Energy technology最新文献

This study explores the enhanced performance of Zn-ion batteries using a SiO₂/ZnSO₄-based hydrogel electrolyte, compared with conventional absorbend glass mat (AGM) separator systems. The full cell employs Mn-vanadate (MnVO) as the positive and metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived copper oxides (CuO) as the negative electrodes. Mn-doping stabilizes the vanadate layers and accelerates Zn²⁺ diffusion, while the one-dimensional channels in MOF-derived CuO promote efficient Zn²⁺ intercalation/deintercalation. Cyclic voltammetry indicates a diffusion-controlled Faradaic mechanism for both electrodes, and impedance spectroscopy confirms high ionic diffusivity and electronic conductivity. Electrochemical measurements highlight excellent specific capacity and rate capability, validating the MnVO//CuO couple for practical applications. The 1.5 V gel-based prismatic cell surpasses the 1.2 V AGM-based pouch cell by offering a wider voltage window and reduced water loss. It delivers a specific capacity of 165 mAh g-1 (@100 mA g⁻¹), along with an energy density of 198 Wh kg-1 (@20 W kg⁻¹) and a power density of 616 W kg⁻¹ (@178 Wh kg⁻¹). Both the 1.2 pouch and 1.5 V prismatic cells were cycled 250 times at 500 mA g⁻¹, with capacity retentions of nearly 70% and 85%, respectively, and close to 99% Coulombic efficiency. Scalability, low cost, and environmental safety make MnVO//CuO chemistry a strong candidate for grid-scale storage.

Water splitting is a highly encouraging strategy for the sustainable generation of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. However, conventional electrocatalysts exhibit high overpotentials and low efficiencies, significantly limiting their practical applicability. To address these challenges, the development of advanced electrocatalytic materials is essential for achieving efficient and cost-effective hydrogen evolution. Herein, we report carbon-based nanocomposites derived from rice husk and cesium tungstophosphoric acid (CTP) as the electrocatalyst. In this work, rice husk biochar-cesium tungstophosphoric acid nanopowder-chitosan on nickel foam substrate (abbreviated as RHB-CTP-CS/NF) was used as an efficient water-splitting electrocatalyst. The overpotentials of RHB-CTP-CS/NF for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER, respectively) are 96.5 and 117.8 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², respectively. To reach 10 mA cm⁻² current density during the overall water-splitting process, the RHB-CTP-CS/NF cell voltage is 1.60 V. In addition, the prepared electrocatalysts demonstrated excellent stability during 2000 cycles of CV.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as a promising technology for efficiently harvesting environmental energy, addressing the growing global demand for sustainable and renewable energy sources. This paper comprehensively reviews recent advancements in TENG technology, focusing on innovative designs, enhanced materials, and improved performance metrics. It systematically categorizes TENG designs based on energy sources, such as raindrop, wave, and wind, and compares their working principles, performance metrics, and hybrid integration strategies. Unlike prior reviews that mainly focus on material development, this work adopts a system-level perspective linking material properties, device architecture, and power management. It also highlights the challenges and limitations currently faced by TENG technology, such as issues related to long-term stability, environmental degradation of materials, and integration of power management systems. Then it examines the current development that addresses these issues in the context of harvesting environmental energy resources. Key developments include integrating a unified material selection framework based on four key parameters, surface charge density, friction coefficient, contact angle, and polarization, providing a consistent basis for performance comparison. Advances in hybrid systems, such as TENG-EMG, TENG-PV, and TENG-PENG, are discussed, showing how improved design and power conditioning techniques enhance efficiency and stability. Finally, the paper identifies critical challenges, such as impedance matching, durability, and environmental degradation, and proposes future research pathways toward standardized testing and practical large-scale deployment. Together, these insights establish a clear roadmap for advancing the reliability and applicability of TENGs in real-world renewable energy systems.

A novel D–D–π–A dye (TPC) based on a phenoxazine core and a p-tolyl auxiliary donor was designed and synthesized. The dye exhibits strong visible-light absorption, efficient intramolecular charge transfer, and promising performance when applied in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). TPC achieved a notable power conversion efficiency (PCE), demonstrating its potential as a high-efficiency organic sensitizer. When incorporated into DSSCs, the TPC dye exhibited a short-circuit current density (J_sc) of 19.01 mA cm⁻², an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.65 V, a fill factor (FF) of 0.62, and a PCE of 7.69% under standard AM 1.5G illumination.

Understanding the device physics of organic solar cell (OSC) requires examining interfacial layers, namely the hole and electron selective layer (HSL and ESL), which improves the performance of OSC by modulating electrical parameters. In this report, we evaluate the family of PACz molecules (2PACz, Br-2PACz, MeO-2PACz, and Me-4PACz) as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) conjugated with bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) OSCs for a sustainable HSL, directly functionalized onto indium tin oxide (ITO) anode. OSCs using PTB7-Th:PC₇₁BM BHJ and ITO/SAMs as anode achieve power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.75%. Further, to investigate the versatility of SAMs in OSCs, ITO/SAM anodes are combined with high-performing photoactive materials (PM6:Y7), resulting in a PCE of 10.84%. The Br-2PACz-based OSC outperforms its alternatives due to its higher work function (WF: 5.61 eV) that enhances hole extraction, reduces interfacial resistance, and charge-carrier recombination while blocking electrons. We attribute improved OSC performance to reduced contact resistance, bimolecular recombination losses, and optimized charge transport inside the BHJ. We assess surface morphology, WF, and optical properties of ITO/SAMs using atomic force microscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and ellipsometry. Further, the electrical properties and charge-carrier mobility of OSC devices are analyzed using impedance spectroscopy, space-charge-limited current, and transient photovoltaic analysis.

Noble metal catalysts are essential for overcoming the kinetic barriers of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but their high cost and scarcity hinder large-scale applications. Herein, Pt and NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) heterojunction catalysts (Pt_14.57@NiFe LDH/NF) with strong electronic metal–support interactions (EMSI) have been developed by a one-step hydrothermal method. Heterojunction engineering optimizes the electronic structure at the Pt-NiFe LDH interface, adjusting the d-band center of Pt to balance the adsorption/desorption kinetics of intermediates in HER and OER. Electrochemical measurements show that Pt_14.57@NiFe LDH/NF exhibits exceptional bifunctional performance in alkaline media, requiring ultralow overpotentials of 89 mV (HER, 500 mA cm⁻²) and 276 mV (OER, 500 mA cm⁻²), significantly outperforming state-of-the-art catalyst. The catalyst also demonstrates excellent stability, maintaining performance without degradation after 200 h of testing under HER and OER conditions. When applied to an overall water splitting (OWS) system, it achieves cell voltages of 1.329 V (10 mA cm⁻²) and 1.715 V (1000 mA cm⁻²) with a Faradaic efficiency approaching 100%, and can stably catalyze for at least 200 h at high current densities. Physical characterizations confirm the formation of a robust heterojunction with enhanced active site density and electron transfer kinetics.

Amidst the global energy transition and China's dual-carbon strategy implementation, high-altitude regions have emerged as ideal locations for photovoltaic (PV) power generation due to their abundant solar resources. However, the efficiency degradation caused by temperature rise (0.4%–0.5%/°C) requires urgent resolution. Conventional cooling technologies (e.g., active air/liquid cooling) exhibit limitations in high-altitude environments, including high energy consumption and maintenance difficulties. In contrast, passive phase change material (PCM) cooling technology demonstrates significant potential for PV systems in sparsely populated high-altitude regions owing to its high latent heat storage capacity, zero external energy requirement, and low maintenance costs. This study systematically reviews PCM types suitable for high-altitude PV cooling and their application progress, with particular focus on comparative analysis between organic PCMs (e.g., paraffin wax, fatty acids) and inorganic PCMs (e.g., salt hydrates). Literature analysis reveals that PCMs can significantly reduce PV module temperature (maximum reduction: 16.7°C) and improve power generation efficiency (peak enhancement: 20.25%), while maintaining excellent environmental adaptability. Nevertheless, extreme climatic conditions in high-altitude regions (e.g., large diurnal temperature variations, intense UV radiation) impose stricter requirements on PCMs’ long-term performance. Future research should focus on: (i) optimizing PCM thermophysical properties, (ii) exploring hybrid cooling techniques (e.g., PCM-integrated active cooling), and (iii) developing photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) cogeneration systems. These approaches will enhance both the economic viability and sustainability of PV power generation.

The power output of traditional cantilevered piezoelectric energy harvesters is often constrained by their narrow harvesting bandwidth. To address this limitation, this study proposes an impact-driven piezoelectric energy harvester featuring a folded beam structure and evaluates its performance in a rotating environment. The folded beam design has two closely spaced resonant frequencies, with the centrifugal force generated during rotation further narrowing the frequency gap. A theoretical model of the proposed harvester, formulated using Lagrange's equation, includes an impulse force term representing the impact when the beam contacts the stopper. The frequency responses of the folded beam were first analyzed and validated through base excitation experiments using a shaker to ensure model accuracy without centrifugal force or impact. Rotational excitation was then performed using a motor to evaluate the piezoelectric energy harvester's performance and validate the impact model under constant rotational speeds. Variations in beam dimensions and stopper spacing were also analyzed to understand their influences on voltage output. The findings demonstrate that the proposed harvester effectively achieves a broad harvesting bandwidth. Adjusting structural parameters primarily shifts the peak output frequency, while reducing the stopper spacing broadens the bandwidth, albeit with a slight reduction in peak voltage.

Under the increasing urgency for global water resource exploration, conventional flow velocity measurement instruments are inadequate to meet the demands of long-term monitoring in complex environments. This article proposes a self-powered aquatic flow velocity sensor based on triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) technology, enabling the detection of water flow velocities. The signal processing circuit designed in this article can step down the high voltage signals generated by the TENG, exceeding 400 V, to approximately 1.7 V, while maintaining the ability to accurately reflect variations in flow velocity. In addressing the issue of flow velocity signal jitter in complex aquatic environments, data processing was performed using a Time-Frequency Cooperative Adaptive Edge Detection Algorithm. Post-processing results showed a deviation of 0 Hz in the primary frequency component compared to the original signal, with a spectral root mean square error of 0.058, indicating accurate reconstruction of flow velocity information. The sensor's effective measurement range spans from 0.1  to 2.4 m/s, adequately fulfilling the flow velocity monitoring requirements across a variety of common aquatic environments. This article offers a low-cost, self-powered innovative solution for dynamic water resource monitoring, demonstrating broad application prospects in hydraulic engineering, hydrological monitoring, and related fields.

This study theoretically investigates a novel two-terminal Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS)–ZnSnAs₂ tandem solar cell using SCAPS-1D simulation. The wide-bandgap CZTS (1.5 eV) acts as the top absorber, while narrow-bandgap ZnSnAs₂ (0.76 eV) captures near-infrared light in the bottom cell. Optimized CdS window and BSF layers (CGS for the top, WSe₂ for the bottom) enhance carrier collection and suppress recombination. This simulation assumed zero optical losses, ideal tunnel junction, and negligible series resistance. Through parametric optimization of thickness, doping, and defects, current matching is achieved, yielding a J_SC = 26.31 mA/cm², a V_OC = 1.77 V, an FF = 83.85%, and a PCE = 39.2%, with spectral response up to 1632 nm. This sustainable tandem design offers a high-efficiency, low-cost alternative to conventional multijunction photovoltaics (PVs).