Sustainable Energy & Fuels最新文献

{"title":"Integrating functionalized catalysts and machine learning to optimize microbial fuel cells for clean energy applications","authors":"Mostafa Ghasemi, Kimia Rostami, Hamed Farahani and Mehdi Sedighi","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00781J","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00781J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The dual challenge of clean energy generation and wastewater treatment has intensified interest in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as sustainable, bioelectrochemical systems. In this study, four low-cost cathode catalysts based on polyaniline (PANI) derivatives functionalized with diethanolamine (DEA) and ethylenediamine (EDA), along with phthalocyanine and copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc), were synthesized and evaluated. Compared to the MFC using carbon paper, the CuPc-based system (MFC4) achieved a ∼7.25-fold increase in power density (408.3 mW m<small>⁻²</small><em>vs.</em> 56.3 mW m<small>⁻²</small>) and the highest coulombic efficiency (∼18%), highlighting enhanced electron transfer and ORR activity. Meanwhile, the PANI–EDA-based MFC (MFC5) demonstrated the highest COD removal efficiency (∼90%), reflecting improved microbial compatibility. These performance improvements were closely related to the surface chemistry of the catalysts. In CuPc, the central Cu–N coordination provides stable active sites that mimic enzymatic centers and facilitate oxygen adsorption and reduction. Functionalization of PANI with EDA and DEA introduces amine and hydroxyl groups that increase surface hydrophilicity, promote proton and electron transport, and create additional catalytic sites, thus significantly boosting ORR kinetics and biofilm–electrode interactions. To complement experimental observations, machine learning models (CatBoost and XGBoost) were applied to explore the relationship between key system variables and power density. Among different machine learnings, XGBoost exhibited the highest predictive accuracy (<em>R</em><small>²</small> = 0.959 and RMSE = 19.90), which enabled highly accurate predictions for the modeling of the MFC output. This work presents a comparative and surface-engineered approach to optimizing non-precious cathode catalysts, contributing to the development of efficient and integrated MFC technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 16","pages":" 4320-4336"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144773364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Outstanding Reviewers for Sustainable Energy & Fuels in 2024","authors":"","doi":"10.1039/D5SE90047F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE90047F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of <em>Sustainable Energy &amp; Fuels</em>’ reviewers for helping to preserve quality and integrity in chemical science literature. We would also like to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for <em>Sustainable Energy &amp; Fuels</em> in 2024.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 14","pages":" 3753-3753"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144573028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ce-doped Na3V1.9Ce0.1(PO4)2F3 as a cathode material for high-performance sodium-ion batteries†","authors":"Ruihan Guan, Xianguang Zeng, Xuesong Zhou, Yingyou Hu, Chengyan Wen, Dan Zhang, Lu Zeng and Yong Gong","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00009B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00009B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The sodium-based polyanionic cathode material Na<small>₃</small>V<small>₂</small>(PO<small>₄</small>)<small>₂</small>F<small>₃</small> has emerged as a promising candidate due to its exceptional energy density and robust structural stability. In this study, an innovative synthesis strategy integrating freeze-drying with microwave sintering was employed to fabricate the Na<small>₃</small>V<small>₂</small>(PO<small>₄</small>)<small>₂</small>F<small>₃</small> cathode material. Furthermore, Ce<small>³⁺</small> doping was strategically incorporated to optimize the material's electrochemical performance. The structural and morphological characteristics of the synthesized material were systematically investigated through X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performance of the material was evaluated <em>via</em> galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement. The research findings reveal that the NVPF-Ce0.1 sample exhibits superior particle size uniformity compared to NVPF. Electrochemical characterization reveals that the NVPF-Ce0.1 sample exhibits a low charge transfer resistance of 125.6 Ω and delivers an initial discharge capacity of 113.68 mA h g<small>⁻¹</small>. Remarkably, NVPF-Ce0.1 retains 98.8 mA h g<small>⁻¹</small> after 100 cycles at 1C rate, outperforming all comparable samples in our study. Further electrochemical analysis reveals that NVPF-Ce0.1 exhibits a reduced peak potential compared to pristine NVPF, indicating significantly decreased polarization and improved reaction kinetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 15","pages":" 4172-4180"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144671308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cu2O@ZIF-8 hybrid catalysts with optimized electronic structures tailored by interfacial interactions for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction†","authors":"Nouraiz Mushtaq, Agasthiyaraj Lakshmanan, Khizzra Aslam, Alamgir, Qiaohua Qiu and Munir Hussain","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00721F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00721F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The electrocatalytic reduction of CO<small>₂</small> into value-added products is a promising and sustainable strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while generating valuable chemical feedstocks. However, achieving high selectivity, efficiency, and stability remains a significant challenge. In this work, a hybrid material consisting of zeolite-imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) and Cu<small>₂</small>O is synthesized for efficient electrocatalytic reduction reaction of CO<small>₂</small> (CO<small>₂</small>RR) into carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH<small>₄</small>). The hybrid catalyst combines the high surface area and porous structure of ZIF-8 with the excellent catalytic properties of Cu<small>₂</small>O, yielding exceptional dual-product selectivity. Cu<small>₂</small>O@ZIF-8 achieves a high current density of 40 mA cm<small>⁻²</small> and a remarkable FE<small>_CO</small> of 84.7% at −1.0 V and FE<small>_{CH<small>₄</small>}</small> of 78.8% at −1.2 V with a large current density of 63.6 mA cm<small>⁻²</small>, respectively. The hybrid structure also demonstrates exceptional stability, retaining its activity and morphology over 20 hours of continuous operation. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the incorporation of Cu<small>₂</small>O reduces the bandgap of ZIF-8 and enhances the electron density of sp<small>²</small> carbon sites, enabling efficient charge transfer and stabilization of key intermediates like COOH*. Moreover, the electron-rich sp<small>²</small> carbon atoms help stabilize the COOH* intermediate after combining Cu<small>₂</small>O with ZIF-8, enhancing the interaction between Zn–N and Cu–N sites. This work provides critical insights into the design of MOF-based hybrid catalysts, offering a simple yet effective approach for advancing CO<small>₂</small> reduction technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 16","pages":" 4471-4481"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144773314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fabrication of flexible, adhesive, and highly conductive freestanding carbon nanotube films with poly(disulfide) main chains containing a functional polymer for high-performance carbon-based perovskite solar cells†","authors":"Adithya Kamalakshan, Pramod Yadav, Smrutiranjan Panda, Srinivas K. Yadavalli, Kanwar Singh Nalwa and Sarthak Mandal","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00274E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00274E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Carbon-based thin films with high electrical conductivities have attracted significant attention due to their extensive applications across diverse fields, including solar cells, batteries, high-performance supercapacitors, and nanofiltration devices. Here, we report a simple, cost-effective and scalable approach to fabricate strong, flexible, adhesive, and highly conductive free standing composite thin films of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and a functional polymer poly(thioctic acid) [poly(TA)]. The polymer was obtained through dynamic covalent ring-opening-polymerization of thioctic acid (TA) upon heating. A simple strategy involving the grinding of MWCNTs with the functional polymer poly(TA) in optimal proportions forms a dough-like mixture, which on hot-pressing and spreading over a solid substrate provides high quality carbon-films. The unique structure of the polymer, having a dynamic covalent poly-disulfide chain as the backbone and carboxyl side chains as pendants enables strong coupling and ordering of MWCNTs with high packing density for the formation of the conductive film. The film exhibits a high electrical conductivity of 7518 S m<small>⁻¹</small> with extremely low electrical sheet resistance (2.5 Ω sq<small>⁻¹</small>) at a thickness of about 50 μm. The crack-free uniform morphology of the film, combined with the flexibility and adhesive properties imparted by the polymer enables facile integration with diverse substrates, making it suitable for potential applications in electrode materials in solar cells and electrochemical systems. Here we demonstrate the application of our conductive MWCNT/poly(TA) composite film as the top electrode in perovskite solar cells (C-PSCs) with promising performance. The developed C-PSCs exhibit a stable and high-power conversion efficiency of 14.2%, which is highly significant for a newly developed carbon electrode-based PSC.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 16","pages":" 4352-4363"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144773338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding how physicochemical features from steam exploded wood affect enzymatic saccharification efficiency for bioethanol production†","authors":"Edwige Audibert, Adriana Quintero, Frédéric Martel, Gabriel Paës and Caroline Rémond","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00535C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00535C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Lignocellulosic biomass is a widely available renewable feedstock that can be used as an alternative to fossil resources to produce bioproducts. Due to cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin entanglement, the complex structure of lignocellulosic biomass is responsible for its recalcitrance towards the enzymatically catalyzed biological fractionation of the constituents mentioned above: a pretreatment step is thus required to optimize the hydrolysis yields of polysaccharides. Multimodal characterization of steam-exploded wood (oak, poplar and spruce) was carried out to investigate the impact of structural and morphological modifications on fermentable sugar release. Physicochemical properties were interpreted using statistical analyses and correlations to establish the structure–property relationships. Some features such as particle size, chemical composition and lignin modifications were found to be related to the increase of saccharification yields, while others such as cellulose crystallinity and hydrophobicity had a negative impact during enzymatic saccharification. Importantly, even if the impact of these features is dependent on biomass species, the existence of a specific threshold regarding pretreatment severity conditions has been highlighted. This demonstrates the necessity of pinpointing the chemical, structural and morphological features that critically affect enzymatic saccharification in order to select the biomass feedstock and pretreatment conditions depending on the expected product yield.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 15","pages":" 4186-4197"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144671310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Direct flue gas capture for algae cultivation and subsequent valorization: evaluating life cycle emissions and costs†","authors":"Udayan Singh, Farah Naaz, Troy R. Hawkins, Ed Weinberg, Sudhanya Banerjee, Robert Mroz, Nidhi Ohri, Jingyi Zhang, Yi-Ying Lee, Feng Chen, Russell Hill and Yantao Li","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00329F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00329F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Algae cultivation and processing is an important pathway under discussion within the broader CO<small>₂</small> capture and utilization umbrella. Here, we discuss the results of a life-cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis of a pilot-scale photobioreactor that uses flue gas directly from natural gas or biogas combustion at 3–5% CO<small>₂</small> concentration. The system requires minimal freshwater use as it has been successfully run with industrial wastewater and has a much smaller areal footprint compared with open pond cultivation. Introducing the flue gas directly to the photobioreactor avoids the need for CO<small>₂</small> separation and pressurization, which is undertaken in many other algae cultivation systems. For the end-use of the biomass, the default case assumes conversion of algae to liquid fuels <em>via</em> hydrothermal liquefaction. The results indicate that the pilot-scale system has a higher cost, and comparable greenhouse gas emissions compared to pond-based systems, especially as the grid is anticipated to evolve to a lower carbon intensity. The costs of algae biofuel production range from $12–16 per GGE at the current pilot scale. Depending on whether the source of the carbon is fossil or biogenic, the net emissions are 68 g CO<small>₂</small>e per MJ and −4 g CO<small>₂</small>e per MJ respectively. If the marine algae species is used instead of the freshwater species, it offers an additional 16 g CO<small>₂</small>e per MJ carbon fixation in the form of calcium carbonate. The findings point to broadly desirable trends in GHG emissions and costs, while the discussion aims to shed light on areas that could further improve the scalability of the system.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 16","pages":" 4392-4403"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/se/d5se00329f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144773340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Symbiotic energy-sensing wind generator enabled AI for smart roads†","authors":"Keqi Wu, Chengliang Fan, Minfeng Tang, Hongyu Chen, Yajia Pan, Dabing Luo and Zutao Zhang","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00510H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00510H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Various monitoring devices have been installed on roads to capture traffic conditions, with electricity being essential for the operation of these devices. To reduce reliance on traditional power sources, this paper proposes a symbiotic energy-sensing dual wind cup triboelectric electromagnetic hybrid generator (DW-TEHG). Its dual wind cup enhancement mechanism (EM) converts wind energy into kinetic energy, which drives the electromagnetic generator (EMG) to operate efficiently. The wind speed monitoring unit perceives wind speed through voltage output, while an energy management unit is responsible for energy storage and power supply to sensing devices. Experiments have optimized the matching parameters of the dual wind cups, enhancing the output capability by 153% compared to a single wind-cup design. Additionally, at a wind speed of 5 m s<small>⁻¹</small>, the DW-TEHG can achieve a maximum output power of 92.48 mW, capable of charging a 0.1 F capacitor to 12 V. Furthermore, wind speed monitoring based on artificial intelligence (AI) is implemented, with an average recognition rate of 99.85%. Combined with digital twin technology and 5G communication, it enables visual environmental monitoring. These results demonstrate the huge potential of the DW-TEHG for road applications that can contribute to the development of smart transportation.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 15","pages":" 4146-4163"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144671306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recent advances in cement-based thermoelectric devices","authors":"Jian Wei, Yiwei Liu, Dongdong Liu, Enhao Lv and Xueke Lei","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00567A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00567A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The development trend of modern building intelligence and the combination of building and green energy development are getting closer and closer, and it is especially important to seek breakthroughs in the use of cement as the main material of buildings. As a kind of green energy development technology that converts heat energy into electricity through thermoelectric effect, cement-based thermoelectric devices with the thermoelectric effect can be manufactured using cement as the basic material. Cement-based thermoelectric devices are different from traditional thermoelectric devices and have many advantages. The review summarizes the basic knowledge of cement-based thermoelectric devices and their design and optimization methods. The results of previous studies on device types and performance are summarized, and their advantages and disadvantages are pointed out. The structural design and performance of thermoelectric devices, the differences between various devices and their applications in different fields are discussed. The applications and future development of cement-based thermoelectric devices are described. The article provides directions and references for the future research and development of cement-based thermoelectric devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 16","pages":" 4220-4237"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144773358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrate reduction to ammonia using Cu–Fe nanoparticles†","authors":"Ido Dan, Paz Stein, Dyuti Bandyopadhyay, Yan Tetarevsky, Alevtina Neyman, Shir Abramovich, Rotem Geva and Maya Bar Sadan","doi":"10.1039/D5SE00135H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SE00135H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Ammonia, an important commercial compound, is traditionally produced <em>via</em> the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Recently, there has been significant interest in developing electrochemical methods for ammonia synthesis, particularly through the nitrate reduction reaction (NO<small>₃</small>RR). In this study, we report the synthesis of copper-doped iron (Cu–Fe) nanoparticles <em>via</em> a galvanic exchange reaction for NO<small>₃</small>RR. The Cu<small>₄</small>Fe<small>₉₆</small> particles, characterized by their low copper content, demonstrated a significant increase in both faradaic efficiency (78.3 ± 0.4%) and ammonia yield rate (11.53 ± 0.08 mg NH<small>₃</small> per hour per mg of catalyst at −0.9 V <em>vs.</em> RHE), outperforming both pure iron and higher copper-loaded particles. The improvement in catalytic performance is attributed to the dual functionality of the active sites: iron facilitates nitrate adsorption, while copper promotes the generation of adsorbed hydrogen atoms (*H), which are critical for the reduction process. The careful balance between iron and copper on the particle surface is key to optimizing proton adsorption and reaction with nitrate species while suppressing unwanted hydrogen evolution. The Cu<small>₄</small>Fe<small>₉₆</small> nanoparticles represent a promising and cost-effective alternative for sustainable ammonia production, combining high activity and stability under neutral pH conditions, addressing both environmental pollution and the need for efficient ammonia synthesis using earth-abundant materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":104,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Energy & Fuels","volume":" 15","pages":" 4164-4171"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144671307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}