Fermi engineering realizes advanced materials for next-generation energy devices

Abstract

Fermi engineering or Fermi level (E_F) engineering (E_F-engineering), represents an innovative approach for designing efficacious nanomaterials (NMs), involves the manipulation of the E_F via modulating the surrounding electronic band structure, and provides precise control over the electronic features of resultant NMs. Thus, E_F-engineering emerges as a promising approach to design advanced electrode materials for next-generation energy devices. This review summarizes research progress to unveil the concept of E_F-engineering towards designing efficient electrode NMs for energy conversion and storage devices such as (photo/electro)catalysts, solar cells, supercapacitors, and rechargeable batteries, to converge attention on a point that the efficiency of electrode NMs emerges from their ability to coordinate selective intermediates with the desired strength, which in turn mainly depends on the positioning of E_F concerning the surrounding electron densities. So, E_F-engineering determines the ability of NMs to suppress the undesired competing reactions and, thus, the reaction kinetics of a specific reaction. This is the first effort of its kind to encourage the design of efficacious NMs with precise E_F-engineering, supported with viable strategies for applying and characterizing the E_F-engineering. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects are addressed, inspiring the development of advanced NMs.