Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.2
4.3
Journals
Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Advanced Applications of Nanomaterials in Electrocatalysis and Batteries
share announcement

Advanced Applications of Nanomaterials in Electrocatalysis and Batteries

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2166

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qingsong Hua

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics and Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: water splitting; energy storage and conversion; hydrogen generation; fuel cells
Dr. Zhaoqiang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Beam Technology and Energy Materials, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100091, China
Interests: solid-state batteries; energy storage and conversion; oxygen electrocatalysis; metal-air batteries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qiang Pang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Interests: energy conversion; solid-state; catalyst
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global pursuit of sustainable energy solutions has intensified research efforts in electrocatalysis and advanced battery technologies—two cornerstones of modern energy conversion and storage systems. Electrocatalysis plays a pivotal role in processes like water splitting for green hydrogen production and oxygen reduction in fuel cells, while batteries address the growing demand for grid-scale energy storage and portable electronics. Nanomaterials, with their unique high surface area, tunable electronic structures, and enhanced mass transport properties, have emerged as game-changers in overcoming the performance limitations of traditional catalysts and battery materials. This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research that leverages nanoscale engineering to push the boundaries of both fields. It seeks to bring together original articles, reviews, and perspectives from interdisciplinary teams, fostering knowledge exchange and accelerating the translation of fundamental discoveries into practical energy technologies.

The scope of this Special Issue encompasses a broad range of topics across electrocatalysis and batteries. In electrocatalysis, contributions may focus on the design and synthesis of nanostructured catalysts for key reactions (HER, OER, ORR, CO₂RR), emphasizing structure–activity relationships, mechanism elucidation, and stability enhancement via strategies like heterostructure construction, defect engineering, and doping. For batteries, submissions could explore nanomaterial applications in electrode materials (e.g., high-capacity anode composites, sulfur cathodes with polysulfide trapping) and electrolyte components (e.g., nanoscale solid electrolytes, ion-conducting additives), alongside advanced characterization techniques to decode ion transport and interfacial phenomena. By highlighting innovative nanomaterial designs, scalable fabrication methods, and real-world performance validation, this Special Issue will serve as a critical resource for researchers and industry professionals dedicated to advancing sustainable energy systems. We invite authors to share groundbreaking work that drives the development of high-efficiency, durable, and cost-effective energy technologies powered by nanomaterials. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Nanostructured catalysts for key electrocatalytic reactions (HER, OER, ORR, CO₂RR);
  • Structure–activity relationships and mechanism elucidation of nanocatalysts;
  • Stability enhancement of nanocatalysts via heterostructuring, defect engineering, or doping;
  • Nanomaterial applications in battery electrode materials (high-capacity anodes, sulfur cathodes);
  • Nanoscale electrolyte components for advanced batteries (solid electrolytes, ion-conducting additives);
  • Advanced characterization of ion transport and interfacial phenomena in nanomaterial-based batteries.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Qingsong Hua
Dr. Zhaoqiang Li
Dr. Qiang Pang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 2400 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
  • electrocatalysis
  • battery technologies
  • sustainable energy conversion and storage
  • nanoscale engineering

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 4225 KB  
Article
Efficient Regeneration of Degraded LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 by Acid Etching–Hydrothermal Relithiation Coupled with Li4Ti5O12 Coating
by Jiwei Hao, Longwei Liang, Jiawei Mu, Zhenyuan Xie, Hongqiang Xi, Linrui Hou and Changzhou Yuan
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(10), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16100585 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 368
Abstract
With the growing global demand for sustainable resources, recycling spent lithium-ion batteries has become a strategic priority. Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods suffer from high energy consumption, severe pollution, and structural destruction, making them unsuitable for regenerating high-nickel cathodes. In this work, spent [...] Read more.
With the growing global demand for sustainable resources, recycling spent lithium-ion batteries has become a strategic priority. Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods suffer from high energy consumption, severe pollution, and structural destruction, making them unsuitable for regenerating high-nickel cathodes. In this work, spent polycrystalline high-nickel LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 cathodes were selected, and an upcycling strategy integrating acid etching, hydrothermal relithiation, short-time annealing, and simultaneous Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) coating was developed. This process directly transformed degraded polycrystalline cathodes into single-crystal cathode materials with excellent structural stability and electrochemical performance. During regeneration, lithium compensation and lattice recrystallization effectively repaired lithium loss, reduced Li/Ni cation mixing, reactivated the degraded structure, and reconstructed a highly ordered layered single-crystal framework. The LTO coating further stabilized the cathode/electrolyte interface, suppressed side reactions, alleviated volume strain, and promoted Li+ transport kinetics. Electrochemical measurements showed that the regenerated single-crystal cathode exhibited superior structural integrity, strong resistance to crack propagation, low polarization, excellent rate capability, and long-term cycling stability. A capacity retention of 84.3% was achieved after 300 cycles at 1C, outperforming commercial polycrystalline cathodes. This strategy provides an efficient and promising route for the direct regeneration of spent high-nickel ternary cathodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanomaterials in Electrocatalysis and Batteries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2945 KB  
Article
Effect of Platinum Content on Properties of CNT-Supported Pt–Mo Catalyst for Ethanol Electrooxidation Reaction
by Oleg Korchagin, Marina Radina, Alexey Kuzov, Vladimir Andreev and Andzhela Bulanova
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(9), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16090552 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 913
Abstract
The CNT-supported nanodispersed Pt–Mo catalysts for the ethanol electrooxidation reaction in the alkaline solution are synthesized and their characteristics are studied. Based on the XPS studies in a wide range of platinum content (10–40 wt %), it is found that in the composition [...] Read more.
The CNT-supported nanodispersed Pt–Mo catalysts for the ethanol electrooxidation reaction in the alkaline solution are synthesized and their characteristics are studied. Based on the XPS studies in a wide range of platinum content (10–40 wt %), it is found that in the composition of the catalysts, platinum is predominantly in the metallic state, and molybdenum is in the hexavalent form, probably in the form of MoO3 oxide. According to the XRD and electrochemical studies, the Pt/CNT and PtMo/CNT catalysts with equal platinum contents (~20 wt %) are characterized by similar platinum crystallite sizes (5–10 nm) and electrochemically accessible surface areas (23–26 m2/gPt). This indicates that platinum is not shielded by the molybdenum compounds. When the platinum content increases above 20 wt %, the Pt:Mo atomic ratio increases (the nominal ratio is 1:1), which may be due to the decoration of molybdenum oxide with platinum nanoparticles. A study of the kinetics of the ethanol electrooxidation reaction showed that the activity of the PtMo/CNT system is higher than that of the Pt/CNT catalyst. However, the efficiency of platinum use decreases as its content in the PtMo/CNT system increases from 10 to 40 wt %. On the other hand, the systems containing 20–40 wt % Pt exhibit the highest activity per unit catalyst weight, making them very promising for use as a component of the anode active layer of a fuel cell. The tests of the alkaline ethanol fuel cell based on the synthesized catalysts show the maximum power density of 29 mW/cm2, which corresponds to the level of the best literature parameters under similar experimental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanomaterials in Electrocatalysis and Batteries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3130 KB  
Article
Noble Metal-Doped Perovskite–GO Hybrids as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Water Electrolysis
by Bogdan-Ovidiu Taranu, Paula Svera, Doru Buzatu, Maria Poienar and Paula Sfirloaga
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(2), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16020107 - 14 Jan 2026
Viewed by 581
Abstract
Water electrolysis using electricity generated from renewable sources is a promising approach for producing green hydrogen. However, this process requires the development of electrocatalysts that are not only highly active and durable but also low-cost. Considerable efforts are being directed toward discovering and [...] Read more.
Water electrolysis using electricity generated from renewable sources is a promising approach for producing green hydrogen. However, this process requires the development of electrocatalysts that are not only highly active and durable but also low-cost. Considerable efforts are being directed toward discovering and optimizing such materials, and this study contributes to the ongoing research in this area. In this work, three novel LaMnO3 perovskite–graphene oxide hybrids—namely LaMnO3/GO, Ag-doped LaMnO3/GO, and Pd-doped LaMnO3/GO—were synthesized and investigated for their electrocatalytic activity in water electrolysis under strongly alkaline conditions. To the best of our knowledge, these hybrid materials have not been previously reported in the context of electrocatalytic water splitting. Among the electrodes fabricated and tested for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the one based on a catalyst ink containing Pd-doped LaMnO3/GO mixed with carbon black showed the best performance, achieving a low overpotential of 0.385 V at a current density of −10 mA/cm2. It also demonstrated good stability in the alkaline electrolyte and exhibited a Tafel slope of 0.34 V. These findings highlight the potential of the studied materials as effective and previously unreported electrocatalysts for water splitting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanomaterials in Electrocatalysis and Batteries)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop