We are pleased to announce the first issue of Materials Today Energy. Articles in this issue cover hot research areas including perovskite solar cell and lithium batteries. Prof Zhu-bing He and his team report the application of an electron extraction layer based on poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) nanodots for perovskite solar cells. The electron extraction layer can be prepared at low temperatures and enhances both the efficiency and the stability of the perovskite solar cell. Their best device shows a power conversion efficiency of over 18% and a storage lifetime several times longer than the control device.
Prof Yuanfu Chen and his group employed a low-cost and scalable spray drying process to prepare a composite of sulfur nanoparticles wrapped by nitrogen-doped graphene for application as a cathode material in lithium-sulfur batteries. The composite consists of microspheres with highly-wrinkled surfaces that enhance ion diffusion rates and effectively accommodate volume changes during charging-discharging cycles. Combining this unique morphology with the nitrogen doping which enhances electrical conductivity, excellent performance was achieved with the composite cathode.
The other two papers in this issue are on the applications of electrospun nanofibres as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. The work from Prof Xing Li and Prof Jie Shu et al. employs BaLi2Ti6O14 nanofibers with emphasis on the high rate performance. On the other hand, Prof Hongkang Wang and Michael K.H. Leung et al. reported a facile on-pot synthesis process for preparing SnSb-embedded carbon-silica nanofibres. The use of TEOS for preparing the silica in the nanofibres was shown to be beneficial for the electrochemical performance.
This editorial was originally published in Materials Today Energy (2016), doi: 10.1016/j.mtener.2016.11.004.
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The papers from the first three issues are free to read for the first year, so visit ScienceDirect to explore cutting edge research in the field of materials for energy.
To submit to Materials Today Energy, visit the journal homepage. Or explore more journals in the Materials Today family, such as Materials Today, Applied Materials Today, Materials Today Chemistry, Materials Today Communications and Materials Today: Proceedings, via the Journals page.