Graphene aerogels for efficient energy storage and conversion

Concerns over air quality reduction resulting from burning fossil fuels have driven the development of clean and renewable energy sources. Supercapacitors, batteries and solar cells serve as eco-friendly energy storage and conversion systems vitally important for the sustainable development of human society. However, many diverse elements influence the performance of energy storage and conversion systems. The overall efficiency of systems depends on the specific structure and properties of incorporated functional materials. Carbon materials, such as graphene, are especially promising for materials development in the energy storage and conversion fields. Graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) carbon material only a single atom thick, has massless Dirac fermions (electron transport is governed by Dirac's equation), displays outstanding electrical conductivity, superior thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. 2D free-standing graphene films and powders have paved the way for promising energy applications. Recently, much effort has been spent trying to improve the number of active sites in electrode materials within 3D network/aerogel structures derived from graphene. This is because graphene aerogels are promising materials for energy systems due to their porous hierarchical structure which affords rapid electron/ion transport, superior chemical and physical stability, and good cycle performance. This review aims to summarize the synthetic methods, mechanistic aspects, and energy storage and conversion applications of novel 3D network graphene, graphene derivatives and graphene-based materials. Areas of application include supercapacitors, Li-batteries, H₂ and thermal energy storage, fuel cells and solar cells.