High-performance oxygen reduction and evolution carbon catalysis： From mechanistic studies to device integration

The development of high-performance and low-cost oxygen reduction and evolution catalysts that can be easily integrated into existing devices is crucial for the wide deployment of energy storage systems that utilize O2-H2O chemistries, such as regenerative fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, we report an NHB-activated N-doped hierarchical carbon （NHC） catalyst synthesized via a scalable route, and demonstrate its device integration. The NHC catalyst exhibited good performance for both the oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） and the oxygen evolution reaction （OER）, as demonstrated by means of electrochemical studies and evaluation when integrated into the oxygen electrode of a regenerative fuel cell. The activities observed for both the ORR and the OER were comparable to those achieved by state-of-the-art Pt and Ir catalysts in alkaline environments. We have further identified the critical role of carbon defects as active sites for electrochemical activity through density functional theory calculations and high-resolution TEM visualization. This work highlights the potential of NHC to replace commercial precious metals in regenerative fuel cells and possibly metal-air batteries for cost-effective storage of intermittent renewable energy.

Aerodynamic impact of train-induced wind on a moving motor-van

The newly-built single-level rail-cum-road bridge brings the issue of the aerodynamic impact of train-induced wind on road automobiles.This research introduced a validated computational fluid dynamics(CFD)model regarding this concern.Such an aerodynamic impact mechanism was explored;a relationship between the transverse distance between train and motor-van(hereinfafter referred to as van)and the aerodynamic effects on the van was explored to help the optimization of bridge decks,and the relationship between the automobile speed and aerodynamic variations of a van was fitted to help traffic control.The fitting results are accurate enough for further research.It is noted that the relative speed of the two automobiles is not the only factor that influences the aerodynamic variations of the van,even at a confirmed relative velocity,the aerodynamic variations of the van vary a lot as the velocity proportion changes,and the most unfavorable case shows an increase of over 40%on the aerodynamic variations compared to the standard case.The decay of the aerodynamic effects shows that not all the velocity terms would enhance the aerodynamic variations;the coupled velocity term constrains the variation amplitude of moments and decreases the total amplitude by 20%–40%.

Advanced Janus Membrane with Directional Sweat Transport and Integrated Passive Cooling for Personal Thermal and Moisture Management

Passive cooling holds tremendous potential in improving thermal comfort because of its zero energy consumption and cost-effectiveness.However,currently reported radiative cooling materials primarily focus on hydrophobic polymer films,inevi-tably leading to sweat accumulation and limited cooling efficiency in hot-humid environments.Herein,an advanced Janus membrane with excellent temperature-moisture management capabilities is developed,which combines radiative cooling and evaporative heat dissipation.Modification with Calcium sulfite(CaSO3)nanoparticles not only enhances the optical properties(state-of-the-art solar reflectance of 96.6%,infrared emittance of 96.1%)but also improves the wettability of the polylactic acid fiber membrane.Especially 15%emittance improvement is achieved due to the strong infrared radiation ability of CaSO3.The membranes with opposite wettability realize the directional sweat transport(high one-way transport index of 945%).Excellent radiative cooling capability is demonstrated with sub-ambient cooling of 5.8°C in the dry state.The Janus membranes covering sweaty skin exhibit a 46%shorter drying time and a 2°C lower average evaporation temperature compared to cotton fabric,indicating highly efficient thermal and moisture management.This work provides an efficient route to achieving smart textiles that enable the human body to adapt to complex environmental conditions.