The ever-increasing demand for energy consumption and the consequent environmental impacts as well as the importance of controlling fossil fuel consumption are becoming more and more prominent. Valuable developments have been made to achieve more sustainable and eco-friendlier sources of energy/ power such as batteries, fuel cells, biofuels, and solar cells. With the advance of new technology, the implementation of these electrochemical alternative energy storages has become more practical and cost-effective. The energy storage devices can effectively store and partially release the produced energy in the conventional power plants thereby significantly increasing the energy efficiency and reliability while diminishing the environmental pollution resulting from the excessive emission of greenhouse gases. Further, because of the irregular and cycling nature of sustainable renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind and solar energy, the improved electrochemical energy storage systems play a crucial role in optimizing the power generation and daily electricity demand. Despite valuable advancement, there are still several challenges associated with the development of rechargeable energy storage systems. These include inadequate rate capability of power density and energy efficiency, decreasing the usable capacity with the cycling rate, and limited cycling life.

In the last decades, the use of a wide variety of nanostructures or nanoarchitectures as electrodes in high-performance batteries has become a focal point to transcend the challenges in the development of improved electrodes. Nanostructure electrodes provide several advantages such as large surface area, diminished charge/mass transfer length, and higher stress/strain tolerance during charge/discharge cycles. These interesting properties are the motivation for valuable research over the last decade.

The purpose of this special issue is to promote outstanding research concerning all aspects in the realm of nanostructured electrodes for energy storage, focusing on state-of-the-art progress, developments, and new trends. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

(1) Development of advanced nanostructure electrodes materials for energy storage

(2) Design methodologies of nanostructured electrodes for energy storage

(3) Preparation of nanostructured materials to be used as electrodes for energy storage

(4) Key nanostructure materials for electrodes in rechargeable batteries

(5) Property characterization of nanomaterials for energy storage

(6) Microencapsulation of nanomaterials for energy storage

(7) The function of nanomaterials for energy storage

(8) Numerical simulation of nanostructured materials for energy storage

(9) Safety risks management using nanostructured electrodes in rechargeable batteries

(10) Life cycle assessment of rechargeable battery applications

(11) Property characterization of nanomaterials for energy storage

(12) Applications of phase change materials and integration with other energy systems