With the daunting energy challenges faced by Mankind in the 21st century, revolutionary new technologies will be the key to a clean, secure and sustainable energy future. Nanostructures often have surprising and very useful capabilities and are thus paving the way for new methodologies in almost every kind of industry.This exceptional monograph provides an overview of the subject, and presents the current state of the art with regard to different aspects of sustainable production, efficient storage and low-impact use of energy.Comprised of fifteen chapters, the book is divided in three thematic parts:Part I Sustainable Energy Production covers the main developments of nanotechnology in clean energy production and conversion, including photovoltaics, hydrogen production, thermal-electrical energy conversion and fuel cells.Part II Efficient Energy Storage is concerned with the potential use of nanomaterials in more efficient energy storage systems such as advanced batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen storage.Part III Energy Sustainability shows how nanotechnology helps to use energy more efficiently, and the mitigation of impacts to the environment, with special emphasis on energy savings through green nanofabrication, advanced catalysis, nanostructured light-emitting and eletrochromic devices and CO2 capture by nanoporous materials .An essential addition to any bookshelf, it will be invaluable to a variety of research fields including materials science, chemical engineering, solid state, surface, industrial, and physical chemistry, as this is a subject that is very interdisciplinary.

PART I: Sustainable Energy ProductionNANOTECHNOLOGY FOR ENERGY PRODUCTIONEnergy Challenge in the 21st Century and NanotechnologyNanotechnology in Energy ProductionNANOTECHNOLOGY IN DYE-SENSITIZED PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL DEVICESIntroductionSemiconductors and Optical AbsorptionDye Molecular EngineeringThe Stable Self-Assembling Dye Monomolecular LayerThe Nanostructured SemiconductorTHERMAL-ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONVERSION FROM THE NANOTECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVEIntroductionEstablished Bulk Thermoelectric MaterialsSelection Criteria for Bulk Thermoelectric MaterialsSurvey of Size EffectsThermoelectric Properties on the Nanoscale: Modeling and MetrologyExperimental Results and DiscussionsNANOMATERIALS FOR FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIESIntroductionLow-Temperature Fuel CellsHigh-Temperature Fuel CellsTHE CONTRIBUTION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY TO HYDDROGEN PRODUCTIONIntroductionHydrogen Production by Semiconductor NanomaterialsPART II: Efficient Energy StorageNANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS FOR HYDROGEN STORAGEIntroductionHydrogen Storage by PhysisorptionHydrogen Storage by ChemisorptionELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY STORAGE: THE BENEFITS OF NANOMATERIALSIntroductionNanomaterials for Energy StorageNanostructured Electrodes and Interfaces for the Electrochemical Storage of EnergyCARBON-BASED NANOMATERIALS FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY STORAGEIntroductionNanotexture and Surface Functionality of sp2 CarbonsSupercapacitorsLithium-Ion BatteriesNANOMATERIALS FOR SUPERCONDUCTORS FROM THE ENERGY PERSPECTIVEOvercoming Limitations to Superconductors' PerformanceFlux Pinning by Nanoscale DefectsThe Grain Boundary ProblemAnisotropic Current PropertiesEnhancing Naturally Occurring Nanoscale DefectsArtificial Introduction of Flux Pinning NanostructuresSelf-Assembled NanostructuresControl of Epitaxy-Enabling Atomic Sulfur SuperstructurePART III: Energy SustainabilityGREEN NANOFABRICATION: UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACHES FOR THE CONSERVATIVE USE OF ENERGYIntroductionGreen Approaches to NanofabricationFuture Directions: Toward "Zero-Cost" FabricationNANOCATALYSIS FOR FUEL PRODUCTIONIntroductionPetroleum RefiningNaphtha ReformingHydrotreatingCrackingHydrocrackingConversion of SyngasWater-Gas ShiftMethanol SynthesisFischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS)MethanationNanocatalysis for BioenergyThe FutureSURFACE-FUNCTIONALIZED NANOPOROUS CATALYSTS TOWARDS BIOFUEL APPLICATIONSIntroductionImmobilization Strategies of Single-Site Heterogeneous CatalystsDesign of More Efficient Heterogeneous Catalysts with Enhanced Reactivity and SelectivityOther Heterogeneous Catalyst System on Non-Silica SupportNANOTECHNOLOGY FOR CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTUREIntroductionCO2 Capture ProcessesNanotechnology for CO2 CapturePorous Coordination Polymers for CO2 CaptureNANOSTRUCTURED ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICESIntroductionQuantum Confinement and Charge Balance for OLEDs and PLEDsPhosphorescent Materials for OLEDs and PLEDsMulti-Photon Emission and tandem Structure for OLEDs and PLEDsThe Enhancement of Light Out-CouplingOutlook for the Future of Nanostructured OLEDs and PLEDsELECTROCHROMIC MATERIALS AND DEVICES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGSIntroductionElectrochromic MaterialsElectrochromic Devices