Two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic energy generation and environmental remediation applications

• Suneel Kumar,
• Ashish Kumar,
• Ashish Bahuguna,
• Vipul Sharma and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1571–1600, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.159

• of the most abundant elements on the earth. In the past two decades, carbon-based materials such as graphene, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), fullerenes and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been explored for various applications such as Li-ion batteries [22], supercapacitors [23], energy storage [24

Fabrication of hierarchically porous TiO₂ nanofibers by microemulsion electrospinning and their application as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

• Jin Zhang,
• Yibing Cai,
• Xuebin Hou,
• Xiaofei Song,
• Pengfei Lv,
• Huimin Zhou and
• Qufu Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1297–1306, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.131

• China 10.3762/bjnano.8.131 Abstract Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers have been widely applied in various fields including photocatalysis, energy storage and solar cells due to the advantages of low cost, high abundance and nontoxicity. However, the low conductivity of ions and bulk electrons hinder

Oxidative chemical vapor deposition of polyaniline thin films

• Yuriy Y. Smolin,
• Masoud Soroush and
• Kenneth K. S. Lau

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1266–1276, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.128

• for significantly improving the performance and stability of energy storage devices along with other device classes such as sensors. Therefore, this work aims to demonstrate the synthesis of PANI by the oCVD approach, in particular, to investigate systematically how oCVD processing variables influence

• , identified synthesis conditions suitable for making PANI via oCVD, and revealed the influence of different processing parameters on film chemistry. The ability to use oCVD to produce emeraldine PANI is expected to open up new areas and applications, particularly in the field of electrochemical energy storage

CVD transfer-free graphene for sensing applications

• Chiara Schiattarella,
• Sten Vollebregt,
• Tiziana Polichetti,
• Brigida Alfano,
• Ettore Massera,
• Maria Lucia Miglietta,
• Girolamo Di Francia and
• Pasqualina Maria Sarro

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1015–1022, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.102

• material” of the 21st century with plentiful applications in several fields such as energy storage, biomedical, electronics [1]. Among these applications, one of the most promising is likely that in the field of gas sensors, where the main requirements, namely high specific surface-to-volume ratio, high

First examples of organosilica-based ionogels: synthesis and electrochemical behavior

• Andreas Taubert,
• Ruben Löbbicke,
• Barbara Kirchner and
• Fabrice Leroux

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 736–751, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.77

• . This is relevant for application in energy storage devices. Indeed, there is a correlation between the DSC and the EIS data in the sense that DSC finds a Tg at around −9 °C and EIS finds a change in the Arrhenius behavior at around 10 °C. Although there is a slight difference between these two

Vapor deposition routes to conformal polymer thin films

• Priya Moni,
• Ahmed Al-Obeidi and
• Karen K. Gleason

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 723–735, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.76

• times the Young’s Modulus of a bare CNT sheet [40]. Emerging applications for ultrathin polymer films on nanostructured high aspect ratio structures include various energy storage devices and soft electronics. For instance, silicon based anodes are of interest for lithium ion batteries since Li–Si

• films including, but not limited to, separation processes, biomedical devices, and micro/nano electronic and energy storage devices. Micro-trenches with polymer coatings by a) solution with low substrat–interface energy, b) solution with high substrate–interface energy and c) iCVD (scale bar 2 µm). a

Synthesis of graphene–transition metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles and their application in various fields

• Arpita Jana,
• Elke Scheer and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 688–714, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.74

• electron–hole pairs. Additionally, the NPs result in a large volume expansion during the Li insertion–extraction process in LIB applications which hamper their use in applications such as energy storage, sensing, advanced catalysis, solar cells, diodes and also in biometrics. Thus, strongly coupled

• ) [118] and applications in energy storage [119]. ORR is the key step of renewable energy technologies including fuel cells and water splitting. For excellent electrocatalysts, one of the most important factors is long-term running stability. The long term running stability of the Cr2O3–rGO hybrid makes

• the conducting network [121]. Iron oxide (Fe2O3)–graphene hybrids Fe2O3 has the advantages that it can be produced in high abundance, with low cost, and the nontoxicity of Fe results in a reduced environmental concern. Therefore, it is expected to meet the requirements of future energy storage systems

Phosphorus-doped silicon nanorod anodes for high power lithium-ion batteries

• Chao Yan,
• Qianru Liu,
• Jianzhi Gao,
• Zhibo Yang and
• Deyan He

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 222–228, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.24

• . Keywords: in situ reduction; lithium-ion battery; silicon anode; silicon nanorods; Introduction As one of the most popular secondary power sources, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in portable personal electronics, electrical vehicles and grid energy storage because of their high energy and

Diffusion of dilute gas in arrays of randomly distributed, vertically aligned, high-aspect-ratio cylinders

• Wojciech Szmyt,
• Carlos Guerra and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 64–73, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.7

• nanocylinder arrays in solar cells and energy storage applications. Furthermore, gas sensing devices with high-aspect-ratio nanocylinder arrays and the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes need the fundamental understanding and precise modelling of gas transport to optimise such processes. Keywords

Fundamental properties of high-quality carbon nanofoam: from low to high density

• Natalie Frese,
• Shelby Taylor Mitchell,
• Christof Neumann,
• Amanda Bowers,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Klaus Sattler

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2065–2073, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.197

• of aligned layered carbon nanotube structures infiltrated with pyrolytic carbon is considered useful in water treatment and oil spill cleanup [21]. Carbon nanofoam paper [22] is proposed for energy storage applications. Carbon nanofoam composites may be used for electrochemical capacitor electrodes

Microwave synthesis of high-quality and uniform 4 nm ZnFe₂O₄ nanocrystals for application in energy storage and nanomagnetics

• Christian Suchomski,
• Ben Breitung,
• Ralf Witte,
• Michael Knapp,
• Sondes Bauer,
• Tilo Baumbach,
• Christian Reitz and
• Torsten Brezesinski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1350–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.126

• narrow size distribution hold promise for many applications in different areas ranging from biomedicine to electronics and energy storage. Herein, the microwave-assisted sol–gel synthesis and thorough characterization of size-monodisperse zinc ferrite nanoparticles of spherical shape is reported. X-ray

Fabrication and characterization of branched carbon nanostructures

• Sharali Malik,
• Yoshihiro Nemoto,
• Hongxuan Guo,
• Katsuhiko Ariga and
• Jonathan P. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1260–1266, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.116

• offer benefits for applications such as transport, energy storage/conversion and bone/tooth replacement. Hence, the mechanical properties of CNTs are utilized in reinforcing polymer composites [1][2][3][4], and their electrical conductivity is utilized for conducting polymers [4][5][6]. Under tensile

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• responsible for releasing elastic energy from specific energy storage devices (see below). In Auchenorrhyncha and Sternorrhyncha, the jumps are performed by metathoracic muscles that are directly connected to the trochanter of the hind leg and responsible for the movements of both trochanter and coxa [16][74

• recent estimations indicate that resilin alone often can provide only a rather small proportion of the energy that is necessary to fulfil the large power demands of fast leg movements involved in actions such as jumping [17]. Energy storage devices used for jumping in froghoppers (Hemiptera, Cercopidae

• risk of fractures occurring within the stiffer material and by contributing to a rapid and complete return of the distorted energy storage devices to their original shapes [17][18][20]. It is conceivable that a large proportion of the energy storage devices existing in insects with fast leg movements

Mesoporous hollow carbon spheres for lithium–sulfur batteries: distribution of sulfur and electrochemical performance

• Anika C. Juhl,
• Artur Schneider,
• Boris Ufer,
• Torsten Brezesinski,
• Jürgen Janek and
• Michael Fröba

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1229–1240, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.114

• mass of sulfur over 500 cycles. Keywords: carbon/sulfur composites; cycling stability; distribution of sulfur in pores; hollow carbon spheres; lithium–sulfur batteries; Introduction In the past 20 years, rechargeable lithium–ion batteries have proven to be superior energy storage devices and have

In situ characterization of hydrogen absorption in nanoporous palladium produced by dealloying

• Eva-Maria Steyskal,
• Christopher Wiednig,
• Norbert Enzinger and
• Roland Würschum

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1197–1201, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.110

• , it is a frequently used model system. During the past few decades particular interest was placed on nanostructured Pd, which exhibits superior absorption properties due to a high surface-to-volume ratio, and its application potential in important fields of technology such as energy storage, sensing

Fast diffusion of silver in TiO₂ nanotube arrays

• Wanggang Zhang,
• Yiming Liu,
• Diaoyu Zhou,
• Hui Wang,
• Wei Liang and
• Fuqian Yang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1129–1140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.105

• for various applications, such as energy storage [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and photo-assisted reactions [9][10][11][12][13][14], due to its inherent semiconducting characteristics, chemical stability, high photo-conversion efficiency, non-toxicity and low cost [15][16]. TiO2 of low-dimensional

• structures, TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) seem to be an ideal candidate for the applications in energy storage and photovoltaics. The intrinsic poor electric conductivity and large bandgaps (approx. 3.4 eV for anatase TiO2 [18] and approx. 3.0 eV for rutile TiO2 [19][20]) have limited the applications of TiO2 of low

• migration of atoms (dopants), which determine the functionality of TiO2-based materials. Although recent success in improving the photocatalytic activity and energy storage of Li ions in TiO2-based materials has been reported [26][27][28][29], the understanding of the migration of atoms (dopants) in TiO2

The hydraulic mechanism in the hind wing veins of Cybister japonicus Sharp (order: Coleoptera)

• Jiyu Sun,
• Wei Wu,
• Mingze Ling,
• Bharat Bhushan and
• Jin Tong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 904–913, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.82

• ]. Folding requires the synergistic action of abdominal and thoracic muscle forces [15][16]; resilin in some mobile joints, together with data on wing unfolding and flight kinematics that may result in elastic energy storage in the wing [17]; or leveraging the rigid wing membrane involved in the folding

Reorientation of single-wall carbon nanotubes in negative anisotropy liquid crystals by an electric field

• Amanda García-García,
• Ricardo Vergaz,
• José F. Algorri,
• Gianluigi Zito,
• Teresa Cacace,
• Antigone Marino,
• José M. Otón and
• Morten A. Geday

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 825–833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.74

• energy storage system (i.e., a capacitor with an impedance phase value of approximately −90°) or as a conductor (phase value around 0°) with a specific resistivity value (related with the impedance magnitude). As a LC cell is formed by two parallel electrodes with a dielectric material between them (the

Facile synthesis of water-soluble carbon nano-onions under alkaline conditions

• Gaber Hashem Gaber Ahmed,
• Rosana Badía Laíño,
• Josefa Angela García Calzón and
• Marta Elena Díaz García

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 758–766, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.67

• carbonization; Introduction In the last twenty years, carbon based nanomaterials have received much research attention not only from a basic perspective but also from a practical point of view due to their use in a range of applications such as energy storage, tribology, electronics, medicine, catalysis and

Bacteriorhodopsin–ZnO hybrid as a potential sensing element for low-temperature detection of ethanol vapour

• Saurav Kumar,
• Sudeshna Bagchi,
• Senthil Prasad,
• Anupma Sharma,
• Ritesh Kumar,
• Rishemjit Kaur,
• Jagvir Singh and
• Amol P. Bhondekar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 501–510, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.44

• , SiO2) and polymers (e.g., PVA, gelatine) have been explored for photo–energy conversion, energy storage devices and gas sensing based on photo-conductive activity [12][14][20][21][22]. In parallel, ZnO and its hybrids have evolved as promising structures for sensing and semiconductor applications [23

Synthesis and applications of carbon nanomaterials for energy generation and storage

• Marco Notarianni,
• Jinzhang Liu,
• Kristy Vernon and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 149–196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.17

• their remarkable properties can enhance the efficiency of solar cells and energy storage in supercapacitors. Fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene have all been included in solar cells with interesting results, although a number of problems are still to be overcome in order to achieve high

• challenge over the next few years will not just be to produce electricity in a safe and clean way but also how to store the energy produced using technologies more efficient and more environmentally friendly than chemical batteries [13]. Creating small-scale energy storage technologies combined with smart

Paramagnetism of cobalt-doped ZnO nanoparticles obtained by microwave solvothermal synthesis

• Jacek Wojnarowicz,
• Sylwia Kusnieruk,
• Tadeusz Chudoba,
• Stanislaw Gierlotka,
• Witold Lojkowski,
• Wojciech Knoff,
• Malgorzata I. Lukasiewicz,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Anna Wolska,
• Marcin T. Klepka,
• Tomasz Story and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1957–1969, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.200

• ][13][14], solar cells [10], catalysts [15], energy storage (battery) materials [16], fast data storage [17], light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [18], gas sensors [10], thermoelectric devices [19], varistors [20][21], window materials for displays [21], laser technology [10], surface acoustic wave devices

Nanostructures for sensors, electronics, energy and environment II

• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1937–1938, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.197

• development of energy storage systems is necessary in order to allow photovoltaic-based power generation to be independent from the grid. Carbon, one of the most abundant materials found on earth, is the key atomic species in the compounds responsible for greenhouse gas emission and pollution. However, it can

Metal hydrides: an innovative and challenging conversion reaction anode for lithium-ion batteries

• Luc Aymard,
• Yassine Oumellal and
• Jean-Pierre Bonnet

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1821–1839, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.186

• friendly renewable power sources with enhanced electrical energy conversion efficiency at moderate costs. However, these energy sources, such as windmill or solar cells, are intrinsically intermittent and, consequently, need to be associated with efficient energy storage devices in order to provide

• Mg2MHx with lithium After studying the reaction of titanium hydride with lithium, during which a reaction path involving the formation of the metastable fco δ-TiH phase occurs, the complex hydrides Mg2FeH6, Mg2CoH5, Mg2NiH4 were chosen as models system for a conversion process with high energy storage

• this will require significant technological improvements to become economically viable for large scale material production. Chemical methods, such as encapsulation or confinement strategies used in the design of energy storage and conversion materials, also constitute new synthetic routes that have

Atomic scale interface design and characterisation

• Carla Bittencourt,
• Chris Ewels and
• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1708–1711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.174

• chemical properties and processes occurring at the surface on a nanoscale are of crucial concern. Nanostructured materials show a great application potential in the areas of nanoelectronics, catalysis, and light harvesting/energy storage, an excellent example being the capability of titanate nanoribbons to