Energy Storage and Materials

This chapter first discusses the high demand for energy storage in both stationary and mobile applications. Energy storage range and different storage options are introduced. Then the general state and characteristics of batteries are introduced; different batteries are explained, which include lead–acid battery, Na–S battery, Ni–Cd battery, Ni–MH battery, Li-ion battery, and redox flow battery. These batteries have different chemistry systems and varying performance. The most suitable applications are a balanced result of cell behaviors and costs. Different from the general characteristics of high energy density for batteries, electrochemical capacitors offer an energy storage option with complementary high power density and cycling behaviors. Both supercapacitors and pseudocapacitors are discussed. The former relies on double-layer capacitance for charge storage, while the latter utilizes both double-layer capacitance and faradic effect. Finally, the newest energy storage devices, Li-ion capacitors, are explained.