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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 11343

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rizwan Raza

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41110 Göteborg, Sweden
Interests: solid oxide fuel cells; oxygen carriers for chemical looping; fuel cell catalysts; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The present energy crisis and future energy demands have triggered a significant interest in the development of energy sources and efficient power generators to cater for current needs across the globe. For the realization of future energy devices, new materials are being developed to promote their fundamental and practical investigations.

The purpose of this Special Issue of the journal Energies is to bring together the thoughts, ideas, and solutions in the form of articles exploring new energy materials and characterization techniques, particularly for different types of fuel cells, solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, and other energy conversion devices. Additionally, oxygen carrier materials for chemical looping systems will be included.

You are invited to submit your research paper for possible inclusion in a Special Issue entitled “Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies”. We welcome young scientists, eminent scholars, and experts in the field of nanomaterials to contribute their ideas and study findings through original research and review articles.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Catalysts, electrocatalysts, and photocatalysis;
Hydrogen storage and conversion;
Materials for energy storage devices (batteries, supercapacitors);
Fuel cell materials (SOFC, PEM, AFC, bio-fuel cells);
Oxygen carriers for chemical looping.

Dr. Rizwan Raza
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. 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

Fuel cells
Batteries
Supercapacitors
Oxygen carriers
Solar cells
Catalysts

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5410 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The La⁺³-, Nd⁺³-, Bi⁺³-Doped Ceria as Mixed Conductor Materials for Conventional and Single-Component Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

by Mahrukh Bukhari, Munazza Mohsin, Zohra Nazir Kayani, Shahzad Rasool and Rizwan Raza

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5308; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16145308 - 11 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 974

Abstract

Clean energy devices are essential in today’s environment to combat climate change and work towards sustainable development. In this paper, the potential materials A₂Ce₂O_7−δ (A = La⁺³, Nd⁺³, Bi⁺³) were analyzed for clean energy devices, specifically for conventional and single-component solid oxide fuel cells (SC-SOFCs). The wet chemical route has been followed for the preparation of samples. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that all three samples exhibited a defected fluorite cubic structure. It also revealed the presence of dopants in the ceria, which was confirmed by the fingerprint region of FTIR. The optical behavior, fuel cell performance and electrochemical behavior were studied by UV–vis, fuel cell testing apparatus and EIS, respectively. The SEM results showed that all samples had irregular polygons. In Raman spectra, the F_2g mode corresponding to the space group (Fm3m) confirms the fluorite structure. The Raman spectra showed that A₂Ce₂O_7−δ (A = La⁺³, Nd⁺³, Bi⁺³) have different trends. The conventional fuel cell performance showed that the maximum power density of Bi₂Ce₂O₇ was 0.65 Wcm⁻² at 600 °C. The performance of A₂Ce₂O_7−δ (A = La³⁺, Nd³⁺, Bi³⁺) as a single-component fuel cell revealed that Nd₂Ce₂O_7−δ is the best choice with semiconductors conductors ZnO and NCAL. The highest power density (Pmax) of the Nd₂Ce₂O₇/ZnO was 0.58 Wcm⁻², while the maximum power output (Pmax) of the Nd₂Ce₂O₇/NCAL was 0.348 Wcm⁻² at 650 °C. All the samples showed good agreement with the ZnO as compared to NCAL for SC-SOFCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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13 pages, 2898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Stability of NASICON-Type Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ and Na₄VMn(PO₄)₃ as Cathode Materials for Sodium-ion Batteries

by Ruslan R. Samigullin, Maxim V. Zakharkin, Oleg A. Drozhzhin and Evgeny V. Antipov

Energies 2023, 16(7), 3051; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16073051 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2310

Abstract

The thermal stability of NASICON-type cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ high-temperature powder X-ray diffraction (HTPXRD) applied to the electrodes in a pristine or charged state. Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ and Na₄VMn(PO₄)₃ were analyzed for their peak temperatures and the exothermic effect values of their decomposition processes, as well as the phase transformations that took place upon heating. The obtained results indicate that Mn-substituted cathode material demonstrates much poorer thermal stability in the charged state, although pristine samples of both materials exhibit similar thermal behavior without any DSC peaks or temperature-induced phase transitions in the studied temperature range. The in situ HTPXRD revealed the amorphization of desodiated Na₄VMn(PO₄)₃-based electrodes occurring at 150~250 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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17 pages, 9116 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exergy, Economic and Environmental Analysis of a Direct Absorption Parabolic Trough Collector Filled with Porous Metal Foam

by Murtadha Zahi Khattar and Mohammad Mahdi Heyhat

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8150; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15218150 - 01 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1145

Abstract

A direct absorption parabolic trough solar collector (DAPTC) integrated with porous foam as a volumetric absorber has the potential to be applied as an energy conversion integrant of future renewable energy systems. The present study comprehensively analyzes a DAPTC in terms of exergy, economic, and environmental analysis for different porous configuration inserts in the absorber tube. Ten different arrangements of porous foam are examined at several HTF flow rates (40–120 L/h) and inlet temperatures (20–40 °C). The exergy efficiency, entropy generation, Bejan number, and pumping power are investigated for all cases. Obtained results indicate that fully filling the absorber tube with porous foam leads to a maximum exergy efficiency of 20.4% at the lowest inlet temperature (20 °C) and highest flow rate (120 L/h). However, the Bejan number reaches its minimum value due to the highest pumping power in this case. Consequently, all mentioned performance parameters should be considered simultaneously. Finally, the environmental and economic analyses are conducted. The results show that fully filling the absorber tube with porous foam reflects the best heat production cost, which can reduced the embodied energy, embodied water, and CO₂ emission by 559.5 MJ, 1520.8 kL, and 339.62 kg, respectively, compared to the base case at the flow rate of 120 L/h. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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10 pages, 3352 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Theoretical Investigation on the Physical Properties of Zirconium Trichalcogenides, ZrS₃, ZrSe₃ and ZrTe₃ Monolayers

by Bohayra Mortazavi, Fazel Shojaei, Mehmet Yagmurcukardes, Meysam Makaremi and Xiaoying Zhuang

Energies 2022, 15(15), 5479; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15155479 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2090

Abstract

In a recent advance, zirconium triselenide (ZrSe₃) nanosheets with anisotropic and strain-tunable excitonic response were experimentally fabricated. Motivated by the aforementioned progress, we conduct first-principle calculations to explore the structural, dynamic, Raman response, electronic, single-layer exfoliation energies, and mechanical features of the ZrX₃ (X = S, Se, Te) monolayers. Acquired phonon dispersion relations reveal the dynamical stability of the ZrX₃ (X = S, Se, Te) monolayers. In order to isolate single-layer crystals from bulk counterparts, exfoliation energies of 0.32, 0.37, and 0.4 J/m² are predicted for the isolation of ZrS₃, ZrSe₃, and ZrTe₃ monolayers, which are comparable to those of graphene. ZrS₃ and ZrSe₃ monolayers are found to be indirect gap semiconductors, with HSE06 band gaps of 1.93 and 1.01 eV, whereas the ZrTe₃ monolayer yields a metallic character. It is shown that the ZrX₃ nanosheets are relatively strong, but with highly anisotropic mechanical responses. This work provides a useful vision concerning the critical physical properties of ZrX₃ (X = S, Se, Te) nanosheets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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12 pages, 2635 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermodynamics and Kinetic Modeling of the ZnSO₄·H₂O Thermal Decomposition in the Presence of a Pd/Al₂O₃ Catalyst

by Gabriela V. T. Kurban, Artur S. C. Rego, Nathalli M. Mello, Eduardo A. Brocchi, Rogério C. S. Navarro and Rodrigo F. M. Souza

Energies 2022, 15(2), 548; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15020548 - 13 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1525

Abstract

The sulfur–iodine thermochemical water-splitting cycle is a promising route proposed for hydrogen production. The decomposition temperature remains a challenge in the process. Catalysts, such as Pd supported on Al₂O₃, are being considered to decrease reaction temperatures. However, little is known regarding the kinetic behavior of such systems. In this work, zinc sulfate thermal decomposition was studied through non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis to understand the effect of a catalyst within the sulfur–iodine reaction system context. The findings of this analysis were also related to a thermodynamic assessment. It was observed that the presence of Pd/Al₂O₃ modified the reaction mechanism, possibly with some intermediate reactions that were suppressed or remarkably accelerated. The proposed model suggests that zinc sulfate transformation occurred in two sequential stages without the Pd-based material. Activation energy values of 238 and 368 kJ·mol⁻¹ were calculated. In the presence of Pd/Al₂O₃, an activation energy value of 204 kJ·mol⁻¹ was calculated, which is lower than observed previously. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 1046 KiB

Open AccessReview

Role and Important Properties of a Membrane with Its Recent Advancement in a Microbial Fuel Cell

by Aritro Banerjee, Rajnish Kaur Calay and Fasil Ejigu Eregno

Energies 2022, 15(2), 444; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15020444 - 09 Jan 2022

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 2723

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) are an emerging technology for wastewater treatment that utilizes the metabolism of microorganisms to generate electricity from the organic matter present in water directly. The principle of MFC is the same as hydrogen fuel cell and has three main components (i.e., anode, cathode, and proton exchange membrane). The membrane separates the anode and cathode chambers and keeps the anaerobic and aerobic conditions in the two chambers, respectively. This review paper describes the state-of-the-art membrane materials particularly suited for MFC and discusses the recent development to obtain robust, sustainable, and cost-effective membranes. Nafion 117, Flemion, and Hyflon are the typical commercially available membranes used in MFC. Use of non-fluorinated polymeric membrane materials such as sulfonated silicon dioxide (S-SiO2) in sulfonated polystyrene ethylene butylene polystyrene (SSEBS), sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) and graphene oxide sulfonated polyether ether ketone (GO/SPEEK) membranes showed promising output and proved to be an alternative material to Nafion 117. There are many challenges to selecting a suitable membrane for a scaled-up MFC system so that the technology become technically and economically viable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Materials and Clean Energy Technologies)

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