New inorganic energy storage materials

Can organic nanomaterials be used for energy storage?

Organic nanomaterials, especially heteroatom-rich molecules and porous organic materials, not only can be directly used as electrodes for energy storage but can also be used as precursors to develop carbon-rich materials for energy storage (38).

How does nanostructuring affect energy storage?

This review takes a holistic approach to energy storage, considering battery materials that exhibit bulk redox reactions and supercapacitor materials that store charge owing to the surface processes together, because nanostructuring often leads to erasing boundaries between these two energy storage solutions.

Which nanomaterials are used in energy storage?

Although the number of studies of various phenomena related to the performance of nanomaterials in energy storage is increasing year by year, only a few of them—such as graphene sheets, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black, and silicon nanoparticles—are currently used in commercial devices, primarily as additives (18).

Are nanostructures good for storing a large amount of charge?

A large family of conversion materials—such as oxides, sulfides, and fluorides—offer potential for storing a large amount of charge, but they have poor cyclability coupled with phase transformation and large volume change (90). Benefits of nanostructures have been fully demonstrated on these materials as well (20).

Can nanometer-sized materials change the paradigm for energy storage?

In this context, materials with nanometer-sized structural features and a large electrochemically active surface can change the paradigm for energy storage from within the electrode bulk to surface redox processes that occur orders of magnitude faster and allow a greatly improved power and cycle life (1 – 3).

What are the limitations of nanomaterials in energy storage devices?

The limitations of nanomaterials in energy storage devices are related to their high surface area—which causes parasitic reactions with the electrolyte, especially during the first cycle, known as the first cycle irreversibility—as well as their agglomeration.