This article collection has been created to showcase the growing body of research on energy storage topics, and to stimulate discussion and broaden understanding across a wide range of disciplines. The highly multidisciplinary nature of this field includes research on topics from lithium-ion and other battery technologies to microbial fuel cells, supercapacitors to solar cells, and on materials topics including carbon nanotubes and graphene, membranes and electrodes, electrolytes and photocatalysts.
Energy storage is being studied worldwide with a sense of ever greater urgency today, in particular to overcome the intermittent nature of many renewable energy generation technologies, and to boost the range and usability of electric vehicles. As well as work to improve ‘conventional’ materials and develop new combinations, researchers are also investigating the use of newly developed materials such as graphene and nanomaterials.
We're delighted to present this collection of top articles from a selection of our leading energy journals, with free access until 31 May 2017.
Lithium-ion batteries
A novel dual-scale cell state-of-charge estimation approach for series-connected battery pack used in electric vehicles: Fengchun Sun, Rui Xiong (China), Journal of Power Sources 274 (15 January 2015).
Lithium ion rechargeable batteries: State of the art and future needs of microscopic theoretical models and simulations (Review): D. Miranda, C.M. Costa, S. Lanceros-Mendez (Portugal), Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 739 (15 February 2015).
Critical review of on-board capacity estimation techniques for lithium-ion batteries in electric and hybrid electric vehicles: Alexander Farmann, Wladislaw Waag, Andrea Marongiu, Dirk Uwe Sauer (Germany), Journal of Power Sources 281 (1 May 2015).
Carbon nanotubes decorated by mesoporous cobalt oxide as electrode material for lithium-ion batteries: K. Wenelska, C. Neef, L. Schlestein, R. Klingeler, Ryszard J. Kalenczuk, E. Mijowska (Poland, Germany), Chemical Physics Letters 635 (16 August 2015).
Aging evaluation of high power lithium cells subjected to micro-cycles: M. Ceraolo, G. Lutzemberger, D. Poli (Italy), Journal of Energy Storage 6 (May 2016).
A promising cathode for Li-ion batteries: Li3V2(PO4)3: Chaofeng Liu, Robert Massé, Xihui Nan, Guozhong Cao (China, USA), Energy Storage Materials 4 (July 2016).
Other battery technologies
S–TiO2 composite cathode materials for lithium/sulfur batteries: Xin Zhou Ma, Bo Jin, Hui Yuan Wang, Jia Zi Hou, Xiao Bin Zhong, Huan Huan Wang, Pei Ming Xin (China), Journal of ElectroanalyticalChemistry 736 (1 January 2015).
MoS2-reduced graphene oxide composites via microwave assisted synthesis for sodium ion battery anode with improved capacity and cycling performance: Wei Qin, Taiqiang Chen, Likun Pan, Lengyuan Niu, Bingwen Hu, Dongsheng Li, Jinliang Li, Zhuo Sun (China), Electrochimica Acta153 (20 January 2015).
High cyclability of carbon-coated TiO2 nanoparticles as anode for sodium-ion batteries: Yeqian Ge, Han Jiang, Jiadeng Zhu, Yao Lu, Chen Chen, Yi Hu, Yiping Qiu, Xiangwu Zhang (China, USA), Electrochimica Acta 157 (1 March 2015).
A review of lithium and non-lithium based solid state batteries (Review): Joo Gon Kim, Byungrak Son, Santanu Mukherjee, Nicholas Schuppert, Alex Bates, Osung Kwon, Moon Jong Choi, Hyun Yeol Chung, Sam Park (South Korea, USA), Journal of Power Sources 282 (15 May 2015).
Pitch-derived amorphous carbon as high performance anode for sodium-ion batteries: Yunming Li, Linqin Mu, Yong-Sheng Hu, Hong Li, Liquan Chen, Xuejie Huang (China), Energy Storage Materials 2 (January 2016).
Nanocellulose-laden composite polymer electrolytes for high performing lithium–sulphur batteries: Jijeesh R. Nair, Federico Bella, Natarajan Angulakshmi, Arul Manuel Stephan, Claudio Gerbaldi (Italy, India), Energy Storage Materials 3 (April 2016).
Supercapacitors/ultracapacitors
A general approach for fabrication of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets and its application in supercapacitors: Dewei Wang, Yonggang Min, Youhai Yu, Bo Peng (China), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 417 (1 March 2014).
A comparative study of equivalent circuit models of ultracapacitors for electric vehicles: Lei Zhang, Zhenpo Wang, Xiaosong Hu, Fengchun Sun, David G. Dorrell (China, Australia, USA), Journal of Power Sources 274 (15 January 2015).
Cycle performance of lithium-ion capacitors using graphite negative electrodes at different pre-lithiation levels: Seiji Kumagai, Tomoya Ishikawa, Naoki Sawa (Japan), Journal of Energy Storage 2 (August 2015).
Appropriate methods for evaluating the efficiency and capacitive behavior of different types of supercapacitors: A. Laheäär, P. Przygocki, Q. Abbas, F. Béguin (Poland), Electrochemistry Communications60 (November 2015).
Intercalation of cations into partially reduced molybdenum oxide for high-rate pseudocapacitors: Xu Xiao, Chuanfang Zhang, Shizhe Lin, Liang Huang, Zhimi Hu, Yongliang Cheng, Tianqi Li, Wenming Qiao, Donghui Long, Yunhui Huang, Liqiang Mai, Yury Gogotsi, Jun Zhou (China, USA), Energy Storage Materials 1 (November 2015).
Microbial fuel cells
A high power density miniaturized microbial fuel cell having carbon nanotube anodes: Hao Ren, Soonjae Pyo, Jae-Ik Lee, Tae-Jin Park, Forrest S. Gittleson, Frederick C.C. Leung, Jongbaeg Kim, André D. Taylor, Hyung-Sool Lee, Junseok Chae (USA, South Korea, China, Canada), Journal of Power Sources273 (1 January 2015).
Wired enzymes in mesoporous materials: A benchmark for fabricating biofuel cells (Review): Paolo N. Catalano, Alejandro Wolosiuk, Galo J.A.A. Soler-Illia, Martín G. Bellino (Argentina), Bioelectrochemistry106, Part A (December 2015).
Graphene & nanomaterials
Enhanced capacitive deionization performance of graphene by nitrogen doping: Xingtao Xu, Likun Pan, Yong Liu, Ting Lu, Zhuo Sun (China), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 445 (1 May 2015).
Low bioaccumulative materials for parahygrophobic nanosheets with sticking behaviour: Janwa El-Maiss, Thierry Darmanin, Frédéric Guittard (France), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 447 (1 June 2015).
Hydrothermally reduced nano porous graphene–polyaniline nanofiber composites for supercapacitor: Mrinmoy Kumar Chini, Shyambo Chatterjee (India), FlatChem 1 (September 2016).
Photo/catalysis
Photocatalyst AgInS2 for active overall water-splitting: A first-principles study: Dan Huang, Clas Persson (Sweden, China, Norway), Chemical Physics Letters 591 (20 January 2014).
Solar water splitting with earth-abundant materials using amorphous silicon photocathodes and Al/Ni contacts as hydrogen evolution catalyst: F. Urbain, V. Smirnov, J.-P. Becker, U. Rau, J. Ziegler, F. Yang, B. Kaiser, W. Jaegermann, S. Hoch, M. Blug, F. Finger (Germany), Chemical Physics Letters 638 (1 October 2015).
New insights on the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol on carbon-supported Pt electrode by a novel electrochemical mass spectrometry configuration: Olmedo Guillén-Villafuerte, Gonzalo García, Ma Carmen Arévalo, José Luis Rodríguez, Elena Pastor (Spain), Electrochemistry Communications 63 (February 2016).
Materials science
Localized surface plasmons and hot electrons: Kyle Marchuk, Katherine A. Willets (USA), Chemical Physics 445 (5 December 2014).
Recent Advances in Innovative Polymer Electrolytes based on Poly(ionic liquid)s: Alexander S. Shaplov, Rebeca Marcilla, David Mecerreyes (Russia, Spain), Electrochimica Acta 175 (1 September 2015).
Femtosecond transient absorption dynamics in low bandgap polymer solar cell materials including poly(thienylenevinylene) derivative and benzothiadiazole moiety: In-Sik Kim, Soo-Young Jang, Terry Park, Cheol Jo, Dong-Yu Kim, Do-Kyeong Ko (South Korea), Chemical Physics 461 (5 November 2015).
The cathodic reduction of carbon dioxide—What can it realistically achieve? A mini review: Derek Pletcher (UK), Electrochemistry Communications 61 (December 2015).
“Bottom-up” transparent electrodes: Ahiud Morag, Raz Jelinek (Israel), Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 482 (15 November 2016).
Energy storage operation
Cost-optimal operation of energy storage units: Benefits of a problem-specific approach: Lars Siemer, Frank Schöpfer, David Kleinhans (Germany), Journal of Energy Storage 6 (May 2016).
Battery state of charge estimation using a load-classifying neural network: Shijie Tong, Joseph H. Lacap, Jae Wan Park (USA), Journal of Energy Storage 7 (August 2016).
Development of a frequency regulation duty-cycle for standardized energy storage performance testing: David Rosewater, Summer Ferreira (USA), Journal of Energy Storage 7 (August 2016).