Efficient Solar Energy Harvesting and Storage through a Robust Photocatalyst Driving Reversible Redox Reactions

Simultaneous solar energy conversion and storage is receiving increasing interest for better utilization of the abundant yet intermittently available sunlight. Photoelectrodes driving nonspontaneous reversible redox reactions in solar‐powered redox cells (SPRCs), which can deliver energy via the corresponding reverse reactions, present a cost‐effective and promising approach for direct solar energy harvesting and storage. However, the lack of photoelectrodes having both high conversion efficiency and high durability becomes a bottleneck that hampers practical applications of SPRCs. Here, it is shown that a WO₃‐decorated BiVO₄ photoanode, without the need of extra electrocatalysts, can enable a single‐photocatalyst‐driven SPRC with a solar‐to‐output energy conversion efficiency as high as 1.25%. This SPRC presents stable performance over 20 solar energy storage/delivery cycles. The high efficiency and stability are attributed to the rapid redox reactions, the well‐matched energy level, and the efficient light harvesting and charge separation of the prepared BiVO₄. This demonstrated device system represents a potential alternative toward the development of low‐cost, durable, and easy‐to‐implement solar energy technologies.     

太阳能电池光电转换膜微观结构的高分辨电镜研究

文章提出一种把薄膜或多层膜制成用透射电镜可以观察层间结构的样品的新技术。用高分辨电镜研究了太阳能电池Si—SnO2系光电转换膜的微观结构。     

Carbon nanomaterials for advanced energy conversion and storage

It is estimated that the world will need to double its energy supply by 2050. Nanotechnology has opened up new frontiers in materials science and engineering to meet this challenge by creating new materials, particularly carbon nanomaterials, for efficient energy conversion and storage. Comparing to conventional energy materials, carbon nanomaterials possess unique size-/surface-dependent (e.g., morphological, electrical, optical, and mechanical) properties useful for enhancing the energy-conversion and storage performances. During the past 25 years or so, therefore, considerable efforts have been made to utilize the unique properties of 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. This article reviews progress in the research and development of carbon nanomaterials during the past twenty years or so for advanced energy conversion and storage, along with some discussions on challenges and perspectives in this exciting field.     

Niobium‐Based Oxides Toward Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage: Recent Advances and Challenges

Niobium‐based oxides including Nb₂O₅, TiNb_xO_2+2.5x compounds, M–Nb–O (M = Cr, Ga, Fe, Zr, Mg, etc.) family, etc., as the unique structural merit (e.g., quasi‐2D network for Li‐ion incorporation, open and stable Wadsley– Roth shear crystal structure), are of great interest for applications in energy storage systems such as Li/Na‐ion batteries and hybrid supercapacitors. Most of these Nb‐based oxides show high operating voltage (>1.0 V vs Li⁺/Li) that can suppress the formation of solid electrolyte interface film and lithium dendrites, ensuring the safety of working batteries. Outstanding rate capability is impressive, which can be derived from their fast intercalation pseudocapacitive kinetics. However, the intrinsic poor electrical conductivity hinders their energy storage applications. Various strategies including structure optimization, surface engineering, and carbon modification are effectively used to overcome the issues. This review provides a comprehensive summary on the latest progress of Nb‐based oxides for advanced electrochemical energy storage applications. Major impactful work is outlined, promising research directions, and various performance‐optimizing strategies, as well as the energy storage mechanisms investigated by combining theoretical calculations and various electrochemical characterization techniques. In addition, challenges and perspectives for future research and commercial applications are also presented.     

Solar Energy Storage Using a Cu2O-TiO2 Photocathode in a Lithium Battery

A Cu₂O-TiO₂ photoelectrode is pr+oposed for simultaneous solar light energy harvesting and storing of electrochemical energy in an adapted lithium coin cell. The p-type Cu₂O semiconductor layer is the light harvester component of the photoelectrode and the TiO₂ film performs as the capacitive layer. The rationale of the energy scheme shows that the photocharges generated in the Cu₂O semiconductor induce lithiation/delithiation processes in the TiO₂ film as a function of the applied bias voltage and light power. A photorechargeable lithium button cell drilled on one side recharges with visible white light in ≈9 h in open circuit. It provides an energy density of ≈150 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C discharge current in dark, and the overall efficiency is 0.29%. This work draws a new approach for the photoelectrode role to advance in monolithic rechargeable batteries.     

Localized Electrons Enhanced Ion Transport for Ultrafast Electrochemical Energy Storage

The rate-determining process for electrochemical energy storage is largely determined by ion transport occurring in the electrode materials. Apart from decreasing the distance of ion diffusion, the enhancement of ionic mobility is crucial for ion transport. Here, a localized electron enhanced ion transport mechanism to promote ion mobility for ultrafast energy storage is proposed. Theoretical calculations and analysis reveal that highly localized electrons can be induced by intrinsic defects, and the migration barrier of ions can be obviously reduced. Consistently, experiment results reveal that this mechanism leads to an enhancement of Li/Na ion diffusivity by two orders of magnitude. At high mass loading of 10 mg cm⁻² and high rate of 10C, a reversible energy storage capacity up to 190 mAh g⁻¹ is achieved, which is ten times greater than achievable by commercial crystals with comparable dimensions.     

碳纳米管负载氮化钴催化剂的制备及其对氨分解反应的活性

采用等体积浸渍法结合程序升温还原技术合成了一系列CoN_x/CNTs催化剂,通过XRD、BET、TGDSC、TPR等手段,结合氨分解反应,研究了它们的表面性质和反应性能,结果表明,CoNx/CNTs催化剂对氨分解反应具有良好的催化活性,在500℃时氨转化率可达到66.46%.     

太阳能蓄热技术研究进展

太阳能蓄热根据储热机制的不同可分为显热蓄热、潜热蓄热与化学蓄热。介绍了三种蓄热方式的研究现状与各种蓄热材料的优缺点,并且对比分析了三种蓄热方式的特性。其中潜热蓄热,特别是相变材料的蓄热技术应用最为广泛;显热蓄热如混凝土蓄热技术目前正在研究之中;化学蓄热则在实验阶段。     

Local Electrochemical Functionality in Energy Storage Materials and Devices by Scanning Probe Microscopies: Status and Perspectives

Energy storage and conversion systems are an integral component of emerging green technologies, including mobile electronic devices, automotive, and storage components of solar and wind energy economics. Despite the rapidly expanding manufacturing capabilities and wealth of phenomenological information on the macroscopic device behaviors, the microscopic mechanisms underpinning battery and fuel cell operations in the nanometer–micrometer range are virtually unknown. This lack of information is due to the dearth of experimental techniques capable of addressing elementary mechanisms involved in battery operation, including electronic and ion transport, vacancy injection, and interfacial reactions, on the nanometer scale. In this article, a brief overview of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) methods addressing nanoscale electrochemical functionalities is provided and compared with macroscopic electrochemical methods. Future applications of emergent SPM methods, including near field optical, electromechanical, microwave, and thermal probes and combined SPM‐(S)TEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) methods in energy storage and conversion materials are discussed.     

Hybrid Energy Harvesters: Toward Sustainable Energy Harvesting

Recently, sustainable green energy harvesting systems have been receiving great attention for their potential use in self‐powered smart wireless sensor network (WSN) systems. In particular, though the developed WSN systems are able to advance public good, very high and long‐term budgets will be required in order to use them to supply electrical energy through temporary batteries or connecting power cables. This report summarizes recent significant progress in the development of hybrid nanogenerators for a sustainable energy harvesting system that use natural and artificial energies such as solar, wind, wave, heat, machine vibration, and automobile noise. It starts with a brief introduction of energy harvesting systems, and then summarizes the different hybrid energy harvesting systems: integration of mechanical and photovoltaic energy harvesters, integration of mechanical and thermal energy harvesters, integration of thermal and photovoltaic energy harvesters, and others. In terms of the reported hybrid nanogenerators, a systematic summary of their structures, working mechanisms, and output performances is provided. Specifically, electromagnetic induction, triboelectric, piezoelectric, photovoltaic, thermoelectric, and pyroelectric effects are reviewed on the basis of the individual and hybrid power performances of hybrid nanogenerators and their practical applications with various device designs. Finally, the perspectives on and challenges in developing high performance and sustainable hybrid nanogenerator systems are presented.     

Toward Flexible Polymer and Paper‐Based Energy Storage Devices

All‐polymer and paper‐based energy storage devices have significant inherent advantages in comparison with many currently employed batteries and supercapacitors regarding environmental friendliness, flexibility, cost and versatility. The research within this field is currently undergoing an exciting development as new polymers, composites and paper‐based devices are being developed. In this report, we review recent progress concerning the development of flexible energy storage devices based on electronically conducting polymers and cellulose containing composites with particular emphasis on paper‐based batteries and supercapacitors. We discuss recent progress in the development of the most commonly used electronically conducting polymers used in flexible device prototypes, the advantages and disadvantages of this type of energy storage devices, as well as the two main approaches used in the manufacturing of paper‐based charge storage devices.     

基于太阳能热化学的分布式供能系统热力学性能及碳排放分析

分布式供能系统临近用户,具有灵活消纳可再生能源的优势。集成太阳能与清洁燃料互补的分布式供能系统,旨在实现太阳能与燃料的高效互补利用。提出了基于太阳能热化学的分布式供能系统,该系统集成了太阳能热化学转化与分布式冷热电联供系统,将太阳能与甲醇以热化学的形式进行源头互补,把太阳能转化为合成气燃料化学能,进而通过内燃机发电机组和余热回收单元输出冷、热、电产品,以满足用户的负荷需求。通过数值计算的方法,对所集成的系统开展了热力学性能及CO₂排放性能分析,研究了设计工况及变工况下运行性能,结果表明所集成的太阳能与燃料热化学互补供能系统具有显著的节能减排优势。     

Electrochemical ways of tapping solar energy: an appraisal

In recent years, solar cell technology has advanced significantly and is nearing commercial viability. Practical solar cells that are capable of converting the solar radiation directly into electricity are now available. It is, however, imperative to couple them with appropriate power storage systems. This article is a brief review of the current status of electrochemical power systems such as storage batteries and fuel-electrolysis cell hybrids which could be successfully utilized to this end. Communication No. 218.     

Hydrothermally Oxidized Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks for High Volumetric Electrochemical Energy Storage

Improving volumetric energy density is one of the major challenges in nanostructured carbon electrodes for electrochemical energy storage device applications. Herein, a simple hydrothermal oxidation process of single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks in dilute nitric acid is reported, enabling simultaneous physical densification and chemical functionalization of the as‐assembled randomly‐packed SWNT films. After the hydrothermal oxidation process, the density of the SWNT films increases from 0.63 to 1.02 g cm^?3 and a considerable amount of redox‐active oxygen functional groups are introduced on the surface of the SWNTs. The functionalized SWNT films are used as positive electrodes against Li metal negative electrodes for potential Li‐ion capacitors or Li‐ion battery applications. The functionalized SWNT electrodes deliver high volumetric as well as gravimetric capacities, 154 Ah L^?1 and 152 mAh g^?1, respectively, owing to the surface redox reactions between the introduced oxygen functional groups and Li ions. In addition, these electrodes exhibit a remarkable rate‐capability by retaining its high capacity of 94 Ah L^?1 (92 mAh g^?1) at a high discharge rate of 10 A g^?1. These results demonstrate the simple hydrothermal oxidation process as an attractive strategy for improving the volumetric performance of nanostructured carbon electrodes.     

Layered Transition Metal Dichalcogenide-Based Nanomaterials for Electrochemical Energy Storage

The rapid development of electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems requires novel electrode materials with high performance. A typical 2D nanomaterial, layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are regarded as promising materials used for EES systems due to their large specific surface areas and layer structures benefiting fast ion transport. The typical methods for the preparation of TMDs and TMD-based nanohybrids are first summarized. Then, in order to improve the electrochemical performance of various kinds of rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, lithium–sulfur batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and other types of emerging batteries, the strategies for the design and fabrication of layered TMD-based electrode materials are discussed. Furthermore, the applications of layered TMD-based nanomaterials in supercapacitors, especially in untraditional supercapacitors, are presented. Finally, the existing challenges and promising future research directions in this field are proposed.