(2lc) Accelerating the Advancement of Functional Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications

At the intersection of chemical physics, physical chemistry, materials science, and engineering, this research focuses on tackling global challenges in clean energy by exploring the relationship between novel nanostructures, their functions, and applications in various renewable energy fields.

The field of nanoengineering has achieved significant success in the development of materials with unique properties and functionalities, particularly in the clean energy sector. Nanoengineering has made notable strides in the development of thermoelectric materials for waste heat conversion into electricity, high-capacity charge storage materials, and high-entropy materials. By utilizing mismatching integration-enabled strains and point defect engineering, high-performance charge storage materials have been developed. Furthermore, the development of self-assembled heterojunctions with decoupled electron and phono-transfer has led to the creation of thermoelectric materials with high Figure of Merit. Additionally, nanoengineering has successfully developed high-entropy materials through a general non-equilibrium flame synthesis methodology, which unifies immiscible elements into a single nano-ceramic and can serve as a super anti-sintering catalyst.

In our recent study, we overcame the intrinsic limit of layered hydroxides by engineering F-substituted β-Ni(OH)₂ (Ni-F-OH) plates with a sub-micrometer thickness, which resulted in a superhigh mass loading of 29.8 mg cm^−2 on the carbon substrate. The tailored ultra-thick phosphide superstructure achieved a super-high specific capacity of 7144 mC cm^−2 and a superior rate capability (79% at 50 mA cm^−2). For thermoelectric, our study investigated the selective growth of metal-semiconductor heterostructure based on layered V2-VI3 nano-structures using density functional theory. The study found that all lateral configurations exhibited lower formation energy compared to the vertical ones, implying selective growth of metal nanoparticles. This was supported by the successful fabrication of self-assembled Ag/Cu-nanoparticle-decorated p-type Sb₂Te₃ and n-type Bi₂Te₃ nano-plates at their lateral sites through a solution reaction. Finally, We also discovered an effective "encapsulated exsolution" phenomenon by reducing the metastable porous (Ni_0.07Al_0.93 )O_x (20 mL/min H₂, 4 hours at 800 ºC), which generated ultra-stable Ni nanoparticles (<10 nm) wrapped inside porous Al₂O₃ nano-shells. The resulted nano-confinement structure demonstrates high sintering resistance and provides 640 hours of constant 96% CH₄ and CO₂ conversion at 800 ºC for methane reforming, dramatically outperforming conventional catalysts.

These studies showcase the immense potential of nanoengineering in the development of advanced materials to meet future demands for clean energy.