Magnesium batteries: Current state of the art, issues and future perspectives

• Rana Mohtadi and
• Fuminori Mizuno

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1291–1311, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.143

• of modern human life, energy storage systems or batteries occupy a central role in driving the electrification of our societies [1]. The basic principles of a battery are rather old; its invention by Allessandro Volta dates back to the eighteenth century [2] (archeological findings in the 20th

• a myriad of distinct batteries and energy storage chemistries [1]. Out of the several known battery technologies, secondary or rechargeable batteries, such as nickel metal hydride and lithium-ion, which allow for reversibly storing and harnessing power on demand while providing high power and energy

• as in hybrid (HV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) up to large scale stationary and grid applications [1][4]. As one of the scalable battery systems, lithium-ion batteries have been at the forefront in attracting great interests since the great discovery and ingenious use of Li-ion

Growth and characterization of CNT–TiO₂ heterostructures

• Yucheng Zhang,
• Ivo Utke,
• Johann Michler,
• Gabriele Ilari,
• Marta D. Rossell and
• Rolf Erni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 946–955, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.108

• ], sensors [16] and batteries [17] where the synergetic effect of the ensemble can be fully exploited. It is therefore of paramount importance to achieve CNT–TiO2 in a controllable way and further characterize the interface. Fundamental questions need to be answered, such as how TiO2 nucleates and grows on

Magnesiothermic conversion of the silica-mineralizing golden algae Mallomonas caudata and Synura petersenii to elemental silicon with high geometric precision

• Janina Petrack,
• Steffen Jost,
• Jens Boenigk and
• Matthias Epple

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 554–560, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.65

• use as electrodes in lithium batteries has been proposed [9][15][16]. Another advantage of such biofabrication approaches is the conversion of a large number of almost identical biological objects into defined materials. Different approaches which start from porous silica-mineralizing organisms as

Tensile properties of a boron/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube–graphene hybrid structure

• Kang Xia,
• Haifei Zhan,
• Ye Wei and
• Yuantong Gu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 329–336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.37

• for the application as fuel cell electrocatalyst, in field-effect transistors, and in lithium batteries. Thus, especially N-doped nanotube–graphene hybrid structures have been envisioned to have promising potential applications in the field of catalysis, gas storage and energy storage [16]. The

Thermal stability and reduction of iron oxide nanowires at moderate temperatures

• Annalisa Paolone,
• Marco Angelucci,
• Stefania Panero,
• Maria Grazia Betti and
• Carlo Mariani

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 323–328, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.36

• La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, I - 00185 Roma, Italy 10.3762/bjnano.5.36 Abstract Background: The thermal stability of iron oxide nanowires, which were obtained with a hard template method and are promising elements of Li-ion based batteries, has been investigated by means of thermogravimetry

• by scanning electron microscopy. Conclusion: This complementary spectroscopy–microscopy study allows to assess the temperature limits of these Fe2O3 nanowires during operation, malfunctioning or abuse in advanced Li-ion based batteries. Keywords: IR spectroscopy; iron oxide; nanowires; scanning

• electron microscopy (SEM); thermogravimetry; XPS; Introduction The ever-growing need for energy is pushing research towards the study and development of new energy storage and conversion tools with high efficiency such as Li-ion based batteries [1]. The request of stable low-cost components with a high

Atomic layer deposition, a unique method for the preparation of energy conversion devices

• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 245–248, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.26

• Julien Bachmann Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.5.26 Keywords: atomic layer deposition; batteries; energy conversion; electrochemistry; electrolysis; fuel cells; photovoltaics; solar

• ), between light and chemical forms (photosynthesis and chemiluminescence), and between chemical and electrical forms (batteries, electrolyzers, fuel cells, respiration) always relies on the transport of charge carriers towards an interface and away from it, combined with the transfer of electrons at the

• interface. This electron transfer, the most fundamental energy-converting single event, occurs at the interface between two phases, which can have various identities depending on the type of device. In most solar cells these two phases are two solid semiconductors, in batteries and fuel cells they are

Many-body effects in semiconducting single-wall silicon nanotubes

• Wei Wei and
• Timo Jacob

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 19–25, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.2

• anodes for lithium rechargeable batteries [10][11][12]. Although the ground-state geometric and electronic properties of SiNTs have been studied [14][15][16][17], properties of excited states, for example optical absorption of SiNTs, are still in need. It is of high importance to correctly understand the

Adsorption of the ionic liquid [BMP][TFSA] on Au(111) and Ag(111): substrate effects on the structure formation investigated by STM

• Benedikt Uhl,
• Florian Buchner,
• Dorothea Alwast,
• Nadja Wagner and
• R. Jürgen Behm

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 903–918, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.102

• optimize ionic liquids for a specific application. Aside from many other applications, ionic liquids have been proposed as promising new solvents in electrochemical applications, e.g., in lithium ion batteries [8][9][10]. For the latter application, trifluoromethylsulfonyl imide [TFSA] based ionic liquids

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of Li₂Co_1−xM_xPO₄F (M = Fe, Mn) cathode materials

• Nellie R. Khasanova,
• Oleg A. Drozhzhin,
• Stanislav S. Fedotov,
• Darya A. Storozhilova,
• Rodion V. Panin and
• Evgeny V. Antipov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 860–867, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.97

• voltammetry supported a single-phase de/intercalation mechanism in the Li2Co0.9Mn0.1PO4F material. Keywords: energy related; fluorophosphates; high-energy cathode materials; high-voltage electrolyte; Li-ion batteries; nanomaterials; reversible capacity; Introduction In recent years the range of application

• of Li-ion batteries has been expanded from small-sized portable electronics to large-scale electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems. Large-scale energy applications require batteries that are economically efficient, highly safe and that provide a high energy and power density. Today

• most of the cells in use have almost reached their intrinsic limits, and no significant improvements are expected. Therefore, current research in this field is directed towards the development of new high-performance materials. The specific energy of Li-ion batteries can be enhanced by applying cathode

Lithium peroxide crystal clusters as a natural growth feature of discharge products in Li–O₂ cells

• Tatiana K. Zakharchenko,
• Anna Y. Kozmenkova,
• Daniil M. Itkis and
• Eugene A. Goodilin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 758–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.86

• oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This feature limits the rechargeability of Li–O2 cells, but at the same time it can be beneficial for both capacity improvement and gain in recharge rate if a proper liquid phase mediator can be found. Keywords: lithium–air batteries; lithium peroxide; oxygen reduction

• reaction; Findings The idea to utilize oxygen as an oxidizer in rechargeable batteries has been kept in mind for a long time because of the easy availability of O2 in ambient air. Alkali metal negative electrodes were always attractive for metal–oxygen (metal–air) batteries as they show record parameters

• alkali-metal–air rechargeable batteries is impossible because of the very limited cycle life, which primarily arises from the low chemical stability of the electrolytes [3] and the carbon positive electrodes [4]. The oyxgen reduction reaction, which occurs in the cathodes during the discharge of the

Ellipsometry and XPS comparative studies of thermal and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposited Al₂O₃-films

• Jörg Haeberle,
• Karsten Henkel,
• Hassan Gargouri,
• Franziska Naumann,
• Bernd Gruska,
• Michael Arens,
• Massimo Tallarida and
• Dieter Schmeißer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 732–742, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.83

• solar energy conversion systems like dye sensitized solar cells [11][12] and water splitting devices [13] or lithium ion batteries [14]. Here, in particular the excellent conformability of ALD growth over high surface area materials and its uniformity and self-termination [15] were beneficially applied

Influence of particle size and fluorination ratio of CF_x precursor compounds on the electrochemical performance of C–FeF₂ nanocomposites for reversible lithium storage

• Ben Breitung,
• M. Anji Reddy,
• Venkata Sai Kiran Chakravadhanula,
• Michael Engel,
• Christian Kübel,
• Annie K. Powell,
• Horst Hahn and
• Maximilian Fichtner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 705–713, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.80

• ; enregy-related; graphite fluoride; lithium battery; iron fluoride; Introduction Lithium-ion batteries are key energy storage systems for portable and mobile electric devices. However, for applications that need high energy densities, current insertion-based lithium-ion batteries do not match the targets

• for such systems [1][2][3][4]. As a perspective, energy storage materials that are based on conversion reactions may offer high theoretical capacities and high theoretical energy densities for hydrogen storage and for electrochemical storage in batteries [5]. Compared to state-of-the-art insertion

• to 571 mAh/g [8]. This mainly results from a utilization of several oxidation states of the active metal that allows for a multi-electron process per redox step compared to only one-electron processes in the insertion materials [9][10][11]. An early example for conversion reactions in batteries was

A facile synthesis of a carbon-encapsulated Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite and its performance as anode in lithium-ion batteries

• Raju Prakash,
• Katharina Fanselau,
• Shuhua Ren,
• Tapan Kumar Mandal,
• Christian Kübel,
• Horst Hahn and
• Maximilian Fichtner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 699–704, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.79

• oxide; lithium-ion battery; nanoparticles; pyrolysis; Findings Due to high energy density and excellent cyclic performance, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become the leading energy storage device for portable electronic markets and for powering upcoming electric vehicles [1][2]. In order to obtain

Energy-related nanomaterials

• Paul Ziemann and
• Alexei R. Khokhlov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 678–679, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.76

• concern fuel cells, Li-based batteries, and organic solar cells, to energy-related applications of nanographite and silicon nanotubes as well as the optimization of thermoelectric materials and electrochemistry-based microscopy. We would like to thank all colleagues for their valuable contributions and

Electrochemical and electron microscopic characterization of Super-P based cathodes for Li–O₂ batteries

• Mario Marinaro,
• Santhana K. Eswara Moorthy,
• Jörg Bernhard,
• Ludwig Jörissen,
• Margret Wohlfahrt-Mehrens and
• Ute Kaiser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 665–670, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.74

• Ulm, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.4.74 Abstract Aprotic rechargeable Li–O2 batteries are currently receiving considerable interest because they can possibly offer significantly higher energy densities than conventional Li-ion batteries. The electrochemical behavior of Li–O2 batteries containing bis

• side during the operation of Li–O2 cells. Keywords: aprotic electrolyte; impedance spectroscopy; Li–O2 batteries; scanning electron microscopy; Introduction The development of new types of electrochemical power sources is nowadays considered a key factor for further development of hybrid and fully

• electric vehicles. Indeed one of the major concerns for the practical use of fully electric vehicles is the limited mileage of such vehicles. Aprotic rechargeable Li–O2 batteries may overcome this limitation since they can provide a much higher energy density than common Li-ion batteries. However, research

Preparation of electrochemically active silicon nanotubes in highly ordered arrays

• Tobias Grünzel,
• Young Joo Lee,
• Karsten Kuepper and
• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 655–664, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.73

• , Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.4.73 Abstract Silicon as the negative electrode material of lithium ion batteries has a very large capacity, the exploitation of which is impeded by the volume changes taking place upon

• depend on the geometry. Keywords: atomic layer deposition; electrochemistry; lithium ion battery electrode; silica thermal reduction; silicon nanotubes; Introduction A significant research and development effort has been dedicated to the positive electrode materials of lithium ion batteries [1]. In

• contrast, the negative electrode of all commercial lithium ion batteries still consists of graphite, which can intercalate lithium up to a theoretical stoichiometry LiC6 [2]. Silicon, however, can react with lithium to create several phases with stoichiometries as high as Li4.4Si [3]. This corresponds to a

AFM as an analysis tool for high-capacity sulfur cathodes for Li–S batteries

• Renate Hiesgen,
• Seniz Sörgel,
• Rémi Costa,
• Linus Carlé,
• Ines Galm,
• Natalia Cañas,
• Brigitta Pascucci and
• K. Andreas Friedrich

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 611–624, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.68

• Center, Stuttgart, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.4.68 Abstract In this work, material-sensitive atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques were used to analyse the cathodes of lithium–sulfur batteries. A comparison of their nanoscale electrical, electrochemical, and morphological properties was performed with

• were prepared by spray-coating exhibited a superior stability of the morphology and the electric network associated with the capacity and cycling stability of these batteries. A reduction of the conductive area determined by conductive AFM was found to correlate to the battery capacity loss for all

• particles. Based on the analytical findings, the first results of an optimized cathode showed a much improved discharge capacity of 800 mA·g(sulfur)−1 after 43 cycles. Keywords: conductive AFM; high capacity; lithium-sulfur batteries; material-sensitive AFM; sulfur cathode; Introduction Lithium

Large-scale atomistic and quantum-mechanical simulations of a Nafion membrane: Morphology, proton solvation and charge transport

• Pavel V. Komarov,
• Pavel G. Khalatur and
• Alexei R. Khokhlov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 567–587, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.65

• the PEM while the hydrophobic domains maintain its mechanical stability [2]. Owing to this specific microphase separated morphology, Nafion and similar nanostructured materials are widely used not only in fuel cell manufacture but also in organic batteries, for water purification by reverse osmosis

Functionalization of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

• Eloise Van Hooijdonk,
• Carla Bittencourt,
• Rony Snyders and
• Jean-François Colomer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 129–152, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.14

• sample. The consequences were an improvement of the electrolyte penetration as well as the wettability, the capacitance, and the charge-storage properties. Rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are based on the motion of lithium ions from the negative electrode to the positive electrode when being

Towards atomic resolution in sodium titanate nanotubes using near-edge X-ray-absorption fine-structure spectromicroscopy combined with multichannel multiple-scattering calculations

• Carla Bittencourt,
• Peter Krüger,
• Maureen J. Lagos,
• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo,
• Chris Ewels,
• Polona Umek and
• Peter Guttmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 789–797, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.88

• that the structure of the layered titanate H2TinO2n+1 better describes the (Na,H)TiNTs [17][18]. Potential applications in lithium-ion batteries, catalyst supports, photocatalysts, and dye-synthesized solar cells have effectively resulted in an increasing interest in titanate nanostuctures [19][20][21

A facile approach to nanoarchitectured three-dimensional graphene-based Li–Mn–O composite as high-power cathodes for Li-ion batteries

• Wenyu Zhang,
• Yi Zeng,
• Chen Xu,
• Ni Xiao,
• Yiben Gao,
• Lain-Jong Li,
• Xiaodong Chen,
• Huey Hoon Hng and
• Qingyu Yan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 513–523, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.59

• .3.59 Abstract We report a facile method to prepare a nanoarchitectured lithium manganate/graphene (LMO/G) hybrid as a positive electrode for Li-ion batteries. The Mn2O3/graphene hybrid is synthesized by exfoliation of graphene sheets and deposition of Mn2O3 in a one-step electrochemical process, which

• is followed by lithiation in a molten salt reaction. There are several advantages of using the LMO/G as cathodes in Li-ion batteries: (1) the LMO/G electrode shows high specific capacities at high gravimetric current densities with excellent cycling stability, e.g., 84 mAh·g−1 during the 500th cycle

• Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are considered the primary candidate as the power source for plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles [1]. Although LiCoO2 is widely used as a commercial cathode for Li-ion batteries, there are several drawbacks, including high cost and toxicity. Spinel Lithium Manganate (LMO) is

Conducting composite materials from the biopolymer kappa-carrageenan and carbon nanotubes

• Ali Aldalbahi,
• Jin Chu,
• Peter Feng and
• Marc in het Panhuis

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 415–427, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.48

• their flexible nature makes CNT networks ideal for a number of potential applications, such as solar cells, displays, touch screens, sensors, electronic paper, supercapacitors and batteries [35][36][37][38]. Carrageenans are a biopolymer family of water-soluble, linear, sulfonated galactans extracted

Reduced electron recombination of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO₂ spheres consisting of ultrathin nanosheets with [001] facet exposed

• Hongxia Wang,
• Meinan Liu,
• Cheng Yan and
• John Bell

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 378–387, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.44

• applications such as water splitting and lithium-ion batteries [6][7][8]. Further investigation shows that the [001] surface is more beneficial to the photooxidization process through the O− centers compared to the [101] surface, which contains more Ti3+ centers [9]. The different surface properties of the

Template-assisted formation of microsized nanocrystalline CeO₂ tubes and their catalytic performance in the carboxylation of methanol

• Jörg J. Schneider,
• Meike Naumann,
• Christian Schäfer,
• Armin Brandner,
• Heiko J. Hofmann and
• Peter Claus

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 776–784, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.86

• diesel fuel (for particle emission decrease), and also a solvent [6][25][26][27]. Owing to its low toxicity, versatile reactivity and high dielectric constant, DMC also attracts interest as an electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries [28]. The formation of DMC by direct methanol carboxylation, however, is

Investigation on structural, thermal, optical and sensing properties of meta-stable hexagonal MoO₃ nanocrystals of one dimensional structure

• Angamuthuraj Chithambararaj and
• Arumugam Chandra Bose

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 585–592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.62

• reactive catalysts, high optical contrast electrochromic devices and cathodic electrodes for lithium batteries, due to their unique structural, optical and electrical properties [2][3][4][5]. Several synthetic techniques have been developed for controlled synthesis of nanocrystalline MoO3 materials [6][7