Joule最新文献

Hydrogen energy is of significant importance in tackling the global CO₂ challenge. The interconversion between renewable/surplus electricity and chemical energy contained in H₂ molecules can be achieved through H₂ evolution and oxidation reactions (HER and HOR) in electrolyzers and fuel cells, respectively. Despite the apparent simplicity of this pair of fundamental electrochemical reactions, a comprehensive picture of interfacial processes has not been obtained, which partially hinders the rational development of more advanced electrocatalysts/interfaces and the full realization of the H₂ economy. Herein, we summarize some of the most intensively debated puzzles in HER/HOR mechanisms on platinum surfaces and the evolution and current status of our understanding, including rate-determining steps, structures of active intermediates, electrolyte pH effects, the role of cations, and the origin of high activity on bimetallic interfaces. Perspectives on further research efforts that may help decipher these enigmas are also provided.

Cu₂Se is a promising p-type thermoelectric material for energy harvesting due to its intrinsically low thermal conductivity arising from the liquid-like Cu ions, leaving very limited room for regulation of phonon propagation. Herein, the thermal conductivity of superionic Cu₂Se is efficiently mediated by titanium oxide nanoclusters, leading to an exceptionally high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) at high temperatures. By controlling the oxygen deficiency, the sophisticated TiO_2−n architectures can be constructed with optimized phase composition and electrical properties. The presence of p-n junctions helps to reduce carrier concentration without degrading mobility, and the complex heterogeneous interfaces generated by TiO_2−n nanoclusters give rise to huge interfacial thermal resistance. Benefiting from the suppressed electrical transport and enhanced phonon scattering, the total thermal conductivity shows a reduction of at least 36%, contributing to a high ZT value of 2.8 at 973 K. This work demonstrates a paradigm of modulating thermal transport through the self-assembly design.

Meniscus coating technique is extensively employed for fabricating large-area perovskite films. Based on this technique, there are still challenges of formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃) nucleation and crystallization in the film-forming process, which significantly hinders the device performance of perovskite solar cell (PSC) modules. Here, we developed a kind of meniscus-modulated blade coating method combined with solvent engineering to realize scalable, high-quality α-phase FAPbI₃ films with larger grain sizes, preferred crystal orientation, excellent uniformity, and controllable thickness. On this basis, a notable 25.31% power conversion efficiency (PCE) for small-area cells (0.09 cm²) and 23.34% PCE for minimodules (aperture area: 12.4 cm²) with a certified PCE of 23.09% have been achieved. Besides, this minimodule exhibited exceptional device stabilities by remaining above 93% of the initial value after 2,000 h outdoor aging testing. This work provides a very promising meniscus coating fabrication method to realize high-performance FAPbI₃ perovskite solar cells and photovoltaic modules.

The transition of the energy system demands a wide range of raw materials, resulting in projections of rapid demand growth. Many of these commodities are already classified as critical due to a combination of their economic importance and various risks of supply disruption. In this review on the latest developments in modeling the energy-material nexus, we reveal that the research field is currently dominated by ex-post analyses of preexisting energy scenarios, although the number of model-based analyses has increased in recent years. We identify several challenges, such as the introduction of unintended biases or the unrealistic and insufficient representation of technology characteristics and future developments. Model-based approaches promise more realistic results, but their applicability and scope are still limited by the resulting complexity of the underlying models. We show that many of the identified challenges can be addressed with methods currently available and present a collection of best practice recommendations to improve the quality of future analyses. Finally, we provide an overview of research areas that have yet to be thoroughly explored, such as the supply side of raw materials, by-products, or the economic and environmental implications of the use of raw materials.

The vast majority of research on organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has focused on improving device efficiency and stability and reducing material costs. However, if one could refurbish OPVs, their stability might not be so demanding, and the reuse of valuable OPV components can reduce the price per watt of solar modules. Herein, we present a dismantling procedure for reusing the active-layer materials without causing performance losses and for recovering the silver electrode and indium tin oxide (ITO)-electrode substrate via chemical and physical processes. Combined with the developed physical mixing methodology, the OPVs fabricated from recycled components also show comparable performance to that of fresh devices. The potential economic analysis points out that this recycling protocol can save 14.24 $ m⁻² in industrial scenarios, strongly demonstrating the possibility of recycling OPVs. This work represents a significant step toward cost-effective, high-yield recycling of waste OPVs while also demonstrating the prospects of no material supply constraints for OPV manufacturing shortly.

Proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are a promising technology for green hydrogen production; however, interfacial transport behaviors are poorly understood, hindering device performance and longevity. Here, we first utilized finite-gap electrolyzer to demonstrate the possibility of proton transfer through water in PEMWEs. The measured high-frequency resistances (HFRs) exhibit a linear trend with increasing gap distance, where extrapolation shows a lower value compared with HFRs in regular zero-gap electrolyzers, indicating that ohmic resistance could be further reduced. We introduce nanochannels to facilitate mass transport, as evidenced by both liquid-fed and vapor-fed electrolysis. Nanochannel electrodes achieve a voltage reduction of 190 mV at 9 A·cm⁻² compared with the Ir-PTEs without nanochannels. Furthermore, nanochannel electrodes show negligible degradation through 100,000 accelerated-stress tests and over 2,000 h of operation at 1.8 A·cm⁻² with a decay rate of 11.66 μV·h⁻¹. These results provide new insights into localized transport dynamics for PEMWEs and highlight the significance of interfacial engineering for electrochemical devices.

High-entropy materials (HEMs) have garnered tremendous attention for electrocatalytic water oxidation because of their extraordinary properties. Nevertheless, scant attention has been directed toward comprehending the origin of their excellent activity and intricate atomic arrangements. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of high-entropy metal selenides (HEMSs) using a rapid joule-heating method, effectively circumventing the immiscibility challenges inherent in combining multiple metal elements. This achievement is collectively verified by a convergence of diverse analytical techniques encompassing quasi in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and operando attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The HEMS exhibits a low overpotential of 222 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and extraordinary durability with negligible degradation over a 1,000 h durability test at 10 mA cm⁻² and 500 h at 100 mA cm⁻². Further, our theoretical investigations establish the pronounced mechanism of asymmetric Cu-Co-Ni active units in HEMS by manipulating the interaction of oxygen-containing intermediates, which leads to enhanced OER activity and durability.

Bessie Noll is a post doctoral researcher at the Energy and Technology Policy Group at ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on the effects of policy intervention on the development of clean energy technologies and transitional outcomes of modern energy systems. She holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and a PhD in energy and technology policy from ETH Zurich.

Bjarne Steffen is assistant professor and head of ETH Zurich’s Climate Finance and Policy Group. His research addresses the impact of public policy interventions on technological change in the energy sector, with a particular focus on the role of financial actors in reallocating capital. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Mannheim and a PhD in energy economics from the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Tobias Schmidt is ETH Zurich’s professor of energy and technology policy and directs the Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy. His research focuses on the interaction of public policy and its underlying politics with technological change in energy-related sectors. He holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from TU Munich and a doctorate from ETH Zurich.

We propose the electrified catalytic inductive heating system (ECIHS), which utilizes electromagnetic induction heating (IH) of a monolithic catalytic composite to induce direct and efficient heat transfer to the liquid-phase reaction environment. Herein, we demonstrated that the ECIHS could be utilized to extract hydrogen from liquid-phase perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-DBT) within just 3.5 s, accounting for a 16.4-fold improvement in the reaction rate compared with conventional heating methods. This remarkable observation underscores the potential of the ECIHS for on-site hydrogen utilization, empowering various advanced applications such as hydrogen-powered vehicles. Furthermore, the capabilities of the ECIHS for efficient heat and mass transfer in the liquid phase are also translatable to a myriad of different chemical processing schemes with high industrial value. Overall, the ECIHS represents a major breakthrough in the development of sustainable chemical processing methods, further propelling efforts to achieve full decarbonization in the global chemical processing industry.