Feed aggregator

Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00074B, Review ArticleTianyou Zhao, Jianjiang Wang, Yanrui Wei, Zechao Zhuang, Yuhai Dou, Jiarui Yang, Wen-Hao Li, Dingsheng Wang
Atomically M-N-C catalysts have become a prominent research focus in new energy technologies due to their outstanding performance in oxygen reduction reaction. To date, various M-N-C catalysts have been developed...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00104H, PaperFeng Wang, Lian Chen, Jiaqi Wei, Caozheng Diao, Fan Li, Congcong Du, Zhengshuai Bai, Yanyan Zhang, Oleksandr I. Malyi, Xiaodong Chen, Yuxin Tang, Xiaojun Bao
Elucidating the microstructure of hard carbon is essential for uncovering the sodium storage mechanism and constructing state-of-the-art hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries. Guided by understanding the crystallization process and...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

25 years with MathWorks and its customers

Abstract: After completing his Ph.D. in vehicle dynamics and control in 2000, David Sampson joined MathWorks as a technical consultant. In the 25 years since, he has worked with a range of companies, applications, industries and locations, and contributed to MathWorks products for modelling, simulation, and software development. In this talk, David will tell the story of how techniques and tools have evolved, and highlight the megatrends that are shaping MathWorks product development.

Bio: David Sampson is the Application Engineering Director for Northern Europe at MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists. David and his teams work with organizations using MATLAB and Simulink for technical computing, simulation, and model-based design in industries including automotive, aerospace and defence, communications, energy production, and financial services. David has a Ph.D. in vehicle dynamics and control from Cambridge, and a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering from Sydney.

• Speaker: David Sampson, MathWorks
• Friday 28 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Oatley 1 Meeting Room, Department of Engineering.
• Series: Engineering - Mechanics and Materials Seminar Series; organiser: div-c.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

CO2 savings from widespread deployment of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) is an underground thermal energy storage technology that provides large capacity (of order MWth to 10s MWth), low carbon heating and cooling to the built environment. Heating and cooling currently produces 23% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. ATES can be a key technology for the UK to meet its net zero targets. ATES offers a higher overall coefficient of performance compared to conventional, open-loop shallow geothermal systems: waste heat and cool is captured and stored underground as warm and cool water, so less electrical energy is required by a heat pump to provide heating, and cooling can be delivered directly without the need for a heat pump.

ATES could make a significant contribution to decarbonising UK heating and cooling, but uptake is currently very low with eleven systems meeting of UK heating demand and 79 of cooling demand. Widespread deployment in the UK offers a 16-41% reduction in carbon emissions for heating, and 86-94% reduction for cooling, compared to equivalent ground- or air-sourced heat pump systems. A key barrier to increasing uptake is lack of awareness of the technology.

• Speaker: Matthew Jackson, Imperial College London
• Thursday 13 March 2025, 11:30-12:30
• Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
• Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Tipping points of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves: how worried should we be?

Ocean models consistently project that with sufficient climate change forcing, the Ross and Filchner-Ronne ice shelf cavities could abruptly transition from a cold state to a warm state. Crossing these tipping points would have profound consequences for basal melt rates, buttressing of ice streams, and ultimately sea level rise. Here we analyse over 14,000 years of “overshoot” simulations with the UK Earth System Model, which includes a fully coupled Antarctic Ice Sheet. As the climate warms, stabilises at different temperatures, and cools again, we simulate many examples of the cavities tipping and recovering. We find that global warming thresholds of around 3.5°C and 5°C tip the Ross and Filchner-Ronne respectively. We also find evidence of hysteresis: the climate must cool back down beyond the tipping thresholds in order for each cavity to return to its original cold state. Even if the oceanography recovers, the ice sheet does not: sea level contribution from each catchment takes centuries even to stabilise, and the ice does not begin to regrow on this timescale. Therefore, if the Ross or Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves cross tipping points, the resulting sea level rise will be effectively irreversible.

• Speaker: Kaitlin Naughten, British Antarctic Survey
• Wednesday 19 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: BAS Seminar Room 2.
• Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Birgit Rogalla.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

The Impacts of Freshwater Transport on the Weddell Gyre Carbon Budget

The Weddell Gyre mediates carbon exchange between the abyssal ocean and atmosphere, which is critical to global climate. This region also features large and highly variable freshwater fluxes due to seasonal sea ice, net precipitation, and glacial melt; however, the impact of these freshwater fluxes on the regional carbon cycle has not been fully explored. Using a novel budget analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) mass in the Biogeochemical Southern Ocean State Estimate and revisiting hydrographic analysis from the ANDREX cruises, we highlight two freshwater-driven transports. Where freshwater with minimal DIC enters the ocean, it displaces DIC -rich seawater outwards, driving a lateral transport of 75±5 Tg DIC /year. Additionally, sea ice export requires a compensating import of seawater, which carries 48±11 Tg DIC /year into the gyre. Though often overlooked, these freshwater displacement effects are of leading order in the Weddell Gyre carbon budget in the state estimate and in regrouped box-inversion estimates. Implications for evaluating basin-scale carbon transports are considered. [Time permitting, I’ll also share some results on the role of heat addition in driving circulation change and warming patterns in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.]

• Speaker: Benjamin Taylor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Wednesday 26 February 2025, 15:30-16:30
• Venue: BAS Seminar Room 1; https://bas-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/92446999952.
• Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Birgit Rogalla.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Energy Environ. Sci., 2025, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D5EE00001G, PaperWeiyan Zhu, Zhouyue Lei, Peiyi Wu
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising energy storage systems due to their high theoretical capacity, intrinsic safety, and potentially high cycling stability. However, their practical application is hindered by sluggish...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

This work deciphers the fundamental factors and proposes a general design rule for screening hydrogen fluoride (HF)-elimination additives. The cherry-picked additive according to this rule enables a remarkable success in protecting electrodes and interphases over high-voltage LIBs.

Abstract

Hydrogen fluoride (HF)-induced degradation of electrode materials and interphases presents a significant challenge for high-voltage Li-ion batteries. However, progress in developing advanced HF-scavenging additives is hindered by a limited understanding of HF-elimination reactions and the absence of a robust design principle. Herein, it is proposed to analyze the energy decomposition analysis of 24 additives to elucidate the underlying HF-scavenging mechanism and identify key factors influencing HF-additives reactions. The findings reveal that orbital contribution ratio (OCR) is a critical determinant of chemical bonding in HF-additive reactions. Specifically, an 80% OCR for H+ and a 53% OCR for F− are essential for completing HF elimination. Based on these insights, a general principle for designing effective HF-elimination additives is proposed and heptamethyldisilazane as a particularly well-suited candidate, exhibiting optimal OCR for both H+ and F− ions is identified. Remarkably, the addition of just 1 wt.% HMDS significantly eliminats HF, inhibiting cathode-to-anode crosstalk behaviors and limiting electrode and interphase degradation. This guardian endows graphite/LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 pouch cells with a significant performance improvement, achieving 80% capacity retention over 2528 cycles, a substantial improvement compared to the 1139 cycles observed without HF-elimination additive. The study provides valuable insights for the design of advanced electrolyte additives for high-performance Li-ion batteries.

In this review, key strategies for designing biopolymer-based hydrogels from the molecular to the macroscopic scale are summarized. Emphasis is placed on how molecular architecture, processing methods, and fabrication technologies converge to yield materials with tunable mechanical properties, dynamic responsiveness, and enhanced transport behaviors for diverse biomedical and technological applications. The unified approach guides future hydrogel developments.

Abstract

Biopolymer-based hydrogels offer versatility in biomedical engineering due to their abundance, biocompatibility, tailorable properties, and environmental responsiveness. Realizing their full potential requires understanding the molecular-level design principles that govern their macroscopic behavior. This review analyzes recent advances in the molecular engineering of biopolymer-based hydrogels, emphasizing innovative network design strategies and processing methods for precise control over material properties and functions. How molecular design influences hydrogel behavior across multiple length scales are explored, focusing on: 1) network design strategies: approaches like double networks, interpenetrating networks, and supramolecular assemblies to tailor mechanical and responsive properties; 2) processing techniques: methods such as Hofmeister effect-induced chain aggregating, cononsolvency-based porous structure controlling, and directional freezing-induced network alignment to achieve hierarchical and anisotropic structures. How these design principles and processing methods influence critical hydrogel properties like mechanical strength, inner mass transportation, and degradation are discussed. The review also covers advanced fabrication techniques that leverage these molecular engineering approaches to create complex, functional hydrogels. By elucidating the relationships between molecular architecture, processing methods, and resulting material properties, this work aims to provide a framework for designing next-generation biopolymer-based hydrogels with enhanced performance and functionality across various applications.

Two MCOFs with dual-active centers are designed as LMB separators to enable efficient Li plating/stripping. Synergistic effects between trinuclear copper clusters and electron-donating diarylamine nitrogen create an electron-rich environment, regulating the local conjugated Li+ microenvironment. The designed Li symmetric cell exhibits excellent Li plating/stripping stability for over 1600 h at 0.5 mA cm−2.

Abstract

Lithium (Li) metal has gained attention as an anode material for lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) owing to its low electrochemical potential, high specific capacity, and low density. However, the accumulation of Li dendrites and unstable solid electrolyte interphases, caused by sluggish Li+ migration and uneven Li deposition, limit practical LMB applications. This study presents the first report on redox-active metal–covalent organic frameworks (MCOFs) with dual-active centers as functional separators for LMBs. These MCOFs facilitate homogeneous Li nucleation and accelerate Li+ ion transport. The synergistic effects of redox-active diarylamine units and trinuclear copper clusters modulate local electron-cloud density, regulating microenvironment of Li+ ions and ensuring homogeneous Li nucleation. The MCOF-based separator's well-defined 1D channels in MCOF-based separator enable uniform Li+ flux, and promote homogeneous Li deposition, resulting in high Li+ transference number of 0.93 and an ionic conductivity of 2.01 mS cm−1 at room temperature. The Li|Cu cell demonstrates a low Li nucleation barrier of 16 mV, while the Li symmetric cell exhibits stable Li plating/stripping for over 1600 h at 0.5 mA cm−2. When coupled with LiFePO4 cathodes, the assembled LMB exhibits stable capacity retention of ≈98%. This work paves the way for dendrite-free Li metal anodes in high-performance LMBs.

The careful design of interfaces in PbHfO3- and PbHf1-xTixO3-based multilayer heterostructures results in electromechanical strain ≈4.8% for films as thin as 120 nm. Such studies can significantly advance the understanding about electromechanically-active thin films which can surpass the detrimental effects of substrate-induced clamping to demonstrate strain values and be implemented in real-world applications.

Abstract

The pursuit of smaller, energy-efficient devices drives the exploration of electromechanically active thin films (<1 µm) to enable micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. While the electromechanical response of such films is limited by substrate-induced mechanical clamping, large electromechanical responses in antiferroelectric and multilayer thin-film heterostructures have garnered interest. Here, multilayer thin-film heterostructures based on antiferroelectric PbHfO3 and ferroelectric PbHf1-xTixO3 overcome substrate clamping to produce electromechanical strains >4.5%. By varying the chemistry of the PbHf1-xTixO3 layer (x = 0.3-0.6) it is possible to alter the threshold field for the antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition, reducing the field required to induce the onset of large electromechanical response. Furthermore, varying the interface density (from 0.008 to 3.1 nm−1) enhances the electrical-breakdown field by >450%. Attaining the electromechanical strains does not necessitate creating a new material with unprecedented piezoelectric coefficients, but developing heterostructures capable of withstanding large fields, thus addressing traditional limitations of thin-film piezoelectrics.

Electrochemically converting carbon dioxide and nitrate into urea via the C–N coupling route offers a sustainable alternative to the traditional industrial urea production technology. Herein, a high-density Ga–Y dual-atom catalyst supported on N, P-co-doped carbon substrate is developed for urea electrosynthesis. Experiments and theories reveal that strong cross-synergizing coupling between Ga-Y sites contributed to improving the electrosynthesis performance of urea.

Abstract

Electrochemically converting carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrate (NO3 −) into urea via the C─N coupling route offers a sustainable alternative to the traditional industrial urea production technology, but it is still limited by poor yield rate, low Faradaic efficiency, and insufficient coupling kinetics. Herein, a high-density Ga─Y dual-atom catalyst is developed with loading up to 14.1 wt.% of Ga and Y supported on N, P-co-doped carbon substrate (Ga/Y-CNP) for urea electrosynthesis. The catalyst facilitates efficient C─N coupling through co-reduction of CO2 and NO3 −, resulting in a high urea yield rate of 41.9 mmol h−1 g−1 and a Faradaic efficiency of 22.1% at −1.4 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. In situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that the superior performance is attributed to the cross-tuning between adjacent pair Ga─Y sites, which can mutually optimize their electronic states for facilitating CO2 reduction to *CO at Ga sites and promoting NO3 − conversion to hydroxylamine (*NH2OH) at Y sites, followed by spontaneous coupling of *CO and *NH2OH intermediates at Ga─Y sites to form C─N bonds. This work offers a pioneering strategy to manipulate C─N coupling pathways by cross-tuning active sites to produce high-value-added chemicals.

Nature Energy, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01728-6

Renewable energy cooperatives

Nature Energy, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41560-025-01720-0

Achieving industrial-scale production of high-energy-density batteries will require cost and efficiency challenges to be addressed. The authors explore the upscaling of high-areal-capacity electrodes, evaluating manufacturing techniques, electrode design and materials chemistry.

Nature Materials, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02149-2

Hopping of oxygen vacancies under an alternating field generates a large and robust electrostrain in lead-free piezoelectrics.

Nature Materials, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02137-6

Weak bonds enable self-strengthening in polymers by triggering mechanochemical reactions during deformation, forming new networks that enhance strength and crack resistance. This rate-dependent process allows custom design of tough polymers.

Nature Materials, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41563-024-02092-8

The authors demonstrate a chemopiezoelectric effect in which the displacive migration of oxygen vacancies driven by an electric field induces a large strain in the surface layer of thin (K,Na)NbO3 ceramics. They achieve an electrostrain of 1.9% under a field of −3 kV mm−1, with thermal stability up to 200 °C.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01871-x

Insulin crystals coated with a thin, porous membrane with electrical potential-sensitive channels — named i-crystal — show glucose- and ketone-responsive insulin release. Owing to their high drug-loading content and slow, zero-order insulin release kinetics, i-crystal can regulate the blood glucose level for more than 1 month in mice models with type 1 diabetes.

Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01860-0

This article presents a polymeric membrane-enclosed insulin crystal equipped with physiological signal-sensing microdomains, dubbed ‘smart drug crystals’, that enables long-term, glucose- and β-hydroxybutyrate-dually responsive drug release for type 1 diabetes therapy.

Title to be confirmed

Abstract not available

• Speaker: Guy Goldberg (Weizmann Institute)
• Tuesday 08 April 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, Room SS03.
• Series: Algorithms and Complexity Seminar; organiser: Tom Gur.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list