Studies on Synthesis and Various Characteristics of Green Materials for Energy Conversion Applications

Abstract

Energy has become one of the major concerns of the twenty-first century because of the social progress and development in human standard of living. The requirement for energy is increasing constantly, even though conventional combustion-based energy will keep on playing a leading role in gathering our demands in near future. The impending scarcity, rising price and increasing environmental pollution of fossil fuels are approaching humans to build up sustainable, low-cost and clean energy. Sustainable development is integrity of multidiscipline thought combining social, environmental and economical aspects to build a liveable human system. The sustainable development can be done by synthesizing green materials. Green materials hold exceptional physical and chemical properties and are found in nature in plenty, non-toxic and cost-effective. This chapter focuses on green materials originating from the principles to reduce or eliminate the hazardous substances in synthesis of chemical products. At fundamental level, researches in green materials create alternatives to conventional materials or process that present an ecological benefit. So, it deals with the description of cost-effective and low-temperature-based synthesis which involves handling of non-toxic elements. Green materials can be useful for a variety of fields such as in science and technology for energy, construction of buildings, pollution management, engineering applications and materials science. Green materials can be synthesized with the aim of energy production.