reaction
  • oxygen reduction reaction
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • quantum chemistry
  • materials chemistry
  • rechargeable batteries

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8075 KiB  
Article
Highly Efficient and Stable Mn-Co1.29Ni1.71O4 Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Water Electrolysis: Atomic Doping Strategy for Enhanced OER and HER Performance
by Yijia Cheng, Xingyan Guo, Zhizheng Ma, Kehan Dong, Lihua Miao and Shuai Du
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1162; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051162 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 672
Abstract
Water electrolysis for hydrogen production has garnered significant attention due to its advantages of high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and abundant resources. Developing cost-effective, efficient, and stable materials for water electrolysis is therefore crucial. In this work, we synthesized a series of highly efficient [...] Read more.
Water electrolysis for hydrogen production has garnered significant attention due to its advantages of high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and abundant resources. Developing cost-effective, efficient, and stable materials for water electrolysis is therefore crucial. In this work, we synthesized a series of highly efficient multifunctional Mn-Co1.29Ni1.71O4 electrocatalysts through an atomic doping strategy for alkaline electrocatalysts. The unique structure features and large specific surface area of these catalysts provide abundant active sites. The Mn-Co1.29Ni1.71O4 catalysts exhibit an excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, with an overpotential of 334.3 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and 373.3 mV at 30 mA cm−2. Additionally, the catalysts also demonstrate a Tafel slope of 76.7 mV dec−1 and outstanding durability. As hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts, it shows an overpotential of 203.5 mV at −10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 113.6 mV dec−1. When the catalysts can be utilized for the overall water splitting, the catalyst requires a decomposition voltage of 1.96 V at 50 mA cm−2. These results indicate that the high catalytic activity and stability of Mn-Co1.29Ni1.71O4 samples make it a highly promising candidate for industrial-scale applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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10 pages, 1838 KiB  
Article
Development of Zn-CoS@Ni(OH)2 Heterostructured Nanosheets for High-Performance Supercapacitors
by Hengxu Cheng, Jian Wang, Shiwei Song, Meizhen Dai, Yucai Li, Dong Zhang and Depeng Zhao
Molecules 2024, 29(24), 6022; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29246022 - 20 Dec 2024
Viewed by 542
Abstract
With the increasing societal demand for sustainable and renewable energy, supercapacitors have become research hotspots. Transition metal oxides, due to their high capacitance and abundant resources, are the preferred electrode materials. However, their poor conductivity and volume changes limit performance enhancement. Therefore, the [...] Read more.
With the increasing societal demand for sustainable and renewable energy, supercapacitors have become research hotspots. Transition metal oxides, due to their high capacitance and abundant resources, are the preferred electrode materials. However, their poor conductivity and volume changes limit performance enhancement. Therefore, the development of heterogeneous structure electrode materials has become an important research direction. In this study, Zn-CoS@Ni(OH)2-1 nanosheets were synthesized on a nickel foam substrate via a three-step hydrothermal synthesis method, exhibiting excellent capacitance performance. In terms of capacitance, the material achieved a specific capacitance of 624 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. When assembled into an asymmetric supercapacitor with Active Carbon materials, the device demonstrated an energy density of 35.4 Wh kg−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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10 pages, 2989 KiB  
Article
Rational Design of V−ZnCo2O4 Nanowires on Nickel Foam: Achieving Superior Capacitance and Mechanical Resilience
by Yucai Li, Shiwei Song, Meizhen Dai, Jian Wang, Yunjie Ke, Dong Zhang, Wenjun Liu and Guan Luo
Molecules 2024, 29(23), 5738; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29235738 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 560
Abstract
The structural characteristics of electrode materials play a crucial role in their potential applications. Therefore, designing the material’s structure rationally is one of the most effective methods to achieve high-performance electrodes. In this study, V−ZnCo2O4 nanowires were synthesized on nickel [...] Read more.
The structural characteristics of electrode materials play a crucial role in their potential applications. Therefore, designing the material’s structure rationally is one of the most effective methods to achieve high-performance electrodes. In this study, V−ZnCo2O4 nanowires were synthesized on nickel foam using a simple hydrothermal method, and the prepared V−ZnCo2O4−2 electrode material exhibited a specific capacitance of 1621 C g−1. The potential applications of the prepared material were evaluated through device assembly, using V−ZnCo2O4−2 as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode. The resulting device delivered an energy density of 127.5 Wh/kg, with a corresponding power density of 2700 W/kg. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the device were assessed, revealing that after multiple bends at different angles, the shape of the device remained well-preserved, further confirming its excellent mechanical stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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12 pages, 3818 KiB  
Article
Optimizing the Ratio of Metallic and Single-Atom Co in CoNC via Annealing Temperature Modulation for Enhanced Bifunctional Oxygen Evolution Reaction/Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity
by Hengxu Cheng, Haojie Sun, Meizhen Dai, Yucai Li, Jian Wang, Shiwei Song, Dong Zhang and Depeng Zhao
Molecules 2024, 29(23), 5721; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29235721 - 4 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 801
Abstract
Developing low-cost, efficient alternatives to catalysts for bifunctional oxygen electrode catalysis in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for advancing the practical applications of alkaline fuel cells. In this study, Co particles and single atoms co-loaded on [...] Read more.
Developing low-cost, efficient alternatives to catalysts for bifunctional oxygen electrode catalysis in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for advancing the practical applications of alkaline fuel cells. In this study, Co particles and single atoms co-loaded on nitrogen-doped carbon (CoNC) were synthesized via pyrolysis of a C3N4 and cobalt nitrate mixture at varying temperatures (900, 950, and 1000 °C). The pyrolysis temperature and precursor ratios were found to significantly influence the ORR/OER performance of the resulting catalysts. The optimized CoNC-950 catalyst demonstrated exceptional ORR (E1/2 = 0.85 V) and OER (Ej10 = 320 mV) activities, surpassing commercial Pt/C + RuO2-based devices when used in a rechargeable zinc–air battery. This work presents an effective strategy for designing high-performance non-precious metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for alkaline environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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14 pages, 4457 KiB  
Article
Calcium Alginate Fibers/Boron Nitride Composite Lithium-Ion Battery Separators with Excellent Thermal Stability and Cycling Performance
by Xing Tian, Hailing Shi, Linfeng Wang, Lupeng Shao and Liwen Tan
Molecules 2024, 29(22), 5311; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29225311 - 11 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1326
Abstract
As one of the most critical components in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), commercial polyolefin separators suffer from drawbacks such as poor thermal stability and the inability to inhibit the growth of dendrites, which seriously threaten the safety of LIBs. In this study, we prepared [...] Read more.
As one of the most critical components in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), commercial polyolefin separators suffer from drawbacks such as poor thermal stability and the inability to inhibit the growth of dendrites, which seriously threaten the safety of LIBs. In this study, we prepared calcium alginate fiber/boron nitride-compliant separators (CA@BN) through paper-making technology and the surface coating method using calcium alginate fiber and boron nitride. The CA@BN had favorable electrolyte wettability, flame retardancy, and thermal dimensional stability of the biomass fiber separator. Meanwhile, the boron nitride coating provided excellent thermal conductivity and mechanical strength for the composite separator, which inhibited the growth of lithium dendrites and enabled lithium-ion symmetric batteries to achieve more than 1000 stable and long cycles at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2. The interwoven fiber mesh formed by the boron nitride coating and the calcium alginate provided multiple pathways for ion migration, which enhanced the storage capacity of the electrolyte, improved the interfacial compatibility between the separator and the electrode, widened the window of electrochemical stability, and enhanced ionic migration. This eco-friendly bio-based separator paves a new insight for the design of heat-resistance separators as well as the safe running of LIBs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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10 pages, 2686 KiB  
Article
Improved Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Dealloying Fe75−xCoxSi12.5B12.5 Electrocatalyst
by Si-Cheng Zhong, Zhe Cui, Jia Li, Guang-Run Tian, Zhong-Hong Zhou, Hong-Fei Jiao, Jie-Fu Xiong, Li-Chen Wang, Jun Xiang, Fu-Fa Wu and Rong-Da Zhao
Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4130; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174130 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 930
Abstract
The electrocatalytic performance of a Fe65Co10Si12.5B12.5 Fe-based compounds toward alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is enhanced by dealloying. The dealloying process produced a large number of nanosheets on the surface of NS-Fe65Co10Si [...] Read more.
The electrocatalytic performance of a Fe65Co10Si12.5B12.5 Fe-based compounds toward alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is enhanced by dealloying. The dealloying process produced a large number of nanosheets on the surface of NS-Fe65Co10Si12.5B12.5, which greatly increased the specific surface area of the electrode. When the dealloying time is 3 h, the overpotential of NS-Fe65Co10Si12.5B12.5 is only 175.1 mV at 1.0 M KOH and 10 mA cm−2, while under the same conditions, the overpotential of Fe65Co10Si12.5B12.5 is 215 mV, which is reduced. In addition, dealloying treated electrodes also show better HER performance than un-dealloying treated electrodes. With the increase in Co doping amount, the overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction decreases, and the hydrogen evolution activity is the best when the addition amount of Co is 10%. This work not only provides a basic understanding of the relationship between surface activity and the dealloying of HER catalysts, but also paves a new way for doping transition metal elements in Fe-based electrocatalysts working in alkaline media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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13 pages, 4233 KiB  
Article
Rational Design of Flexible, Self-Supporting, and Binder-Free Prussian White/KetjenBlack/MXene Composite Electrode for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Boosted Electrochemical Performance
by Xiaowen Dai, Jingyun Chun, Xiaolong Wang, Tianao Xv, Zhengran Wang, Chuanliang Wei and Jinkui Feng
Molecules 2024, 29(13), 3048; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29133048 - 27 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1176
Abstract
Due to their cost-effectiveness, abundant resources, and suitable working potential, sodium-ion batteries are anticipated to establish themselves as a leading technology in the realm of grid energy storage. However, sodium-ion batteries still encounter challenges, including issues related to low energy density and constrained [...] Read more.
Due to their cost-effectiveness, abundant resources, and suitable working potential, sodium-ion batteries are anticipated to establish themselves as a leading technology in the realm of grid energy storage. However, sodium-ion batteries still encounter challenges, including issues related to low energy density and constrained cycling performance. In this study, a self-supported electrode composed of Prussian white/KetjenBlack/MXene (TK−PW) is proposed. In the TK−PW electrode, the MXene layer is coated with Prussian white nanoparticles and KetjenBlack with high conductivity, which is conducive to rapid Na+ dynamics and effectively alleviates the expansion of the electrode. Notably, the electrode preparation method is uncomplicated and economically efficient, enabling large-scale production. Electrochemical testing demonstrates that the TK−PW electrode retains 74.9% of capacity after 200 cycles, with a discharge capacity of 69.7 mAh·g−1 at 1000 mA·g−1. Furthermore, a full cell is constructed, employing a hard carbon anode and TK−PW cathode to validate the practical application potential of the TK−PW electrode. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Battery Chemistry: Recent Advances and Future Opportunities, the Second Edition)
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