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Lithium-ion batteries, which power portable electronics, electric vehicles, and stationary storage, have been recognized with the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The development of nanomaterials and their related processing into electrodes and devices can improve the performance and/or development of the existing energy storage systems. We provide a perspective on recent progress in the application of nanomaterials in energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries. The versatility of nanomaterials can lead to power sources for portable, flexible, foldable, and distributable electronics; electric transportation; and grid-scale storage, as well as integration in living environments and biomedical systems. To overcome limitations of nanomaterials related to high reactivity and chemical instability caused by their high surface area, nanoparticles with different functionalities should be combined in smart architectures on nano- and microscales. The integration of nanomaterials into functional architectures and devices requires the development of advanced manufacturing approaches. We discuss successful strategies and outline a roadmap for the exploitation of nanomaterials for enabling future energy storage applications, such as powering distributed sensor networks and flexible and wearable electronics.
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This content will become publicly available on February 14, 2026
Nanomaterials for Energy Storage Systems—A Review
The ever-increasing global energy demand necessitates the development of efficient, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems. Nanotechnology, through the manipulation of materials at the nanoscale, offers significant potential for enhancing the performance of energy storage devices due to unique properties such as increased surface area and improved conductivity. This review paper investigates the crucial role of nanotechnology in advancing energy storage technologies, with a specific focus on capacitors and batteries, including lithium-ion, sodium–sulfur, and redox flow. We explore the diverse applications of nanomaterials in batteries, encompassing electrode materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, metal oxides), electrolytes, and separators. To address challenges like interfacial side reactions, advanced nanostructured materials are being developed. We also delve into various manufacturing methods for nanomaterials, including top–down (e.g., ball milling), bottom–up (e.g., chemical vapor deposition), and hybrid approaches, highlighting their scalability considerations. While challenges such as cost-effectiveness and environmental concerns persist, the outlook for nanotechnology in energy storage remains promising, with emerging trends including solid-state batteries and the integration of nanomaterials with artificial intelligence for optimized energy storage.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2434487
- PAR ID:
- 10633711
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Molecules
- Volume:
- 30
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 1420-3049
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 883
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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