The need for high energy density batteries becomes increasingly important for the development of new and clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles and electrical storage from wind and solar power. The search for new energetic materials of primary and secondary batteries with higher energy density has been highlighted in recent years. This review surveys recent advances in the research field of high energy density electrode materials with focus on multi-electron reaction chemistry of light-weight elements and compounds. In the first section, we briefly introduce the basic strategies for enhancement of the energy density of primary batteries based on multi-electron reactions. The following sections present overviews of typical electrode materials with multi-electron chemistry and their secondary battery applications in aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes. Finally, the challenges and ongoing research strategies of these novel electrode materials and battery systems for high density energy storage and conversion are discussed.

Multi-electron reaction materials for high energy density batteries

Electrochemical hydrogen storage: Opportunities for fuel storage, batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors

This chapter aims at bridging the gap between chemistry scientists and electrical engineers on electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The power and energy of electric propulsion are first reviewed in Sect. 2.2. Commonly used terms to describe battery performance and characterization are then introduced in Sect. 2.3, followed by the review of various battery charging methods and EV charging schemes in Sect. 2.4. The fundamentals of EV battery technologies are addressed in Sect. 2.5. Two currently most common EV battery technologies, namely, nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and lithium-ion (Li-ion), are covered. It is targeted for giving power engineers a basic understanding of battery chemistry. The EV battery modeling is introduced in Sect. 2.6. It is important for power engineers to appreciate the fundamentals of battery chemistry and battery modeling and use it for power electronic interfacing converter design, battery management, and system level studies. Section 2.7 covers the topic on battery characterization including battery model parameter estimation, state of charge (SOC), and state of health (SOH) estimation. The battery aggregation for power grid applications is discussed in Sect. 2.8. The concept of virtual power plant (VPP) for battery aggregation is introduced to support EV’s participation in power markets.

Electric Vehicle Battery Technologies

A facile hydrothermal method combined with a mild ultrasonic means has been developed for the fabrication of a magnetically recyclable thin-layer MnO2 nanosheet-coated Fe3O4 nanocomposite. The photocatalytic studies suggest that the MnO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite shows excellent photocatalytic efficiency and stability simultaneously for the degradation of methylene blue under UV–vis light irradiation. Moreover, its good acid resistance and stable recyclability are very important for its future practical application as a photocatalyst. Magnetic measurements verify that the MnO2/Fe3O4 nanocomposite possesses a ferromagnetic nature, which can be effectively separated for reuse by simply applying an external magnetic field after the photocatalytic reaction. This novel composite material may have potential applications in water treatment, degradation of dye pollutants, and environmental cleaning.

Synthesis of a Thin-Layer MnO2 Nanosheet-Coated Fe3O4 Nanocomposite as a Magnetically Separable Photocatalyst

This paper outlines new design nanocomposites (Li2CoMn3O8/K10) for electrochemical hydrogen storage with an emphasis on the optimal conditions to achieve higher performance. Li2CoMn3O8/K10 nanocomposites were fabricated by loading different ratios of the Li2CoMn3O8 (5%, 10%, and 20%) inside the montmorillonite K10. Electrochemical properties of the samples montmorillonite K10, Li2CoMn3O8, and the respective nanocomposites were studied by chronopotentiometry charge–discharge techniques in alkaline medium. The Li2CoMn3O8 nanostructures were synthesized by a facile combustion method in the presence of various carboxylic acids as fuel and capping agents. The influence of carboxylic acids on the size, morphology, and homogeneity of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) were applied to investigate the purity and chemical compositions of the samples. ...

Effect of Li2CoMn3O8 Nanostructures Synthesized by a Combustion Method on Montmorillonite K10 as a Potential Hydrogen Storage Material

Electrochemical properties and hydrogen storage mechanism of perovskite-type oxide LaFeO3 as a negative electrode for Ni/MH batteries

Electrochemical properties of La1−xSrxFeO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4) as negative electrode of Ni–MH batteries

Low temperature electrochemical properties of LaNi4.6―xMn0.4Mx (M = Fe or Co) and effect of oxide layer on EIS responses in metal hydride electrodes

Study of the electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the proton-conductive perovskite-type oxide LaCrO3 as negative electrode for Ni/MH batteries

Heng Yang

Papers

Electrochemical properties and hydrogen storage mechanism of perovskite-type oxide LaFeO3 as a negative electrode for Ni/MH batteries

Electrochemical properties of La1−xSrxFeO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4) as negative electrode of Ni–MH batteries

Low temperature electrochemical properties of LaNi4.6―xMn0.4Mx (M = Fe or Co) and effect of oxide layer on EIS responses in metal hydride electrodes

Study of the electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the proton-conductive perovskite-type oxide LaCrO3 as negative electrode for Ni/MH batteries

Some factors affecting the electrochemical performances of LaCrO3 as negative electrodes for Ni/MH batteries