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| Open AccessDefect passivation in methylammonium/bromine free inverted perovskite solar cells using charge-modulated molecular bonding
Molecular passivation is promising for improving the performance and operation stability of perovskite solar cells. Here, authors employ piperazine dihydriodide to strengthen adhesion to MA-free perovskite via −NH2I and Mulliken charge distribution, realizing charge-regulated molecular passivation.
- Dhruba B. Khadka
- , Yasuhiro Shirai
- & Kenjiro Miyano
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Article
| Open AccessEffect of solid-electrolyte pellet density on failure of solid-state batteries
A critical challenge of solid-state batteries is Li-filament penetration. Here, by quantifying microstructural properties and employing modeling techniques, the authors provide insight into solid-state battery failure modes and offer design guidelines to enhance safety and performance.
- Mouhamad S. Diallo
- , Tan Shi
- & Gerbrand Ceder
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage in lignin via manganese–zirconium-mediated autoxidation
Efforts to produce aromatic monomers through catalytic lignin depolymerization were focused on aryl–ether bond cleavage, while the carbon–carbon bonds of a large fraction of aromatic monomers in lignin are difficult to cleave. Here, the authors report a catalytic autoxidation method using manganese and zirconium salts as catalysts to cleave the C–C bonds in lignin-derived dimers and oligomers from pine and poplar.
- Chad T. Palumbo
- , Nina X. Gu
- & Gregg T. Beckham
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Article
| Open AccessBoosting a practical Li-CO2 battery through dimerization reaction based on solid redox mediator
Li–CO2 batteries following Li2CO3-product route suffers from low output voltage and severe parasitic reactions. Here, the authors introduce a copper-based solid redox mediator in Li–CO2 batteries with an efficient Li2C2O4 product route to circumvent the shuttle effect and sluggish kinetics caused by soluble mediators.
- Wei Li
- , Menghang Zhang
- & Haoshen Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessModeling critical thermoelectric transports driven by band broadening and phonon softening
The authors develop a quantitative theory to model and tune the electrical transports during critical phase transitions by incorporating both the band broadening effect and carrier-soft TO phonon interactions.
- Kunpeng Zhao
- , Zhongmou Yue
- & Xun Shi
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| Open AccessDown-selection of biomolecules to assemble “reverse micelle” with perovskites
Introducing biomaterials into semiconductors to manifest bio-mimetic functionality is impactful to trigger new enhancement mechanisms. Here, the authors utilize different types of biomolecules to regulate the perovskite crystal lattice and endow a mechanism for stabilizing the metastable lattice.
- Haodong Wu
- , Yuchen Hou
- & Kai Wang
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Article
| Open AccessAn extended substrate screening strategy enabling a low lattice mismatch for highly reversible zinc anodes
The growth of dendrites and the occurrence of side reactions at zinc anodes currently impede the practical use of aqueous zinc batteries. Here, the authors present an advanced substrate screening approach aimed at stabilizing zinc anodes, thereby enabling the development of high-rate zinc-metal batteries.
- Zhiyang Zheng
- , Xiongwei Zhong
- & Guangmin Zhou
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Article
| Open AccessAqueous amine enables sustainable monosaccharide, monophenol, and pyridine base coproduction in lignocellulosic biorefineries
Utilization of the entire lignocellulose is essential for sustainable and cost-effective biorefineries, but it is hindered by a trade-off between efficient carbohydrate utilization and lignin-to-chemical conversion yield. Here, the authors report a mild lignocellulosic fractionation process using aqueous diethylamine which produces a carbohydrate fraction susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis and a high-quality lignin that delivers high monomer yields upon catalytic amination and depolymerization.
- Li Xu
- , Meifang Cao
- & Xueqing Qiu
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Article
| Open AccessEngineering metal-carbide hydrogen traps in steels
Understanding how hydrogen embrittles steels and developing the solutions are crucial for enabling the hydrogen economy. Here, the authors report a materials design strategy that can increase the hydrogen trapping capacity by creating carbon vacancies in metal carbide precipitates via microalloying.
- Pang-Yu Liu
- , Boning Zhang
- & Yi-Sheng Chen
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Article
| Open AccessUnraveling radiation damage and healing mechanisms in halide perovskites using energy-tuned dual irradiation dosing
Initial reports suggest unique radiation tolerance of perovskite solar cells. Here, the authors expose both n-i-p and p-i-n devices to low- and high-energy protons, providing a direct proof of radiation-induced efficiency recovery via tuning radiation-matter interactions in the devices.
- Ahmad R. Kirmani
- , Todd A. Byers
- & Joseph M. Luther
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Article
| Open AccessPt-doped Ru nanoparticles loaded on ‘black gold’ plasmonic nanoreactors as air stable reduction catalysts
An air-stable plasmonic catalyst using Pt-Ru on black gold achieves 90% selectivity in acetylene semi-hydrogenation using plasmonic photochemistry. Mechanistic experiments highlight the role of non-thermal and thermal effects for this reaction.
- Gunjan Sharma
- , Rishi Verma
- & Vivek Polshettiwar
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| Open AccessOvercoming small-bandgap charge recombination in visible and NIR-light-driven hydrogen evolution by engineering the polymer photocatalyst structure
Designing an organic polymer photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution in the near-infrared (NIR) light region is still a major challenge. The authors present here a series of polymer nanoparticles for a efficient hydrogen evolution under visible and NIR light irradiation, without combining or hybridizing with other materials.
- Mohamed Hammad Elsayed
- , Mohamed Abdellah
- & Ho-Hsiu Chou
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Article
| Open AccessRapid-charging aluminium-sulfur batteries operated at 85 °C with a quaternary molten salt electrolyte
Molten salt aluminium-sulfur batteries exhibit high-rate capability and moderate energy density, but suffer from high operating temperature. Here the authors demonstrate a rapidly charging aluminum-sulfur battery operating at 85 °C enabled by a quaternary alkali chloroaluminate electrolyte.
- Jiashen Meng
- , Xufeng Hong
- & Quanquan Pang
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Article
| Open AccessAlkaline-based aqueous sodium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage
Aqueous sodium-ion batteries show promise for large-scale energy storage, yet face challenges due to water decomposition, limiting their energy density and lifespan. Here, the authors report a cathode surface coating strategy in an alkaline electrolyte to enhance the stability of both electrolyte and battery.
- Han Wu
- , Junnan Hao
- & Shi-Zhang Qiao
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Article
| Open AccessRegulating Au coverage for the direct oxidation of methane to methanol
The direct oxidation of methane to methanol occurs in two steps that are difficult to control. Here, the authors use the OH binding strength as a descriptor to optimize the trade-off effect between the two pathways over PdxAuy catalysts.
- Yueshan Xu
- , Daoxiong Wu
- & Quanbing Liu
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Article
| Open AccessAnomalous enhancement of thermoelectric power factor in multiple two-dimensional electron gas system
Thermoelectric power factor in multiple two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs is enhanced by the effect of multiple subbands. The enhancement rate is 4 times larger than that of conventional two-dimensional electron gas system.
- Yuto Uematsu
- , Takafumi Ishibe
- & Yoshiaki Nakamura
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| Open AccessGas diffusion enhanced electrode with ultrathin superhydrophobic macropore structure for acidic CO2 electroreduction
Carbon dioxide electroreduction in acidic environments has been suboptimal. Here, the authors addressed this issue by designing a gas diffusion electrode with a special metal structure, which achieves efficient electroreduction while conducting a systematic investigation of the underlying mechanism.
- Mingxu Sun
- , Jiamin Cheng
- & Miho Yamauchi
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Article
| Open AccessA dicarbonate solvent electrolyte for high performance 5 V-Class Lithium-based batteries
Rechargeable lithium batteries featuring 5 V cathodes offer high energy density yet struggle with stability. Here, the authors formulate an electrolyte incorporating dimethyl 2,5-dioxahexanedioate solvent, which facilitates stable lithium plating and stripping while offering an extended cycle life.
- Xiaozhe Zhang
- , Pan Xu
- & Alexandru Vlad
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| Open AccessAccurate nowcasting of cloud cover at solar photovoltaic plants using geostationary satellite images
Accurate nowcasting of cloud cover or fraction and its movement remains a significant challenge for stable solar photovoltaic electricity generation. Here, the authors combine continuous radiance images with high spatio-temporal resolutions to develop a nowcasting algorithm for predicting cloud cover at a leading time of 0–4 h.
- Pan Xia
- , Lu Zhang
- & Shengjie Jia
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Article
| Open AccessSynergistic dual-phase air electrode enables high and durable performance of reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells
Efficient air electrodes drive reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells, accelerating renewable energy conversion and storage. Here, the authors propose a highly active hybrid air electrode that effectively controls phase content, enhancing electrochemical activity and stability through synergistic effects.
- Zuoqing Liu
- , Yuesheng Bai
- & Zongping Shao
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| Open AccessCobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with lithium-stoichiometry control for sustainable lithium-ion batteries
As electric vehicle batteries adopt cobalt-free layered cathodes to tackle supply chain issues, it greatly impacts battery lifespan. Here, the authors develop a lithium stoichiometry control method to synthesize cobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with high cycling stability, enabling long-life sustainable batteries.
- Ke Chen
- , Pallab Barai
- & Feng Wang
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| Open AccessHydrogen evolution with hot electrons on a plasmonic-molecular catalyst hybrid system
Direct participation of plasmon-induced hot electrons in the photoelectrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen. This report solves a long-lasting contentious issue surrounding plasmonic materials on catalytic applications.
- Ananta Dey
- , Amal Mendalz
- & Jacinto Sá
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Article
| Open AccessScalable nano-architecture for stable near-blackbody solar absorption at high temperatures
Nanostructures are generally unstable above 850 °C in air, limiting their use in high-temperature solar thermal applications. Here, a scalable ceramic nano-architecture layer can significantly enhance and stabilise the absorption of an arbitrary solar absorber.
- Yifan Guo
- , Kaoru Tsuda
- & Juan F. Torres
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Article
| Open AccessA cross-scale framework for evaluating flexibility values of battery and fuel cell electric vehicles
Electrified transportation exhibits great potential to provide flexibility. This article analyzed and compared the flexibility values of battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles for planning and operating interdependent electricity and hydrogen supply chains.
- Ruixue Liu
- , Guannan He
- & Benben Jiang
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Article
| Open AccessOperando formation of highly efficient electrocatalysts induced by heteroatom leaching
Stability of catalyst dopant species under working conditions is often unexplored. Here, the authors reveal that the dopant sites tend to collapse when the applied potential is too negative or too positive and describe a protocol for the in-situ formation of highly efficient active sites via the leaching of dopants.
- Cong Liu
- , Bingbao Mei
- & Weilin Xu
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Article
| Open AccessSystemwide energy return on investment in a sustainable transition towards net zero power systems
Here, the authors adopt systemwide EROI to assess the sustainability risks of nine global energy transition scenarios. The EROI of fossil fuel dominated scenarios tend to approach the upper limit of the net energy cliff, posing higher sustainability risks.
- Hasret Sahin
- , A. A. Solomon
- & Christian Breyer
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Article
| Open AccessElectronic paddle-wheels in a solid-state electrolyte
Conduction in solid-state electrolytes composed of monatomic ions is found to be analogous to the paddle-wheel mechanism in molecular solid electrolytes, facilitated by rotational motion of lone pair electrons, helping unify understanding of mechanisms.
- Harender S. Dhattarwal
- , Rahul Somni
- & Richard C. Remsing
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Article
| Open AccessStructural regulation of halide superionic conductors for all-solid-state lithium batteries
Predicting the structure of lithium halide solid-state electrolytes from their composition alone is a challenge. Here, the authors introduce the “cationic polarization factor” that captures the key interactions of halide-based solid-state electrolytes and predicts the stacking structures.
- Xiaona Li
- , Jung Tae Kim
- & Xueliang Sun
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Article
| Open AccessVitamin C-induced CO2 capture enables high-rate ethylene production in CO2 electroreduction
Efficiently producing multicarbon chemicals through electrochemical CO2 reduction is essential for achieving economically feasible carbon neutrality. Here, the authors present molecularly enhanced CO2-to-*CO conversion and *CO dimerization for high-rate ethylene production by nanoconfinement of ascorbic acid.
- Jongyoun Kim
- , Taemin Lee
- & Dae-Hyun Nam
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Article
| Open AccessMetal-support interaction boosts the stability of Ni-based electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen oxidation
Nickel-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation in anion exchange membrane fuel cells face stability issues. Here the authors report Ni4Mo/TiO2 catalyst with significantly improved stability, owing to the efficient charge transfer from TiO2 to Ni.
- Xiaoyu Tian
- , Renjie Ren
- & Wenchao Sheng
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Article
| Open AccessEngineering a synthetic energy-efficient formaldehyde assimilation cycle in Escherichia coli
One-carbon substrates are attractive feedstocks for circular bioeconomy. Here, the authors design an erythrulose monophosphate (EuMP) cycle for formaldehyde assimilation, demonstrate the activity of the core reactions in E. coli, and show its integration with pathway reactions existed in pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis.
- Tong Wu
- , Paul A. Gómez-Coronado
- & Hai He
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Article
| Open AccessModulation of the morphotropic phase boundary for high-performance ductile thermoelectric materials
Power factor and figure-of-merit values are normally low in flexible thermoelectric materials. Here, the authors fabricate high-performance ductile thermoelectric materials with high power factor and figure-of-merit values near the morphotropic phase boundary in Ag2Se-Ag2S pseudobinary compound.
- Jiasheng Liang
- , Jin Liu
- & Xun Shi
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Article
| Open AccessAsynchronous domain dynamics and equilibration in layered oxide battery cathode
The battery performance at the cell level is an integration of contributions from many active particles. Here, the authors present a direct visualization of the active cathode particles that react heterogeneously and asynchronously by using coherent multi-crystal diffraction and optical microscopy.
- Zhichen Xue
- , Nikhil Sharma
- & Yijin Liu
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Article
| Open AccessBias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical system for sustainable wastewater treatment
Photoelectrochemical systems have emerged as a sustainable technology for wastewater treatment. Here, Tang et.al report a bias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical system that can utilize sodium chloride in seawater as a cost-effective additive for wastewater treatment.
- Qi Dang
- , Wei Zhang
- & Liang Tang
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| Open AccessAn inorganic-rich but LiF-free interphase for fast charging and long cycle life lithium metal batteries
Fluorinated interphases are often pursued as a design strategy for Li metal batteries. In contrast, here the authors show that an electrolyte with a non-fluorinated solvent and CsNO3 additive results in an LiF-free but inorganic-rich interphase that enables fast-charging of Li metal batteries.
- Muhammad Mominur Rahman
- , Sha Tan
- & Enyuan Hu
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Article
| Open AccessSoft ferroelectret ultrasound receiver for targeted peripheral neuromodulation
Neurostimulators are often bulky and uncomfortable. Researchers report a wireless, leadless, and battery-free ultrasound receiver that wraps around the target peripheral nerve and allows precise modulation of organ function, providing a framework for future bioelectronic medicines
- Tong Li
- , Zhidong Wei
- & Zhang-Qi Feng
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| Open AccessGlobal transcontinental power pools for low-carbon electricity
By building transcontinental power pools, Yang and colleagues find global electricity demand can be 100% met by renewables, at an affordable cost.
- Haozhe Yang
- , Ranjit Deshmukh
- & Sangwon Suh
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of fast and stable proton storage in bulk hexagonal molybdenum oxide
Nanostructured electrode materials pose several challenges, including poor volumetric performance, severe side reactions, high costs, and complexity. Here, the authors develop a micrometer-sized bulk hexagonal molybdenum oxide with unconventional charge storage mechanism for fast and stable proton storage.
- Tiezhu Xu
- , Zhenming Xu
- & Laifa Shen
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Article
| Open AccessBreaking solvation dominance of ethylene carbonate via molecular charge engineering enables lower temperature battery
Low-temperature operation remains challenging for batteries. Here, the authors report an electrolyte solvation structure design strategy to break solvation dominance of ethylene carbonate to facilitate the desolvation process that improves the low-temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries even below −100 °C.
- Yuqing Chen
- , Qiu He
- & Jilei Liu
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Article
| Open AccessNonintrusive thermal-wave sensor for operando quantification of degradation in commercial batteries
Monitoring real-world battery degradation is crucial for the widespread application of batteries in different scenarios. Here, the authors report a simple non-embedded thermal-wave sensing technique that can quantitatively distinguish different battery degradation sources during operation.
- Yuqiang Zeng
- , Fengyu Shen
- & Ravi S. Prasher
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Article
| Open AccessGreen electrosynthesis of 3,3’-diamino-4,4’-azofurazan energetic materials coupled with energy-efficient hydrogen production over Pt-based catalysts
The hybrid water electrolysis system enables a potential for high-efficiency H2 production. Here, the authors propose an electrosynthesis of azo-energetic material coupled with water electrolysis, realizing energy-saving H2 production and obtaining azo-energetic materials via a green pathway.
- Jiachen Li
- , Yuqiang Ma
- & Jieshan Qiu
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Article
| Open AccessElectrical performance of a fully reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic module
Reconfigurable modules have the potential to increase the energy yield of partially shaded photovoltaic systems. Here, the authors present outdoor test results of a full-scale prototype that can produce over 10% more energy than a module with fixed interconnections and six bypass diodes.
- Andres Calcabrini
- , Mirco Muttillo
- & Olindo Isabella
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Article
| Open AccessStabilizing ruthenium dioxide with cation-anchored sulfate for durable oxygen evolution in proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers
Designing stable Ru-based catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose an oxyanion protection strategy to prevent the formation of oxygen vacancies on the RuO2 surface by creating coordination-saturated lattice oxygen, thereby greatly enhancing the stability.
- Yanrong Xue
- , Jiwu Zhao
- & Xu Lu
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Article
| Open AccessEnhanced formation of methane hydrate from active ice with high gas uptake
Gas hydrates have promising energy storage applications, a main bottleneck being their slow formation kinetics. Here, the authors demonstrate that by dispersing kinetic promoters in porous ice as active ice for gas hydrate formation, a minute-level formation process can be achieved for hydrate-based technologies.
- Peng Xiao
- , Juan-Juan Li
- & Guang-Jin Chen
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Article
| Open AccessPerformance boost for bismuth telluride thermoelectric generator via barrier layer based on low Young’s modulus and particle sliding
The lack of desirable barrier layers prohibits the power generation applications of bismuth telluride thermoelectric devices. Here, the authors construct a kind of Ti barrier layer with high strength and low resistivity with a module exhibiting high thermal stability during the service at 523 K.
- Yuxin Sun
- , Fengkai Guo
- & Jiehe Sui
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Article
| Open AccessDefective oxygen inert phase stabilized high-voltage nickel-rich cathode for high-energy lithium-ion batteries
The oxygen evolutions from layered cathode surfaces cause battery degradation during high-voltage operation and pose thermal safety concerns. Here, the authors propose a strategy to anchor and reserve surface oxygen with defective oxygen inert phase for high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.
- Zhongsheng Dai
- , Zhujie Li
- & Li Li
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Article
| Open AccessUltraflexible, cost-effective and scalable polymer-based phase change composites via chemical cross-linking for wearable thermal management
Jing et al. report a cost-effective chemical cross-linking method for synthesizing ultraflexible polymer-based phase change composites with 3D crosslinked networks and further demonstrate portable applications for wearable thermal management.
- Yaoge Jing
- , Zhengchuang Zhao
- & Tingxian Li
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Article
| Open AccessCollaborative and privacy-preserving retired battery sorting for profitable direct recycling via federated machine learning
Unsorted retired batteries pose recycling challenges due to diverse cathodes. Here, the authors propose a privacy-preserving machine learning system that enables accurate sorting with minimal data, important for a sustainable battery recycling industry.
- Shengyu Tao
- , Haizhou Liu
- & Hongbin Sun
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Article
| Open AccessElectrochemical nitrate reduction in acid enables high-efficiency ammonia synthesis and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cells
Research on electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia in acidic conditions has been less extensive than that conducted in alkaline conditions. Here, the authors report a hybrid of iron phthalocyanine and TiO2 catalyst with improved efficiency toward acidic nitrate reduction and its application in Zn-nitrate batteries and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cell.
- Rong Zhang
- , Chuan Li
- & Chunyi Zhi