Energy storage science and medical engineering

Why do we need high-energy density energy storage materials?

From mobile devices to the power grid, the needs for high-energy density or high-power density energy storage materials continue to grow. Materials that have at least one dimension on the nanometer scale offer opportunities for enhanced energy storage, although there are also challenges relating to, for example, stability and manufacturing.

Who supports YG's research on energy storage?

Y.G.’s research on energy storage was supported through the Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures, and Transport (FIRST) Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Competing interests: None declared.

What are the applications of energy storage technology?

These applications and the need to store energy harvested by triboelectric and piezoelectric generators (e.g., from muscle movements), as well as solar panels, wind power generators, heat sources, and moving machinery, call for considerable improvement and diversification of energy storage technology.

What are smart energy storage devices?

Smart energy storage devices, which can deliver extra functions under external stimuli beyond energy storage, enable a wide range of applications. In particular, electrochromic (130), photoresponsive (131), self-healing (132), thermally responsive supercapacitors and batteries have been demonstrated.

What are the limitations of nanomaterials in energy storage devices?

The limitations of nanomaterials in energy storage devices are related to their high surface area—which causes parasitic reactions with the electrolyte, especially during the first cycle, known as the first cycle irreversibility—as well as their agglomeration.

How thick should energy storage devices be?

Advances in the development of autonomous microsystems and microdevices call for smaller power sources. As a result, many of the future energy storage devices need to be just several microns or even tens of nanometers thick.