Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) Performance Analysis and Challenges in Fuel Cell Applications

Energy storage is the process of storing previously generated energy for future usage in order to meet energy demands. The need for high‐power density energy storage materials is growing across the board. The high ionic transport, superior electronic conductivity, rapid ion diffusion, high current tolerance, etc. are few among the numerous factors that can be considered the versatilities of nanomaterials. This makes the nanomaterials suitable for energy storage applications. According to the allied market research, the global nanotechnology in energy industry was estimated at $139.7 million in 2020 and is anticipated to hit $384.8 million by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7% from 2021 to 2030. The extraordinary and improved properties of carbon‐based nanomaterials and their tunable surface chemistry authorize them to be used in design of competent high‐energy and high‐power energy storage devices. Recent research and future progress focus on effective usage of low‐dimensional carbon‐based nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage systems. In particular, versatile carbon nanomaterials with multifunctional capabilities have attracted incredible attention in different types of batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other energy storage devices. Engineering the carbon‐based nanomaterials with efficient energy storage and remarkable conversion ability embraces the promise of creating a new path for their future development. This article reviews the role of few carbon‐based nanomaterials in efficiently increasing the competence and dependability of energy storage applications.

Insight mechanism of MXene for the future generation of highly efficient energy storage device

In the attempt to tackle the issue of climate change, governments across the world have agreed to set global carbon reduction targets. [...]

Abstract

Much research has been conducted to improve the performance of photovoltaic solar cells. Transparent conductive film and interconnection layers have a significant impact on the performance of photovoltaic cells. In this work, we analyze the experimental results obtained on tandem organic photovoltaic solar cells with simple inverted structures using silver nanowires AgNW as transparent conductive electrode (TE) and as interconnection layer (ICL) between PEDOT: PSS and ZnO. This type of contact leads to a strong ohmic contact in both sub-cells having P3HT: ICBA as the lower active layer and having PTB7: PC71BM (1: 1.5) as the upper active layer with a good complement of the absorption spectrum. To study the advantages of using AgNWs as an interconnection layer (PEDOT: PSS/AgNWs/ZnO) in tandem photovoltaic solar cells and as an anode and its impact on the performance of these organic cells, we have simulated the electrical characteristics obtained by these tandem organic photovoltaic cells using an equivalent circuit model. This model is based on a single diode model with five photovoltaic parameters. We therefore extracted all the physical parameters of the illuminated photovoltaic cell from its experimental characteristics (J–V), such as the diode saturation current density (J0), the series and shunt resistors (RS, RSh), the ideality factor (n) and the photogenerated current density (JPh). For this we have solved the analytical equations of the current density using Newton Raphson's method. The equations are derived from the single diode equivalent circuit proposed to simulate the measured current density as a function of the voltage of the manufactured tandem type organic solar cells. A good agreement was obtained between the theoretical model and the experimental electrical characteristics. This confirms that the use of AgNWs between PEDOT: PSS and ZnO as an interconnection layer in reverse geometry of these tandem devices, has improved the efficiency (PCE = 9.24%) and is proving to be an efficient recombination layer for tandem organic photovoltaic solar cells.

Recent advances in two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks as an exotic candidate for the evaluation of redox-active sites in energy storage devices

Investigating the synergistic characteristics of air processable CsPbIBr₂ perovskite electrodes for solar cell and energy storage applications

Niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta), transition metals with distinct physical and chemical properties, are highly attractive for applications in electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices. Their oxides, dichalcogenides, and MXenes demonstrate significant potential due to effective ion‐diffusion channels and high theoretical capacity. Particularly, Nb‐based dichalcogenides and MXenes offer enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors (SCs) applications because of their layered structure. However, the tendency of Nb chalcogenides and Nb‐MXene layers to aggregate or restack impedes electrolyte penetration, diminishing coulombic efficiency and capacity. Moreover, Nb‐ and Ta‐based oxides have intrinsically low electrical conductivity and a slow Li intercalation rate, challenging their application in energy storage devices. To address these issues, strategies such as hierarchical structuring, heteroatom doping, and the development of porous or nanoscale forms, as well as composites incorporating carbon or conductive polymers, have been explored. This review summarizes the impacts of various synthesis techniques, crystal structures, and morphological tunings on the electrochemical properties of Nb and Ta materials in LIBs and SCs and outlines the future directions for enhancing their performance in EES applications.

There has been a significant scope toward the cutting‐edge investigations in hierarchical carbon nanostructured electrodes originating from cellulosic materials, such as cellulose nanofibers, available from natural cellulose and bacterial cellulose. Elements of energy storage systems (ESSs) are typically established upon inorganic/metal mixtures, carbonaceous implications, and petroleum‐derived hydrocarbon chemicals. However, these conventional substances may need help fulfilling the ever‐increasing needs of ESSs. Nanocellulose has grown significantly as an impressive 1D element due to its natural availability, eco‐friendliness, recyclability, structural identity, simple transformation, and dimensional durability. Here, in this review article, we have discussed the role and overview of cellulose‐based hydrogels in ESSs. Additionally, the extraction sources and solvents used for dissolution have been discussed in detail. Finally, the properties (such as self‐healing, transparency, strength and swelling behavior), and applications (such as flexible batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, flexible supercapacitors and carbon‐based derived from cellulose) in energy storage devices and conclusion with existing challenges have been updated with recent findings.

The dramatic environmental pollution and energy shortages have spurred internationally unprecedented interest in developing new energy technologies. Supercapacitors have emerged as a new class of green electrochemical devices for energy conversion and storage and are promising candidates for extensive applications. As a key component of supercapacitors, electrode materials are a crucial factor to the electrochemical performance based on its properties including surface area, pore structure, conductivity and surface functionalization. The well-designed synthesis strategies and conditions are usually fatal to tailor four mentioned properties. Due to the advantages of low cost, high specific surface area and conductivity, controllable microstructure, easy surface functionalization, remarkable chemical stability and outstanding electrolyte ion accessibility, porous carbon materials tailored through well-designed synthesis strategies and conditions, exhibit high energy density and power density as well as superb electrochemical cycling stability. In this review, we firstly provide a brief description of energy storage mechanisms for different types of electrode materials, followed by a comprehensive overview of recent advances in development of different carbon-based materials with activated carbon, carbon aerogels, carbon fiber, mesoporous carbon, carbon nanotube and graphene. Then we state the key parameters to evaluate the electrochemical properties, such as specific capacitance, energy density and power density, and also discuss the relationship between the influence parameters (e.g. surface area, pore structure, conductivity, and surface properties) and enhanced performances. Further, according to the research work of our group, we present a summary on the design, synthesis and applications in energy conversion and storage based on porous carbon materials, including carbons with different pore distributions (hierarchical porous carbon, porous carbon sphere, ultramicroporous carbon), functionalized porous carbon and porous carbon composite materials. In terms of carbons with different pore distributions, we list some characteristic synthetic methods (e.g. the self-template strategy for banana-peel-derived hierarchical porous carbon foams, the seeded synthetic strategy for phenolic-resin-derived porous carbon nanospheres and the solvothermal method for phloroglucinol-terephthaldehyde-derived ultramicroporous carbon nanoparticles), which can be concluded that micropores (especially ultramicropores) are electrochemically available for electrolyte ions because the solvation shell is squeezed through the pores less than the solvated ion size and such distortion reduces distance between the electrode surface and the ion center, while mesopores offer highly efficient pore channels for ion penetration and transport. In terms of functionalized porous carbon, we adopt the in situ synthesis approach to prepare nitrogen-doped carbons ( e.g. poly(1, 5-diaminonapthalene)-derived nitrogen-containing carbon microspheres and phenylenediamine-terephthalaldehyde-derived nitrogen-functionalized microporous carbon nanoparticles), which demonstrate that heteroatom doping, on the one hand, increases the surface wettability in the aqueous electrolyte to improve the mass transfer efficiency, and on the other hand, endows additional psedocapacitance for the electrode. In terms of porous carbon composite materials, we combine carbon-based materials with pseudocapacitive metal oxides (e.g. NiO and MnO2) for achieving high-performance supercapacitors, which is a wise choice to increase the energy density without sacrificing the high power capability. These strategies and methods provide new ideas to simple and highly efficient design of porous carbon materials and may be extendable to other systems such as metal or metal oxide materials. Additionally, the future trend of carbon based electrode materials for energy conversion and storage device is discussed. There are extensive applications outside the area of high-rate electrochemical energy storage, such as drug delivery, photonic crystals, adsorption and separation, and catalysis.

2D MXene-based supercapacitors: A promising path towards high-performance energy storage

Our modern and technological society requests enhanced energy storage devices to tackle the current necessities. In addition, wearable electronic devices are being demanding because they offer many facilities to the person wearing it. In this manuscript, a historical review is made about the available energy storage devices focusing on super-capacitors and lithium-ion batteries, since they currently are the most present in the industry, and the possible polymeric materials suitable on wearable energy storage devices. Polymers are a suitable option because they not only possess remarkable mechanical resistance, flexibility, long life-times, easy manufacturing techniques and low cost in addition to they can be environmentally friendly, nontoxic, and even biodegradable too. Moreover, the electrical and electrochemical polymer properties can be tunning with suitable fillers giving to versatile conducting polymer composites with a good cost and properties' ratio. Although the advances are promising, there are still many drawbacks that need to be overcome. Future research should focus on improving both the performance of materials and their processability on an industrial scale, where additive manufacturing offers many possibilities. The sustainability of new energy storage devices should not

Recent advances in the synthesis and modification of carbon-based 2D materials for application in energy conversion and storage

The use of mathematical modeling to predict and investigate the effect of process variables in the research and engineering field of energy conversion and energy storage has also received special attention from scientists and industrial designers in this field due to their importance in the global economy. This review article investigates the applications of mathematical modeling and simulation in energy conversion and energy storage processes, and finally, with a case study, the application of mathematical modeling in the desired processes to be tested and compared with the reported results in the papers. In the first part, the main emphasis is on energy conversion, especially on the structure of solar cells and fuel cells and mathematical modeling methods, and predicting the effect of operating variables on their performance. The basic principles of modeling solar cells and fuel cells to understand the relationships governing the current, voltage, performance, and power of PV modules are to be discussed. And with a case study, modeling of the process to estimate the performance of PV modules and SOFC in various conditions has been investigated. In the second part, the main focus is on the mathematical modeling of energy storage devices including batteries and supercapacitors. Supercapacitors and batteries are electrochemical energy storage devices that can be charged within a few seconds to a few minutes. This efficient energy storage is based on the electrocatalytic effect of the electrode with a high surface area. The mathematical equations governing the battery and supercapacitor are discussed in the article, and battery and supercapacitor performance are to be simulated as a case study. Due to the Multiphysics nature of energy conversion and storage systems, the simulation is performed in two stages. In the first step, the semiconductor equations are applied and the electrical response of the electrochemical device is modeled. In the second step, if needed, the thermal equations can be entered into the main calculations and the net amount of heat and the temperature profile in the desired device is evaluated. The main goals and ideas of compiling this review article are expressing the importance and role of electrochemical and electrocatalysts in energy production and storage processes and paying attention to the governing mechanism and mathematical equations and highlighting important and common models used in different parts of energy conversion and storage in a coherent article.

Synthesis and nano-engineering of MXenes for energy conversion and storage applications: Recent advances and perspectives