Pioneer new materials energy storage

Why do we need high-energy density energy storage materials?

From mobile devices to the power grid, the needs for high-energy density or high-power density energy storage materials continue to grow. Materials that have at least one dimension on the nanometer scale offer opportunities for enhanced energy storage, although there are also challenges relating to, for example, stability and manufacturing.

Can nanomaterials improve the performance of energy storage devices?

The development of nanomaterials and their related processing into electrodes and devices can improve the performance and/or development of the existing energy storage systems. We provide a perspective on recent progress in the application of nanomaterials in energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries.

Which nanomaterials are used in energy storage?

Although the number of studies of various phenomena related to the performance of nanomaterials in energy storage is increasing year by year, only a few of them—such as graphene sheets, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon black, and silicon nanoparticles—are currently used in commercial devices, primarily as additives (18).

Can nanometer-sized materials change the paradigm for energy storage?

In this context, materials with nanometer-sized structural features and a large electrochemically active surface can change the paradigm for energy storage from within the electrode bulk to surface redox processes that occur orders of magnitude faster and allow a greatly improved power and cycle life (1 – 3).

What are the applications of energy storage technology?

These applications and the need to store energy harvested by triboelectric and piezoelectric generators (e.g., from muscle movements), as well as solar panels, wind power generators, heat sources, and moving machinery, call for considerable improvement and diversification of energy storage technology.

Could a new'supercapacitor' concrete foundation Save Energy?

Since the new “supercapacitor” concrete would retain its strength, a house with a foundation made of this material could store a day’s worth of energy produced by solar panels or windmills, and allow it to be used whenever it’s needed. Credit: Image courtesy of Franz-Josef Ulm, Admir Masic, and Yang-Shao Horn