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Nanomaterials
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Novel Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion
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Novel Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 8814

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Emiliano Cortés

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
LMU Munich, Germany
Interests: hyrbid colloids; nano-optics; nano-catalysis
Prof. Dr. Min Liu

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Central South University in Changsha, China
Interests: electro/photo-catalysis and solar cells
Dr. Paloma Arroyo Huidobro

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: Theoretical aspects of 2D materials; topological materials; metamaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoscale lengths are critical for electron transport, light confinement or heat management, among others. As such, nanomaterials have revolutionized our understanding and opportunities for efficient energy conversion. By carefully selecting, merging, synthesizing or patterning materials at the nanoscale, many fundamental energy transfer pathways can be manipulated and exploited.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims at highlighting articles reporting novel properties and phenomena in energy conversion by employing nanostructured materials. It focuses on the fabrication, properties, and prospective applications of nanostructures and nanomaterials in the forms of reviews, communications, and academic articles. The topics cover a wide range of research fields, either from an experimental or theoretical viewpoint, including nanofabrication, synthesis, 2D materials, hybrid nanomaterials, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, perovskites, solar cells, plasmonics and nanophotonics, nonlinear optical phenomena, topological materials, metasurfaces, nanoscale heating, and thermal phenomena, among others.

Prof. Dr. Emiliano Cortés
Dr. Paloma Arroyo Huidobro
Prof. Dr. Min Liu
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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • nanoparticles
  • nanomaterials
  • nano-catalysis
  • nano-optics
  • solar cells
  • metasurfaces

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2607 KiB  
Article
Adsorption of K Ions on Single-Layer GeC for Potential Anode of K Ion Batteries
by Yue Ma, Sen Xu, Xiaofeng Fan, David J. Singh and Weitao Zheng
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(8), 1900; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11081900 - 24 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2157
Abstract
Potassium ion batteries (KIBs) are considered as promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries (LIBs), following the rapid increase of demand for portable devices, and the development of electric vehicles and smart grids. Though there has been a promising breakthrough in KIB tech niques, [...] Read more.
Potassium ion batteries (KIBs) are considered as promising alternatives to lithium ion batteries (LIBs), following the rapid increase of demand for portable devices, and the development of electric vehicles and smart grids. Though there has been a promising breakthrough in KIB tech niques, exploring the promising anode materials for KIBs is still a challenge. Rational design with first-principle methods can help to speed up the discovery of potential anodes for KIBs. With density functional calculations, GeC with graphene-like 2D structure (g-GeC) is shown to be a desired anode material for applications in KIBs. The results show that the 2D g-GeC with a high concentration of K ions is thermodynamically stable, due to the strong interaction between C and Ge in GeC layer with the proper interaction between K and GeC. The storage capacity can be about 320 mAh/g, higher than that (279 mAh/g) in graphite. The low energy barrier (0.13 eV) of K ions diffusion on the honeycomb structure with proper voltage profile indicates the fast charge transfer. These theoretical finds are expected to stimulate the future experimental works in KIBs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion)
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14 pages, 11661 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of π-SnS Nanoparticles and Corresponding Thin Films
by Sreedevi Gedi, Vasudeva Reddy Minnam Reddy, Salh Alhammadi, Hyeonwook Park, Chelim Jang, Chinho Park and Woo Kyoung Kim
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 767; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11030767 - 18 Mar 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2807
Abstract
Tin sulfide polymorph (π-SnS) nanoparticles exhibit promising optoelectrical characteristics for photovoltaic and hydrogen production performance, mainly because of the possibility of tuning their properties by adjusting the synthesis conditions. This study demonstrates a chemical approach to synthesize π-SnS nanoparticles and the engineering of [...] Read more.
Tin sulfide polymorph (π-SnS) nanoparticles exhibit promising optoelectrical characteristics for photovoltaic and hydrogen production performance, mainly because of the possibility of tuning their properties by adjusting the synthesis conditions. This study demonstrates a chemical approach to synthesize π-SnS nanoparticles and the engineering of their properties by altering the Sn precursor concentration (from 0.04 M to 0.20 M). X-ray diffraction and Raman studies confirmed the presence of pure cubic SnS phase nanoparticles with good crystallinity. SEM images indicated the group of cloudy shaped grains, and XPS results confirmed the presence of Sn and S in the synthesized nanoparticles. Optical studies revealed that the estimated energy bandgap values of the as-synthesized π-SnS nanoparticles varied from 1.52 to 1.68 eV. This work highlights the effects of the Sn precursor concentration on the properties of the π-SnS nanoparticles and describes the bandgap engineering process. Optimized π-SnS nanoparticles were used to deposit nanocrystalline π-SnS thin films using the drop-casting technique, and their physical properties were improved by annealing (300 °C for 2 h). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion)
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10 pages, 1202 KiB  
Communication
Hot Electrons, Hot Holes, or Both? Tandem Synthesis of Imines Driven by the Plasmonic Excitation in Au/CeO2 Nanorods
by Ivo F. Teixeira, Mauricio S. Homsi, Rafael S. Geonmonond, Guilherme F. S. R. Rocha, Yung-Kang Peng, Ingrid F. Silva, Jhon Quiroz and Pedro H. C. Camargo
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1530; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10081530 - 04 Aug 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3284
Abstract
Solar-to-chemical conversion via photocatalysis is of paramount importance for a sustainable future. Thus, investigating the synergistic effects promoted by light in photocatalytic reactions is crucial. The tandem oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines is an attractive route to synthesize imines. Here, we unravel [...] Read more.
Solar-to-chemical conversion via photocatalysis is of paramount importance for a sustainable future. Thus, investigating the synergistic effects promoted by light in photocatalytic reactions is crucial. The tandem oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines is an attractive route to synthesize imines. Here, we unravel the performance and underlying reaction pathway in the visible-light-driven tandem oxidative coupling of benzyl alcohol and aniline employing Au/CeO2 nanorods as catalysts. We propose an alternative reaction pathway for this transformation that leads to improved efficiencies relative to individual CeO2 nanorods, in which the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation in Au nanoparticles (NPs) plays an important role. Our data suggests a synergism between the hot electrons and holes generated from the LSPR excitation in Au NPs. While the oxygen vacancies in CeO2 nanorods trap the hot electrons and facilitate their transfer to adsorbed O2 at surface vacancy sites, the hot holes in the Au NPs facilitate the α-H abstraction from the adsorbed benzyl alcohol, evolving into benzaldehyde, which then couples with aniline in the next step to yield the corresponding imine. Finally, cerium-coordinated superoxide species abstract hydrogen from the Au surface, regenerating the catalyst surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion)
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