{"title":"Exploring Ni-based alkaline OER catalysts: A comprehensive review of structures, performance, and in situ characterization methods","authors":"Zhanhong Xiao , Xiaosheng Tang , Feng Gao , Junmin Xue , Xiaopeng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100097","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100097","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nickel-based catalysts have emerged as crucial components in alkaline oxygen evolution reactions (OER) due to their exceptional catalytic performance and unique structural properties. However, the understanding of their catalytic mechanisms remains incomplete. This review systematically explores the various types of Ni-based catalysts, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), perovskites, and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), while emphasizing their performance metrics. We critically assess the application of advanced in situ characterization techniques, such as in situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), in elucidating the structural evolution and active species during the OER process. By addressing the interplay between catalyst structure and performance, this review aims to provide insights that drive future research efforts toward the optimization of Ni-based catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production. Key areas for potential research advancements are also identified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100097"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143150527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2025-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100094
Gad Licht , Ethan Peltier , Simon Gee , Stuart Licht
{"title":"Eliminating active CO2 concentration in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS): Molten carbonate decarbonization through an insulation/diffusion membrane","authors":"Gad Licht , Ethan Peltier , Simon Gee , Stuart Licht","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100094","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100094","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Present industrial decarbonization technologies require an active CO<sub>2</sub>-concentration system, often based on lime reaction or amine binding reactions, which is energy intensive and carries a high CO<sub>2</sub>-footprint. Here instead, an effective process without active CO<sub>2</sub> concentration is demonstrated in a new process-termed IC2CNT (Insulation-diffusion facilitated CO<sub>2</sub> to Carbon Nanomaterial Technology) decarbonization process. Molten carbonates such as Li<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> (mp 723 °C) are highly insoluble to industrial feed gas principal components (N<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>2</sub>, and H<sub>2</sub>O). However, CO<sub>2</sub> can readily dissolve and react in molten carbonates. We have recently characterized high CO<sub>2</sub> diffusion rates through porous aluminosilicate and calcium-magnesium silicate thermal insulations. Here, the CO<sub>2</sub> in ambient feed gas passes through these membranes into molten Li<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>. The membrane also concurrently insulates the feed gas from the hot molten carbonate chamber, obviating the need to heat the (non-CO<sub>2</sub>) majority of the feed gas to high temperature. In this insulation facilitated decarbonization process CO<sub>2</sub> is split by electrolysis in the molten carbonate producing sequestered, high-purity carbon nanomaterials (such as CNTs) and O<sub>2</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100094"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143209546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2025-01-03DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100096
Daniel Ding, Xiao-Yu Wu
{"title":"Evaluating the economic and carbon emission reduction potential of fuel cell electric vehicle-to-grid","authors":"Daniel Ding, Xiao-Yu Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As part of the effort to achieve net zero, hydrogen will become significantly used in transportation and energy generation by 2050. Hydrogen is fit for long-haul vehicles because of the short refueling time and long range of using hydrogen as onboard storage instead of batteries. Meanwhile, hydrogen can also be used for long-time grid energy storage because of the low material cost and low self-discharge. By using fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for energy generation, the fuel cells (FCs) in idle FCEVs can be connected to the grid (FCEV2G) and supply electricity to the grid by consuming hydrogen stored in a station. In this way, the hydrogen usage in the transportation and energy storage sectors can be synergically integrated. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is established to simulate and evaluate the economic and environmental potential of the operation of a FCEV2G station. The station's profit and carbon emission reduction potential depend on the traffic and electricity profiles. It is estimated that a net profit of 233,976 USD can be generated and simultaneously 210 tonnes carbon emissions can be reduced, using the historic traffic and electricity data of Alberta. Furthermore, considering the Canadian carbon tax in the optimization increases the net profit and carbon reduction to 246,704 USD and 377 tonnes, respectively. Meanwhile, using electricity data with lower carbon intensity and less fluctuation, e.g., that in Ontario, significant technological improvements are needed to make the FCEV2G station operation economically viable. These results demonstrate the potential of FCEV2G in generating monetary incentives and environmental benefits by integrating the transportation and energy storage sectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100096"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143150530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-12-06DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100091
Xinxing Zhan , Xin Tong , Hao Ye , Zijian Gao , Juan Tian , Jinliang Zhuang , Gaixia Zhang , Shuhui Sun
{"title":"Atomically dispersed metal site materials for hydrogen energy utilization: Theoretical and experimental study in fuel cells and water electrolysis","authors":"Xinxing Zhan , Xin Tong , Hao Ye , Zijian Gao , Juan Tian , Jinliang Zhuang , Gaixia Zhang , Shuhui Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100091","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100091","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atomically dispersed metal site (ADMS) materials have emerged as a promising class of materials for electrocatalysis reactions in the field of energy conversion. Characterized by individual metal atoms dispersed on suitable supports, ADMS materials provide unique catalytic sites with highly tunable electronic structures. This review summarizes recent advancements in the field, with a focus on the critical roles of support materials, coordination environments, and the mechanisms underlying catalytic activity at the atomic level. First, commonly used density functional theory (DFT) simulations are reviewed, emphasizing their pivotal role in elucidating reaction mechanisms and predicting the behavior of ADMS in electrochemical reactions for hydrogen energy utilization. Then, advancements in ADMS for half-cell electrochemical reactions, including oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction, as well as their applications in fuel cells and water splitting, are summarized. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of ADMS are discussed. This review underscores the transformative potential of ADMS in electrocatalysis, paving the way for innovative and sustainable energy conversion technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100091"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143150525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2025-03-01Epub Date: 2024-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100092
K. Qiu, H. Ribberink, E. Entchev
{"title":"Reducing the impact of dynamic wireless charging of electric vehicles on the grid through renewable power integration","authors":"K. Qiu, H. Ribberink, E. Entchev","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrification of roadways using dynamic wireless charging (DWC) technology can provide an effective solution to range anxiety, high battery costs and long charging times of electric vehicles (EVs). With DWC systems installed on roadways, they constitute a charging infrastructure or electrified roads (eRoads) that have many advantages. For instance, the large battery size of heavy-duty EVs can significantly be downsized due to charging-while-driving. However, a high power demand of the DWC system, especially during traffic rush periods, could lead to voltage instability in the grid and undesirable power demand curves. In this paper, a model for the power demand is developed to predict the DWC system's power demand at various levels of EV penetration rate. The DWC power demand profile in the chosen 550 km section of a major highway in Canada is simulated. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are integrated with the DWC, and the integrated system is optimized to mitigate the peak power demand on the electrical grid. With solar panels of 55,000 kW rated capacity installed along roadsides in the study region, the peak power demand on the electrical grid is reduced from 167.5 to 136.1 MW or by 18.7 % at an EV penetration rate of 30 % under monthly average daily solar radiation in July. It is evidenced that solar PV power has effectively smoothed the peak power demand on the grid. Moreover, the locally generated renewable power could help ease off expensive grid upgrades and expansions for the eRoad. Also, the economic feasibility of the solar PV integrated DWC system is assessed using cost analysis metrics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100092"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143150528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-08-04DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100065
Changlong Du , Ying Zhang , Gengping Wan , Lihong Wu , Liang Li , Pengpeng Mou , Lianrui Li , Hualin Xiong , Guizhen Wang
{"title":"Multi-interfaced FeCoNi@C/carbon cloth composites for eliminating electromagnetic wave pollution","authors":"Changlong Du , Ying Zhang , Gengping Wan , Lihong Wu , Liang Li , Pengpeng Mou , Lianrui Li , Hualin Xiong , Guizhen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100065","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100065","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To tackle the increasing electromagnetic pollution, new and efficient electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA) and shielding (EWS) materials are urgently needed. Multi-component synergism and complex microstructure design are effective measures to improve the EWA and EWS properties. However, how to implement the above designs still faces huge challenges. Herein, multi-interface carbon-coated FeCoNi nanoneedles grown on carbon cloth (FeCoNi@C/CC) were synthesized by a combination of hydrothermal process and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology with the concept of “green synthesis”. Using acetylene as the carbon source and atmosphere, the FeCoNi ternary hydroxide can be transformed into a multiple magnetic component (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>, Ni, and Co metals) by simple annealing. Simultaneously, a uniform carbon layer is formed on the surface, resulting in a composite system with a variety of heterogeneous interfaces and loss mechanisms. Additionally, the dielectric and magnetic loss capacities can be effectively adjusted by changing the temperature of CVD. The optimized FeCoNi@C/CC as filler exhibits remarkable EWA performance with a minimum reflection loss of −69.3 dB at a thickness of 1.82 mm and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 6.80 GHz. Moreover, the composites as an integrated component also show a fascinating electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency of 42.2 dB. This work provides a guide for the structural design of high-performance electromagnetic protection materials with multi-heterogeneous interfaces.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100065"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949881324000313/pdfft?md5=a5c2abb003953c59bf9d965db86c6a06&pid=1-s2.0-S2949881324000313-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141979202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100083
Jiaming Li , Mengli Li , J. Justin Koh , John Wang , Zhiyang Lyu
{"title":"Editor's note to “3D-printed biomimetic structures for energy and environmental applications” [DeCarbon 3 (2024) 100026]","authors":"Jiaming Li , Mengli Li , J. Justin Koh , John Wang , Zhiyang Lyu","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100083","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100083","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100083"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-31DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100080
Youtao Yao , Jiahui Lyu , Xingchuan Li , Cheng Chen , Francis Verpoort , John Wang , Zhenghui Pan , Zongkui Kou
{"title":"Editor's note to “A review of efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction at large current density” [DeCarbon 5 (2024) 100062]","authors":"Youtao Yao , Jiahui Lyu , Xingchuan Li , Cheng Chen , Francis Verpoort , John Wang , Zhenghui Pan , Zongkui Kou","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100080","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100080","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100080"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100076
Haosong Yang , Xueyan Li , Kang Fu , Wenxu Shang , Kai Sun , Zhi Yang , Guojun Hu , Peng Tan
{"title":"Behavioral description of lithium-ion batteries by multiphysics modeling","authors":"Haosong Yang , Xueyan Li , Kang Fu , Wenxu Shang , Kai Sun , Zhi Yang , Guojun Hu , Peng Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100076","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Upgrades to power systems and the rapid growth of electric vehicles significantly heighten the importance of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in energy systems. As a complex dynamic system, the charging and discharging process of LiBs involves the evolution of multiphysics fields, such as concentration, electricity, and stress. For quantitative analysis of the internal mechanisms of LiBs, as well as the development guidance and performance prediction of high-performance batteries, modeling has advantages that cannot be matched by traditional experimental methods. Major research efforts in the past decades have made significant strides in modeling the internal processes and physical field evolution of LiBs. Importantly, the scattered ideas need to be integrated into a structured framework to form a complete LiBs multi-physical field model. This work reviews important advances in LiBs modeling from the perspectives of describing the internal processes of the battery and portraying the evolution of the physical field. First, quantitative descriptions of the charging and discharging behaviors and the side reactions are reviewed to investigate the battery reaction mechanisms. In addition, the characterization of the evolution of the stress and temperature fields within the battery as well as the coupling between them and the internal reactions are discussed. Finally, some suggestions for future improvements in the modeling are given, ranging from equation optimization to parameter acquisition and the application of artificial intelligence. It is hoped that this work will facilitate the development of models with sufficient accuracy and efficient computational cost to provide guidance for the improvement of LiBs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100076"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142531528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
DeCarbonPub Date : 2024-12-01Epub Date: 2024-09-14DOI: 10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100074
Mohmmad Khalid, Biswajit Samir De, Samaneh Shahgaldi
{"title":"Electrocatalytic lignin oxidation for hydrogen and fine chemical co-production using platinized nickel foam in a 3D printed reactor","authors":"Mohmmad Khalid, Biswajit Samir De, Samaneh Shahgaldi","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100074","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2024.100074","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biomass electrooxidation has garnered much attention in recent years, owing to its potential to circumvent greenhouse gas emissions. Substituting the sluggish water oxidation with biomass oxidizable species such as lignin at anode is thermodynamically more favorable, enabling energy efficient hydrogen production and concomitant fine chemicals. The present study shows the organosolv lignin electrooxidation in an additively manufactured 3D printed reactor (3DPR) consisting of platinized nickel foam (PtNF) as anode and cathode and compared with commercial hardware electrolyzer (CHE). The electrolysis of organosolv lignin in 3DPR outperformed CHE by achieving 1.23 times higher current at an applied voltage range from 0 to 2.2 V with a membrane (Nafion 115) interposed between anode and cathode under a continuous flow of lignin feed at the anode. The chronoamperometry study reveals a mixture of diverse aromatic compounds, including vanillic acid, syringic acid, 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyacetophenone, 2-hydroxyacetophenone, 4-ethycathecol, and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol in anolyte, and sinapic acid and vanillin acetate in catholyte. Thus, realizing renewable biomass electrolysis in the 3DPR is an intriguing strategy for the co-production of hydrogen and fine aromatic chemicals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100074"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949881324000404/pdfft?md5=9e62c42a92da7b2074a93a26ccc101db&pid=1-s2.0-S2949881324000404-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142310965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}