Nanomaterials as energy storage materials

The development of nanostructured materials and improved capability of controlling the size dependent properties in the previous two decades have offered extensive application for energy storage applications. This review highlights the benefits provided by nanomaterials for capacitors using (i) carbon based materials for high surface area, (ii) conducting polymers as low cost, high charge density, easily processable, electroactive pseudocapacitive material and (iii) metal oxides for pseudocapacitance effect. Further it covers the use silicon based nanomaterials, flexible electrodes and controlling the unstable solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) for efficient energy storage in lithium batteries. Applications of some important modern nanomaterials like MXenes, borophene, phosphorene, janus nanosheets, Ti 3 C 2 and metal organic framework (MOF) derived nanostructures for energy storage is also briefly discussed.