About this Research Topic
Novel materials development, alternative battery manufacturing processing, and innovative architectures are crucially needed to transform current electrical energy storage technologies to meet the upcoming demands. Thin film technology has been the most successful and progressive technology development in the past several decades which currently dominates major high-tech markets such as semiconductors, displays and optoelectronics. In this Research Topic, we postulate if the breakthroughs in materials development and processing, structure and architecture designs for thin film technologies can be the primary enablers for the design and fabrication of next-generation batteries.
High power and extended cycle life at high energy density are key benefits for energy storage, which can be achieved through adopting advanced high-energy electrode materials and novel architectures and manufacturing protocols to transform the current form of Li-ion battery and energy storage technology. Thin film processing is the promising candidate that:
(1) Enables utilization of advanced high-energy electrode materials, such as Li, Na, Mg metal anodes, conversion/alloy high-capacity electrodes, high-voltage cathodes, and so on, by intelligently designing the thin artificial interphases or protective layers. The controlled interfacial layers provide increasingly important opportunities to control the electrochemical interfaces and mitigate the degradation of advanced high-energy electrodes;
(2) Tackles key scientific challenges at the levels of nanoscale interfaces and mesoscale architectures through controlled patterning of electrode and electrolyte shapes and connectivity. This opens the door to simultaneous high-energy and high-power, 3D nano/micro configurations exploiting conformal high aspect ratio geometries, and flexible form factors for integrating solid-state batteries and capacitors into multifunctional systems with sensing, actuation, and computation and communication capabilities.
In this Research Topic, we examine how thin film technologies may play important roles in future batteries, supercapacitors, and electrical capacitors design, architecture, and manufacturing, either as single processes inserted into conventional battery design and fabrication, or as a completely new designing paradigm. We are seeking for research discussing that thin film materials, processes, and structures provide powerful leverage in meeting the wide spectrum of demands posed by next-generation energy storage.
We welcome manuscripts on themes including, but not limited to, the following list:
· Thin film coatings and interfaces - Thin protective layers to stabilize the advanced battery and/or supercapacitor compartments (electrodes, electrolytes and separators). Wetting layers, interfacial treatments and electronic/ionic configuring layers designs at electrode-electrolyte interfaces.
· Mechanically flexible thin films - Designing flexible thin-film of electrodes and/or electrolytes to mitigate interfacial stress of battery stacks, and/or for flexible electronics.
· Computational design - Simulations that investigate the interfacial, chemical, and mechanical behaviors of battery interfaces/stacks.
· Thin film integration of solid-state, micro/nano battery/supercapacitor - Thin film solid-state batteries/supercapacitors, micro/nano scale core-shell batteries/supercapacitors, 3D printed micro-batteries/supercapacitors, thin film and micro-processing for battery/supercapacitor design, integration, manufacturing, and 3D solid state batteries (SSB)/supercapacitors.
Topic Editor Dr. Malachi Noked received financial support from Champion Motors. Dr. Malachi Noked, Prof. Daniel Tan and Prof. Xiangbo Meng hold patents related to film technologies for supercapacitors and batteries. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
High power and extended cycle life at high energy density are key benefits for energy storage, which can be achieved through adopting advanced high-energy electrode materials and novel architectures and manufacturing protocols to transform the current form of Li-ion battery and energy storage technology. Thin film processing is the promising candidate that:
(1) Enables utilization of advanced high-energy electrode materials, such as Li, Na, Mg metal anodes, conversion/alloy high-capacity electrodes, high-voltage cathodes, and so on, by intelligently designing the thin artificial interphases or protective layers. The controlled interfacial layers provide increasingly important opportunities to control the electrochemical interfaces and mitigate the degradation of advanced high-energy electrodes;
(2) Tackles key scientific challenges at the levels of nanoscale interfaces and mesoscale architectures through controlled patterning of electrode and electrolyte shapes and connectivity. This opens the door to simultaneous high-energy and high-power, 3D nano/micro configurations exploiting conformal high aspect ratio geometries, and flexible form factors for integrating solid-state batteries and capacitors into multifunctional systems with sensing, actuation, and computation and communication capabilities.
In this Research Topic, we examine how thin film technologies may play important roles in future batteries, supercapacitors, and electrical capacitors design, architecture, and manufacturing, either as single processes inserted into conventional battery design and fabrication, or as a completely new designing paradigm. We are seeking for research discussing that thin film materials, processes, and structures provide powerful leverage in meeting the wide spectrum of demands posed by next-generation energy storage.
We welcome manuscripts on themes including, but not limited to, the following list:
· Thin film coatings and interfaces - Thin protective layers to stabilize the advanced battery and/or supercapacitor compartments (electrodes, electrolytes and separators). Wetting layers, interfacial treatments and electronic/ionic configuring layers designs at electrode-electrolyte interfaces.
· Mechanically flexible thin films - Designing flexible thin-film of electrodes and/or electrolytes to mitigate interfacial stress of battery stacks, and/or for flexible electronics.
· Computational design - Simulations that investigate the interfacial, chemical, and mechanical behaviors of battery interfaces/stacks.
· Thin film integration of solid-state, micro/nano battery/supercapacitor - Thin film solid-state batteries/supercapacitors, micro/nano scale core-shell batteries/supercapacitors, 3D printed micro-batteries/supercapacitors, thin film and micro-processing for battery/supercapacitor design, integration, manufacturing, and 3D solid state batteries (SSB)/supercapacitors.
Topic Editor Dr. Malachi Noked received financial support from Champion Motors. Dr. Malachi Noked, Prof. Daniel Tan and Prof. Xiangbo Meng hold patents related to film technologies for supercapacitors and batteries. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
Keywords: thin films battery, solid-state battery, functional coatings, surface and interface modification, microbatteries
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
