University of Wollongong

About: University of Wollongong is a education organization based out in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Graphene. The organization has 15674 authors who have published 46658 publications receiving 1197471 citations. The organization is also known as: UOW & Wollongong University.

All-in-one energy harvesting and storage devices

Abstract: Currently, integration of energy harvesting and storage devices is considered to be one of the most important energy-related technologies due to the possibility of replacing batteries or at least extending the lifetime of a battery. This review aims to describe current progress in the various types of energy harvesters, hybrid energy harvesters, including multi-type energy harvesters with coupling of multiple energy sources, and hybridization of energy harvesters and energy storage devices for self-powered electronics. We summarize research on recent energy harvesters based on the piezoelectric, triboelectric, pyroelectric, thermoelectric, and photovoltaic effects. We also cover hybrid cell technologies to simultaneously generate electricity using multiple types of environmental energy, such as mechanical, thermal, and solar energy. Energy harvesters based on the coupling of multiple energy sources exhibit enhancement of power generation performance with synergetic effects. Finally, integration of energy harvesters and energy storage devices is introduced. In particular, self-charging power cells provide an innovative approach to the direct conversion of mechanical energy into electrochemical energy to decrease energy conversion loss.

Advances in nanostructures fabricated via spray pyrolysis and their applications in energy storage and conversion.

Abstract: Functional nanostructured materials have attracted great attention over the past several decades owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, while their applications have been proven to be advantageous not only in fundamental scientific areas, but also in many technological fields. Spray pyrolysis (SP), which is particularly facile, effective, highly scalable and suitable for on-line continuous production, offers significant potential for the rational design and synthesis of various functional nanostructured materials with tailorable composition and morphology. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in various functional nanostructured materials synthesized by SP and their potential applications in energy storage and conversion. After a brief introduction to the equipment, components, and working principles of the SP technique, we thoroughly describe the guidelines and strategies for designing particles with controlled morphology, composition, and interior architecture, including hollow structures, dense spheres, yolk–shell structures, core–shell structures, nanoplates, nanorods, nanowires, thin films, and various nanocomposites. Thereafter, we demonstrate their suitability for a wide range of energy storage and conversion applications, including electrode materials for rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, highly active catalysts for hydrogen production, carbon dioxide reduction and fuel cells, and photoelectric materials for solar cells. Finally, the potential advantages and challenges of SP for the preparation of nanostructured materials are particularly emphasized and discussed, and several perspectives on future research and development directions of SP are highlighted. We expect that this continuous, one-pot, and controllable synthetic technology can serve as a reference for preparing various advanced functional materials for broader applications.