Mesoporous Nanoarchitectures for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage

Abstract

Nevertheless, large-scale and low-cost application of these technologies require further development of many key functional materials. Mesoporous nanomaterials show many architecture-dependent merits, stemming from the high surface areas, large pore sizes, and rich pore structures. [11-18] To be specific, high surface area could offer rich active sites for surface-related processes, such as surface adsorption/desorption and redox reactions. [19-23] Large pore sizes are particularly important for encapsulating guest materials and accommodating mechanical strains during the electrochemical processes. [14,24-26] Tunable pore structures offer great opportunities for the mass transport through the bulk of the material, thus tailoring the number of accessible active sites, surmounting the diffusion restriction in microporous or nonporous materials. [27] Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the development of mesoporous nanomaterials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. First, a brief summary of synthetic methods for mesoporous nanomaterials is provided. The emphasis is placed on the preparation principles and formation mechanisms for fine tailoring of mesoporous nanomaterials over the particle sizes, pore sizes, and nanostructures. Afterward, we further discuss the applications as electrode materials for LIBs, SCs, water splitting devices, and fuel cells. Finally, we end this review with a perspective on the possible development directions and challenges of mesoporous nanomaterials for electrochemical energy-related applications. Mesoporous materials have attracted considerable attention because of their distinctive properties, including high surface areas, large pore sizes, tunable pore structures, controllable chemical compositions, and abundant forms of composite materials. During the last decade, there has been increasing research interest in constructing advanced mesoporous nanomaterials possessing short and open channels with efficient mass diffusion capability and rich accessible active sites for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Here, the synthesis, structures, and energy-related applications of mesoporous nanomaterials are the main focus. After a brief summary of synthetic methods of mesoporous nanostructures, the delicate design and construction of mesoporous nanomaterials are described in detail through precise tailoring of the particle sizes, pore sizes, and nanostructures. Afterward, their applications as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, water-splitting electrolyzers, and fuel cells are discussed. Finally, the possible development directions and challenges of mesoporous nanomaterials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage are proposed.

Ordered mesoporous metal oxides for electrochemical applications: correlation between structure, electrical properties and device performance

“…As discussed above, mesoporous oxides are characterized by a high specific surface area combined with a unique pore structure and nanocrystalline walls. These properties make them interesting for a broad range of electrochemical applications, 14,[144][145][146] for example, as active electrode material in batteries, for (photo-)electrocatalysis and oxygen storage or as gas sensor. It should be noted that the favorable properties are not only a result of the increased surface area.…”

“…[182][183][184][185][186][187][188] In mesoporous materials, such adverse effects can be mitigated, as mechanical strain is accommodated to some degree by pore flexing. 144,189,190 Liu et al investigated the electrochemical properties and cycling stability of ordered mesoporous NiO produced by hard templating. 158 While NiO as anode in LIBs typically suffers from pulverization and accelerated capacity fading due to volume changes during the conversion reaction, among others, 191,192 the mesoporous material maintained a specific capacity of 680 mA h g À1 at 0.1C rate after 50 cycles.…”

Mesoporous Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] However, the ZIFs catalysts are restricted to the micropores, which usually lead to severe flooding due to capillarity action, thereby hindering reactant accessibility towards the active sites. [13][14] As a result, ZIFs generally encounter the barrier of mass transfer in the diffusion-limited processes because of the intrinsic microporous structure. [15][16][17][18] Therefore, much effort has been devoted to constructing the hierarchical pore structures of ZIFs by incorporating the mesopores or macropores, including templating, [19][20][21][22][23] etching, [24][25] coating, [26][27] trapping, 28 and competing coordination.…”

Nanoarchitectured Porous Conducting Polymers: From Controlled Synthesis to Advanced Applications

“…There are several advantages to constructing porous CPs over conventional nonporous CPs: i) the open porous architectures endow materials with higher specific surface area and interconnected channels, which can promote effective charge transfer and mass transport/diffusion; [48][49][50][51] ii) higher specific surface area provides increased solid-liquid or solid-gas interface between porous materials and guests, leading to improved charge transfer and mass transport. Furthermore, the interconnected channels can provide additional pathways for ion transfer, which can greatly boost their performance in sensors, batteries, supercapacitors, and so on, and iii) combining the characteristics of porous materials with conventional polymers, such as low skeleton density, facile preparation, and diverse synthesis methods, broadens their applications in various fields.…”