Editorial - Nanostructured Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Energy and environment are two most challenging issues faced by our society today. With an ever increasing demand for oil, depletion of renewable fuel source, and dramatic climate change caused by CO2 emission, there is an urgent need for alternative energy source that is not based on fossil fuel. Consequently, wind, solar and wave generated energy has become heavily pursued; but to work with the grid, these forms of energy have to be stored and converted according to the electricity demand and scheduling. Batteries, especially rechargeable ones, are one of the primary energy storage and conversion systems. Research in batteries has gained tremendous speed recently, not only for large scale energy storage but also for power demand in a variety of electronic devices, such as cell phones, laptops, and all kinds of power tools. It is necessary to develop renewable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage systems, to replace much of the existing technology.