Advanced materials for clean energy

Abstract

Research for clean energy is in an explosive phase, driven by the rapid depletion of fossil fuels and growing environmental concerns as well as the increasing growth of mobile electronic devices. It has been the focus of a wide range of research fields to develop high-performance materials for alternative energy technologies and develop a fundamental understanding of their structure–property–performance relationship, which include materials for photovoltaics, solar energy conversion, thermoelectrics, piezoelectrics, supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, hydrogen production and storage, and fuel cells. After successfully organizing an international symposium on advanced materials for clean energy in 2011, an idea of publishing a book to clearly demonstrate the profound progress and provide a comprehensive recognition of advanced materials for clean energy to the researchers in this promising field was naturally conceived. It is our honor, as organizers, to invite leading scientists in this field to survey the key developments of the materials in a broad range and the important advances in their applications to date, which are outlined in the chapters as follows. The chapters start with materials for photovoltaics. In Chapter 1, Ho and Wong provide a survey on arylamine-based photosensitizing metal complexes for dyesensitized solar cells; in Chapter 2, Ning and Tian provide a review on p-type small electron-donating molecules for organic heterojunction solar cells; and in Chapter 3, Toyoshima gives a wide-range overview about inorganic materials for solar cell applications. In Chapter 4, Funahashi and coworkers demonstrate the development of thermoelectric technology from materials to generators. Piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting from a wide range of renewable energy sources are introduced by Maurya, Yan, and Priya in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, Kang and Chen review the synthesis and application of various electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors focusing on the nanoarchitecture design of advanced electrodes. Being extensively investigated thus far, materials for batteries are dealt with in chapters from different directions. In Chapter 7, Inoue and Higuchi describe electrode materials for nickel/ metal hydride (Ni/MH) rechargeable batteries; in Chapter 8, Casas-Cabanas and Palacín document the fabrication of electrode materials for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries; and in Chapter 9, Munakata and Kanamura review the materials for allsolid-state rechargeable batteries. A new trend in liquid electrolytes for electrochemical energy devices is highlighted by Matsumoto in Chapter 10. Recent development and future prospects of organic electrode active materials for rechargeable batteries are illustrated by Yao and Kobayashi in Chapter 11. Neburchilov and Wang present in Chapter 12 the synthesis and application of materials for metal–air batteries. Two chapters deal with solar energy/material conversion: Zhu introduces photocatalytic hydrogen production with semiconductor photocatalysts in Chapter 13, and Primo, Neaţu, and García address photocatalytic CO2 reduction with a focus on the fundamentals behind the reaction and the photocatalysts in Chapter 14. Two chapters are dedicated to hydrogen storage, the key technology for hydrogen economy: Zhu, Ouyang, and Wang review Mg-based hydrogen storage alloys, complex hydrides, metal amides, and imides for reversible high-capacity hydrogen storage in Chapter 15, and Kojima, Miyaoka, and Ichikawa provide an overview on ammonia and ammonia borane as chemical hydrogen storage materials in Chapter 16. Finally, three chapters are presented on fuel cells: In Chapter 17, Daimon describes cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cell with an emphasis on the strategies for decreasing the use of the precious metal Pt; in Chapter 18, Sahai and Ma address the fundamentals and materials aspects of fuel cells directly using organic and inorganic liquids as fuels; and in Chapter 19, Merino-Jiménez, Ponce de León, and Walsh focus on the developments in electrodes, membranes, and electrolytes for direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs). It is obvious that the accomplishments in materials for clean energy applications to date are exciting and the potential appears to be even greater. We are sure that this field will sustain its growth in the future. We thank all the authors for their great contributions to this book as well as to this field. Sincere thanks to Barbara Glunn, David Fausel, and Cheryl Wolf (Taylor & Francis Group/CRC Press) for their conscientious cooperation in the editorial process.