Carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts: from oxygen reduction to multifunctional electrocatalysis
This article provides a timely and critical review on carbon-based metal-free catalysts for various electrocatalytic reactions, along with the mechanistic and structure–property relationship understanding, current challenges, and future perspectives.
Review Article
Solution-processed two-dimensional materials for next-generation photovoltaics
Solution-processed graphene and related two-dimensional materials enable the next-generation photovoltaics.
High-voltage liquid electrolytes for Li batteries: progress and perspectives
Recent advances, fundamental mechanisms and design strategies of high-voltage liquid electrolytes are comprehensively summarized in this review.
Smart fibers for energy conversion and storage
This review summarizes the achievements of fiber-shaped nanogenerators, solar cells, supercapacitors and batteries.
Review Article
Carbon materials for ion-intercalation involved rechargeable battery technologies
The development of carbon electrode materials for rechargeable batteries is reviewed from the perspective of structural features, electrochemistry, and devices.
Review Article
Transition metal-based catalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction: from atoms and molecules to nanostructured materials
An overview of the main strategies for the rational design of transition metal-based catalysts for the electrochemical conversion of CO2, ranging from molecular systems to single-atom and nanostructured catalysts.
Catalyst–electrolyte interface chemistry for electrochemical CO2 reduction
This review article provides the recent progress in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction by understanding and tuning catalyst–electrolyte interfaces.
Review Article
A comparative perspective of electrochemical and photochemical approaches for catalytic H2O2 production
Recent advances in the design, preparation, and applications of different catalysts for electrochemical and photochemical H2O2 production are summarized, and some invigorating perspectives for future developments are also provided.
Self-assembly of block copolymers towards mesoporous materials for energy storage and conversion systems
This paper reviews the progress in the field of block copolymer-templated mesoporous materials, including synthetic methods, morphological and pore size control and their potential applications in energy storage and conversion devices.
Stretchable electrochemical energy storage devices
Deformable energy storage devices are needed to power the next generation of wearable electronics. This review highlights the most recent advances in stretchable energy storage devices with a focus on batteries and supercapacitors.
Review Article
Direct synthesis of metastable phases of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides
This critical review investigates the synthesis strategies designed to achieve the crystal phase control in TMDs and discusses the chemical mechanisms that can drive the synthesis of metastable phases.
Atomically dispersed metal–nitrogen–carbon catalysts for fuel cells: advances in catalyst design, electrode performance, and durability improvement
The review provides a comprehensive understanding of the atomically dispersed metal–nitrogen–carbon cathode catalysts for proton-exchange membrane fuel cell applications.
Metallic nanostructures with low dimensionality for electrochemical water splitting
The recent advances in 1D and 2D metallic nanostructures for electrochemical water splitting (HER and OER) are highlighted.
Towards practical lithium-metal anodes
Lithium ion batteries cannot meet the ever increasing demands of human society. Thus batteries with Li-metal anodes are eyed to revive. Here we summarize the recent progress in developing practical Li-metal anodes for various Li-based batteries.
Review Article
Nanoporous carbon for electrochemical capacitive energy storage
This review summarizes the recent advances of nanoporous carbon materials in the application of EDLCs, including a better understanding of the charge storage mechanisms by combining the advanced techniques and simulations methods.
Acceptor–donor–acceptor type molecules for high performance organic photovoltaics – chemistry and mechanism
The chemical structure–property relationships and mechanism for high performance organic photovoltaics of acceptor–donor–acceptor type molecules are discussed.
Regulating electrodeposition morphology of lithium: towards commercially relevant secondary Li metal batteries
Rational approaches for achieving fine control of the electrodeposition morphology of Li are required to create commercially-relevant rechargeable Li metal batteries.
Polyanion-type cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries
This review summarizes the recent progress and remaining challenges of polyanion-type cathodes, providing guidelines towards high-performance cathodes for sodium ion batteries.
Electrochemically active sites inside crystalline porous materials for energy storage and conversion
This review provides references for the preparation of electroactive CPMs via rational design and modulation of active sites and the space around them, and their application in electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems.
Atomic site electrocatalysts for water splitting, oxygen reduction and selective oxidation
This review summarized the fabrication routes and characterization methods of atomic site electrocatalysts (ASCs) followed by their applications for water splitting, oxygen reduction and selective oxidation.
Towards high-performance solid-state Li–S batteries: from fundamental understanding to engineering design
This review article provides a comprehensive overview of solid-state Li–S batteries from the viewpoints of fundamental study and engineering design.
MOF-derived electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions
The morphology and composition design of MOF-derived carbon-based materials and their applications for electrocatalytic ORR, OER and HER are reviewed.
Materials chemistry for rechargeable zinc-ion batteries
This tutorial review presents an introduction to the fundamentals, challenges, recent advances and prospects of rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.
Combining theories and experiments to understand the sodium nucleation behavior towards safe sodium metal batteries
This review assesses both theoretical and experimental knowledge on sodium nucleation for the first time towards a safe sodium battery.
Coordination compounds in lithium storage and lithium-ion transport
The application of coordination compounds for lithium storage and lithium-ion transport.
About this collection
We are delighted to present a Chemical Society Reviews themed collection on “Electrochemistry in Energy Storage and Conversion”, Guest Edited by Jun Chen (Nankai University) and Xinliang Feng (TU Dresden). Rapid depletion of fossil fuels and increasing environmental concerns induce serious scientific and technological challenges to address the growing global demand for energy. In response to these issues, it is now essential that new, low-cost and environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage systems are designed, thus leading to the rapid development in this field. In particular, electrochemical devices such as solar cells, fuel cells, rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and water splitting cells are typical energy storage and conversion systems based on the electrochemistry. Although much effort has been dedicated into understanding the electrochemistry in energy storage and conversion in the past years, there are still many unresolved problems and challenges such as low reaction activity, limited mass transport and charge transfer, slow kinetics, uncontrolled surface/interface, and low safety. Therefore, the aim of this themed collection is not only to summarize the recent developments of electrochemistry in solar cells, fuel cells, rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and water splitting cells, but also to discuss future prospects in these fields, promoting their future development.