6.1.1. Graphite Graphite is perhaps one of the most successful and attractive battery materials found to date. Not only is it a highly abundant material, but it also helps to avoid dendrite formation and the high reactivity of alkali metal anodes.
Rare and/or expensive battery materials are unsuitable for widespread practical application, and an alternative has to be found for the currently prevalent lithium-ion battery technology. In this review article, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of battery materials from a perspective that focuses on the renewable energy market pull.
The most studied batteries of this type is the Zinc-air and Li-air battery. Other metals have been used, such as Mg and Al, but these are only known as primary cells, and so are beyond the scope of this article.
Developing new, improved electrocatalytic materials for batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cell electrode reactions is expected to significantly impact device performance and, consequently, their commercialisation. The present special issue is focused on recent developments in electrocatalytic materials for energy storage and conversion devices.
The related energy conversion and storage devices have also been widely concerned and developed rapidly in the last few decades. 1 - 4 The energy conversion device in a power system is responsible for collecting and converting the energy in the environment into easy-to-use electric energy.
It brings the latest advances in the synthesis and characterisation of novel materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices, including high-efficiency lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, and alkaline water electrolysers.