E4) Advanced Materials for Energy Storage and Decarbonization

Advanced energy materials and next-generation storage technologies are crucial for enhancing energy efficiency, reducing costs, and enabling the integration of renewable energy sources. These advancements involve developing new materials for batteries, supercapacitors, and other energy storage devices. Key research areas include exploring novel materials like chalcogenides, vanadium-based compounds, graphene, and single-atom materials, as well as focusing on solid-state electrolytes and cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.

A symposium on Advanced Energy Materials and Next-Generation Storage Technologie is proposed for ICMAT 2027. We hope to cover a broad and interdisciplinary scope, and reflect the critical role these fields play in addressing global energy challenges. Based on common themes and recent conference scopes.

The Key Themes and Research Areas include:

Novel Materials for Energy Storage:

Batteries:

• Li-ion batteries (advanced cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, separators)
• Post-Li-ion batteries: Na-ion, K-ion, Zn-ion, Mg-ion, Al-ion batteries
• Solid-state batteries (solid-state electrolytes, interfacial stability)
• Metal-air batteries (Li-air, Zn-air, etc.)

Supercapacitors/Ultracapacitors:

• High-performance electrode materials (graphene, carbon nanotubes, metal oxides, conducting polymers)
• Hybrid supercapacitors

Materials Discovery and Design:

• Novel Material Systems: Chalcogenides, vanadium-based compounds, MXenes, graphene and 2D materials, single-atom materials, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), ferroelectric ceramics.
• Computational Materials Science: Density Functional Theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD), ab initio calculations, thermodynamic modeling, multiscale modeling, machine learning, and data-driven approaches for materials design and property prediction.
• High-throughput screening for new materials.

Advanced Characterization Techniques:

• In-situ and Operando Techniques: Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, microscopy (TEM, SEM), spectroscopy (XPS, NMR), atom probe tomography to understand electrochemical processes in real-time.
• Advanced Imaging and Diffraction: Revealing micro- to nano-scale features and dynamic structural/chemical changes.

 Sustainability and Lifecycle Aspects:

• Recycling, rejuvenation, and repurposing of energy storage devices.
• Lifecycle analysis and environmental impact assessment.
• Use of abundant and low-cost materials