Topological Quantum Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in topological quantum materials (TQMs) and their promising applications in energy conversion and storage technologies, highlighting their unique electronic properties and potential for efficient energy devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress, open problems, and future prospects of TQMs in catalysis and energy applications.

Findings

TQMs exhibit high conductivity and carrier mobility.

TQMs enable stable surface reactions for energy devices.

Potential for highly efficient energy conversion materials.

Abstract

Topological quantum materials (TQMs) have symmetry protected band structures with useful electronic properties that have applications in information, sensing, energy, and other technologies. In the past 10 years, the applications of TQMs in the field of energy conversion and storage mainly including water splitting, ethanol electro-oxidation, battery, supercapacitor, and relative energy-efficient devices have attracted increasing attention. The novel quantum states in TQMs provide a stable electron bath with high conductivity and carrier mobility, long lifetime, and determined spin states, making TQMs an ideal platform for understanding the surface reactions and looking for highly efficient materials for energy conversion and storage. In this Perspective, we present an overview of the recent progress regarding topological quantum catalysis. We describe the open problems, and the potential applications of TQMs in water splitting, batteries, supercapacitors, and other prospects in energy conversion and storage.