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Nanotechnology for Energy Materials

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I: Energy Fundamentals and Conversion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2018) | Viewed by 21053

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Aarhus Unviersity, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
Interests: nanotechnology and nanoscience; physics: applications and technology

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Functional Molecular and Materials, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Interests: Nanotechnology and Nanoscience; Physics: Applied Surface Science

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering/Institute of Advanced Ceramics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: colloidal science; graphene oxide; supercapacitors; applied surface science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global energy crisis has triggered an increasing demand for novel materials that advance the performance of energy-related technologies. The development of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies has provided powerful tools to promote the performance of energy materials and devices, including lithium batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and solar cells by overcoming the limitations through proper material and structure design at the nanoscale. In recent decades, tremendous progress has been made in those energy materials by taking advantage of nanotechnology. The primary objectives of nanotechnology for energy materials are improving energy storage/conversion efficiency and reliability. Nevertheless, there are emerging issues to be addressed for energy materials, structures and complex electrochemistry at such small scale. This Special Issue is dedicated to Nanotechnology for Energy Materials, with the aim of deepening our understanding of electrochemistry at the nanoscale.

This Special Issue is dedicated to topics of interest including, but not limited to, the following:

  • green energy, biofuel;
  • energy materials synthesis;
  • nanobiotechnology for energy; 
  • nanoengineering, molecular engineering;
  • energy storage, hydrogen storage, supercapacitors;
  • solar energy conversion;
  • electrochemical;
  • solid batteries, fuel cells, lithium battery;
  • flow battery;
  • water splitting;
  • catalysis.

Prof. Dr. Mingdong Dong
Prof. Dr. Bo Liu
Prof. Dr. Jing Zhong
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. Energies 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 2600 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

  • nanotechnology
  • nanomaterials
  • solar energy
  • fuel cell
  • lithium battery
  • super capacitor
  • energy management
  • energy conversion
  • power generation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 2488 KiB  
Article
Design of Multilayer Ring Emitter Based on Metamaterial for Thermophotovoltaic Applications
by Fekadu Tolessa Maremi, Namkyu Lee, Geehong Choi, Taehwan Kim and Hyung Hee Cho
Energies 2018, 11(9), 2299; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092299 - 31 Aug 2018
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 3810
Abstract
The objective of this study is to design a broadband and wide-angle emitter based on metamaterials with a cut-off wavelength of 2.1 µm to improve the spectral efficiency of thermophotovoltaic emitters. To obtain broadband emission, we conducted the geometric parameter optimization of the [...] Read more.
The objective of this study is to design a broadband and wide-angle emitter based on metamaterials with a cut-off wavelength of 2.1 µm to improve the spectral efficiency of thermophotovoltaic emitters. To obtain broadband emission, we conducted the geometric parameter optimization of the number of stacked layers, the inner and outer radii of the nano-rings, and the thickness of the nano-rings. The numerical simulation results showed that the proposed emitter had an average emissivity of 0.97 within the targeted wavelength, which ranged from 0.2 µm to 2.1 µm. In addition, the presented multilayer nano-ring emitter obtained 79.6% spectral efficiency with an InGaAs band gap of 0.6 eV at 1400 K. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology for Energy Materials)
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21 pages, 5464 KiB  
Article
Nanoscale Characteristics and Reactivity of Nascent Soot from n-Heptane/2,5-Dimethylfuran Inverse Diffusion Flames with/without Magnetic Fields
by Bo Jiang, Pengfei Wang, Yaoyao Ying, Minye Luo and Dong Liu
Energies 2018, 11(7), 1698; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11071698 - 1 Jul 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3026
Abstract
In this study, the differences of nanostructure and oxidation reactivity of the nascent soot formed in n-heptane/2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) inverse diffusion flames (IDF) with/without influence of magnetic fields were studied, and the effects of DMF-doped and magnetic fields were discussed. Morphology and nanostructures [...] Read more.
In this study, the differences of nanostructure and oxidation reactivity of the nascent soot formed in n-heptane/2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) inverse diffusion flames (IDF) with/without influence of magnetic fields were studied, and the effects of DMF-doped and magnetic fields were discussed. Morphology and nanostructures of the soot samples were investigated using high-resolution transmission electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the oxidation reactivity characteristics were analyzed by thermogravimetric analyzer. Results demonstrated that both additions of DMF-doped and magnetic fields could promote soot production and modify the soot nanostructure and oxidation reactivity in IDF. Soot production increased along with the increase of DMF-doped. With DMF blends, more clustered soot particles and typical core-shell structures with well-organized fringes were exhibited compared with that formed from the pure n-heptane IDF. With effects of magnetic fields, the precursor formation and the oxidization of soot were promoted, soot production was enhanced. Soot particles became relatively more mature with typical core-shell structure, thicker shell, longer fringe lengths, smaller fringe tortuosity, higher graphitization degree and lower oxidation reactivity. With magnetic force pointed to the central line and the inner direction of IDF under the conditions of N pole and S pole of the magnet facing the flame, oxygen was trapped, having an increased residence time to get more chance to react with the fuel molecules to cause more soot to be yielded and oxidized. That resulted in the soot precursor promotion, soot production enhancement, and soot part-oxidization and graphitization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology for Energy Materials)
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Review

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21 pages, 4570 KiB  
Review
Microorganism Assisted Synthesized Nanoparticles for Catalytic Applications
by Xiaojiao Fang, Yin Wang, Zegao Wang, Zaixing Jiang and Mingdong Dong
Energies 2019, 12(1), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12010190 - 8 Jan 2019
Cited by 115 | Viewed by 7932
Abstract
Metal and metalloid nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted substantial attention from research communities over the past few decades. Traditional methodologies for NP fabrication have also been intensely explored. However, drawbacks such as the use of toxic agents and the high energy consumption involved in [...] Read more.
Metal and metalloid nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted substantial attention from research communities over the past few decades. Traditional methodologies for NP fabrication have also been intensely explored. However, drawbacks such as the use of toxic agents and the high energy consumption involved in chemical and physical processes hinder their further application in various fields. It is well known that some bacteria are capable of binding and concentrating dissolved metal and metalloid ions, thereby detoxifying their environments. Bioinspired fabrication of NPs is environmentally friendly and inexpensive and requires only low energy consumption. Some biosynthesized NPs are usually used as heterogeneous catalysts in environmental remediation and show higher catalytic efficiency because of their enhanced biocompatibility, stability and large specific surface areas. Therefore, bacteria used as nanofactories can provide a novel approach for removing metal or metalloid ions and fabricating materials with unique properties. Even though a wide range of NPs have been biosynthesized, and their synthetic mechanisms have been proposed, some of these mechanisms are not known in detail. This review focuses on the synthesis and catalytic applications of NPs obtained using bacteria. The known mechanisms of bioreduction and prospects in the design of NPs for catalytic applications are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology for Energy Materials)
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20 pages, 8938 KiB  
Review
An Effective Utilization of Solar Energy: Enhanced Photodegradation Efficiency of TiO2/Graphene-Based Composite
by Peipei Huo, Peng Zhao, Yin Wang, Bo Liu and Mingdong Dong
Energies 2018, 11(3), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11030630 - 12 Mar 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4853
Abstract
The integration of graphene-based material and TiO2 can greatly enhance the photodegradation efficiency toward contaminants in the environment. As the morphology of TiO2 varies from a 0D nanoparticle (NP) and a 1D Nanotube (NT)/Nanowire (NW) to a 2D nanosheet, the contact [...] Read more.
The integration of graphene-based material and TiO2 can greatly enhance the photodegradation efficiency toward contaminants in the environment. As the morphology of TiO2 varies from a 0D nanoparticle (NP) and a 1D Nanotube (NT)/Nanowire (NW) to a 2D nanosheet, the contact between TiO2 and graphene-based material would increasingly intensify and the distribution of TiO2 on the graphene sheets becomes more uniform. Both factors lead to better photocatalytic performance. The graphene commonly possesses the intrinsic properties of higher surface area, more efficient charge transfer, inhibited electron-hole pairs (EHPs)’ recombination and extended light absorption range. With the assistance of some functional surfactants, the photodegradation performance can be further improved according to more specific requirements such as the photodegradation selectivity. This paper provides an overview of recent progress regarding the method and mechanism of graphene in various TiO2/Graphene composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanotechnology for Energy Materials)
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