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Advanced and Multifunctional Materials for Energy Storage Systems

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D1: Advanced Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 7578

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
BCMaterials, Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures, UPV/EHU Science Park, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Interests: multifunctional materials; smart materials; energy storage; energy harvesting; sensors; actuators
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Taking into consideration the requirement for the reduction of the environmental impact of current technologies and the increasing mobility of people, it has become necessary to improve energy storage systems for portable applications and/or electric vehicles. This highlights the need to improve electrochemical energy storage devices in terms of energy/power density, discharge rate, lifetime, safety, and cost. The most widely used energy storage systems are lithium-ion batteries that include lithium polymer, lithium–sulfur, lithium–air, and lithium–silicon batteries. There are also other battery systems such as sodium-ion batteries and magnesium-ion batteries that could potentially be alternatives to lithium-ion batteries in specific areas but need to increase their performance. To improve battery performance, it is essential to develop a new generation of advanced and (multi)functional materials for electrodes (anode and cathode) and separators/solid polymer electrolyte, allowing the tailoring and optimization of the main physical–chemical processes that affect battery performance. Further, it will be important to include additional functionalities to batteries, such as self-sensing functions, self-healing or shut-down capabilities, etc.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit original research papers, short communications, or state-of-the-art reviews within the scope of this Special Issue. Contributions may discuss the fundamental properties of materials, their processing and characterization, or innovations in processing technologies, geometries, or battery applications.

Prof. Dr. Senentxu Lanceros-Mendez
Dr. Carlos Miguel Costa
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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

47 pages, 77801 KiB  
Review
Review on the Experimental Characterization of Fracture in Active Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Francesca Pistorio, Davide Clerici, Francesco Mocera and Aurelio Somà
Energies 2022, 15(23), 9168; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15239168 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2265
Abstract
Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are one of the most widespread energy storage systems, being extensively employed in a large variety of applications. A significant effort has been made to develop advanced materials and manufacturing processes with the aim of increasing batteries performance and preserving [...] Read more.
Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are one of the most widespread energy storage systems, being extensively employed in a large variety of applications. A significant effort has been made to develop advanced materials and manufacturing processes with the aim of increasing batteries performance and preserving nominal properties with cycling. Nevertheless, mechanical degradation is still a significant damaging mechanism and the main cause of capacity fade and power loss. Lithium ions are inserted and extracted into the lattice structure of active materials during battery operation, causing the deformation of the crystalline lattice itself. Strain mismatches within the different areas of the active material caused by the inhomogeneous lithium-ions concentration induce mechanical stresses, leading ultimately to fracture, fatigue issues, and performance decay. Therefore, a deep understanding of the fracture mechanics in active materials is needed to meet the rapidly growing demand for next-generation batteries with long-term stability, high safety, excellent performance, and long life cycle. This review aims to analyze the fracture mechanics in the active material microstructure of electrodes due to battery operations from an experimental point of view. The main fracture mechanisms occurring in the common cathode and anode active materials are described, as well as the factors triggering and enhancing fracture. At first, the results obtained by performing microscopy and diffraction analysis in different materials are discussed to provides visual evidence of cracks and their relation with lattice structure. Then, fatigue phenomena due to crack growth as a function of the number of cycles are evaluated to assess the evolution of damage during the life cycle, and the effects of fracture on the battery performance are described. Finally, the literature gaps in the characterization of the fracture behavior of electrode active materials are highlighted to enhance the development of next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Multifunctional Materials for Energy Storage Systems)
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13 pages, 3778 KiB  
Review
Thin-Film Lithium Cobalt Oxide for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Zeqing Duan, Yunfan Wu, Jie Lin, Laisen Wang and Dong-Liang Peng
Energies 2022, 15(23), 8980; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15238980 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2215
Abstract
Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode has been widely applied in 3C products (computer, communication, and consumer), and LCO films are currently the most promising cathode materials for thin-film lithium batteries (TFBs) due to their high volumetric energy density and favorable durability. Most LCO [...] Read more.
Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode has been widely applied in 3C products (computer, communication, and consumer), and LCO films are currently the most promising cathode materials for thin-film lithium batteries (TFBs) due to their high volumetric energy density and favorable durability. Most LCO thin films are fabricated by physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques, while the influence of preparation on the materials’ properties and electrochemical performance has not been highlighted. In this review, the dominant effects (heating, substrate, power, atmosphere, etc.) on LCO thin films are summarized, and the LCO thin films fabricated by other techniques (spin coating, sol–gel, atomic layer deposition, pulsed laser deposition, etc.) are outlined. Moreover, the modification strategies including bulk doping and surface coating for powder and thin-film LCO electrodes are discussed in detail. This review may pave the way for developing novel, durable, and high-performance LCO thin films by versatile methods for TFB and other energy storage devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Multifunctional Materials for Energy Storage Systems)
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32 pages, 4055 KiB  
Review
Electrode/Electrolyte Interphases of Sodium-Ion Batteries
by Tatiana L. Kulova and Alexander M. Skundin
Energies 2022, 15(22), 8615; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15228615 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2608
Abstract
The performance of sodium-ion batteries largely depends on the presence and properties of passive films formed on the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Passive films on negative electrodes inevitably result from the reduction in electrolyte components (solvent and salt anion). They have the properties of a [...] Read more.
The performance of sodium-ion batteries largely depends on the presence and properties of passive films formed on the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Passive films on negative electrodes inevitably result from the reduction in electrolyte components (solvent and salt anion). They have the properties of a solid electrolyte with sodium ion conductivity and are insulators in terms of electronic conductivity. Usually, they are called SEI—solid electrolyte interphase. The formation of SEI is associated with the consumption of a certain charge, which is an irreversible capacity. Passive films on the surface of positive electrodes (CEI—cathode electrolyte interphase) arise as a result of electrolyte oxidation. The present review summarizes the literature of the recent 15 years concerning the effects of electrode nature (hard carbon, other carbon materials, various metals, oxides, chalcogenides, etc.), electrolyte composition, and other factors on composition and properties of SEIs in sodium-ion batteries. Literary data on CEIs are reviewed as well, although their volume is inferior to that of data on SEIs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced and Multifunctional Materials for Energy Storage Systems)
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