Nanofunctional Electrode Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Energy storage devices with high electrochemical performances play vital roles in the conversion and efficient utilization of electrical energy. In order to maximize the energy density and power density of the electrode materials, it is essential to increase the volume/mass utilization rate and the electrochemical reaction rate.

The electrochemical energy storage mechanisms of the many electrode materials are mainly divided into the battery energy storage mechanisms of intercalation, conversion, and alloying, and the supercapacitor energy storage mechanisms of electric double-layer reaction and pseudocapacitance reaction. The high energy density of battery is due to the fact that current is mainly provided by the diffusion process, which has a high mass/volume utilization rate of electrode material. However, the reaction rate is greatly affected by the diffusion kinetics. In contrast, the high power density of supercapacitor, attained on account of the current, is mainly contributed by capacitive reaction, leading to a high reaction rate. However, the utilization rate of the material is not high. Therefore, if the barrier of ion diffusion and migration is lowered until it is as easy as adsorption and desorption, and if the volume change caused by the phase transition is weakened by the morphology, the coexistence of high energy density and power density can be achieved.

With the research into electrode materials, higher volume/mass utilization also means more electrochemically active sites, larger electrode liquid–electrode contact areas, and more adequate electrochemical reactions. The gradually decreasing particle size of the electrode material makes the electrochemical reaction gradual transition from the surface or near-surface reaction to the overall reaction. This process improves the volume/mass utilization rate of the materials and thereby increases the energy density. Concurrently, this reduces the ion diffusion path, thereby speeding up the electrochemical reaction speed, and then increases the power density.

In summary, we hope that through the design of high-performance electrode materials with nanometric or otherwise smaller particle size, the combination of the physical properties of the electrode material itself, the electrochemical mechanism, and advanced in situ electron microscopy technology, we can carry out precise electrochemical reactions and undertake mechanistic exploration.

Prof. Dr. Weitao Zheng
Prof. Dr. Wei Zhang
Guest Editors

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• energy density
• power density
• battery
• supercapacitor
• electrode
• microscopy
• microstructure