Synthesis of nanostructures of some transition metal compounds for energy storage applications.

Abstract

In recent years, considerable research has long been devoted to the development of energy-storage devices to store the electrical energy obtained from renewable energy sources and supply the world with energy on demand. These energy-storage systems have to be more efficient and compatible with the ongoing rapid technological progress in different fields including portable electronics and electric vehicles that required both high power and high energy density. Supercapacitors, one of the most efficient electrochemical energy storage systems that attract much attention for next- generation energy storage devices that bridge the gap between the traditional capacitors (having high power density) and the batteries (having high energy density). From the merits of supercapacitors, environmental benignity, besides its unique electrochemical properties including long charge/discharge cycling life, safe operation, and high power density than batteries. The bottleneck of supercapacitors is to increase its relatively low energy density without scarifying its high power density and this can be done by selecting efficient electrode material concerning its electrochemical activity, conductivity, effective contact area, morphology, and porosity. Therefore, the key aspect to enhance the performance of these kinds of energy devices is to develop and improve the performance of these active materials. In this regard, nanostructured materials show great potential as an effective electrode material for high-performance supercapacitor applications. In this doctoral work, we demonstrate an easy and efficient hydrothermal/solvothermal approach for growing nanostructured materials of some transition metal oxides and sulfides for supercapacitor applications. In this regard, the concise aspects of supercapacitors in terms of charge storage mechanisms and the recent progress in the design and fabrication of electrode materials as well as energy-related performance were described.