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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Nanomaterials for Energy Applications: Materials Synthesis, Device Fabrication, and Characterization
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Nanomaterials for Energy Applications: Materials Synthesis, Device Fabrication, and Characterization

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2024) | Viewed by 4919

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rasha Awni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Sciences, Tikrit University, Tikrit 34001, Iraq
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center of PV Innovation and Commercialization, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Interests: solar cells; device physics; electrical properties; capacitance spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yarub Al-Douri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
3. Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Interests: nanomaterials; nanoelectronics; nanobiosensors; renewable energy; computational physics; solar cells; metal oxides; optical studies
Dr. Mohammed Razooqi Alaani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center of PV Innovation and Commercialization, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Interests: thin-films; photovoltaics; optical properties; spectroscopic ellipsometry
Dr. Chongwen Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
The Edward S. Rogers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4, Canada
Interests: thin-film photovoltaics; tandem photovoltaics; solar water-splitting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the fundamental concerns of increasing energy consumption and diminishing energy resources, renewable energy development represents one of the significant scientific challenges of the 21st century. Recently, there have been promising results when combining renewable energy with nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Incorporating nanomaterials in different effective devices has played a significant role in developing the mechanisms of energy generation, harvesting, saving, and converting.

This Special Issue covers advancements of nanomaterials in the fields of nanotechnology, materials science, physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. Submissions will discuss a broad range of topics from nanomaterial synthesis to the simulation and design of energy devices that incorporate nanomaterials. Original research articles, review articles, or short communications on the development of solar cells, fuel cells, and conversion and storage devices are welcome. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Nanomaterial fabrication and characterization for renewable energies.
  • Nanostructures for sustainable applications.
  • Investigation of novel nanotechnologies.
  • Characterization of nanostructured surfaces and interfaces for energy conversion and harvesting devices.
  • Property–performance correlations for nanodevices for energy applications.
  • Modelling and simulation of nanostructured materials.

Dr. Rasha Awni
Prof. Dr. Yarub Al-Douri
Guest Editors

Dr. Mohammed Razooqi Alaani
Dr. Chongwen Li
Guest Editor Assistants

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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • nanomaterials
  • solar cells
  • inverted polymer
  • storage device
  • piezoelectric nanomaterials
  • liquid crystals
  • electrochemical microsupercapacitor
  • mesoporous materials
  • fuel cells
  • thermoelectric nanocomposites
  • solar water splitting
  • lithium batteries
  • biofuels

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2408 KiB  
Article
Nanograss-Assembled NiCo2S4 as an Efficient Platinum-Free Counter Electrode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
by Shada A. Alsharif
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(21), 2896; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13212896 - 2 Nov 2023
Viewed by 904
Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are often viewed as the potential future of photovoltaic systems and have garnered significant attention in solar energy research. In this groundbreaking research, we introduced a novel solvothermal method to fabricate a unique “grass-like” pattern on fluorine-doped tin oxide [...] Read more.
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are often viewed as the potential future of photovoltaic systems and have garnered significant attention in solar energy research. In this groundbreaking research, we introduced a novel solvothermal method to fabricate a unique “grass-like” pattern on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass (FTO), specifically designed for use as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) assemblies. Through rigorous structural and morphological evaluations, we ascertained the successful deposition of nickel cobalt sulfide (NCS) on the FTO surface, exhibiting the desired grass-like morphology. Electrocatalytic performance assessment of the developed NCS-1 showed results that intriguingly rivaled those of the acclaimed platinum catalyst, especially during the conversion of I3 to I− as observed through cyclic voltammetry. Remarkably, when integrated into a solar cell assembly, both NCS-1 and NCS-2 electrodes exhibited encouraging power conversion efficiencies of 6.60% and 6.29%, respectively. These results become particularly noteworthy when compared to the 7.19% efficiency of a conventional Pt-based electrode under similar testing conditions. Central to the performance of the NCS-1 and NCS-2 electrodes is their unique thin and sharp grass-like morphology. This structure, vividly showcased through scanning electron microscopy, provides a vast surface area and an abundance of catalytic sites, pivotal for the catalytic reactions involving the electrolytes in DSSCs. In summation, given their innovative synthesis approach, affordability, and remarkable electrocatalytic attributes, the newly developed NCS counter electrodes stand out as potent contenders in future dye-sensitized solar cell applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Energy Applications: Materials Synthesis, Device Fabrication, and Characterization)
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13 pages, 4081 KiB  
Article
Solvothermally Synthesized Hierarchical Aggregates of Anatase TiO2 Nanoribbons/Nanosheets and Their Photocatalytic–Photocurrent Activities
by Kadhim Al-Attafi, Hamza A. Mezher, Ali Faraj Hammadi, Amar Al-Keisy, Sameh Hamzawy, Hamzeh Qutaish and Jung Ho Kim
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(13), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13131940 - 26 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1777
Abstract
Hierarchical aggregates of anatase TiO2 nanoribbons/nanosheets (TiO2-NR) and anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) were produced through a one-step solvothermal reaction using acetic acid or ethanol and titanium isopropoxide as solvothermal reaction systems. The crystalline structure, crystalline phase, and [...] Read more.
Hierarchical aggregates of anatase TiO2 nanoribbons/nanosheets (TiO2-NR) and anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) were produced through a one-step solvothermal reaction using acetic acid or ethanol and titanium isopropoxide as solvothermal reaction systems. The crystalline structure, crystalline phase, and morphologies of synthesized materials were characterized using several techniques. According to our findings, both TiO2-NR and TiO2-NP were found to have polycrystalline structures, with pure anatase phases. TiO2-NR has a three-dimensional hierarchical structure made up of aggregates of TiO2 nanoribbons/nanosheets, while TiO2-NP has a nanoparticulate structure. The photocatalytic and photocurrent activities for TiO2-NR and TiO2-NP were investigated and compared with the widely used commercial TiO2 (P25), which consists of anatase/rutile TiO2 nanoparticles, as a reference material. Our findings showed that TiO2-NR has higher photocatalytic and photocurrent performance than TiO2-NP, which are both, in turn, higher than those of P25. Our developed solvothermal method was shown to produce a pure anatase TiO2 phase for both synthesized structures, without using any surfactants or any other assisted templates. This developed solvothermal approach, and its anatase TiO2 nanostructure output, has promising potential for a wide range of energy harvesting applications, such as water pollution treatment and solar cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Energy Applications: Materials Synthesis, Device Fabrication, and Characterization)
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18 pages, 4037 KiB  
Article
Use of Nickel Oxide Catalysts (Bunsenites) for In-Situ Hydrothermal Upgrading Process of Heavy Oil
by Jiménez Padilla Pedro Alonso, Richard Djimasbe, Rustem Zairov, Chengdong Yuan, Ameen A. Al-Muntaser, Alexey Stepanov, Guliya Nizameeva, Alexey Dovzhenko, Muneer A. Suwaid, Mikhail A. Varfolomeev and Almaz L. Zinnatullin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(8), 1351; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13081351 - 12 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
In this study, Nickel oxide-based catalysts (NixOx) were synthesized and used for the in-situ upgrading process of heavy crude oil (viscosity 2157 mPa·s, and API gravity of 14.1° at 25 °C) in aquathermolysis conditions for viscosity reduction and heavy [...] Read more.
In this study, Nickel oxide-based catalysts (NixOx) were synthesized and used for the in-situ upgrading process of heavy crude oil (viscosity 2157 mPa·s, and API gravity of 14.1° at 25 °C) in aquathermolysis conditions for viscosity reduction and heavy oil recovery. All characterizations of the obtained nanoparticles catalysts (NixOx) were performed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-Ray and Diffraction (XRD), and ASAP 2400 analyzer from Micromeritics (USA), methods. Experiments of catalytic and non-catalytic upgrading processes were carried out in a discontinuous reactor at a temperature of 300 °C and 72 bars for 24 h and 2% of catalyst ratio to the total weight of heavy crude oil. XRD analysis revealed that the use of nanoparticles of NiO significantly participated in the upgrading processes (by desulfurization) where different activated form catalysts were observed, such as α-NiS, β-NiS, Ni3S4, Ni9S8, and NiO. The results of viscosity analysis, elemental analysis, and 13C NMR analysis revealed that the viscosity of heavy crude oil decreased from 2157 to 800 mPa·s, heteroatoms removal from heavy oil ranged from S—4.28% to 3.32% and N—0.40% to 0.37%, and total content of fractions (ΣC8–C25) increased from 59.56% to a maximum of 72.21%, with catalyst-3 thank to isomerization of normal and cyclo-alkanes and dealkylation of lateral chains of aromatics structures, respectively. Moreover, the obtained nanoparticles showed good selectivity, promoting in-situ hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions, and hydrogen redistribution over carbons (H/C) is improved, ranging from 1.48 to a maximum of 1.77 in sample catalyst-3. On the other hand, the use of nanoparticle catalysts have also impacted the hydrogen production, where the H2/CO provided from the water gas shift reaction has increased. Nickel oxide catalysts have the potential for in-situ hydrothermal upgrading of heavy crude oil because of their great potential to catalyze the aquathermolysis reactions in the presence of steam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Energy Applications: Materials Synthesis, Device Fabrication, and Characterization)
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