An ITO free All Tungsten-Based Electrochromic Energy Storage Device as Smart Window.

Excessive electricity usage in buildings, notably for heating and cooling, accounts for over 30% of energy consumption, creating a pressing need for energy-saving solutions. Electrochromic Smart Windows (ECSW) aims to reduce energy use while maintaining comfort but faces high costs due to materials like tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and thick electrochromic films. Moreover, achieving full opacity in the colored state of ECSW is a bottleneck for the industry to overcome privacy concerns. Herein, efforts are directed toward finding cost-efficient alternatives, with all-tungsten-based mesh networks showing promise due to enhanced stability. This newly developed ITO-free, all-tungsten ECSW displays minimal transmittance (≈3%) in the colored state using only 260 nm thick sub-stoichiometric tungsten oxide (WO3-x) film within a lithium-ion-based electrolyte. The ECSW device of size (25 cm2) also demonstrates areal capacitance of ≈13 mF cm-2 to power a liquid crystal display (LCD) for ≈25 min, showcasing its energy storage capabilities. Additionally, to confirm scalability and cost-effectiveness, a larger 15 × 15 cm2 ECSW utilized a single hybrid electrode, highlighting the potential for reducing costs when scaling up production processes. This advancement represents a significant stride toward accessible and energy-efficient smart window technology, offering broader applicability within modern architectural practices.

Designing a hybrid electrode toward high energy density with a staged Li+ and PF6 - deintercalation/intercalation mechanism.

Existing lithium-ion battery technology is struggling to meet our increasing requirements for high energy density, long lifetime, and low-cost energy storage. Here, a hybrid electrode design is developed by a straightforward reengineering of commercial electrode materials, which has revolutionized the "rocking chair" mechanism by unlocking the role of anions in the electrolyte. Our proof-of-concept hybrid LiFePO4 (LFP)/graphite electrode works with a staged deintercalation/intercalation mechanism of Li+ cations and PF6 - anions in a broadened voltage range, which was thoroughly studied by ex situ X-ray diffraction, ex situ Raman spectroscopy, and operando neutron powder diffraction. Introducing graphite into the hybrid electrode accelerates its conductivity, facilitating the rapid extraction/insertion of Li+ from/into the LFP phase in 2.5 to 4.0 V. This charge/discharge process, in turn, triggers the in situ formation of the cathode/electrolyte interphase (CEI) layer, reinforcing the structural integrity of the whole electrode at high voltage. Consequently, this hybrid LFP/graphite-20% electrode displays a high capacity and long-term cycling stability over 3,500 cycles at 10 C, superior to LFP and graphite cathodes. Importantly, the broadened voltage range and high capacity of the hybrid electrode enhance its energy density, which is leveraged further in a full-cell configuration.

Novel Hybrid Electrode Coatings Based on Conjugated Polyacid Ternary Nanocomposites for Supercapacitor Applications.

Electrochemical behavior of novel electrode materials based on polydiphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid (PDPAC) binary and ternary nanocomposite coatings was studied for the first time. Nanocomposite materials were obtained in acidic or alkaline media using oxidative polymerization of diphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid (DPAC) in the presence of activated IR-pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (IR-PAN-a) only or IR-PAN-a and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). Hybrid electrodes are electroactive layers of stable suspensions of IR-PAN-a/PDPAC and IR-PAN-a/SWCNT/PDPAC nanocomposites in formic acid (FA) formed on the flexible strips of anodized graphite foil (AGF). Specific capacitances of electrodes depend on the method for the production of electroactive coatings. Electrodes specific surface capacitances Cs reach 0.129 and 0.161 F∙cm-2 for AGF/IR-PAN-a/PDPACac and AGF/IR-PAN-a/SWCNT/PDPACac, while for AGF/IR-PAN-a/PDPACalk and AGF/IR-PAN-a/SWCNT/PDPACalk Cs amount to 0.135 and 0.151 F∙cm-2. Specific weight capacitances Cw of electrodes with ternary coatings reach 394, 283, 180 F∙g-1 (AGF/IR-PAN-a/SWCNT/PDPACac) and 361, 239, 142 F∙g-1 (AGF/IR-PAN-a/SWCNT/PDPACalk) at 0.5, 1.5, 3.0 mA·cm-2 in an aprotic electrolyte. Such hybrid electrodes with electroactive nanocomposite coatings are promising as a cathode material for SCs.

Effects of Precursors and Carbon Nanotubes on Electrochemical Properties of Electrospun Nickel Oxide Nanofibers-Based Supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors have been considered as one of the main energy storage devices. Recently, electrospun nanofibers have served as promising supercapacitor electrodes because of their high surface area, high porosity, flexibility, and resistance to aggregation. Here, we investigate the effects of electrospinning parameters and nickel precursors on the nanostructure of electrospun nickel oxide (NiO), as well as on their electrochemical performance as supercapacitor electrodes. In contrast to the case of using nickel nitrate, increasing the nickel acetate molar concentration maintains the flexible fibrous sheet morphology of the as-spun sample during the polycondensation and calcination of NiO. As a result, our flexible electrode of NiO nanofibers derived from nickel acetate (NiO-A) exhibits much better electrochemical performance values than that of nickel nitrate-derived NiO. To further improve the electrochemical storage performance, we combined NiO-A nanofibers with single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a hybrid electrode. In both half-cell and full-cell configurations, the hybrid electrode displayed a higher and steadier areal capacitance than the NiO-A nanofibers because of the synergetic effect between the NiO-A nanofibers and CNTs. Altogether, this work demonstrates the potency of the hybrid electrodes combined with the electrospun NiO-A nanofibers and CNTs for supercapacitor applications.

Cell morphology impact on the set-up of electroporation protocols for in-suspension and adhered breast cancer cells.

In order to establish cancer-type-specific electroporation protocols for breast cancer, electroporation was performed in vitro in two modalities: in-suspension and adhered cells. Electroporation of cell suspensions was carried out through commercial electroporation cuvettes whereas a novel electrode for electroporation of adhered cells was designed and manufactured aimed to preserve cell structure, to provide a closer model to an in vivo scenario, and as a means to visualize the mechanical effects of electroporation on the cell membrane by using scanning electron microscopy. Electroporation protocols and electric field thresholds were predicted in silico and experimentally tuned through propidium iodide uptake and cell viability. Three breast-cancer cell lines (BT-20, MCF-7 and HCC1419) and a non-cancerous cell line (BEAS-2B) were used. Cancerous cells responded differently to electroporation depending on the electric parameters, cell histology, the cell culture modality, and the cell morphology (membrane thickness mainly), which was evaluated trough confocal and transmission electron microscopy. Particularly, it was found that electrochemotherapy may represent a promising alternative as an adjuvant treatment of metastatic breast tumours, and as a neoadjuvant therapy for Her2/neu tumours. Oppositely, triple negative breast tumours may show a high sensitivity to electroporation and therefore, they could be efficiently treated with irreversible electroporation. On the other hand, noncancerous cells demanded the highest voltage in both cell culture modalities in order to be electroporated. Hence, these cells in suspension may provide a reliable, easy-to-perform, low-cost model for the development of electroporation protocols for eradication of healthy tissue around a tumour in a safety margin.

Cu(I) Coordination Complex Precursor for Randomized CuOx Microarray Loaded on Carbon Nanofiber with Excellent Electrocatalytic Performance for Electrochemical Glucose Detection.

A homoleptic ionic Cu(I) coordination complex that was based on 2,2'-biquinoline ligand functionalized with long alkyl chains (Cu(I)-C18) was used as a precursor to modify a carbon nanofiber paste electrode (Cu-C18/CNF). Randomized copper oxide microelectrode arrays dispersed within carbon nanofiber paste (CuOx/CNF) were obtained by electrochemical treatment of Cu-C18/CNF while using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The CuOx/CNF exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation at +0.6 V and +1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterized the electrodes composition. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave-voltammetry (SWV), and multiple-pulsed amperometry (MPA) techniques provided optimized conditions for glucose oxidation and detection. A preconcentration step that involved 10 minutes accumulation at open circuit potential before SWV running led to the lowest limit of detection and the highest sensitivity for glucose detection (5419.77 µA·mM-1·cm-2 at + 1.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl) vs. Cu-based electrodes reported to date in literature.

Electrophoretic Fabrication of ZnO/CuO and ZnO/CuO/rGO Heterostructures-based Thin Films as Environmental Benign Flexible Electrode for Supercapacitor.

Sustainable fabrication of flexible hybrid supercapacitor electrodes is extensively investigated during the current era to solve global energy problems. Herein, we used a cost-effective and efficient electrophoretic deposition (EPD) approach to fabricate a hybrid supercapacitor electrode. ZnO/CuO and ZnO/CuO/rGO heterostructure were prepared by sol-gel synthesis route and were electrophoretically deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate as a thin uniform layer using 1 V for 20 min at 50 mV/s. ZnO/CuO and ZnO/CuO/rGO heterostructure coated ITOs were then employed as the working electrode in a three-electrode setup for supercapacitor measurements. The fabricated electrodes have been investigated by Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) to study their charge storage properties. ZnO/CuO revealed a specific capacitance of 1945 F g-1 at 2 mV/s and 999 F g-1 at 5 A g-1. However, an increased specific capacitance of 2305 F g-1 was measured for ZnO/CuO/rGO heterostructure at 2 mV/s and 1235 F g-1 at 5 A g-1. The lower internal resistance was observed for ZnO/CuO/rGO heterostructure, indicating good conductivity of the electrode material. Thus, the overall results of the current study suggest that EPD-assisted ZnO/CuO/rGO heterostructure hybrid electrode possess a substantial potential for energy storage as a supercapacitor.

Dual-Functional Electrochromic Smart Window Using WO3·H2O-rGO Nanocomposite Ink Spray-Coated on a Low-Cost Hybrid Electrode.

Electrochromic windows have gained growing interest for their ability to change their optical state in the visible and NIR ranges with minimal input power, making them energy-efficient. However, material processing costs, fabrication complexity, and poor electrochromic properties can be barriers to the widespread adoption of this technology. To address these issues, electrochromic material and fabrication processes are designed to realize their potential as a cost-effective and energy-efficient technology. In this work, an electrochromic composite material-based ink is synthesized consisting of WO3·H2O nanoplates supported on rGO (reduced graphene oxide) nanosheets (WH-rGO), wherein an optimized amount of rGO (0.05 to 0.5 wt %) is introduced for providing a higher conduction pathway for efficient charge transport without sacrificing the electrochromic performance of WO3·H2O nanoplates. The stable ink dispersion prepared in the study is deposited by spray coating on transparent conducting electrodes over large areas (25 cm2). The WH-rGO nanocomposite (0.4 wt %) results in 43% optical modulation at 700 nm, with bleaching and coloration times of 6 and 8 s, respectively. Interestingly, the device also possesses an electrochemical energy storage capability with an areal capacitance of 16.3 mF/cm2. The electrochromic composite material is successfully translated on tin doped indium oxide (ITO)-coated Al metal mesh hybrid electrodes (T = 80%, Rs = 40 Ω/□) to replace ITO. Finally, an electrochromic device of 5 × 5 cm2 is fabricated by spray-coating the ink on cost-effective ITO/Al-mesh hybrid electrodes. The device displays blue to colorless modulation with an excellent bleaching time of 0.43 s and a coloration time of 2.16 s, making it one among the fast-operating devices fabricated by complete solution processing. This work showcases the economical production of a dual-function electrochromic device, which can be a feasible option as an alternative to existing ITO-based devices in both automotive and infrastructure applications.

Assembly of an improved hybrid cascade system for complete ethylene glycol oxidation: Enhanced catalytic performance for an enzymatic biofuel cell.

We report an Enzymatic Fuel Cell (EFC) combining an enzyme that can cleave carbon-carbon bonds (oxalate oxidase (OxOx)) with an organic catalyst (Pyrene-TEMPO (TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidinyl-N-oxyl)) immobilized on the surface of modified carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH). This combination gave a hybrid bi-catalyst electrode for complete ethylene glycol (EG) oxidation. The hybrid electrode provided ninefold enhanced catalytic activity (0.17 ± 6 × 10-3 mA cm-2) in the presence of EG as compared to the electrode in the absence of EG (0.018 ± 3 × 10-5 mA cm-2), indicating that the enzyme combined with the organic catalyst improved energy generation through deep EG electrooxidation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the addition of the enzyme in the electrode containing MWCNT-COOH-Pyrene-TEMPO increased the charge transfer resistance (Rct) and the capacitance of the double layer. Long-term electrolysis for 15 h showed that the hybrid electrode presented outstanding current density and stability. The EG oxidation products were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV/RID). The results confirmed complete EG oxidation in the presence of CO2 in the solution, allowing 10 electrons to be collected from the fuel. Overall, this study illustrates the development of a simple and improved hybrid bi-catalyst electrode for promising applications in small electronic devices.

Recent Progress of Electrode Architecture for MXene/MoS2 Supercapacitor: Preparation Methods and Characterizations.

Since their discovery, MXenes have conferred various intriguing features because of their distinctive structures. Focus has been placed on using MXenes in electrochemical energy storage including a supercapacitor showing significant and promising development. However, like other 2D materials, MXene layers unavoidably experience stacking agglomeration because of its great van der Waals forces, which causes a significant loss of electrochemically active sites. With the help of MoS2, a better MXene-based electrodecan is planned to fabricate supercapacitors with the remarkable electrochemical performance. The synthesis of MXene/MoS2 and the ground effects of supercapacitors are currently being analysed by many researchers internationally. The performance of commercial supercapacitors might be improved via electrode architecture. This analysis will support the design of MXene and MoS2 hybrid electrodes for highly effective supercapacitors. Improved electrode capacitance, voltage window and energy density are discussed in this literature study. With a focus on the most recent electrochemical performance of both MXene and MoS2-based electrodes and devices, this review summarises recent developments in materials synthesis and its characterisation. It also helps to identify the difficulties and fresh possibilities MXenes MoS2 and its hybrid heterostructure in this developing field of energy storage. Future choices for constructing supercapacitors will benefit from this review. This review examines the newest developments in MXene/MoS2 supercapacitors, primarily focusing on compiling literature from 2017 through 2022. This review also presents an overview of the design (structures), recent developments, and challenges of the emerging electrode materials, with thoughts on how well such materials function electrochemically in supercapacitors.

Synthesis, Characterization and Electrochemical Performance of a Redox-Responsive Polybenzopyrrole@Nickel Oxide Nanocomposite for Robust and Efficient Faraday Energy Storage.

A polybenzopyrrole@nickel oxide (Pbp@NiO) nanocomposite was synthesized by an oxidative chemical one-pot method and tested as an active material for hybrid electrodes in an electrochemical supercapattery device. The as-prepared composite material exhibits a desirable 3D cross-linked nanostructured morphology and a synergistic effect between the polymer and metal oxide, which improved both physical properties and electrochemical performance. The unprocessed material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy/energy disperse X-ray analysis, and thermogravimetry. The nanocomposite material was deposited without a binder on gold current collectors and investigated for electrochemical behavior and performance in a symmetrical two- and three-electrode cell setup. A high specific capacity of up to 105 C g-1 was obtained for the Pbp@NiO-based electrodes with a gravimetric energy density of 17.5 Wh kg-1, a power density of 1925 W kg-1, and excellent stability over 10,000 cycles.

Flexible and Transparent Electrode of Hybrid Ti3C2TX MXene-Silver Nanowires for High-Performance Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

The development of electrodes with high conductivity, optical transparency, and reliable mechanical flexibility and stability is important for numerous solution-processed photoelectronic applications. Although transparent Ti3C2TX MXene electrodes with high conductivity are promising, their suitability for displays remains limited because of the high sheet resistance, which is caused by undesirable flake junctions and surface roughness. Herein, a flexible and transparent electrode has been fabricated that is suitable for a full-solution-processed quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED). An MXene-silver nanowire (AgNW) hybrid electrode (MXAg) consists of a highly conductive AgNW network mixed with solution-processed MXene flakes. Efficient welding of wire-to-wire junctions with MXene flakes yields an electrode with a low sheet resistance and a high transparency of approximately 13.9 Ω sq-1 and 83.8%, respectively. By employing a thin polymer buffer layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), followed by mild thermal treatment, a hybrid PMMA-based MXene-AgNW (MXAg@PMMA) electrode in which the work function of an MXAg hybrid FTE physically embedded in PMMA (MXAg@PMMA) can be tuned by controlling the amount of MXene in the hybrid film facilitates the development of a high-performance solution-processed QLED that exhibits maximum external quantum and current efficiencies of approximately 9.88% and 25.8 cd/A, respectively, with excellent bending stability. This work function-tunable flexible transparent electrode based on solution-processed nanoconductors provides a way to develop emerging high-performance, wearable, cost-effective, and soft electroluminescent devices.

Chemical Heterointerface Engineering on Hybrid Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage.

The chemical heterointerfaces in hybrid electrode materials play an important role in overcoming the intrinsic drawbacks of individual materials and thus expedite the in-depth development of electrochemical energy storage. Benefiting from the three enhancement effects of accelerating charge transport, increasing the number of storage sites, and reinforcing structural stability, the chemical heterointerfaces have attracted extensive interest and the electrochemical performances of hybrid electrode materials have been significantly optimized. In this review, recent advances regarding chemical heterointerface engineering in hybrid electrode materials are systematically summarized. Especially, the intrinsic behaviors of chemical heterointerfaces on hybrid electrode materials are refined based on built-in electric field, van der Waals interaction, lattice mismatch and connection, electron cloud bias and chemical bond, and their combination. The strategies for introducing chemical heterointerfaces are classified into in situ local transformation, in situ growth, cosynthesis, and other strategy. The recent progress about the chemical heterointerfaces engineering specially focusing on metal-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and Li-S batteries are introduced in detail. Furthermore, the classification and characterization of chemical heterointerfaces are briefly described. Finally, the emerging challenges and perspectives about future directions of chemical heterointerface engineering are proposed.

Scalable CNTs/NiCoSe2 Hybrid Films for Flexible All-Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

The rapidly developing wearable flexible electronics makes the development of high-performance flexible energy storage devices, such as all-solid-state supercapacitors (SCs), particularly important. Herein, we report the fabrication of CNTs/NiCoSe2 hybrid films on carbon cloth (CC) through a facile co-electrodeposition method based on flexible electrodes for all-solid-state SCs. The NiCoSe2 sheets grown on CNTs uniformly with a diameter of 50-100 nm act as the active materials. The CNTs in the hybrid films act as the scaffold to offer more deposition sites for NiCoSe2 and provide a conductive network to facilitate the transfer of electrons. Moreover, the one-step electrodeposition process avoids the usage of any organic binders. Benefiting from the high intrinsic reactivity and unique 3D architecture, the obtained CNTs/NiCoSe2 electrode delivers high specific capacity (218.1 mA h g-1) and satisfactory durability (over 5000 cycles). Remarkably, the CNTs/NiCoSe2//AC flexible all-solid-state (FASS) ASC provides remarkable energy density (112.2 W h kg-1) within 0-1.7 V and maintains 98.1% of its initial capacity after 10,000 cycles. In addition, this flexible ASC device could be fabricated at a large scale (5 × 6 cm2), and the LED arrays (>3.7 V) can be easily lighted up by three ASCs in series, showing its potential practical application.

Recording local field potential and neuronal activity with tetrodes in epileptic patients.

BACKGROUND: Recordings with tetrodes have proven to be more effective in isolating single neuron spiking activity than with single microwires. However, tetrodes have never been used in humans. We report on the characteristics, safety, compatibility with clinical intracranial recordings in epileptic patients, and performance, of a new type of hybrid electrode equipped with tetrodes. NEW METHOD: 240 standard clinical macroelectrodes and 102 hybrid electrodes were implanted in 28 patients. Hybrids (diameter 800 µm) are made of 6 or 9 macro-contacts and 2 or 3 tetrodes (diameter 70-80 µm). RESULTS: No clinical complication or adverse event was associated with the hybrids. Impedance and noise of recordings were stable over time. The design enabled multiscale spatial analyses that revealed physiopathological events which were sometimes specific to one tetrode, but could not be recorded on the macro-contacts. After spike sorting, the single-unit yield was similar to other hybrid electrodes and was sometimes as high as >10 neurons per tetrode. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): This new hybrid electrode has a smaller diameter than other available hybrid electrodes. It provides novel spatial information due to the configuration of the tetrodes. The single-unit yield appears promising. CONCLUSIONS: This new hybrid electrode is safe, easy to use, and works satisfactorily for conducting multi-scale seizure and physiological analyses.

Nickel Cobaltite Functionalized Silver Doped Carbon Xerogels as Efficient Electrode Materials for High Performance Symmetric Supercapacitor.

Introducing new inexpensive materials for supercapacitors application with high energy density and stability, is the current research challenge. In this work, Silver doped carbon xerogels have been synthesized via a simple sol-gel method. The silver doped carbon xerogels are further surface functionalized with different loadings of nickel cobaltite (1 wt.%, 5 wt.%, and 10 wt.%) using a facile impregnation process. The morphology and textural properties of the obtained composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen physisorption analysis. The silver doped carbon xerogels display a higher surface area and larger mesopore volume compared to the un-doped carbon xerogels and hierarchically porous structure is obtained for all materials. The hybrid composites have been utilized as electrode materials for symmetric supercapacitors in 6 M KOH electrolyte. Among all the hybrid composites, silver doped carbon xerogel functionalized with 1 wt.% nickel cobaltite (NiCo1/Ag-CX) shows the best supercapacitor performance: high specific capacitance (368 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1), low equivalent series resistance (1.9 Ω), high rate capability (99% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at 1 A g-1), and high energy and power densities (50 Wh/Kg, 200 W/Kg at 0.1 A g-1). It is found that the specific capacitance does not only depend on surface area, but also on others factors such as particle size, uniform particle distribution, micro-mesoporous structure, which contribute to abundant active sites and fast charge, and ion transfer rates between the electrolyte and the active sites.

Application of chemometrics for detection and modeling of adulteration of fresh cow milk with reconstituted skim milk powder using voltammetric fingerpriting on a graphite/ SiO2 hybrid electrode.

In the present work, an analytical approach for the voltammetric detection and prediction of adulteration of fresh cow milk with reconstituted skim milk powder is developed. After precipitation of milk proteins upon addition of ethanol and centrifugation, the supernatant liquid of the samples was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry on a novel graphite/SiO2 hybrid working electrode (GSiHE) using LiClO4 as electrolyte. Under these conditions, fresh milk samples gave broadened peaks/plateaus in both forward and backward potential scanning, attributed mainly to oxidases. Such peaks were not evident in the case of reconstituted skim milk powder samples due to inactivation of enzymes and breakdown of certain antioxidants caused by heat and pressure-treatments. The differences between fresh and reconstituted skim milk powder samples in their voltammetric profile were exploited for the detection of fresh milk adulteration by submitting voltammetric data to chemometrics. As datapoints, the differences between forward and backward current values, recorded at the same potentials, were determined and submitted to multivariate analysis. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) provided a clear differentiation between fresh milk and reconstituted skim milk powder samples. Soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) was employed to model the class of fresh milks, using samples from 12 commercially available fresh milk brands. Prediction of fresh milk adulteration with reconstituted skim milk powders was achieved by means of Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression analysis. Detection limit of the technique was found to be below 6% (v/v) and the linearity of model in terms of observed/predicted values was confirmed up to 100% (v/v). Validation and applicability of both SIMCA and PLS models were confirmed using a suitable test set, consisting of commercial fresh milk and skim milk powder samples as well as synthetic adulterated fresh milk samples.

Efficient Design for a High-Energy and High-Power Capability Hybrid Electric Power Device with Enhanced Electrochemical Interfaces.

Fabrication of novel electrode architectures with tailored electrochemical interfaces (EI) is an effective strategy for enhancing charge and mass transport processes within electrochemical devices. Here, we design and fabricate a well-hybrid electrode based on the coupling of polyaniline (PANI) nanowires and Pt-based electrocatalysts to manufacture a hybrid electric power device (HEPD) combining the advantages of supercapacitors and fuel cells. Because of the boosted charge transfer between PANI nanowires and Pt-based materials via enhanced EIs, the HEPD assembled with hybrid electrodes shows remarkable performance with a peak power density of 222 mW cm-2, a specific power of 3810 W kg-1, and a specific energy of 2100 Wh kg-1, normalized to the mass of membrane electrode assemblies. The in situ Raman spectra and extended electrochemical studies demonstrate the intrinsic mechanism of charge transfer processes within hybrid electrodes, shedding light on the alternative progress of electrochemical energy conversion systems and storage devices.

CO2 Reduction of Hybrid Cu2 O-Cu/Gas Diffusion Layer Electrodes and their Integration in a Cu-based Photoelectrocatalytic Cell.

Cu2 O/gas diffusion layer (GDL) electrodes prepared by electrodeposition were studied for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 . The designed electrode was also tested in solar-light-induced CO2 conversion in combination with a CuO/NtTiO2 photoanode using a compact photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) cell. Both PEC cell electrodes were prepared using non-critical raw materials and low cost, easily scalable procedures. In the PEC experiments, a total carbon faradaic selectivity of about 90 % to formate and about 75 % to acetate was obtained after 24 h of operations without application of potential/current or using sacrificial agents. In electrocatalytic tests of CO2 reduction at -1.5 V, the same electrode yielded high total faradaic selectivity (>95 %) but formed selectively formate (about 80 % selectivity) rather than acetate. The in situ transformation of the Cu2 O/GDL electrode leads to the formation of a hybrid Cu2 O-Cu/GDL system. Cyclic voltammetry data indicate that the potential and the presence of CO2 (not only of HCO3 - species) are both important elements in this transformation. Data also indicate that the surface concentration of CO2 (or of its products of transformation) on the electrode is an important factor to determine performance in the conversion of CO2 .

Carbon Nanotube-Graphene Hybrid Electrodes with Enhanced Thermo-Electrochemical Cell Properties.

Carbon nanotube-Graphene (CNT-Gr) hybrids were prepared on stainless steel substrates by the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to make the thermo-electrochemical cell (TEC) electrodes. The as-obtained TEC electrodes were investigated by the SEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, tensile, and surface resistance tests. These hybrid electrodes exhibited significant improved TEC performances compared to the pristine CNT electrode. In addition, these hybrid electrodes could be optimized by tuning the contents of the graphene in the hybrids, and the CNT-Gr-0.1 hybrid electrode showed the best TEC performance with the current density of 62.8 A·m-2 and the power density of 1.15 W·m-2, 30.4% higher than the CNT electrode. The enhanced TEC performance is attributed to improvements in the electrical and thermal conductivities, as well as the adhesion between the CNT-Gr hybrid and the substrate. Meanwhile, the relative conversion efficiency of the TECs can reach 1.35%. The investigation suggests that the growth of CNT-Gr hybrid electrodes by the EPD technique may offer a promising approach for practical applications of the carbon nanomaterial-based TEC electrodes.