Key Electrode Materials for Batteries and Supercapacitors
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1351
Special Issue Editors
Interests: nanomaterials; synthesis; characterization; catalysis; supercapacitor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: renewable energy; photo-/electro-catalysts; nanosensing; mechanical response; electron microscopy; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the 21st century, the escalating global demand for energy, coupled with increasingly severe environmental concerns, has underscored the urgent need for efficient and environmentally friendly energy storage solutions. Batteries and supercapacitors are two kinds of primary energy storage devices, each offering unique advantages in energy density, power density, cycle life, and cost-effectiveness. Batteries are excellent for storing large amounts of energy for gradual release, making them ideal for applications such as electric vehicles and large-scale grid energy storage that require sustained power delivery. On the other hand, supercapacitors stand out in rapid charging and discharging, along with a long cycle life, making them suitable for applications that demand quick power output and fast charging, such as urban traffic signal systems and portable electronic devices.
The advancement of battery technology relies heavily on innovations in novel electrode materials, electrolytes, separators, and other components, especially electrode materials. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), renowned for their high energy density and long cycle life, have found widespread applications in consumer electronics and electric vehicles. Currently, the commercial lithium-ion batteries primarily utilize graphite as the anode material and layered oxides as the cathode material. To further enhance battery performance, researchers are exploring novel anode materials including silicon-based materials, as well as cathode materials such as nickel-rich layered oxides, lithium iron phosphate, and solid-state electrolytes. Additionally, sodium-ion batteries have garnered significant attention as a potential low-cost alternative, due to their chemical similarity to LIBs and more abundant and cost-effective resources.
Supercapacitors, also known as electric double-layer capacitors or ultracapacitors, are renowned for their rapid charging and discharging capabilities and long cycle life. Supercapacitors primarily consist of two electrodes, an electrolyte, and a separator, with their performance heavily dependent on the electrode materials to enhance their specific capacitance and power density. While traditional supercapacitors utilize activated carbon as the electrode material, recent research has surged on nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and low-dimensional transition metal oxides and hydroxides. These nanomaterials offer significantly higher specific surface area and conductivity, enabling a substantial enhancement in energy density without sacrificing the inherent power characteristics of the supercapacitors.
Additionally, to overcome the limitations of single-component electrode materials, researchers have been dedicated to developing functional composite electrode materials. For instance, combining high-capacity metal oxides with highly conductive carbon materials can enhance the energy storage capability of the electrode while maintaining good conductivity. Moreover, modifying the microstructure of electrode materials, such as constructing porous structures or introducing heteroatom doping, can effectively improve their electrochemical performance. These strategies are applicable both to batteries and supercapacitor design.
With advancements in materials science, the development of novel electrode materials and the improvement of existing ones have enabled significant performance enhancements in both batteries and supercapacitors. These technological innovations will not only revolutionize the energy storage field but also contribute significantly to the transformation and sustainability of the global energy system.
Dr. Jin Jia
Prof. Dr. Yucheng Lan
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- battery
- supercapacitor
- electrode material
- energy storage
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