Ultrafast materials synthesis and manufacturing techniques for emerging energy and environmental applications

Abstract

This review provides an overview of emerging ultrafast synthesis technologies for energy and environmental applications. Representative ultrafast methods include Joule heating, plasma, laser, infrared, microwave, and flame-assisted synthesis, etc.

Insights into high-entropy material synthesis dynamics criteria based on a thermodynamic framework

“…After rapid cooling, the kinetic barrier can prevent atoms from spreading, thus promoting the stabilization of products. 8 This can also easily produce more defects and low coordination elements on materials with high surface activity sites for better catalytic reactions. Such ultrafast synthesis technology allows an easy preservation of the final products in metastable states while maintaining the short-range order properties instead of obtaining the more stable thermodynamic state.…”

“…These include both conventional and various newly developed methods. 8 However, the synthetic criterion is still based on the classical Gibbs free energy to predict the formation of HEMs. 9 The key mechanism consists of restricting multiple atoms in a single lattice and resisting the penalty of enthalpy by enhancing the contribution of entropy to construct single-phase HEMs.…”

Controllable Synthesis of Solid Catalysts by High-Temperature Pulse

“…High temperatures significantly alter the structures or modify the properties of all materials and, consequently, have profound implications for the controlled synthesis of solid catalysts through thermally driven solid–solid or solid–gas reactions. − The temperature window ranges from hundreds to thousands of Kelvin degrees (K) achieved through multiple technical routes, determining the fundamental processes in solid catalysts preparation, such as the activation and transformation of chemical bonds, the diffusion and collision of atoms or molecules, the nucleation and growth of nanocrystals. − Conventional near-equilibrium thermal treatment methods have heating and cooling rate that are usually less than 100 K/min. In contrast, transformative pulsed heating methods, such as laser heating, Joule heating, and microwave heating, exhibit significantly higher heating and cooling rates, typically exceeding 1000 K/s, and have been comprehensively reviewed elsewhere. − These pulsed heating methods are capable of providing a kinetics-dominant and thermodynamically nonequilibrium environment for the synthesis and processing of advanced solid catalysts. Prompted by the burgeoning use of pulsed heating methods, significant progress has been made in exploring a wealth of previously unattainable thermodynamically metastable and high-performance solid catalyst materials.…”

Introduction to new horizons in materials for energy conversion, optics and electronics

“…Energy materials, engineered at nanometer length scales, present unique physicochemical properties that make them more suitable to be explored in diverse manners, paving the way towards renewable energy systems with continuous breakthroughs. [3][4][5] Meanwhile, theoretical calculations, such as machine learning methods, have been widely applied to solve complex problems. 6,7 This collection focuses on energy conversion, optics, and electronic applications of (nano) materials and provides an overview of the most impactful experimental approaches and theoretical methods for energy conversion and storage, intending to connect different communities and identify common challenges in the field.…”