Ammonia-fed fuel cells: a comprehensive review Afif, Ahmed; Radenahmad, Nikdalila; Cheok, Quentin ...
Renewable & sustainable energy reviews,
July 2016, 2016-07-00, 20160701, Volume:
60
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The use of an ammonia-fed solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is the most efficient method of generating power. In terms of CO2 emission, ammonia is a good indirect hydrogen storage material because it does ...not contain carbon and therefore will not release CO2 when used as fuel in a fuel cell or gas turbine. Using ammonia like hydrogen directly in a fuel-cell system provides high power density. Compared with other fuel cells, the ammonia-fed SOFC has many advantages. The availability of NH3 is one of the main reasons for the high output.
This paper presents a comparative study of the working principles, analyses, applications, advantages and disadvantages of various technologies available for ammonia fuel cells. The aim of the paper is to review and describe the suitability of ammonia as a fuel for the next generation of fuel cells, including direct ammonia-fed SOFCs, the development of different types of fuel cells using ammonia as a fuel, and the potential applications of ammonia-fed fuel cells.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
We design a dual-band absorber formed by combining two cross-shaped metallic resonators of different sizes within a super-unit-cell arranged in mirror symmetry. Simulations indicate that absorption ...efficiencies greater than 99% can be achieved at two different frequencies under normal incidence. We employ a design scheme with graphene integration, which allows independent tuning of individual absorption frequencies by electrostatically changing the Fermi energy of the graphene layer. High absorbance is maintained over a wide incident angle range up to 50 degrees for both TE and TM polarizations. It thus enables a promising way to design electrically tunable absorbers, which may contribute toward the realization of frequency selective detectors for sensing applications.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Emerging photonic functionalities are mostly governed by the fundamental principle of Lorentz reciprocity. Lifting the constraints imposed by this principle could circumvent deleterious effects that ...limit the performance of photonic systems. Most efforts to date have been limited to waveguide platforms. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a spatio-temporally modulated metasurface capable of complete violation of Lorentz reciprocity by reflecting an incident beam into far-field radiation in forward scattering, but into near-field surface waves in reverse scattering. These observations are shown both in nonreciprocal beam steering and nonreciprocal focusing. We also demonstrate nonreciprocal behavior of propagative-only waves in the frequency- and momentum-domains, and simultaneously in both. We develop a generalized Bloch-Floquet theory which offers physical insights into Lorentz nonreciprocity for arbitrary spatial phase gradients, and its predictions are in excellent agreement with experiments. Our work opens exciting opportunities in applications where free-space nonreciprocal wave propagation is desired.
Metasurface Broadband Solar Absorber Azad, Abul K; Kort-Kamp, Wilton J M; Sykora, Milan ...
Scientific reports,
2016-Feb-01, 2016-02-01, 20160201, Volume:
6, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We demonstrate a broadband, polarization independent, wide-angle absorber based on a metallic metasurface architecture, which accomplishes greater than 90% absorptance in the visible and ...near-infrared range of the solar spectrum, and exhibits low absorptivity (emissivity) at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths. The complex unit cell of the metasurface solar absorber consists of eight pairs of gold nano-resonators that are separated from a gold ground plane by a thin silicon dioxide spacer. Our experimental measurements reveal high-performance absorption over a wide range of incidence angles for both s- and p-polarizations. We also investigate numerically the frequency-dependent field and current distributions to elucidate how the absorption occurs within the metasurface structure.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
During the past decades, major advances have been made in both the generation and detection of infrared light; however, its efficient wavefront manipulation and information processing still encounter ...great challenges. Efficient and fast optoelectronic modulators and spatial light modulators are required for mid-infrared imaging, sensing, security screening, communication and navigation, to name a few. However, their development remains elusive, and prevailing methods reported so far have suffered from drawbacks that significantly limit their practical applications. In this study, by leveraging graphene and metasurfaces, we demonstrate a high-performance free-space mid-infrared modulator operating at gigahertz speeds, low gate voltage and room temperature. We further pixelate the hybrid graphene metasurface to form a prototype spatial light modulator for high frame rate single-pixel imaging, suggesting orders of magnitude improvement over conventional liquid crystal or micromirror-based spatial light modulators. This work opens up the possibility of exploring wavefront engineering for infrared technologies for which fast temporal and spatial modulations are indispensable.
Black TiO2 nanoparticles with a crystalline core and amorphous-shell structure exhibit superior optoelectronic properties in comparison with pristine TiO2. The fundamental mechanisms underlying these ...enhancements, however, remain unclear, largely due to the inherent complexities and limitations of powder materials. Here, we fabricate TiO2 homojunction films consisting of an oxygen-deficient amorphous layer on top of a highly crystalline layer, to simulate the structural/functional configuration of black TiO2 nanoparticles. Metallic conduction is achieved at the crystalline–amorphous homointerface via electronic interface reconstruction, which we show to be the main reason for the enhanced electron transport of black TiO2. This work not only achieves an unprecedented understanding of black TiO2 but also provides a new perspective for investigating carrier generation and transport behavior at oxide interfaces, which are of tremendous fundamental and technological interest.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
We present a novel approach of antireflection coating using metamaterials. It dramatically reduces the reflection and greatly enhances the transmission near a specifically designed frequency over a ...wide range of incidence angles for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarizations. A classical interference mechanism is identified through analytical derivations and numerical simulations. It elucidates that the tailored magnitude and phase of waves reflected and transmitted at boundaries of metamaterial coating are responsible for the antireflection.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ is a global transcriptional regulator associated with anti-inflammatory actions. It is highly expressed in alveolar macrophages (AMs), which are ...unable to clear the intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). Although M.tb infection induces PPARγ in human macrophages, which contributes to M.tb growth, the mechanisms underlying this are largely unknown. We undertook NanoString gene expression analysis to identify novel PPARγ effectors that condition macrophages to be more susceptible to M.tb infection. This revealed several genes that are differentially regulated in response to PPARγ silencing during M.tb infection, including the Bcl-2 family members Bax (pro-apoptotic) and Mcl-1 (pro-survival). Apoptosis is an important defense mechanism that prevents the growth of intracellular microbes, including M.tb, but is limited by virulent M.tb. This suggested that M.tb differentially regulates Mcl-1 and Bax expression through PPARγ to limit apoptosis. In support of this, gene and protein expression analysis revealed that Mcl-1 expression is driven by PPARγ during M.tb infection in human macrophages. Further, 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) is critical for PPARγ activity and Mcl-1 expression. We also determined that PPARγ and 15-LOX regulate macrophage apoptosis during M.tb infection, and that pre-clinical therapeutics that inhibit Mcl-1 activity significantly limit M.tb intracellular growth in both human macrophages and an in vitro TB granuloma model. In conclusion, identification of the novel PPARγ effector Mcl-1 has determined PPARγ and 15-LOX are critical regulators of apoptosis during M.tb infection and new potential targets for host-directed therapy for M.tb.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that include members of the NLR (nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat containing) family and caspase-1. Once bacterial molecules are sensed within ...the macrophage, the inflammasome is assembled, mediating the activation of caspase-1. Caspase-11 mediates caspase-1 activation in response to lipopolysaccharide and bacterial toxins, and yet its role during bacterial infection is unknown. Here, we demonstrated that caspase-11 was dispensable for caspase-1 activation in response to Legionella, Salmonella, Francisella, and Listeria. We also determined that active mouse caspase-11 was required for restriction of L. pneumophila infection. Similarly, human caspase-4 and caspase-5, homologs of mouse caspase-11, cooperated to restrict L. pneumophila infection in human macrophages. Caspase-11 promoted the fusion of the L. pneumophila vacuole with lysosomes by modulating actin polymerization through cofilin. However, caspase-11 was dispensable for the fusion of lysosomes with phagosomes containing nonpathogenic bacteria, uncovering a fundamental difference in the trafficking of phagosomes according to their cargo.
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► Caspase-11 is dispensable for caspase-1 activation during bacterial infection ► Caspase-11 restricts Legionella infection independently of caspase-1 ► Caspase-11 uncouples phagosome trafficking according to their cargo ► Human caspase-4 and caspase-5 restrict Legionella pneumophila infection
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In the last few decades, photocatalysis has been found to be a practical, environmentally friendly approach for degrading various pollutants into non-toxic products (e.g., H2O and CO2) and generating ...fuels from water using solar light. Mainly, traditional photocatalysts (such as metal oxides, sulfides, and nitrides) have shown a promising role in various photocatalysis reactions. However, it faces many bottlenecks, such as a wider band gap, low light absorption nature, photo-corrosion issues, and quick recombination rates. Due to these, a big question arises of whether these traditional photocatalysts can meet increasing energy demand and degrade emerging pollutants in the future. Currently, researchers view heteroanionic materials as a feasible alternative to conventional photocatalysts for future energy generation and water purification techniques due to their superior light absorption capacity, narrower band gap, and improved photo-corrosion resistance. Therefore, this article summarizes the recent developments in heteroanionic materials, their classifications based on anionic presence, their synthesis techniques, and their role in photocatalysis. In the end, we present a few recommendations for improving the photocatalytic performance of future heteroanionic materials.
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