Nanostructured energy materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage: A review

Nanostructured materials have received tremendous interest due to their unique mechanical/electrical properties and overall behavior contributed by the complex synergy of bulk and interfacial properties for efficient and effective energy conversion and storage. The booming development of nanotechnology affords emerging but effective tools in designing advanced energy material. We reviewed the significant progress and dominated nanostructured energy materials in electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices, including lithium ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-oxygen batteries, lithium metal batteries, and supercapacitors. The use of nanostructured electrocatalyst for effective electrocatalysis in oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions for fuel cells and metal-air batteries was also included. The challenges in the undesirable side reactions between electrolytes and electrode due to high electrode/electrolyte contact area, low volumetric energy density of electrode owing to low tap density, and uniform production of complex energy materials in working devices should be overcome to fully demonstrate the advanced energy nanostructures for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. The energy chemistry at the interfaces of nanostructured electrode/electrolyte is highly expected to guide the rational design and full demonstration of energy materials in a working device. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

In situ transmission electron microscopy and artificial intelligence enabled data analytics for energy materials

Energy materials are vital to energy conversion and storage devices that make renewable resources viable for electrification technologies. In situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM) is a powerful approach to characterize the dynamic evolution of material structure, morphology, and chemistry at the atomic scale in real time and in operando. In this review, recent advancements of in situ TEM techniques for studying energy materials, including catalysts, batteries, photovoltaics, and thermoelectrics, are systematically discussed and summarized. The topics include a broad range of material transformations that are in situ stimulated by heating, biasing, lighting, electron-beam illuminating, and cryocooling under vacuum, liquid, or gas environments within TEM, as well as the mechanistic understanding of the associated solid-solid, solid-liquid, and solid-gas reactions elucidated by in situ TEM examination and operando measurements. Special focus is also put on the emerging progress of artificial intelligence enabled microscopy data analytics, including machine learning enhanced tools for retrieving useful information from massive TEM imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy datasets, highlighting its merits and potential for automated in situ TEM experimentation and analysis. Finally, the pressing challenges and future perspectives on in situ TEM study for energy-related materials are discussed.

Recent progress on discovery and properties prediction of energy materials:Simple machine learning meets complex quantum chemistry

In nature,the properties of matter are ultimately governed by the electronic structures.Quantum chemistry(QC)at electronic level matches well with a few simple physical assumptions in solving simple problems.To date,machine learning(ML)algorithm has been migrated to this field to simplify calculations and improve fidelity.This review introduces the basic information on universal electron structures of emerging energy materials and ML algorithms involved in the prediction of material properties.Then,the structure-property relationships based on ML algorithm and QC theory are reviewed.Especially,the summary of recently reported applications on classifying crystal structure,modeling electronic structure,optimizing experimental method,and predicting performance is provided.Last,an outlook on ML assisted QC calculation towards identifying emerging energy materials is also presented.

Photon-in/photon-out endstation for studies of energy materials at beamline 02B02 of Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility

A new photon-in/photon-out endstation at beamline 02B02 of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility for studying the electronic structure of energy materials has been constructed and fully opened to users.The endstation has the capability to perform soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy in total electron yield and total fluorescence yield modes simultaneously.The photon energy ranges from 40 eV to 2000 eV covering the K-edge of most low Z-elements and the L-edge of 3d transition-metals.The new self-designed channeltron detector allows us to achieve good fluorescence signals at the low photon flux.In addition,we synchronously collect the signals of a standard reference sample and a gold mesh on the upstream to calibrate the photon energy and monitor the beam fluctuation,respectively.In order to cross the pressure gap,in situ gas and liquid cells for soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy are developed to study the samples under realistic working conditions.

Uncover the Aesthetic Simplicity Associated with Mass Transfer in Energy Materials

Aesthetics,referred frequently to as a philosophical term,has played a starring role in forming and evolving a number of aspects of human society,including arts,politics,economics,ethics,etc.Indeed,exploring and investigating the aesthetic phenomena in the scientific field have aroused insightful research findings,which in turn has stimulated research interests in such a science-aesthetics field.In particular,better-evaluated aesthetic aspects of the materials field are expected to be uncovered upon the exceedingly-exposed fundamental breakthroughs in researching the basic structure and functionality of materials.In this report,we glimpse into the aesthetic simplicity of energy materials and comprehend specifically the mass transfer functionalities of key categories of energy materials through an intuitive and bottom-up approach.Our effort aspires to shed new lights on the functionality understanding and manipulation of functional materials in general.

New carbon-nitrogen-oxygen compounds as high energy density materials

Molecular crystals are complex systems exhibiting various crystal structures,and accurately modeling the crystal structures is essential for understanding their physical behaviors under high pressure.Here,we perform an extensive structure search of ternary carbon-nitrogen-oxygen(CNO)compound under high pressure with the CALYPSO method and first principles calculations,and successfully identify three polymeric CNO compounds with Pbam,C2/m and I4m2symmetries under 100 GPa.More interestingly,these structures are also dynamically stable at ambient pressure,and are potential high energy density materials(HEDMs).The energy densities of Pbam,C2/m and I4m2 phases of CNO are about2.30 kJ/g,1.37 kJ/g and 2.70 kJ/g,respectively,with the decompositions of graphitic carbon and molecular carbon dioxide andα-N(molecular N_(2))at ambient pressure.The present results provide in-depth insights into the structural evolution and physical properties of CNO compounds under high pressures,which offer crucial insights for designs and syntheses of novel HEDMs.

Machine learning for advanced energy materials

The screening of advanced materials coupled with the modeling of their quantitative structural-activity relation-ships has recently become one of the hot and trending topics in energy materials due to the diverse challenges,including low success probabilities,high time consumption,and high computational cost associated with the traditional methods of developing energy materials.Following this,new research concepts and technologies to promote the research and development of energy materials become necessary.The latest advancements in ar-tificial intelligence and machine learning have therefore increased the expectation that data-driven materials science would revolutionize scientific discoveries towards providing new paradigms for the development of en-ergy materials.Furthermore,the current advances in data-driven materials engineering also demonstrate that the application of machine learning technology would not only significantly facilitate the design and development of advanced energy materials but also enhance their discovery and deployment.In this article,the importance and necessity of developing new energy materials towards contributing to the global carbon neutrality are presented.A comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of machine learning is also provided,including open-source databases,feature engineering,machine learning algorithms,and analysis of machine learning model.Afterwards,the latest progress in data-driven materials science and engineering,including alkaline ion battery materials,pho-tovoltaic materials,catalytic materials,and carbon dioxide capture materials,is discussed.Finally,relevant clues to the successful applications of machine learning and the remaining challenges towards the development of advanced energy materials are highlighted.

A perspective on sustainable energy materials for lithium batteries

Lithium ion battery has achieved great success in portable electronics and even recently electronic vehicles since its commercialization in 1990s.However,lithium-ion batteries are confronted with several issues in terms of the sustainable development such as the high price of raw materials and electronic products,the emerging safety accidents,etc.The recent progresses are herein emphasized on lithium batteries for energy storage to clearly understand the sustainable energy chemistry and emerging energymaterials.The Perspective presents novel lithium-ion batteries developed with the aims of enhancing the electrochemical performance and sustainability of energy storage systems.First,revolutionary material chemistries,including novel low-cobalt cathode,organic electrode,and aqueous electrolyte,are discussed.Then,the characteristics of safety performance are analyzed and strategies to enhance safety are subsequently evaluated.Battery recycling is considered as the key factor for a sustainable society and related technologies are present as well.Finally,conclusion and outlook are drawn to shed lights on the further development of sustainable lithium-ion batteries.

Review： Tip-based vibrational spectroscopy for nanoscale analysis of emerging energy materials

Vibrational spectroscopy is one of the key instrumentations that provide non-invasive investigation of structural and chemical composition for both organic and inorganic materials. However, diffraction of light funda- mentally limits the spatial resolution of far-field vibrational spectroscopy to roughly half the wavelength. In this article, we thoroughly review the integration of atomic force microscopy （AFM） with vibrational spectroscopy to enable the nanoscale characterization of emerging energy materials, which has not been possible with far-field optical techniques. The discussed methods utilize the AFM tip as a nanoscopic tool to extract spatially resolved electronic or molecular vibrational resonance spectra of a sample illuminated by a visible or infrared （IR） light source. The absorption of light by electrons or individual functional groups within molecules leads to changes in the sample＇s thermal response, optical scattering, and atomic force interactions, all of which can be readily probed by an AFM tip. For example, photothermal induced resonance （PTIR） spectroscopy methods measure a sample＇s local thermal expansion or temperature rise. Therefore, they use the AFM tip as a thermal detector to directly relate absorbed IR light to the thermal response of a sample. Optical scattering methods based on scanning near-field optical microscopy （SNOM） correlate the spectrum of scattered near-field light with molecular vibrational modes. More recently, photo-induced force microscopy （PiFM） has been developed to measure the change of the optical force gradient due to the light absorption by molecular vibrational resonances using AFM＇s superb sensitivity in detecting tip-sample force interactions. Such recent efforts successfully breech the diffraction limit of light to provide nanoscale spatial resolution of vibrational spectroscopy,which will become a critical technique for characterizing novel energy materials.

Liquid metal material genome： Initiation of a new research track towards discovery of advanced energy materials

As the basis of modern industry, the roles materials play are becoming increasingly vital in this day and age. With many superior physical properties over conventional fluids, the low melting point liquid metal material, especially room-temperature liquid metal, is recently found to be uniquely useful in a wide variety of emerging areas from energy, electronics to medical sciences. However, with the coming enormous utilization of such materials, serious issues also arise which urgently need to be addressed. A biggest concern to impede the large scale application of room-temperature liquid metal technologies is that there is currently a strong shortage of the materials and species available to meet the tough requirements such as cost, melting point, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc. Inspired by the Material Genome Initiative as issued in 2011 by the United States of America, a more specific and focused project initiative was proposed in this paper--the liquid metal material genome aimed to discover advanced new functional alloys with low melting point so as to fulfill various increasing needs. The basic schemes and road map for this new research program, which is expected to have a worldwide significance, were outlined. The theoretical strategies and experimental methods in the research and development of liquid metal material genome were introduced. Particularly, the calculation of phase diagram （CALPHAD） approach as a highly effective way for material design was discussed. Further, the first-principles （FP） calculation was suggested to combine with the statistical thermo- dynamics to calculate the thermodynamic functions so as to enrich the CALPHAD database of liquid metals. When the experimental data are too scarce to perform a regular treatment, the combination of FP calculation, cluster variation method （CVM） or molecular dynamics （MD）, and CALPHAD, referred to as the mixed FP-CVM- CALPHAD method can be a promising way to solve the problem. Except for the theoretical strategies, several parallel processing experimental methods were also analyzed, which can help improve the efficiency of finding new liquid metal materials and reducing the cost. The liquid metal material genome proposal as initiated in this paper will accelerate the process of finding and utilization of new functional materials.

MXene-based materials for electrochemical energy storage

Rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors are widely investigated as the most important electrochemical energy storage devices nowadays due to the booming energy demand for electric vehicles and hand-held electronics. The large surface-area-to-volume ratio and internal surface areas endow two-dimensional（2D） materials with high mobility and high energy density; therefore, 2D materials are very promising candidates for Li ion batteries and supercapacitors with comprehensive investigations. In 2011, a new kind of 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides, MXene, were successfully obtained from MAX phases. Since then about 20 different kinds of MXene have been prepared. Other precursors besides MAX phases and even other methods such as chemical vapor deposition（CVD） were also applied to prepare MXene, opening new doors for the preparation of new MXene. Their 2D nature and good electronic properties ensure the inherent advantages as electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the development of MXene with emphasis on the applications to electrochemical energy storage. Also, future perspective and challenges of MXene-based materials are briefly discussed regrading electrochemical energy storage.

Preface to Special Topic:Graphene and 2D Materials for Energy Storage

Graphene, a single layer of graphite, has been one of the first real two dimensional （2D） materials isolated in 2004. Thus, graphene is becoming a cutting edge material that opens up new horizons to a whole family of 2D materials beyond the limited current applicability of graphene. The unique advantages of graphene and analogue 2D materials, such as atomic-scale thickness, high specific surface area, mechanically flexible robustness, superior storage capacity, endow them as high-performance electrodes lbr electrochemical energy storage devices. Although it is hard to say whether or not graphene and 2D materials will be implemented in future energy technologies, the recent achievements in this field demonstrate that their roles will be noticeable in the near future.

A Brief Analysis of Energy Conservation Ways by Building Materials for Ecological Architecture

The development of society and economy in China is bringing growth to all industries. In particular, the development of China’s building industry has attracted much attention. Building materials are an important part of and widely used in the building industry. Energy conservation by building materials has become an inevitable way of sustainable development. Centering on the building industry, this paper mainly discusses in detail the energy conservation ways by ecological architecture and building materials.

Preface to Special Issue on Carbon Materials for Energy Application

The rising cost and limited availability of fossil fuels, and the increasing concerns related to their role on global pollution and greenhouse effect have pushed considerably the need to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable use of energy based largely on renewable energy sources. Nanocarbon materials play a critical role in this transition, as they are the key materials for components of different devices necessary in enabling this transition （batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, etc.）. This issue collects 22 contributions, including one perspective and six review papers on the topic of carbon materials for energy applications, written by well-known experts in this field. It is really an exciting special issue that gives a very updated view of this topic, as well as trends and outlooks in this breakthrough research area. The initial perspective paper introduces the different possibilities offered from the growing level of knowledge in this area, testified from the exponentially rising number of publications. It also discusses the basie concepts for a rational design of these nanomaterials. The lk）llowing six reviews address different specific aspects of synthesis, characterization and use of carbon nanomaterials, from fuel cells to composite electrodes, supercapacitors and photoelectrochemical devices for CO2 conversion. These reviews represent an unique opportunity for the readers to be updated on the latest developments of new carbon families such as fullerene, grapbene, and carbon nanotube, and their derived nanocarbon materials （from carbon quantum dots to nanohorn, nanofiber, nano ribbon, etc.）. Second generation nanocarbons, including modification of these nanocarbons by surface functionalization or doping with heteroatoms to create specific tailored properties, and nanoarchitectured supramolecular hybrids, are also discussed. Finally, 1 communication and 14 full articles discuss several aspects of the use of these nanocarbon materials to develop new catalysts for a range of applications （from biomass conversion to Fisher-Tropsch reaction and electrochemical devices） and new materials for energy storage and conversion （adsorption pumps, Li-ion and Li-S batteries, electrodes for electrochemical uses）. We thus believe that this special issue dedicated to the use and development of carbon materials for energy applications represents a unique occasion for young and experienced researchers as well as for managers in the field of sustainable energy to have an updated view on this enabling topic for the future of our society. We thus invite all to have this special issue as a privileged component of your bookshelf.

Special Issue on New Concepts and Advances in Photocatalytic Materials for Sustainable Energy

The use of solar energy to drive the chemical and energy processes,and the chemical storage of solar energy are the key elements to move to a low-carbon economy,sustainable society and to foster energy transition.For this reason,there is a fast-growing scientific interest on this subject,which is part of the general effort for a solar-driven chemistry and energy,the chemistry of the future.To realize this

Rechargeable metal(Li, Na, Mg, Al)-sulfur batteries: Materials and advances

Energy and environmental issues are becoming more and more severe and renewable energy storage technologies are vital to solve the problem.Rechargeable metal(Li,Na,Mg,Al)-sulfur batteries with low-cost and earth-abundant elemental sulfur as the cathode are attracting more and more interest for electrical energy storage in recent years.Lithium-sulfur(Li-S),room-temperature sodium-sulfur(RT Na-S),magnesium-sulfur(Mg-S)and aluminum-sulfur(Al-S)batteries are the most prominent candidates among them.Many obvious obstacles are hampering the developments of metal-sulfur batteries.Li-S and Na-S batteries are encumbered mainly by anode dendrite issues,polysulfides shuttle and low conductivity of cathodes.Mg-S and Al-S batteries are short of suitable electrolytes.In this review,relationships between various employed nanostructured materials and electrochemical performances of metal-sulfur batteries have been demonstrated.Moreover,the selections of suitable electrolytes,anode protection,separator modifications and prototype innovations are all crucial to the developments of metal-sulfur batteries and are discussed at the same time.Herein,we give a review on the advances of Li-S,RT Na-S,Mg-S and Al-S batteries from the point of view of materials,and then focus on perspectives of their future developments.

Vision for energy material design:A roadmap for integrated data-driven modeling

The application scope and future development directions of machine learning models(supervised learning, transfer learning, and unsupervised learning) that have driven energy material design are discussed.

Studying the variable energy band structure for energy storage materials in charge/discharge process

So far,a clear understanding about the relationship of variable energy band structure with the corresponding charge-discharge process of energy storage materials is still lacking.Here,using optical spectroscopy(red-green-blue(RGB)value,reflectivity,transmittance,UV-vis,XPS,UPS)to studyα-Co(OH)_(2) electrode working in KOH electrolyte as the research object,we provide direct experimental evidence that:(1)The intercalation of OH-ions will reduce the valence/conduction band(VB and CB)and band gap energy(Eg)values;(2)The deintercalation of OH-ions corresponds with the reversion of VB,CB and E_(g) to the initial values;(3)The color of Co(OH)_(2) electrode also exhibit regular variations in RGB value during the charge-discharge process.

Materials Research Advances towards High-Capacity Battery/Fuel Cell Devices(Invited paper)

The world has entered an era featured with fast transportations,instant communications,and prompt technological revolutions,the further advancement of which all relies fundamentally,yet,on the development of cost-effective energy resources allowing for durable and high-rate energy supply.Current battery and fuel cell systems are challenged by a few issues characterized either by insufficient energy capacity or by operation instability and,thus,are not ideal for such highly-demanded applications as electrical vehicles and portable electronic devices.In this mini-review,we present,from materials perspectives,a few selected important breakthroughs in energy resources employed in these applications.Prospectives are then given to look towards future research activities for seeking viable materials solutions for addressing the capacity,durability,and cost shortcomings associated with current battery/fuel cell devices.

Optimum Preparation Conditions of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O_2 and LiNi_(0.95)Ce_(0.05)O_2 as Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials

The preparation of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O_2 was discussed by the multiply sintering method for solid reaction, in which the sintered material was smashed, ground and pelletted between two successive sintering steps. The optimum technological condition was obtained through orthogonal experiments by L_9(3~4) and DTA analysis. The result indicates that the factors of effecting the electrochemical properties of synthesized LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O_2 are molar ratio of Li/Ni/Co, oxygen pressure, homothermal time, the final sintering temperature in turn according to its importance. The oxygen pressure is reviewed independently and the technological condition is further optimized. With the same method, rare earth element Ce was studied as substitute element of Co and the cathode material of LiNi_(0.95)Ce_(0.05)O_2 with excellent electrochemical properties was prepared. The electrochemical testing results of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.2)O_2 and LiNi_(0.95)Ce_(0.05)O_2 experimental batteries show that discharge capacities of them reach 165 and 148 mAh·g^(-1) respectively and the persistence is more than 9 h at 3.7 V.