Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy最新文献

The advent of long-term implants has increased the urgent need for self-powered biomedical devices. Utilize enzymes to expedite the process of biofuel oxidation. These systems frequently make use of glucose oxidase. A possible solution involves glucose biofuel cells powered by the glucose found in physiological fluids. Biocompatible substances like carbon electrode designs help to transport electrons from the biological reactions to the external circuit as efficiently as possible while maximizing surface area. Despite advances in implantable electrodes, developing miniaturized and flexible electrodes remains challenging. In this work, a metal-coated flexible carbon thread and foam bioelectrode are fabricated and successfully implanted inside a living and freely moving rat. These electrodes are prepared using gold nanostructures as electron enhancers, a negatively charged conducting polymer, a biocompatible redox mediator, and enzymes as biocatalysts. The carbon foam-based enzymatic biofuel cell produces in vitro and in vivo settings, generates a power density of 165 µW/cm² and 285 µW/cm², and the carbon thread-based fuel cell produces a power density of 98 µW/cm² and 180 µW/cm² in vitro and in vivo environments, respectively. This work paves the way for the possible use of inexpensive electrodes for subdermal implantable microsystems.

The increasing demand for cost-effective materials for energy storage devices has prompted investigations into diverse waste derived electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) application. This review examines advancements in converting waste into carbon-based SCs for renewable energy storage. In this context, different carbon-based waste precursor sources have been explored over the years as electrodes in SCs. These waste sources comprise of industrial, plastics and biowastes, including plant and animal wastes. The energy storage capabilities of the various waste derived SCs electrodes are highlighted to provide an understanding into the unique features that make them applicable to SCs. In addition, some challenges associated with the waste-derived SCs electrodes in terms of energy storage have been emphasized. Here, we also provided insights into the recent progress in SCs electrode synthesis techniques and their effects on electrochemical performance. SCs performance tailoring with material structures through the incorporation of different materials to form composites and optimized synthesis methods is an effective strategy. Hence, the synthesis methods outlined include pyrolysis, hydrothermal, microwave-assisted, template-assisted, and sol–gel techniques. The effect of the various synthesis methods on SCs performance has also been discussed. Overall, this review highlights waste valorization with future research directions and scaling challenges.

Appropriate and effective management of fruit wastes is fundamental for promoting sustainability, minimizing environmental impacts, and safeguarding human health. This underscores the necessity for sustainable waste management practices including transforming them into valuable products to mitigate their adverse effects. This study focuses on the production of bioethanol from pineapple, mango, watermelon, and pawpaw fruit wastes juice through yeast fermentation and controlled distillation. The juice from a mixture of fruit wastes was enriched with 200 g of bakery yeast to facilitate the fermentation process. Results show that bioethanol from fruit waste juice mixture with bakery yeast produced bioethanol with alcohol content of 30%, while the fruit waste juice mixture without yeast had 20%. The bioethanol from the initial distillation was combined and re-distilled to improve the quality of bioethanol from 12 to 30% to an impressive alcohol content of 88%. The bioethanol production from fruit wastes, achieved through bakery yeast fermentation and distillation, demonstrated promising outcomes and potential use as bioenergy and its contribution to environmental conservation. Future research may focus on enhancing yeast-fruit waste juice ratio and utilizing enzymes to expedite carbohydrate breakdown.

A long-term recycling strategy integrated into the circular economy of materials will be the only feasible option going forward on the use of lithium-ion batteries; the development of such a technology is critical to achieving a sustainable state of energy and waste management. Supercritical fluids are great technological candidates for recycling lithium-ion batteries and recovering cobalt which can be then integrated into a circular economy through the industrialization of an efficient recycling process. Cobalt recovery is feasible using supercritical CO₂, supercritical and subcritical water with organic acids with up to 99% efficiency.

Organometal halide perovskites (OHPs) are one of the viable options for solar absorber materials because their power conversion efficiencies are getting better and better over time. In the conventional n-i-p-based configuration, TiO₂ has been widely used as an electron transport layer (ETL). However, a number of constraints, such as low electron mobility and a mismatched band alignment with perovskite, restrict future advances in solar performance and device environmental stability. As a result, SnO₂ has garnered a lot of interest as a potential replacement due to the comparatively low manufacturing temperature, better electron mobility and appropriate energy alignment w.r.t perovskite. In this experimental work, the primary emphasis was placed on enhancing the efficiency as well as the stability of OHPs by performing interface engineering at the ETL (SnO₂)/perovskite interface. We improved the surface quality of the SnO₂ ETL layer by using a material called 8-Hydroxyquinoline, which was quite inexpensive, and we prepared a favourable plane for the deposition of perovskite. Remarkably, the proposed surface modification material made the SnO₂ layer easier to wet and impacted the growth of perovskite grains. This made the perovskite layer more compact and smooth. Our experimental findings imply that the OHPs’ enhanced charge recombination resistance and decreased charge transfer resistance are caused by effective defect passivation at the junction of the SnO₂ and perovskite films, as well as a decrease in recombination due to unwanted trap states. The fabricated cell produced a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.42%, higher than a PCE of 17.9% obtained for a device without surface modification. The proposed material for changing the surface also made OHPs more stable by reducing the surface paths for the reaction with humidity and reducing the amount of extra PbI₂ in the perovskite layer. Various research groups have investigated the modification of SnO₂ ETL using interfacial engineering methods and have contributed to enhancing OHPs’ solar performance and device stability.

In the current work, the effect of the surface phase structure of silicon wafer on the copper assisted chemical etching (Cu-ACE) behavior was investigated by adopting N-type monocrystal silicon with different thickness as raw material. An inverted pyramid structure was prepared with the method of Cu-ACE, which exhibited a mild reaction temperature with the reflectance reaching as low as 6.34%. Furthermore, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was employed as an additive to optimize the Cu-ACE process. The study revealed that CTAB molecules could adsorb Cu²⁺ near the silicon wafer surface in the HF/Cu(NO₃)₂/H₂O₂ solution, thereby promoting the deposition of copper particles and ensuring a uniform etching reaction. When 3 mg of CTAB was added to 100 mL of etching solution, the inverted pyramid structure showed larger dimensions and was more uniformly distributed, an excellent antireflection effect was achieved with the reflectance significantly reduced from 10.8% to 4.6%. This process could stably fabricate inverted pyramid structures, and is expected to advance the development of high-efficiency single-crystal solar cells in the future.

New electrolytes are necessary for the development of eco-friendly and cost-effective solid-state magnesium batteries. Methylamine borane-magnesium borohydride Mg(BH₄)₂-CH₃NH₂BH₃ combined with MgO is suggested as a novel solid state electrolyte. In fact, Mg(BH₄)₂-CH₃NH₂BH₃ 0.33–0.67 (molar fraction) is a viscous liquid at room temperature, but it can be stabilized in the solid state after the incorporation of 75 wt% of MgO. The obtained composite exhibits remarkable Mg²⁺ conductivity, achieving approximately 10^–5 S cm^-1 at 25 °C and 10^–4 S cm^–1 at 65 °C.

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First-principle investigations explore materials science for functional purposes. The physical properties of CsGeCl₃ are investigated under pressure in steps of 1.0 GPa. The CASTEP and GGA-PBE technique is used to understand the characteristics of cubic-based CsGeCl₃ crystal structures with space group 221. The energy bandgap (BG) exhibited direct semiconductors to metallic transition nature at pressures and its value decreased from 1.06 to 0.0 eV. It is observed during computations that it maintains the cubic phase with lattice parameters decreasing from 5.33 to 5.02 Å. A thorough analysis of optical characteristics under pressure shows that the UV spectrum region corresponds to strong peaks in optical properties, with a slight shift in peaks towards greater energies. Additionally, it satisfies the Born stability for mechanical stability and has an anisotropic (A) nature due to the anisotropic factor (0.529 to 1.501) of unity. The ductile nature of CsGeCl₃ is indicated by the Poisson scale (0.260 to 0.289) limits and Pugh’s ratio (1.751 to 2.037). If Cauchy pressure (C_p) is low, the material shows non-metallic behavior, and at high pressures, it shows metallic behavior, with a range of 1.299 to 9.961 GPa. As a result, the analysis shows that said material is suitable for photovoltaic and optoelectronic activity.

Sulfonamide derivatives as semiconductor materials for organic optoelectronic devices, including photovoltaic (PV), have received considerable interest. In the present work, the synthesis of novel pyrogallol-sulfonamide derivatives based on a molecular hybridization approach yielded N-((4-((2,3,4-trihydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)sulfonyl)acetamide (N-DPSA). The techniques of spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), and mass spectrum were utilized to identify the structural composition of the synthesized N-DPSA. The new N-DPSA was investigated by Hall-effect measurement to prove the positive charge carrier (hole mobility) with mobility and conductivity of 2.39 × 10³ cm²/Vs and 1.76 × 10^–1 1/Ω cm, respectively. Consequently, N-DPSA could be proposed as a strong candidate as a p-type semiconductor (hole transport layer (HTL)). The optical energy gap was computed at 2.03 eV, indicating the direct optical transition nature of N-DPSA. The elaborated molecular semiconductor's thermal features, molecular modelling, and electronic energy levels were also investigated. The new N-DPSA at various concentrations provided easy synthesis, cheap cost, high performance, and a straightforward design approach for a possible HTL in effective perovskite solar cells (PSCs). A PCE of 7.3% is shown for the N-DPSA-based PSC at its optimal concentration.

This study employed low-cost biomass wastes for the synthesis of biodiesel that is cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The major raw material (oil) was obtained by steam distillation (SD) from Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth leaf (CHKL) and was characterized for its aptness for biodiesel production. Dwarft green coconut husk ash (DGCHA) was used as a bio-adsorbent for acid value reduction of Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth leaves oil (CHKLO). A novel, highly potassium-based catalyst was derived from Karpuravalli banana peels (KBP), calcined, and characterized using TGA, ZETA, FTIR, SEM-EDX, XRF-FS, and BET analysis. Biodiesel was synthesized using a microwave-assisted method, characterized, and compared with the recommended standard. The catalytic strength of the calcined Karpuravalli banana peel powder (CKBPP) was tested using a reusability test, and the cost evaluation of production was estimated. Results showed that the CHKL was rich in oil (43% wt./wt.), and the oil is highly acidic (5.23 mg KOH/g oil). At high particle size, the dwarf green coconut husk ash (DGCHA) bagasse reduced the acid value to a minimum (1.4 mg KOH/g oil) at 3 days. The developed novel catalyst from CKBPP indicated high potassium-calcium contents for base transesterification. Process optimization indicated that the predicted response data of 95.285% (wt./wt.) at T₁ = 90 min, T₂ = 60 ^oC, T₃ = 4.5% (wt.), and T₄ = 9 (vol./vol.) was validated in triplicate, and the average data value of 95.10% (wt./wt.) was established. Dataset on the quality of biodiesel showed that the produced biodiesel properties were in line with recommended standards. Economic appraisal data showed that the cost of producing 20 L of CHKLOB (biodiesel) was $4.73 at 1,500 to $1. The study concluded that the production of biodiesel from waste can be cost-effective and environmentally friendly if wastes are harness.

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