Nanostructured materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices

One of the greatest challenges for our society is providing powerful electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells are amongst the most promising candidates in terms of energy densities and power densities. Nanostructured materials are currently of interest for such devices because of their high surface area, novel size effects, significantly enhanced kinetics, and so on. This Progress Report describes some recent developments in nanostructured anode and cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, addressing the benefits of nanometer-size effects, the disadvantages of 'nano', and strategies to solve these issues such as nano/micro hierarchical structures and surface coatings, as well as developments in the discovery of nanostructured Pt-based electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Approaches to lowering the cost of Pt catalysts include the use of i) novel nanostructures of Pt, ii) new cost-effective synthesis routes, iii) binary or multiple catalysts, and iv) new catalyst supports.

我们社会面临的最大挑战之一是提供强大的电化学能量转换和存储设备。就能量密度和功率密度而言，可充电锂离子电池和燃料电池是最有前景的候选者。纳米结构材料因其高表面积、新颖的尺寸效应、显著增强的动力学等特性，目前在这类设备中备受关注。这份进展报告描述了锂离子电池纳米结构阳极和阴极材料的一些最新进展，阐述了纳米尺寸效应的优势、“纳米”的劣势以及解决这些问题的策略，比如纳米/微米分级结构和表面涂层，同时也介绍了用于直接甲醇燃料电池（DMFC）的纳米结构铂基电催化剂的研发进展。降低铂催化剂成本的方法包括：i）使用新颖的铂纳米结构，ii）新的具有成本效益的合成路线，iii）二元或多元催化剂，以及iv）新的催化剂载体。