Carbon Nanomaterials: Carbon Nanomaterials for Advanced Energy Conversion and Storage (Small 8/2012)

Abstract

The cover picture features carbon nanomaterials–carbon nanotubes and graphene–for applications in energy conversion and storage devices. Compared to conventional materials used for energy applications, carbon nanomaterials possess unique electrical and surface properties useful for efficient energy conversion and storage. Considerable efforts have been made to utilize carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, as energy materials, and tremendous progress has been achieved in developing high-performance energy conversion (e.g., solar cells and fuel cells) and storage (e.g., supercapacitors and batteries) devices. For more information please read the Review “Carbon Nanomaterials for Advanced Energy Conversion and Storage” by L. Dai, W. Lu, and co-workers, beginning on page 1130. The Review covers the progress from the last two decades in the research and development of carbon nanomaterials for advanced energy conversion and storage and discusses challenges and perspectives of this exciting field.