The energy crisis and pollution have posed significant risks to the environment, transportation, and economy over the last century. Thus, green energy becomes one of the critical global technologies and the use of nanomaterials in these technologies is an important and active research area. This book series presents the progress and opportunities in green energy sustainability. Developments in nanoscaled electrocatalysts, solid oxide and proton exchange membrane fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, and photovoltaic techniques comprise the area of energy storage and conversion. Developments in carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and hydrogen (H2) storage using tunable structured materials are discussed. Design and characterization of new nanoscaled materials with controllable particle size, structure, shape, porosity and band gap to enhance next generation energy systems are also included. The technical topics covered in this series are metal organic frameworks, nanoparticles, nanocomposites, proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalysts, solid oxide fuel cell electrode design, trapping of carbon dioxide, and hydrogen gas storage.

Nanotechnology has the potential to play an important role in increasing the sustainability of a wide range of industrial sectors. Nanomaterials could contribute to more sustainable manufacturing through cleaner, less wasteful production processes and can substitute conventional materials, leading to savings in raw materials and energy. Nanotechnol

This issue of ECS Transactions includes some of the key contributions made to the symposium, entitled 'Electrode Processes Relevant to Fuel Cell Technology¿, held during the 217th meeting of The Electrochemical Society, in Vancouver, Canada, from April 25 to 30, 2010. Some of the key topics that were addressed include fundamental kinetics and mechanisms of multi-step reactions, especially the oxygen reduction reaction; kinetics and mechanisms of poisoning and other electrode degradation processes; modeling, simulation, and evaluation of electrode microstructure/performance relationships and related phenomena; computational modeling of fuel cell reaction mechanisms and kinetics at the molecular level; interfacial aspects; novel electrode materials; and new techniques to probe fuel cell electrode reactions.

LIG is a revolutionary technique that uses a common CO2 infrared laser scriber, like the one used in any machine shop, for the direct conversion of polymers into porous graphene under ambient conditions. This technique combines the preparation and patterning of 3D graphene in a single step, without the use of wet chemicals. The ease in the structural engineering and excellent mechanical properties of the 3D graphene obtained have made LIG a versatile technique for applications across many fields. This book compiles cutting-edge research on LIG by different research groups all over the world. It discusses the strategies that have been developed to synthesize and engineer graphene, including controlling its properties such as porosity, composition, and surface characteristics. The authors are pioneers in the discovery and development of LIG and the book will appeal to anyone involved in nanotechnology, chemistry, environmental sciences, and device development, especially those with an interest in the synthesis and applications of graphene-based materials.