Nanomaterials for lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen energy

Development of alternative energy sources is one of the main trends of modern energy technology. Lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells are the most important among them. The increase in the energy and power density is the essential aspect which determined their future development. We provide a brief review of the state of developments in the field of nanosize electrode materials and electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen energy. The presence of relatively inexpensive and abundant elements, safety and low volume change during the lithium intercalation/deintercalation processes enables the application of lithium iron phosphate and lithium titanate as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. At the same time, they exhibit low ionic and electronic conductivity. To overcome this problem the following main approaches have been applied: use of nanosize materials, including nanocomposites, and heterovalent doping. Their impact in the property change is analyzed and discussed. Hybrid membranes containing inorganic nanoparticles enable a significant progress in the fuel cell development. Different approaches to their preparation, the reasons for ion conductivity and selectivity change, as well as the prospects for their application in low-temperature fuel cells are discussed. This review may provide some useful guidelines for development of advanced materials for lithium ion batteries and fuel cells.