Issue 1, 2020

Multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials for energy applications

Abstract

Our society has been facing more and more serious challenges towards achieving highly efficient utilization of energy. In the field of energy applications, multifunctional nanomaterials have been attracting increasing attention. Various energy applications, such as energy generation, conversion, storage, saving and transmission, are strongly dependent upon the electrical, thermal, mechanical, optical and catalytic functions of materials. In the nanoscale range, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, triboelectric, photovoltaic, catalytic and electrochromic materials have made major contributions to various energy applications. Inorganic nanomaterials’ unique properties, such as excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, large surface area and chemical stability, make them highly competitive in energy applications. In this review, the latest research and development of multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials in energy applications were summarized from the perspective of different energy applications. Furthermore, we also illustrated the unique functions of inorganic nanomaterials to improve their performances and the combination of the functions of nanomaterials into a device. However, challenges may be traced back to the limitations set by scaling the relations between multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials and energy devices.

Graphical abstract: Multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials for energy applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
14 aug 2019
Accepted
18 nov 2019
First published
18 nov 2019

Nanoscale, 2020,12, 14-42

Multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials for energy applications

H. Wang, X. Liang, J. Wang, S. Jiao and D. Xue, Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 14 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR07008G

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