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Functional Applications of Nanomaterials in the Fields of Energy and Photonics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 5464

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mauro Falconieri

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Guest Editor

ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, via Anguillarese 301,00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: spectroscopy; functional characterization of nanomaterials; nonlinear optics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since their first appearance on the scientific scene, nanomaterials have held great promise to perform novel functions or to increase the performances of devices in several technological key sectors, and particularly those related to light–matter interaction. At present, after several years of research and development in nanotechnology and characterization methods, some of the conceived functionalities have been definitely assessed and have eventually found their way into real-world applications. At the same time, novel concerns and sensibilities have sprouted, such as those related to nanomaterials’ safety, as well as the importance of replacing toxic or rare materials with ecofriendly and sustainable ones.

The aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the assessment of nanomaterials’ functionalities in the fields of energy harvesting and conversion and in the adjoining field of photonics, as well as to display the most recent advancements in these fields, from both experimental and theoretical points of view. Given the strong interconnection and interplay between components in modern energy plants, energy storage will also be addressed. Contributions from both the academic and industrial worlds are welcome to emphasize the necessity of a common approach in such socially relevant themes.

Dr. Mauro Falconieri
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. 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 for photovoltaic energy harvesting
nanostructured electrodes for solar cells
plasmonic-enhanced light coupling
nanomaterials for photoelectrolysis
nanomaterials for hydrogen storage
nanofluids and nanocomposites for thermal energy storage and transport
nanostructured electrodes for batteries and accumulators
ecofriendly nanomaterials for lighting
nanoceramics for photonic devices
near-field photonics
quantum-dot light emitters
nanomaterials for nonlinear optical devices
graphene-based optical devices

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2421 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Sustainable Synthesis of Sulfur-Single Walled Carbon Nanohorns Composite for Long Cycle Life Lithium-Sulfur Battery

by Eleonora Venezia, Pejman Salimi, Susana Chauque and Remo Proietti Zaccaria

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 3933; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12223933 - 8 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1320

Abstract

Lithium–sulfur batteries are considered one of the most appealing technologies for next-generation energy-storage devices. However, the main issues impeding market breakthrough are the insulating property of sulfur and the lithium-polysulfide shuttle effect, which cause premature cell failure. To face this challenge, we employed an easy and sustainable evaporation method enabling the encapsulation of elemental sulfur within carbon nanohorns as hosting material. This synthesis process resulted in a morphology capable of ameliorating the shuttle effect and improving the electrode conductivity. The electrochemical characterization of the sulfur–carbon nanohorns active material revealed a remarkable cycle life of 800 cycles with a stable capacity of 520 mA h/g for the first 400 cycles at C/4, while reaching a value around 300 mAh/g at the 750th cycle. These results suggest sulfur–carbon nanohorn active material as a potential candidate for next-generation battery technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Applications of Nanomaterials in the Fields of Energy and Photonics)

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15 pages, 3586 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hard Carbons for Use as Electrodes in Li-S and Li-ion Batteries

by Alfonso Pozio, Mariasole Di Carli, Annalisa Aurora, Mauro Falconieri, Livia Della Seta and Pier Paolo Prosini

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1349; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12081349 - 14 Apr 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2122

Abstract

Activated hard carbons, obtained from the pyrolysis of various waste biomasses, were prepared and characterized for use as the active material for the fabrication of battery electrodes. The preparation consisted of a pyrolysis process, followed by an activation with KOH and a further high-temperature thermal process. TG and DTA were used to discriminate the steps of the activation process, while SEM, XRD, and Raman characterization were employed to evaluate the effects of activation. The activated carbons were tested as electrodes in lithium-sulfur and lithium-ion batteries. The carbonaceous materials coming from cherry stones and walnut shells have proved to be particularly suitable as electrode components. When used as anodes in lithium-ion batteries, both carbons exhibited a high first cycle discharge capacity, which was not restored during the next charge. After the first two cycles, in which there was a marked loss of capacity, both electrodes showed good reversibility. When used as cathodes in lithium-sulfur batteries, both carbons exhibited good catalytic activity against the redox reaction involving sulfur species with good cycle stability and satisfactory Coulombic efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Applications of Nanomaterials in the Fields of Energy and Photonics)

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Review

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20 pages, 4213 KiB

Open AccessReview

Analysis of the Effect of Graphene, Metal, and Metal Oxide Transparent Electrodes on the Performance of Organic Optoelectronic Devices

by Ziqiang Chen, Zhenyu Wang, Jintao Wang, Shuming Chen, Buyue Zhang, Ye Li, Long Yuan and Yu Duan

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010025 - 21 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1447

Abstract

Transparent electrodes (TEs) are important components in organic optoelectronic devices. ITO is the mostly applied TE material, which is costly and inferior in mechanical performance, and could not satisfy the versatile need for the next generation of transparent optoelectronic devices. Recently, many new TE materials emerged to try to overcome the deficiency of ITO, including graphene, ultrathin metal, and oxide-metal-oxide structure. By finely control of the fabrication techniques, the main properties of conductivity, transmittance, and mechanical stability, have been studied in the literatures, and their applicability in the potential optoelectronic devices has been reported. Herein, in this work, we summarized the recent progress of the TE materials applied in optoelectronic devices by focusing on the fabrication, properties, such as Graphene, ultra-thin metal film, and metal oxide and performance. The advantages and insufficiencies of these materials as TEs have been summarized and the future development aspects have been pointed out to guide the design and fabrication TE materials in the next generation of transparent optoelectronic devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Applications of Nanomaterials in the Fields of Energy and Photonics)

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31 pages, 3936 KiB

Open AccessReview

On the Morphology of Nanostructured TiO₂ for Energy Applications: The Shape of the Ubiquitous Nanomaterial

by Serena Gagliardi, Flaminia Rondino, Claudia Paoletti and Mauro Falconieri

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(15), 2608; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12152608 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1871

Abstract

Nanostructured titania is one of the most commonly encountered constituents of nanotechnology devices for use in energy-related applications, due to its intrinsic functional properties as a semiconductor and to other favorable characteristics such as ease of production, low toxicity and chemical stability, among others. Notwithstanding this diffusion, the quest for improved understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms governing the material properties and thus its performance in devices is still active, as testified by the large number of dedicated papers that continue to be published. In this framework, we consider and analyze here the effects of the material morphology and structure in determining the energy transport phenomena as cross-cutting properties in some of the most important nanophase titania applications in the energy field, namely photovoltaic conversion, hydrogen generation by photoelectrochemical water splitting and thermal management by nanofluids. For these applications, charge transport, light transport (or propagation) and thermal transport are limiting factors for the attainable performances, whose dependence on the material structural properties is reviewed here on its own. This work aims to fill the gap existing among the many studies dealing with the separate applications in the hope of stimulating novel cross-fertilization approaches in this research field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Applications of Nanomaterials in the Fields of Energy and Photonics)

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