Quantum materials based energy harvesting: a comprehensive review of energy conversion, storage, and saving technologies

Abstract The worsening of climate adversity and the depletion of fossil fuels have led to an alarming situation, requiring urgent intervention to develop greener energy generation and conversion methods. The accelerated development of renewable energy conversion, storage, and conservation technologies is anticipated to play a pivotal role in addressing the looming global energy crisis. Quantum materials (QMs) are proving to be powerful new tools for advancing research and applications. Over the past two decades, QMs have been found to exhibit size-dependent tunable optical, electronic, and electrochemical properties. To date, QMs have demonstrated applications across electronics, energy-related domains, and communication technologies. However, despite the rapid growth of the field, several aspects concerning the synthesis and energy-related applications of QMs have not yet been systematically reviewed in prior studies. In this work, a systematic study has been consolidated on the design of QMs (including quantum dots, quantum wires, and quantum sheets/wells), through various synthesis techniques, with particular emphasis on their size-dependent characteristics. Recent developments in QMs and their applications in energy conversion (solar cells, photodetectors, LEDs, nanogenerators, and electrocatalysis), energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors), and energy saving (electrochromism) have been highlighted. In addition, the current challenges and future prospects of emerging QMs for potential multifunctional applications have been systematically summarized.