Morphology Dependent Energy Storage Performance of Supercapacitors and Batteries: Scanning Electron Microscopy as an Essential Tool for Material Characterization

Nanomaterials have been considered fascinating candidates for the fabrication of high-performance energy storage devices due to their several advantages. The morphology (shape and size) of these electrode materials promote the performance of energy storage devices at high rates. Nanostructured materials possess higher surface energy compared with micro- or sub-millimeter materials, leading to high electrochemical performance. Furthermore, their intrinsic inner porous structure allows for effective electrolyte infiltration, and the reduced dimension of particle size can shorten the transport and diffusion path lengths of electrolyte ions, easing fast kinetics and high charge–discharge rates. Hence, rational manipulation of the morphologies of the nanostructured electrodes as per the requirement of the high-performing energy storage systems is crucial to achieve improved performance. In this chapter, we discuss the fabrication and performance of various nanomaterials and the importance of morphology on energy storage performance.