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Dielectrics in Materials and Devices
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Dielectrics in Materials and Devices

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 September 2021) | Viewed by 23424

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Helena Braga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Engineering Physics Department, University of Porto and Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, LAETA, Porto, Portugal
Interests: experimental characterization and theoretical and computational solid-state modeling of material properties (e.g., ferroelectric materials, electrolytes, batteries, supercapacitors materials, and metal hydrides); materials’ synthesis and characterization and devices’ conceptualization (new architectures), assembly, and testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Anter El-Azab

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States
Interests: Defect disorder in oxides; Defect diffusion; Phonon and electron thermal transport in metals and oxides; Computational methods in Materials Science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global emergency to reduce climate change due to carbon emissions calls for electrification solutions for vehicles, grids, and the Internet of Things (IoT). This electrification is dependent on the harvesting and storage of electric energy. Improved storage of electric power is required for IoT; wireless sensor networks that monitor, detect, and gather data will be vital for advancements in human health, public safety, industrial automation, energy management, and communications.Dielectric materials play fundamental roles as electrolytes, separators, piezoelectrics, pyroelectrics, ferroelectrics, triboelectrics, semiconductors, superconductors, and hydrides in harvesting and storage devices such as capacitors, batteries, fuel cells, photovoltaics, transistors, diodes, and sensors, among others. To align the Fermi levels of heterojunctions containing insulators, electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are spontaneously formed. These EDLCs propitiate certain behavior that is subsequently exploited in diverse ways depending on the device.In this edition, we will highlight the properties of dielectrics per se and when in conjunction with conductors and other dielectrics in devices.

We invite you to submit your papers to this edition; let us shape an updated and entangled vision of the world of dielectrics!

Dr. Maria Helena Braga
Prof. Dr. Anter El-Azab
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • dielectrics
  • piezoelectrics
  • pyroelectrics
  • ferroelectrics
  • electrolytes
  • triboelectrics
  • solid-state
  • batteries
  • capacitors
  • fuel cells
  • photovoltaics
  • transistors
  • sensors

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2692 KiB  
Article
ZnO-AuxCu1−x Alloy and ZnO-AuxAl1−x Alloy Vertically Aligned Nanocomposites for Low-Loss Plasmonic Metamaterials
by Robynne L. Paldi, Juanjuan Lu, Yash Pachaury, Zihao He, Nirali A. Bhatt, Xinghang Zhang, Anter El-Azab, Aleem Siddiqui and Haiyan Wang
Molecules 2022, 27(6), 1785; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27061785 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1860
Abstract
Hyperbolic metamaterials are a class of materials exhibiting anisotropic dielectric function owing to the morphology of the nanostructures. In these structures, one direction behaves as a metal, and the orthogonal direction behaves as a dielectric material. Applications include subdiffraction imaging and hyperlenses. However, [...] Read more.
Hyperbolic metamaterials are a class of materials exhibiting anisotropic dielectric function owing to the morphology of the nanostructures. In these structures, one direction behaves as a metal, and the orthogonal direction behaves as a dielectric material. Applications include subdiffraction imaging and hyperlenses. However, key limiting factors include energy losses of noble metals and challenging fabrication methods. In this work, self-assembled plasmonic metamaterials consisting of anisotropic nanoalloy pillars embedded into the ZnO matrix are developed using a seed-layer approach. Alloys of AuxAl1−x or AuxCu1−x are explored due to their lower losses and higher stability. Optical and microstructural properties were explored. The ZnO-AuxCu1−x system demonstrated excellent epitaxial quality and optical properties compared with the ZnO-AuxAl1−x system. Both nanocomposite systems demonstrate plasmonic resonance, hyperbolic dispersion, low losses, and epsilon-near-zero permittivity, making them promising candidates towards direct photonic integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dielectrics in Materials and Devices)
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16 pages, 4139 KiB  
Article
An All-Solid-State Coaxial Structural Battery Using Sodium-Based Electrolyte
by Federico Danzi, Pedro Ponces Camanho and Maria Helena Braga
Molecules 2021, 26(17), 5226; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26175226 - 28 Aug 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3736
Abstract
The transition to a sustainable society is paramount and requires the electrification of vehicles, the grid, industry, data banks, wearables, and IoT. Here, we show an all-solid-state structural battery where a Na+-based ferroelectric glass electrolyte is combined with metallic electrodes/current collectors [...] Read more.
The transition to a sustainable society is paramount and requires the electrification of vehicles, the grid, industry, data banks, wearables, and IoT. Here, we show an all-solid-state structural battery where a Na+-based ferroelectric glass electrolyte is combined with metallic electrodes/current collectors (no traditional cathode present at fabrication) and thin-ply carbon-fiber laminates to obtain a coaxial multifunctional beam. This new concept aims to optimize the volume of any hollow beam-like structure by integrating an electrochemical system capable of both harvesting thermal and storing electrical energy while improving its mechanical performance. The coaxial cell is a coaxial cable where the dielectric is ferroelectric. The electrochemical results demonstrated the capability of performing three-minute charges to one-day discharges (70 cycles) and long-lasting discharges (>40 days at 1 mA) showing an energy density of 56.2 Wh·L−1 and specific energy of 38.0 Wh·kg−1, including the whole volume and weight of the structural cell. This is the highest specific energy among safe structural cells, while no Na+-based structural cells were found in the literature. The mechanical tests, instead, highlighted the coaxial cell capabilities to withstand severe inelastic deformation without compromising its functionalities, while increasing the flexural strength of the hosting structure. Moreover, the absence of alkali metals and liquid electrolytes together with its enhanced thermal properties makes this coaxial structural battery a valid and safe alternative as an energy reservoir for all the applications where traditional lithium-ion batteries are not suitable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dielectrics in Materials and Devices)
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Review

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41 pages, 30579 KiB  
Review
The Latest Trends in Electric Vehicles Batteries
by Rui Martim Salgado, Federico Danzi, Joana Espain Oliveira, Anter El-Azab, Pedro Ponces Camanho and Maria Helena Braga
Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26113188 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8922
Abstract
Global energy demand is rapidly increasing due to population and economic growth, especially in large emerging countries, which will account for 90% of energy demand growth to 2035. Electric vehicles (EVs) play a paramount role in the electrification revolution towards the reduction of [...] Read more.
Global energy demand is rapidly increasing due to population and economic growth, especially in large emerging countries, which will account for 90% of energy demand growth to 2035. Electric vehicles (EVs) play a paramount role in the electrification revolution towards the reduction of the carbon footprint. Here, we review all the major trends in Li-ion batteries technologies used in EVs. We conclude that only five types of cathodes are used and that most of the EV companies use Nickel Manganese Cobalt oxide (NMC). Most of the Li-ion batteries anodes are graphite-based. Positive and negative electrodes are reviewed in detail as well as future trends such as the effort to reduce the Cobalt content. The electrolyte is a liquid/gel flammable solvent usually containing a LiFeP6 salt. The electrolyte makes the battery and battery pack unsafe, which drives the research and development to replace the flammable liquid by a solid electrolyte. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dielectrics in Materials and Devices)
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40 pages, 11523 KiB  
Review
Structural Batteries: A Review
by Federico Danzi, Rui Martim Salgado, Joana Espain Oliveira, Albertino Arteiro, Pedro Ponces Camanho and Maria Helena Braga
Molecules 2021, 26(8), 2203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26082203 - 11 Apr 2021
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8018
Abstract
Structural power composites stand out as a possible solution to the demands of the modern transportation system of more efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. Recent studies demonstrated the possibility to realize these components endowing high-performance composites with electrochemical properties. The aim of this paper [...] Read more.
Structural power composites stand out as a possible solution to the demands of the modern transportation system of more efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. Recent studies demonstrated the possibility to realize these components endowing high-performance composites with electrochemical properties. The aim of this paper is to present a systematic review of the recent developments on this more and more sensitive topic. Two main technologies will be covered here: (1) the integration of commercially available lithium-ion batteries in composite structures, and (2) the fabrication of carbon fiber-based multifunctional materials. The latter will be deeply analyzed, describing how the fibers and the polymeric matrices can be synergistically combined with ionic salts and cathodic materials to manufacture monolithic structural batteries. The main challenges faced by these emerging research fields are also addressed. Among them, the maximum allowable curing cycle for the embedded configuration and the realization that highly conductive structural electrolytes for the monolithic solution are noteworthy. This work also shows an overview of the multiphysics material models developed for these studies and provides a clue for a possible alternative configuration based on solid-state electrolytes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dielectrics in Materials and Devices)
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