Nanostructured Materials for the Realization of Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion Devices: Status and Prospects
, Imran Shakir, Zahid Ali, Usman Ali Rana, Ayman Nafady, Mansoor Sarfraz, Inas Muen Al-Nashef and Dae Joon Kang . 2013
One of the greatest challenges for the modern world is the ever-increasing demand of energy, which
may soon outstrip the amount of natural resources that can be obtained using currently known energy
conversion and energy storage technologies such as solar cells, fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, and
supercapacitors. It appears that the maximum output efficiencies of these devices have already reached
the intrinsic limits of almost all electrocatalyst materials. Hence, it is a high time to think about new material
architectures by controlling size, shape, and geometry, as well as composition that can potentially
make a significant improvement in the performance of these electrochemical devices. Among several
known electrocatalyst materials are nanomaterials and their composites due to their unique electrical,
mechanical, physical, chemical, and structural characteristics. These materials have opened a whole
new territory of possibilities in designing high performance energy storage and conversion devices.
One of the greatest challenges for the modern world is the ever-increasing demand of energy, which
may soon outstrip the amount of natural resources that can be obtained using currently…