Call For Papers: Superwetting nanoelectrodes for renewable energy
Guest edited by Zuankai Wang, Alex Bell, Alberto Vomiero and Xiaoming Sun
We are delighted to announce a call for papers for our latest online themed collection in Nanoscale on Superwetting nanoelectrodes for renewable energy, guest edited by Professors Zuankai Wang (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong), Alex Bell (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Alberto Vomiero (Luleå University of Technology, Sweden) and Xiaoming Sun (Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China).
Concerns about global warming from fossil fuels and high oil prices are driving up demand for renewable energy, including wind or solar powers, which currently generates about one-fifth of the electricity used worldwide and is continuously growing. Owing to the intermittent characteristic of distributed renewable energy such as wind power and photovoltaic cell, electricity powered production including hydrogen production, is put forward as the strategy of energy carrier and suppressing the power fluctuations, which lead to the demands for designing better electrode with higher stability and efficiency.
Biomimetic surfaces, which generally show regular micro/nanostructures, offer new insights to address this issue because the intrinsic activity can determine the electrocatalytic behaviours at low overpotentials near the onset, but management on bubbles have a significant influence on the slope under high overpotential where diffusion and mass transfer are more important. Although a series of nanoarray-based structured electrodes have been constructed and demonstrated with excellent performances for gas-involving electrochemical reactions, understanding of bubble wetting behaviour remains elusive. The design of nature-inspired superwetting surface topography for unique functions will spur new thinking and provide paradigm shift in the development of next-generation of new materials and devices, and dramatically extend the boundaries of renewable energy.
This special issue in Nanoscale aims to publish papers focusing on the fundamental understanding and practical applications of superwetting nanoelectrodes, covering broad topics such as:
- Construction of superwetting electrodes
- Understanding and controlling three-phase boundaries
- Mass transfer dynamics during electrocatalysis
- Bubble/droplet movement on solid surfaces
- Electrochemical reactions between different phases
This call for papers is open for the following article types:
- Communications
- Full papers
Open for submissions until 8 December 2024
If you would like to contribute to this themed collection, you can submit your article directly through the Nanoscale online submission system. Please mention that this submission is an open call contribution to the Superwetting nanoelectrodes for renewable energy collection in the “Themed issues” section of the submission form and add a “Note to the Editor” that this is from the Open Call. The Editorial Office reserves the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of both the journal and the collection, and inclusion of accepted articles in the final themed issue is not guaranteed.
Please also note that all submissions will undergo the normal peer review processes including an initial assessment prior to peer review, and that peer review and acceptance are not guaranteed.
If you have any questions about the journal or the collection, then Edward Gardner, the Development Editor for Nanoscale, would be happy to answer them. You can contact him by emailing the journal inbox.
With best wishes,
Professor Zuankai Wang, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (ORCID: 0000-0002-3510-1122)
Professor Alex Bell, University of California, Berkeley, USA (ORCID: 0000-0002-5738-4645)
Professor Alberto Vomiero, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden (ORCID: 0000-0003-2935-1165)
Professor Xiaoming Sun, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China (ORCID: 0000-0002-3831-6233)
