bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
(Invited) On the Low-Cost Design, Performance and Stability of Advanced Electrodes for Photocatalytic (sea)Water Splitting
Authors: Vayssieres Lionel 
Published: February 2020

The latest advances along with the overview of two decades of fundamental and applied research on low-cost metal oxide semiconductor aqueous design, electronic structure and applications for renewable energy systems [1] will be presented. It will include the design and fabrication strategies [2] as well as nanodevices fabrication for efficient low cost solar (sea)water oxidation without sacrificial agents [3]. Visible-light active photocatalyst heteronanostructures based on non-toxic and earth abundant materials engineered to efficiently drive aqueous chemical reactions at their interfaces will be demonstrated. Their surface chemistry [4], structural, optical, electrical [5], electronic structure [6], photoelectrochemical, and dimensionality/confinement effects [7] along with their efficiency have been thoroughly investigated at synchrotron radiation facilities as well as in our laboratories. The most promising structures including oxides, nitrides, sulfides and phosphides for low cost and large scale solar water splitting will be discussed along with the atomic-scale origin of their performance and stability [8].
References
[1]J.Z. Su and L.Vayssieres, ACS Energy Lett.
1, 121 (2016); Y. Tachibana et al, Nat. Photon.
6, 511 (2012); On Solar Hydrogen & Nanotechnology, L. Vayssieres Ed. (Wiley, 2010); L. Vayssieres et al, Pure Appl. Chem.
72, 47 (2000)
[2]L. Vayssieres, Appl. Phys. A
89, 1 (2007); Int. J. Nanotechnol. 4, 750 (2007); Int. J. Nanotechnol.
1, 1 (2004); Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
43, 3666 (2004); Adv. Mater.
15, 464 (2003); J. Phys. Chem. B
107, 2623 (2003); Nano Lett. 2, 1393 (2002); Chem. Mater.
13, 4395 (2001); Chem. Mater.
13, 233 (2001); J. Phys. Chem. B
105, 3350 (2001)
[3] Y.K. Wei et al, Nano Res.
9, 1561 (2016); C.X. Kronawitter et al, Energy Environ. Sci.
7, 3100 (2014); Energy Environ. Sci.
4, 3889 (2011)
[4]L. Vayssieres, J. Phys. Chem. C
113, 4733 (2009); Int. J. Nanotechnol. 2,411 (2005)
[5]J. Engel et al, Adv. Funct. Mater.
24, 4952 (2014)
[6]C.X. Kronawitter et al, Nano Lett.
11, 3855 (2011); Phys. Rev. B
85, 125109 (2012); J. Phys. Chem. C
116, 22780 (2012); PhysChemChemPhys
15, 13483 (2013); F. J. Himpsel et al, J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 190, 2 (2013); C. L. Dong et al, Phys. Rev. B
70, 195325 (2004); J.H. Guo et al, J. Phys. Condens. Matter
14, 6969 (2002)
[7]L. Vayssieres et al, Appl. Phys. Lett.
99, 183101 (2011); Adv. Mater.
17, 2320 (2005)
[8] M.G. Kibria et al, Adv. Mater.
28, 8388 (2016); J.Z Su et al, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. (2017), invited perspective
(Invited) Tuning the Selectivity of Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction Using Copper-Based Catalysts
Authors: Yeo Boon Siang 
Published: February 2020

Currently, more than 80% of the world’s energy needs are met by burning fossil fuels. Supplies of these fuels are intrinsically limited and will eventually run out. Combustion of fossil fuels also generates carbon dioxide, whose rapidly increasing atmospheric concentration is suspected to be an accelerant of global warming. One solution for reducing atmospheric CO2 levels is carbon capture and sequestration. Another is to electrochemically reduce the CO2 into chemical feedstocks and fuels. If the energy used for these processes is generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind, we can envisage a chemical production cycle that is closed-loop with net zero carbon emission.
In this talk, we shall share our recent works related to the development of copper-based catalysts (including Cu single crystal surfaces, doped Cu, etc.) for the selective electroreduction of CO2 to compounds such as formic acid, ethylene, ethanol and propanol. We shall discuss factors that gave Cu2O-derived Cu catalysts the ability to selectively reduce CO2 to ethylene. We shall show that this ability can be correlated to the crystallite sizes of the Cu2O-derived Cu particles. We shall also present a new class of CO2 reduction catalysts made from Cu and Zn, which is highly selective towards the formation of ethanol. A two-site mechanism to rationalize the selectively is proposed. Finally, we present an overview of our recent efforts to couple photovoltaics to an electrocatalytic cell for the solar-driven reduction of carbon dioxide.
References:

Yun Huang, Albertus Denny Handoko, Pussana Hirunsit and Boon Siang Yeo. Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 Using Copper Single-Crystal Surfaces: Effects of CO* Coverage on the Selective Formation of Ethylene. ACS Catal., 2017, 7, 1749-1756.

Dan Ren, Bridget Su-Hui Ang and Boon Siang Yeo. Tuning the Selectivity of Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction towards Ethanol on Oxide-Derived CuxZn Catalysts. ACS Catal. 2016, 6, 8239-8247.

Albertus D. Handoko, Cheng Wai Ong, Yun Huang, Zheng Guang Lee, Liyi Lin, Grace B. Panetti, and Boon Siang Yeo. Mechanistic Insights into the Selective Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethylene on Cu2O-Derived Copper Catalysts. J. Phy. Chem. C
2016, 120, 20058-20067.

Dan Ren, Nian Tee Wong, Albertus Denny Handoko, Yun Huang and Boon Siang Yeo. Mechanistic Insights into the Enhanced Activity and Stability of Agglomerated Cu Nanocrysals for the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to n-Propanol. J. Phy. Chem. Lett.
2016, 7, 20.
Junction Electrochemistry of InGaN Anode Materials in Solar Energy Conversion
Authors: Parameshwaran Vijay , Sampath Anand V , Wraback Michael 
Published: February 2020

The indium gallium nitride (InGaN) ternary alloy system offers an ideal semiconductor basis as a light absorber for driving chemical reactions such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It is a direct bandgap semiconductor whose energy can be tuned for optimal solar absorption and overcoming kinetic overpotential losses, it can be grown epitaxially as a single crystal for high material quality, and it exhibits relatively high corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions for a III-V material. In this work, we report on the design, synthesis, and photoelectrochemical studies of InGaN in an anode configuration with a goal of using this material as a light absorber basis for driving solar fuels reactions such as the OER and the HER. Studies are shown reporting on how reactive vapor synthesis of GaN and InN with different structuring affects the light conversion properties and band diagram electrostatics in an electrochemical junction with ferrocene and cobaltocene redox pairs. This structure is extended to thin films of GaN and InGaN grown by molecular beam epitaxy for high efficiency light conversion, with the resulting electrochemical junction also made with ferrocene and cobaltocene. The effects of ternary alloying, doping, and the two different c-plane polarities (III-polar and V-polar) on the junction are investigated using the same electrochemical junction to evaluate the light conversion properties in relation to the electrostatics; specifically, tuning the bandgap energy for optimal light absorption, determining the c-plane polarity configuration for the electric fields to have the correct band alignment, and incorporating silicon doping to create a conductive substrate. The combination of these engineering techniques extends the depletion region of the active layer for high efficiency light absorption as similarly demonstrated for epitaxial phosphide films [1], and is utilized toward the goal of high performance solar energy conversion.
[1] V. Parameshwaran, X. Xu, and B. Clemens, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, vol. 163, no. 8, pg. H714-H721 (2016).
The Role of Ionic Liquid Electrolytes in Li-S Batteries
Authors: Ueno Kazuhide , Yogo Hirotaka , Tsutsumi Hiromori , Dokko Kaoru , Watanabe Masayoshi 
Published: February 2020

Much attention is being paid to high-energy density lithium batteries such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery because its specific energy density is much higher than those for commercialized lithium ion batteries [1]. However, many challenges including insulating properties of active materials, sluggish electrochemical reactions, and dissolution of the sulfur species into electrolyte remain unresolved for practical application. Electrolyte properties are essentially concerned with the above serious issues of these batteries. Undesirable side-reactions between electrolytes and the reduction products (lithium polysulfides, Li2Sm) occur in some non-aqueous electrolytes. The dissolution of the sulfur species, volatility, and flammability of electrolytes have also to be addressed for long-life operation of the Li-S cells. Therefore, development of electrolytes is a key to establishing these batteries [2].
We have determined saturated solubility of Li2Sm and S8 in various type of electrolytes ranging from molecular solvents to aprotic and solvate ionic liquids to study factors that govern the dissolution of S8 and Li2Sm species into electrolyte. In terms of solvent parameters, the solubility of Li2Sm was well correlated with Gutmann’s donor number, whereas solubility of S8 was explained by Hildebrand solubility parameter. Although weakly coordinating solvents having low donor number could greatly suppressed dissolution of Li2Sm, supporting lithium salts (e.g., LiTFSA) were hardly soluble in such weakly coordinating solvents. An exception was ionic liquid-based electrolytes: ionic liquids having a weakly coordinating anion can dissolve the supporting salt while suppressing dissolution of Li2Sm. We show how the electrolyte properties of the ionic liquids link to the cell performance such as large capacity, high Coulombic efficiency, and good reversibility.

Reference

[1] P. G. Bruce, S. A. Freunberger, L. J. Hardwick, and J-M. Tarascon, Nat. Mater., 11, 19 (2012).
[2] M. Watanabe M. L. Thomas, S. Zhang, K. Ueno, T. Yasuda, K. Dokko, Chem. Rev., ASAP (2017).
(Invited) In-Operando Synchrotron X-Ray Computed Tomography for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage
Authors: Zenyuk Iryna V. 
Published: February 2020

Understanding transport processes in thin and porous materials is critical for electrochemical energy applications. Tools that are designed for material characterization on a large scale are not always applicable for thin (< 500 um) layers and films. Specific care needs to be taken to design hardware to observe transport phenomena on micro- and nano-scales. To correlate transport and morphology on these minute length and time-scales synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT) is well fit due to its fast, non-intrusive measurements, bright energy sources and relatively large field-of-view to spatial resolution ratios 1, 2.
Water management is critical for polymer-electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, as depending on a device, water is used as either a reactant or byproduct of electrochemical reaction and its location, as well as transport is critical for these devices operation. In PEFCs during start-up and operation liquid water formed as a byproduct of electrochemical reaction can block gas (reactant) delivery to a catalyst, resulting in flooding, mass-transport losses, and low cell power densities. For AEMFCs water is a reactant in the cathode and its transport from the anode is critical for the cell operation. Addressing and understanding water transport issues, is made possible by introducing the capabilities for in-operando X-ray CT. In this presentation a single serpentine channel, 1 cm2 active area fuel cell and electrolyzer operating at 30 and 60oC will be presented. Cells with Platinum-group medals (PGM) and PGM-free electrodes on either cathode or anode will be presented with examples of water distributions. It was observed that for PGM-free electrodes water accumulates at components interfaces, where large voids are present. For electrolyzers water distribution in the anode under 50 and 200 mA/cm2will be shown. Furthermore, application of nano- X-ray CT for in-operando PEFCs will be demonstrated, as well as micro-CT for in-situ batteries characterization.
References
1. I. V. Zenyuk, A. Lamibrac, J. J. Eller, D. Y. Parkinson, F. Marone, F. N. Büchi and A. Z. Weber, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2016.
2. I. V. Zenyuk, D. Y. Parkinson, G. Hwang and A. Z. Weber, Electrochemistry Communications, 2015, 53, 24-28.
Bulk and Nanostructured Closo-Hydroborate Salts of Lithium and Sodium As Superionic Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries
Authors: Stavila Vitalie , Dimitrievska Mirjana , Tang Wang Si , Talin Albert Alec , White James L. , Varley Joel , Shea Patrick , Wood Brandon C. , Skripov Alexander , Udovic Terrence J 
Published: February 2020

Liquid organic electrolytes continue to dominate metal-ion battery technologies despite lingering concerns over safety, capacity loss due to parasitic side reactions, limited operating temperature range, and costly packaging needed to prevent electrolyte leakage. Although several solid-state electrolytes with ionic conductivity approaching that of liquid organic electrolytes have been recently demonstrated, including perovskites, garnets, and sulfides, challenges exist in integrating these into durable battery systems. The main issues of the existing solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity, low electrochemical stability and large interfacial resistance between the electrodes and the solid electrolyte. We propose a new class of superionic solid electrolytes based on closo-borate and carborate anions, such as B12H12
2-, CB11H12
-, B10H10
2-, CB9H10
-. The facile cation conduction pathways in these materials are enabled by the spacious, vacancy-rich, interstitial network afforded by a sub-lattice of large, orientationally mobile anions. Many of these materials display superionic conductivity in bulk, for instance a conductivity as high as 0.03 S cm-1 was achieved in NaCB9H10 at room temperature.
This talk will describe three strategies used to further improve the conductivities of bulk closo-hydroborate and carborate anions by 1) ball-milling to create vacancies and stabilize disordered phases, 2) anion mixing to create preferred pathways for facile cation diffusion, and 3) nanoconfinement of salts inside mesoporous silica or alumina with functionalized surfaces to enhance ion-transport through nano-channels. We will show examples where nanostructuring was efficient in increasing the Li and Na-ion conductivity, in some cases by two orders of magnitude compared to bulk. We will present results from neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques which provide invaluable insights into the dynamical nature of the reorienting anions. Finally, we will describe the remaining challenges and barriers which remain to be solved to enable the use of nanostructured electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries at device-relevant temperatures.
Phase-Field Study of Sodiation of Snsb Thin Film Electrodes
Authors: Yurkiv Vitaliy , Gutiérrez-Kolar Jacob , Ramasubramanian Ajaykrishna , Shahbazian-Yassar Reza , Mashayek Farzad 
Published: February 2020

Sodium-metal and sodium-metal alloys (metal = Sn, Sb, In, Ge) are very promising active materials for the negative electrodes of thin-film batteries. Sodium intercalation into the grain-formed films is a complex electrochemical and mechanical phenomenon, which primarily determines the performance of a battery. Thus, the fundamental understanding of the Na-ions intercalation processes is essential to develop long lasting battery technology.
In the present work we present a phase-field modeling (PFM) study of (electro-)chemical sodiation of SnSb thin-film electrodes. The PFM is developed and applied to explore the sodium diffusion/intercalation and its influence on the evolution of SnSb grain structure. The PFM was developed using the MOOSE Framework.1,2 The model was validated against our experimental measurements, where SnSb thin films are prepared using ball-milling techniques and are deposited onto a carbon film/copper mesh transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid (EMS CF-400-Cu) using DC magnetron sputtering. In-situTEM and electron diffraction experiments are used to directly image sodium diffusion and to determine the local structures.
Employong the PFM an electrochemical free energy function, considering sodium diffusion within the grains and the grain boundary (GB) along with the elastic stress field associated with Na intercalation, is established. The phase-field GB model is used to generate thin-film grain structures and subsequently to study their evolution under the sodium diffusion. Results show that Na diffusion first proceeds through the GB and then through the grains, and that the electrochemical sodiation is much faster than the chemical sodiation due to an applied electric potential, which drives more Na-ions towards the electrode. The elastic strain energy associated with the sodium intercalation slows down Na diffusion due to the stress build-up. At the first glance, the generated stress has the detrimental effect on the sodiation; however, by slowing down the diffusion process it provides a stabilization function, as less Na is available inside a grain, thus avoiding a potential for irreversible crystallization. In addition, to increase the fundamental understanding of sodium diffusion/intercalation and the GB evolution, sensitivity analysis was performed. Thus, the present modeling work (in conjunction with the experimental work) allows a mechanistic interpretation of the origin of different mechanical, electrochemical and transport phenomena occurring during the sodiation of thin films SnSb electrodes.
References
1. M. R. Tonks, D. Gaston, P. C. Millett, D. Andrs, and P. Talbot, Comput. Mater. Sci., 51, 20–29 (2012).
2. M. R. Tonks, Y. Zhang, A. Butterfield, and X. M. Bai, Model.
Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng., 23, 045009 (2015).
Carbon Nitride-Based Hollow Sphere As Polysulfides-Shuttle Restricting Host for Lithium Sulfur Battery
Authors: Meng Zhen , Ying Hangjun , Han Weiqiang 
Published: February 2020

Lithium sulfur battery is a promising candidate to replace the currently lithium ion battery due to the high theoretical specific capacity of sulfur cathode (1675 mA h g−1) and low cost. However, the development of sulfur cathode is hindered by the diffusion of highly soluble polysulfide intermediates formed during cycling and the poor electrical conductivity of sulfur, Li2S2 and Li2S. These issues lead to low Coulombic efficiency, fast capacity fading and low sulfur utilization.
A variety of materials have been employed as sulfur matrixes in attempt to address the above mentioned issues, such as carbon materials, polymers and metal oxides. Recently, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), which possesses high nitrogen content, has been used as sulfur host. The abundant N atoms in g-C3N4 could retard diffusion of lithium polysulfides into electrolyte via the formation of Li-N chemical interaction between g-C3N4 and lithium polysulfides. However, g-C3N4 could hardly improve the sulfur utilization especially at high current density due to its intrinsically poor electrical conductivity (10−12-10−13 S cm−1). Herein, we successfully designed and synthesized a hollow carbon nitride-based sphere (HCNx) material with enhanced conductivity (10−2-10−3 S cm−1) via polymerization of ethylenediamine and carbon tetrachloride on silica spheres template and used it as sulfur host. The HCNx with nitrogen-enriched structure could not only retard diffusion of lithium polysulfides via the Li–N chemical interaction but also physically confine lithium polysulfides by its hollow structure and mesoporous shells. Furthermore, the enhanced electrical conductivity of HCNx improves the utilization of sulfur. The S/HCNx cathode exhibits a discharge capacity of 579 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 0.5C with a fade rate of 0.076% per cycle. When charging and discharging at 2 C, the S/HCNx cathode still exhibits a high reversible discharge capacity of 658 mAh g−1.
(Invited) Advanced Wood Nanostructures Toward Energy-Water Nexus
Authors: Hu Liangbing 
Published: February 2020

I will discuss our recent results on multifunctional structures based natural wood materials toward sustainability. I will briefly discuss transparent wood as a replacement of glass for energy efficient building, transparent paper with advanced light management as a replacement of plastics for flexible, biodegradable electronics, and super strong nanopaper as a replacement of steel for automobile and building applications.
I will then focus on wood nanostructures toward energy-water nexus including the following technological areas:
(1) Solar steam generation for water desalination;
(2) 3D wood membrane for waste water filtration (removal of heavy metals and organic waste);
(3) Biodegradable wood-based batteries;
(4) Microbial fuel cells using waster water.
References:
(1) Mesoporous, Three-Dimensional Wood Membrane Decorated with Nanoparticles for Highly Efficient Water Treatment, ACS Nano, 2017, online.
(2) Wood Composite as an Energy Efficient Building Material: Guided Sunlight Transmittance and Effective Thermal Insulation, Advanced Energy Materials, 2016, 6, 1601122.
(3) Transparent and Haze Wood Composites for Highly Efficient Broadband Light Management in Solar Cells, Nano Energy, 26, 3322.
(4) Anisotropic Transparent Wood-Composites, Advanced Materials, 2016, 28, 5181.
(Invited) Overview of NSF-EPRI Collaboratively Funded Advanced Dry Cooling Program
Authors: Shi Jessica 
Published: February 2020

US thermoelectric power plants contribute to about 40% of nation’s fresh water withdrawals, primarily due to cooling. While recirculating cooling towers only account for approximately 3% of US fresh water consumption, their water use rates may not be sustainable in some locations. In addition, thermal discharges and water intake for once-through cooling face increasing regulatory scrutiny. Furthermore, siting of new capacity is challenged by water supply constraints. Therefore, breakthrough cooling technology development to minimize fresh water use is emerging as a top priority research topic for all types of thermoelectric plants.
To develop viable game changing solutions, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) jointly released a $6 M solicitation on advancing dry cooling technologies in 2013. The presentation will highlight several technologies being developed through this collaboration, including alternative dry cooling concepts, such as indirect dry cooling towers with phase-change materials as intermediate coolants, novel heat driven micro emulsion-based adsorption green chillers for steam condensation, on-demand sweating-boosted air cooled heat-pipe condensers for green power plants, direct contact heat exchange and absorption refrigeration based on green non-volatile ionic liquids for enhanced dry cooling of thermoelectric power plants, ejector cooling system with evaporation/condensation compact condenser, and integrated innovative heat pipe dry cooling towers; and enhancement concepts for the currently used air cooled condensers, such as advanced air cooled condensers with vortex-generator arrays between fins, auto flutter enhanced air cooled condensers, nanostructure enhanced air-cooled steam condensers, and porous structures with 3D manifold for ultra-compact air side dry cooling. The progress update and key results will also be provided.