Nanocharacterization of materials for energy
Résumé
The characterization of materials for energy is not in essence different from the characterization of materials developed for others issues. Nevertheless, as for other domains of applications, the optimization of materials for energy requires the understanding of processes which occur at the nanoscale. These can be chemical processes (interaction of ions and nanostructures in Li batteries, in photocatalytic systems…), electrical processes (movements and trapping of charges at atomic sites in NEMS and mechanical energy harvesters), optical processes (light generation or conversion in LEDs or PV cells based on nanostructures) or even thermal processes (flux control at atomic interfaces). This need can now be satisfied thanks to the recent developments of usual characterization techniques. In the presentation, we will review some of the most recent achievements regarding characterization at the nanoscale of materials designed for energy purposes. The focus will be made on the contribution specific to the nanoscale. In order to address the relevant issues, the presentation will be organized according to the physical and chemical properties to probe, namely structural, chemical, electronic, optical and thermal phenomena