TABLE OF CONTENTS The most pressing need for research in energy conversion for the next century will be to meet the different challenges in the ways of generating or storing electric power in a more efficient as well as environmentally benign way (Kartha and Grimes, 1994). Today, new possibilities and opportunities have opened up by timely nanotechnology in the synthesis of materials that can be engineered for the efficient functioning of batteries and fuel cells. Clearly, the ongoing research projects as well as future industrial applications will bring down the costs to manufacture nanophase materials and enhance the importance of nanomaterials in energy storage systems. Inorganic and organic nanocomposites (hybrids) are also great contenders for the next generation battery or fuel cell systems which may offer optimum characteristics. From the use of nanomaterials, it is thus expected that the functional performance of the electrochemical systems will be improved tremendously.
