Nanostructured titania is one of the most commonly encountered constituents of nanotechnology devices for use in energy-related applications, due to its intrinsic functional properties as a semiconductor and to other favorable characteristics such as ease of production, low toxicity and chemical stability, among others. Notwithstanding this diffusion, the quest for improved understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms governing the material properties and thus its performance in devices is still active, as testified by the large number of dedicated papers that continue to be published. In this framework, we consider and analyze here the effects of the material morphology and structure in determining the energy transport phenomena as cross-cutting properties in some of the most important nanophase titania applications in the energy field, namely photovoltaic conversion, hydrogen generation by photoelectrochemical water splitting and thermal management by nanofluids. For these applications, charge transport, light transport (or propagation) and thermal transport are limiting factors for the attainable performances, whose dependence on the material structural properties is reviewed here on its own. This work aims to fill the gap existing among the many studies dealing with the separate applications in the hope of stimulating novel cross-fertilization approaches in this research field.

A study was conducted to explore the effects of Sr doping on the electrical properties of perovskite LaFeO₃ thin-film protective conversion coatings grown onto a K41 ferritic stainless steel, a typical interconnect material for intermediate temperature solid oxide cell (SOC) applications. The Sr-doped coatings were prepared in La₂O₃- and SrO-containing molten carbonate baths with minor added amounts of nitrate salt for accelerated coating formation. For comparison purposes, undoped coatings were obtained using the same carbonate bath, with the only difference being that SrO was replaced by inert MgO. SEM/EDX and XRD analyses were used for coating characterization and confirmed the effective incorporation of Sr but not of Mg into the LaFeO₃ layer. Although both the Sr-doped and undoped coatings consisted of a LaFeO₃ layer grown above an inner Fe-Cr spinel, the coating thickness of the Sr-doped coating was distinctly higher, approximately 2 µm, which is twice that of the undoped coating. Electrical measurements in terms of Area-Specific Resistance (ASR) were conducted at 700 °C in air and showed that Sr-doping significantly improved the electrical conductivity of the coated K41 steel. Due to the Sr-doping, the ASR values of the coated steel dropped from 60 to 37 mΩ cm² after 300 h of exposure, in spite of the higher Sr-doped coating thickness. The study concludes that Sr-doped thin-film perovskite coatings appear to be a promising solution for improved SOCs steel interconnect stability at intermediate temperatures.

A Windows-based software tool [Analytical Method Performance Evaluation (AMPE)] was developed to support the validation of analytical methods. The software implements standard statistical approaches commonly adopted in validation studies to estimate analytical method performance (limits of detection and quantitation, accuracy, specificity, working range, and linearity of responses) according to ISO 5725. In addition, AMPE proposes the application of innovative and unique approaches for the assessment of analytical method performance. Specifically, AMPE proposes the use of difference-based indexes to quantify the agreement between measurements and reference values, the use of pattern indexes to quantify methods bias with respect to specific external variables, and the application of fuzzy logic to aggregate into synthetic indicators the information collected independently via the different performance statistics traditionally estimated in validation studies. Aggregated measures are particularly useful for methods comparison, when more than one method is available for a specific analysis and itmay be of interest to identify the best performing one taking into account, simultaneously, the information available from different performance statistics. Illustrative examples of the type of outputs expected from AMPE-based validation sessions are given. The extensive data handling capabilities and the wide range of statistics supplied in the software package makes AMPE suitable for specific needs that may arise in different validation studies. The installation package, complete with a fully documented help file, is distributed free of charge to interested users along with input files exemplary of the type of entry data required to run validation data analyses.

Aimed at the growing interest in printed batteries, widely used industrial gravure printing was recently proven to be able to produce high-quality electrodes for lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), demonstrating its utility in the study of new functional materials. Here, for the first time, gravure printing was investigated for the mass production of well-known low-cost graphite-based anodes for LiBs. Graphite was also chosen as a case study to explore the influence of process parameters on the layer microstructure and the performance of the printed anodes. In particular, upon decreasing the size of the active material nanoparticles through ball-milling, an enhancement in anode performance was observed, which is related to an improvement in the material distribution in the printed layer, even in the case of increasing mass loading through a multilayer approach. A further improvement in performance, close to the theoretical capacity, was possible by changing the ink parameters, obtaining a denser microstructure of the printed anode. Such good results further demonstrate the possibility of using gravure printing for the mass production of electrodes for printed batteries and, in general, components in the field of energy.

In light of the growing interest in printed batteries, we recently demonstrated the possibility of employing industrial gravure printing in battery manufacturing. Gravure is the most appealing printing technique for the low-cost production of functional layers, but it is rarely investigated since the necessity to use diluted inks makes it difficult to obtain proper functionality, especially in the case of composites, and an adequate mass loading of the printed layer. For this reason, the ink formulation represents one of the main challenges; ruling on it could strongly boost the use of such a technique in industrial manufacturing. It is known that a viable method for obtaining good gravure printing quality is based on the Capillary number approaching unity. Taking into account such methods for the choice of ink and the process parameters, here a study of the printing quality influence on the functionality and the performances of the gravure printed layer is proposed in the case of an LFP-based cathode for Li-ion batteries. Good printing quality is necessary to obtain proper layer functionality, but specific parameters have to be considered for achieving high performance.

Solid-state and sol-gel syntheses were selected as easy and scalable methods to prepare a lithium-rich cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. Among the extended family of layered oxides, Li_1.2Ni_0.2Mn_0.6O₂ was chosen for its low nickel content and the absence of cobalt. Both synthesis methods involved two heating steps at different temperatures, 600 and 900 °C. The first step is needed to decompose the metal acetates, which were selected as precursors, and the second step is needed to crystallise the material. To obtain a material with well-defined defects, the rate of heating and cooling was carefully controlled. The materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction, SEM coupled with EDS analysis, and thermal analysis and were finally tested as cathodes in a lithium semi cell. The solid-state synthesis allowed us to obtain better structural characteristics with respect to the sol-gel one in terms of a well-formed hexagonal layer structure and a reduced Li⁺/Ni²⁺ disorder. On the other hand, the sol-gel method produced a material with a higher specific capacity. The performance of this latter material was then evaluated as a function of the discharge current, highlighting its good rate capabilities.