Topic: Recent Advances in Energy Materials Applications in Renewable Energy Systems

Background and Rationale

The global transition toward sustainable energy systems has intensified the demand for advanced energy materials that can efficiently store, convert, and utilize renewable energy sources. As the world faces mounting challenges related to climate change and energy security, the development of next-generation materials for solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other energy conversion and storage devices has become increasingly critical.

Recent breakthroughs in materials science have opened new pathways for enhancing the performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness of renewable energy technologies. From novel photovoltaic materials and advanced battery chemistries to innovative electrocatalysts and thermal energy storage materials, the field is experiencing rapid progress that merits comprehensive documentation and dissemination.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research in energy materials applications within renewable energy systems, providing a platform for researchers to present their latest findings and foster collaboration across interdisciplinary boundaries.

Scope and Topics

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and perspective papers covering recent advances in energy materials for renewable energy applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Photovoltaic Materials and Solar Energy Conversion:

● Perovskite solar cells and stability enhancement strategies;

● Organic photovoltaics and polymer-based solar cells;

● Silicon heterojunction technologies and passivation materials;

● Tandem solar cell architectures and wide-bandgap semiconductors.

Energy Storage Materials:

● Next-generation lithium-ion battery materials and solid-state electrolytes;

● Beyond-lithium technologies including sodium-ion, potassium-ion, and metal-air batteries;

● Supercapacitor electrode materials and hybrid energy storage systems;

● Thermal energy storage materials and phase change materials.

Electrochemical Energy Conversion:

● Electrocatalysts for water splitting and hydrogen production;

● Fuel cell materials including proton exchange membranes and oxygen reduction catalysts;

● CO₂ reduction catalysts and artificial photosynthesis materials;

● Electrochemical nitrogen fixation materials.

Advanced Characterization and Computational Approaches:

● In-situ and operando characterization techniques for energy materials;

● Machine learning and artificial intelligence in materials discovery;

● Multiscale modeling and simulation of energy materials;

● High-throughput screening and materials informatics.

Sustainability and Environmental Considerations:

● Life cycle assessment of energy materials;

● Recycling and circular economy approaches for energy materials;

● Bio-inspired and sustainable synthesis methods;

● Critical material substitution strategies.

Significance and Impact

This Special Issue will serve as a comprehensive resource for the energy materials community, bringing together diverse perspectives from materials scientists, chemists, physicists, and engineers. The collection will highlight emerging trends, identify research gaps, and provide insights into future directions for the field.

The anticipated impact includes advancing fundamental understanding of structure-property relationships in energy materials, accelerating the translation of laboratory discoveries to practical applications, and fostering international collaboration in renewable energy research. The Special Issue will also provide valuable guidance for policymakers and industry stakeholders involved in the clean energy transition.

Solar cells; Wind Turbine blades; Lithium batteries; Hydrogen Storage material; Smart materials; AI