Engineering Porous Nanomaterials for Supercapacitors

Compared with traditional electrode materials, porous nanostructured electrodes can notably advance ion transport and electron conductivity, furthering the overall energy-storage competency. The development of various nanostructures with controlled porosity and their cost-effective synthesis processes can improve the performance of the existing energy-storage systems. Engineering porous nanomaterials with optimized porosity, heteroatom doping, high surface area, and excellent electrochemical performance remains a significant challenge in supercapacitors. Overcoming these challenges will enable the development of high-performance, cost-effective, and scalable energy-storage systems. This chapter discusses fruitful methods and outlines a roadmap for using porous nanostructured electrodes in energy-storage devices. The chapter includes the latest research on 1D, 2D and 3D porous nanostructures of metal oxides and their suitability for electrochemical activity. It also provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art for forming porous core–shell nanomaterials of metal oxides and recommends the future direction for using them in energy-storage applications.