Tunability of Electrochemical Properties of Nanocarbon for Sustainable Energy

As the world transitions from fossil fuels towards more sustainable renewable energy options, carbon-based materials play a significant role due to the growing demand for portable energy devices (for wearable electronics) and heavy-duty energy sources (for power stations, long-distance transportation and electric vehicles). Current, commercially available carbon-based energy materials are inadequate to meet the energy requirements of a fossil fuel-free energy scenario. So, academia and industry are shifting their interest toward advanced materials like nanocarbons, including graphene, carbon nanotube, and fullerene for energy application. They all exhibit extraordinary properties due to their nanoscale dimensions and unique morphology. The tunability of physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties of nanocarbon are their significant features that make them ideal candidates for energy storage and conversion. Advanced tailoring approaches applicable to nanocarbons for energy storage applications are discussed here in detail. They include (a) heteroatom doping, (b) design of hierarchically structured nanocarbon, (c) construction of ionic channels within the material, and (d) growing metal compound-based nanoparticles on nanocarbon. Further, strategies like grafting fullerenes, patterning CNT films, and compositing graphene with CNT and PANI are explored in energy conversion applications like photovoltaics. The discussed electrocatalysis employs tuning methods like nanocarbon doping, porous templating, defect engineering, electrodeposition, and electro-reduction. On the other hand, fuel cell technology adopts tailoring methods like nanocarbon doping, porosity engineering, and graphitization metamorphosis. In summary, this study presents practical strategies that can be adopted for fabricating efficient and high-performance, next-generation energy conversion and storage devices using tailored nanocarbons.