Aluminum‐ion batteries (AIBs) are regarded as viable alternatives to lithium‐ion technology because of their high volumetric capacity, their low cost, and the rich abundance of aluminum. However, ...several serious drawbacks of aqueous systems (passive film formation, hydrogen evolution, anode corrosion, etc.) hinder the large‐scale application of these systems. Thus, nonaqueous AIBs show incomparable advantages for progress in large‐scale electrical energy storage. However, nonaqueous aluminum battery systems are still nascent, and various technical and scientific obstacles to designing AIBs with high capacity and long cycling life have not been resolved until now. Moreover, the aluminum cell is a complex device whose energy density is determined by various parameters, most of which are often ignored, resulting in failure to achieve the maximum performance of the cell. The purpose here is to discuss how to further develop reliable nonaqueous AIBs. First, the current status of nonaqueous AIBs is reviewed based on statistical data from the literature. The influence of parameters on energy density is analyzed, and the current situation and existing problems are summarized. Furthermore, possible solutions and concerns regarding the construction of reliable nonaqueous AIBs are comprehensively discussed. Finally, future research directions and prospects in the aluminum battery field are proposed.
Nonaqueous aluminum‐ion batteries (AIBs) are competitive alternatives for future large‐scale green energy‐storage systems. Based on statistical data from the literature, the state‐of‐the‐art of nonaqueous AIBs is elaborated from the perspectives of material research, cell engineering, and economical and ecological considerations. More importantly, possible solutions and insights regarding the construction of reliable nonaqueous AIBs are comprehensively discussed.
Recent advances and achievements in emerging Li‐X (X = O2, S, Se, Te, I2, Br2) batteries with promising cathode materials open up new opportunities for the development of high‐performance lithium‐ion ...battery alternatives. In this review, we focus on an overview of recent important progress in the design of advanced cathode materials and battery models for developing high‐performance Li‐X (X = O2, S, Se, Te, I2, Br2) batteries. We start with a brief introduction to explain why Li‐X batteries are important for future renewable energy devices. Then, we summarize the existing drawbacks, major progress and emerging challenges in the development of cathode materials for Li‐O2 (S) batteries. In terms of the emerging Li‐X (Se, Te, I2, Br2) batteries, we systematically summarize their advantages/disadvantages and recent progress. Specifically, we review the electrochemical performance of Li‐Se (Te) batteries using carbonate‐/ether‐based electrolytes, made with different electrode fabrication techniques, and of Li‐I2 (Br2) batteries with various cell designs (e.g., dual electrolyte, all‐organic electrolyte, with/without cathode‐flow mode, and fuel cell/solar cell integration). Finally, the perspective on and challenges for the development of cathode materials for the promising Li‐X (X = O2, S, Se, Te, I2, Br2) batteries is presented.
Emerging Li‐X (X = O2, S, Se, Te, I2, Br2) batteries with promising cathode materials open up new opportunities for the development of high‐performance lithium‐ion battery alternatives. Here, an overview of recent important progress in the design of advanced cathode materials and battery models for developing high‐performance Li‐X batteries is presented.
An Euler atmospheric transport model (Canadian Model for Environmental Transport of Organochlorine Pesticides, CanMETOP) was applied and validated to estimate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) ...ambient air concentrations at ground level in China based on a high-resolution emission inventory. The results were used to evaluate lung cancer risk for the Chinese population caused by inhalation exposure to PAHs. The uncertainties of the transport model, exposure, and risk analysis were assessed by using Monte Carlo simulation, taking into consideration the variation in PAH emission, aerosol and OH radical concentrations, dry deposition, respiration rate, and genetic susceptibility. The average benzoapyrene equivalent concentration (BaPeq) was 2.43 almost equal to1.29-4.50 as interquartile range (IR) ng/m³. The population-weighted BaPeq was 7.64 (IR, almost equal to4.05-14.1) ng/m³ because of the spatial overlap of the emissions and population density. It was estimated that 5.8% (IR, almost equal to2.0-11%) of China's land area, where 30% (IR, almost equal to17-43%) of the population lives, exceeded the national ambient BaPeq standard of 10 ng/m³. Taking into consideration the variation in exposure concentration, respiration rate, and susceptibility, the overall population attributable fraction (PAF) for lung cancer caused by inhalation exposure to PAHs was 1.6% (IR, almost equal to0.91-2.6%), corresponding to an excess annual lung cancer incidence rate of 0.65 x 10⁻⁵. Although the spatial variability was high, the lung cancer risk in eastern China was higher than in western China, and populations in major cities had a higher risk of lung cancer than rural areas. An extremely high PAF of >44% was estimated in isolated locations near small-scale coke oven operations.
As a promising material for sodium-ion batteries, molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) affords excellent electrochemical performance owing to its large surface area and the accelerated electron transport ...within individual layers. However, it suffers from slow reaction kinetics and agglomeration owing to low conductivity and high surface energy. In this work, nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber@MoS2 nanosheets arrays with S-vacancies (NC@MoS2-VS) are developed via a process involving electrospining, hydrothermal and annealing. When served as an anode material for SIBs, this material displays a superior capacity of 495 mAh g−1 over 100 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1, and the pseudocapacitive contribution is up to 74.4% as revealed by the cyclic voltammogram (CV) at 1 mV s−1. The theoretical calculations show that the presence of sulfur vacancies facilitates the adsorption of Na+ and enhances the conductivity of MoS2. This work may pave a new avenue to develop other types of metal sulfides for high-performance SIBs.
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into value‐added chemicals provides a promising approach to mitigate climate change caused by CO2 from excess consumption of fossil fuels. As the CO2 molecule is ...chemically inert and the reaction kinetics is sluggish, efficient electrocatalysts are thus highly required for promoting the conversion of CO2. With great efforts devoted to improving the catalytic performance, the development of electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction has gone from bulk metals with poor control to nanostructures with atomic precision. Nanostructured electrocatalysts with atomic precision are believed to be capable of combining the advantages of heterogeneous and homogenous catalysts. In this review, the recent advances in designing nanostructured electrocatalysts at the atomic level for boosting the catalytic performance toward CO2 reduction and revealing the structure–property relationship are summarized. The challenges and opportunities in the near future are also proposed for paving the development of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.
The design of electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction has gone from bulk metals in the early stage to nanostructures with controlled compositions and structures with precision at the atomic level. This review highlights the recent advances in designing nanostructured electrocatalysts at the atomic level for boosting the catalytic performance toward CO2 reduction and revealing the structure–property relationship.
The rapid increase of the CO2 concentration in the Earth's atmosphere has resulted in numerous environmental issues, such as global warming, ocean acidification, melting of the polar ice, rising sea ...level, and extinction of species. To search for suitable and capable catalytic systems for CO2 conversion, electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) holds great promise. Emerging heterogeneous carbon materials have been considered as promising metal‐free electrocatalysts for the CO2RR, owing to their abundant natural resources, tailorable porous structures, resistance to acids and bases, high‐temperature stability, and environmental friendliness. They exhibit remarkable CO2RR properties, including catalytic activity, long durability, and high selectivity. Here, various carbon materials (e.g., carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, diamond, nanoporous carbon, and graphene dots) with heteroatom doping (e.g., N, S, and B) that can be used as metal‐free catalysts for the CO2RR are highlighted. Recent advances regarding the identification of active sites for the CO2RR and the pathway of reduction of CO2 to the final product are comprehensively reviewed. Additionally, the emerging challenges and some perspectives on the development of heteroatom‐doped carbon materials as metal‐free electrocatalysts for the CO2RR are included.
Emerging heterogeneous carbon materials are considered as promising metal‐free electrocatalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) with remarkable catalytic activity, long durability, and high selectivity. Various carbon materials with heteroatom doping as metal‐free catalysts for the CO2RR are highlighted, and recent advances on the identification of active sites for the CO2RR and the pathways for reduction of CO2 to the final product are comprehensively reviewed.
Efficient and selective earth‐abundant catalysts are highly desirable to drive the electrochemical conversion of CO2 into value‐added chemicals. In this work, a low‐cost Sn modified N‐doped carbon ...nanofiber hybrid catalyst is developed for switchable CO2 electroreduction in aqueous medium via a straightforward electrospinning technique coupled with a pyrolysis process. The electrocatalytic performance can be tuned by the structure of Sn species on the N‐doped carbon nanofibers. Sn nanoparticles drive efficient formate formation with a high current density of 11 mA cm−2 and a faradaic efficiency of 62% at a moderate overpotential of 690 mV. Atomically dispersed Sn species promote conversion of CO2 to CO with a high faradaic efficiency of 91% at a low overpotential of 490 mV. The interaction between Sn species and pyridinic‐N may play an important role in tuning the catalytic activity and selectivity of these two materials.
A tunable Sn modified N‐doped carbon nanofiber hybrid catalyst is developed for aqueous CO2 electroreduction. It can efficiently catalyze CO2 to formate or CO by the selective presence of Sn nanoparticles or atoms on the surface of pyridinic‐N doped carbon nanofibers. This work may promote the development of nonprecious electrocatalysts for switchable conversion of CO2 to valuable products.
Following worldwide bans and restrictions on the use of many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from the late 1970s, their regional and global distributions have become governed increasingly by ...phase partitioning between environmental reservoirs, such as air, water, soil, vegetation and ice, where POPs accumulated during the original applications. Presently, further transport occurs within the atmospheric and aquatic reservoirs. Increasing temperatures provide thermodynamic forcing to drive these chemicals out of reservoirs, like soil, vegetation, water and ice, and into the atmosphere where they can be transported rapidly by winds and then recycled among environmental media to reach locations where lower temperatures prevail (e.g., polar regions and high elevations). Global climate change, widely considered as global warming, is also manifested by changes in hydrological systems and in the cryosphere; with the latter now exhibiting widespread loss of ice cover on the Arctic Ocean and thawing of permafrost. All of these changes alter the cycling and fate of POPs. There is abundant evidence from observations and modeling showing that climate variation has an effect on POPs levels in biotic and abiotic environments. This article reviews recent progress in research on the effects of climate change on POPs with the intention of promoting awareness of the importance of interactions between climate and POPs in the geophysical and ecological systems.
•POPs are distributed globally due to their volatility and persistence in the environment.•The environmental fate of POPs are associated strongly with temperature and organic carbon content.•Climate change may alter the stability of POPs and affect their re-cycling between their environmental reservoirs.•Releasing of POPs from their reservoirs accumulated from the past under climate warming may pose potential risks to eco-sensitive environment.•The adverse effect of POPs subject climate warming might be most significant in the Arctic
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