Recent progress of electrocatalysts for hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Due to stringent environmental regulations and the limited resources of fossil-based fuels, there is an urgent demand for clean and eco-friendly energy conversion devices. These criteria appear to be met by hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). PEMFCs have attracted tremendous attention on account of their excellent performance with tunable operability and good portability. Nonetheless, their practical applications are hugely influenced by the scarcity and high cost of platinum (Pt) used as electrocatalysts at both cathode and anode. Pt is also susceptible to easy catalyst poisoning. Herein, this paper reviews the progress of the research regarding the development of electrocatalysts practically used in hydrogen PEMFCs, where the corner-stone reactions are cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and anodic hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). To reduce the costs of PEMFCs, lessening or eliminating the use of Pt is of prime importance. For current and forthcoming laboratory/large-scale PEMFCs, there is much interest in developing substitute catalysts based on cheaper materials. As such are non-platinum (non-Pt), non-platinum group metals (non-PGMs), metal oxides, and non-metal electrocatalysts. Hence, high-performance, state-of-the-art, and novel structured electrocatalysts as replacements for Pt are needed.     

Comb-shaped sulfonated poly(aryl ether sulfone) proton exchange membrane for fuel cell applications

Structure design is the primary strategy to acquire suitable ionomers for preparing proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with excellent performance. A series of comb-shaped sulfonated fluorinated poly(aryl ether sulfone) (SPFAES) membranes are prepared from sulfonated fluorinated poly(aryl ether sulfone) polymer (SPFAE) and sulfonated poly(aryl ether sulfone) oligomer (SPAES-Oligomer). Chemical structures of the comb-shaped membranes are verified by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The comb-shaped SPFAES membranes display more continuous hydrophilic domains for ion transfer, because the abundant cations and flexible side-chains structure possess higher mobility and hydrophilicity, which show significantly improved proton conductivity, physicochemical stability, mechanical property compared to the linear SPFAE membranes. In a H₂/O₂ single-cell test, the SPFAES-1.77 membrane achieves a higher power density of 699.3 mW/cm² in comparison with Nafion® 112 (618.0 mW/cm²) at 80 °C and 100% relative humidity. This work offers a promising example for the synthesis of highly branched polymers with flexible comb-shaped side chains for high-performance PEMs.     

Economic competitiveness of compact steam methane reforming technology for on-site hydrogen supply: A Foshan case study

On-site hydrogen production through steam-methane reforming (SMR) from city gas or natural gas is believed to be a cost-effective way for hydrogen-based infrastructure due to high cost of hydrogen transportation. In recent years, there have been a lot of on-site hydrogen fueling stations under design or construction in China. This study introduces current developments and technology prospects of skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator. Also, technical solutions and economic analysis are discussed based on China's first on-site hydrogen fueling station project in Foshan. The cost of hydrogen product from skid-mounted SMR hydrogen generator is about 23 CNY/kg with 3.24 CNY/Nm³ natural gas. If hydrogen price is 60 CNY/kg, IRR of on-site hydrogen fueling station project reaches to 10.8%. While natural gas price fall to 2.3 CNY/Nm³, the hydrogen cost can be reduced to 18 CNY/kg, and IRR can be raised to 13.1%. The conclusion is that skid-mounted SMR technology has matured and is developing towards more compact and intelligent design, and will be a promising way for hydrogen fueling infrastructures in near future.     

Experimental research on combined effect of obstacle and local spraying water fog on hydrogen/air premixed explosion

In order to reveal the mechanism of water fog explosion suppression and research the combined effect of water fog and obstacle on hydrogen/air deflagration, multiple sets of experiments were set up. The results show that the instability of thermal diffusion under lean combustion conditions is the main influencing factor of hydrogen/air flame surface instability, and the existence of water fog will aggravate the hydrogen/air flame surface instability. When obstacle is not considered, 8 μm, 15 μm, 30 μm water fog can significantly reduce the flame velocity and explosion overpressure of hydrogen/air, 45 μm fine water fog plays the opposite role. When considering the relative position of the water fog release position and the obstacle, the 8 μm, 15 μm, 30 μm water fog has almost no suppression effect when released near the obstacle, but a significant suppression effect occur, when using the 45 μm water fog. In the field of theoretical research, the research results not only provide an experimental basis for the fine water fog to reduce the consequences of hydrogen explosion accidents, and the optimal diameter range used by the water fog, but also provide experimental reference for the numerical simulation of hydrogen/air explosion suppression in semi-open space, and promote the development of hydrogen explosion suppression theory. In terms of engineering applications, this study can provide a theoretical basis for the layout of fire fighting equipment in the engine room of nuclear power plants or hydrogen-powered ships.     

用于电弧检测的电力专用SoC设计

针对传统的电弧电路故障检测结果不准确的问题,设计用于电弧检测的SoC系统,并且在55nm工艺下进行流片验证。采用包含两种结构的模数转换器的片上电压源,设计了锁相环以及复位电路,精度最高可达8.67 bit。验证结果表明,本设计可提高电弧检测的准确性。     

Inhibitory effects of curcumin and piperine on fluorescent advanced glycation end products formation in a bovine serum albumin–fructose model

This study investigated the inhibitory effects of curcumin and piperine on fluorescent advanced glycation end products (fAGEs) formation in a bovine serum albumin (BSA)–fructose model. Model systems of BSA and fructose were prepared, and curcumin or piperine was added. fAGEs and BSA oxidation product (dityrosine, kynurenine and N'-formylkynurenine) contents were determined. The results showed that fAGEs content decreased with increasing concentration of curcumin and piperine (P < 0.05). Addition of curcumin and piperine at 160 µg mL⁻¹ could inhibit fluorescent AGEs by 100% and 93% respectively. Dityrosine and N'-formylkynurenine contents decreased as curcumin and piperine concentration increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the result of principal component analysis indicated that curcumin and piperine markedly impeded BSA oxidation, resulting in a lower level of fAGEs in model systems. Therefore, adding curcumin and piperine may facilitate reduced fAGEs levels in BSA–fructose model.     

Ion migration behavior and its interaction with sintering environment in cation conductor during flash sintering

Flash sintering has been reported in various ceramics. Nevertheless, anion and cation conductors exhibit different flash-sintering behaviors, and the interaction mechanism between the conductive species and the sintering environment has remained unclear. Herein, we report the flash-sintering phenomena of a typical cation conductor, Na₃Zr₂(SiO₄)₂(PO₄) with anode region surrounded by air and NaNO₃ environments. The results prove that the ionic behavior and joule heating distribution can be controlled by changing the electrode environment. Four possible scenarios describing the ion migration behavior and interaction with the environment are proposed for providing a guidance for controlling the ion interaction behavior during flash sintering.     

Numerical simulation of water and heat transport in the cathode channel of a PEM fuel cell

Cathode channel of a PEM fuel cell is the critical domain for the transport of water and heat. In this study, a mathematical model of water and heat transport in the cathode channel is established by considering two-phase flow of water and air as well as the phase change between water and vapor. The transport process of the species of air is governed by the convection-diffusion equation. The VOSET (coupled volume-of-fluid and level set method) method is used to track the interface between air and water, and the phase equilibrium method of water and vapor is employed to calculate the mass transfer rate on the two-phase interface. The present model is validated against the results in the literature, then applied to investigate the characteristics of two-phase flow and heat transfer in the cathode channel. The results indicate that in the inlet section, water droplets experience three evolution stages: the growing stage, the coalescence stage and the generation stage of dispersed water drops. However, in the middle and outlet sections of the channel, there are only two stages: the growth of water droplets, and the formation of a water film. The mass transfer rate of phase change in the inlet section of the channel varies over time, exhibiting an initial increase, a decrease followed, and a stabilization finally, with the maximum and stable values of 1.78 × 10^?4 kg/s and 1.52 × 10^?4 kg/s for Part 1, respectively. In the middle and outlet sections, the mass transfer rate increase firstly and then keeps stable gradually. Furthermore, regarding the distribution of the temperature and vapor mass fraction in the channel, near the upper surface of the channel, the temperature and vapor mass fraction first change slightly (x < 0.03 m) and then rapidly decrease with fluctuations (x > 0.03 m). In the middle of the channel, the temperature and vapor mass fraction slowly decrease with fluctuation.     

基于特征建模的TDD系统大气波导干扰控制体系研究

大气波导干扰是特定气象条件下发生的时分双工（time-division duplex，TDD）系统内干扰，是TDD移动通信系统大规模组网面临的顽疾。在总结分析大气波导干扰成因和分类等的基础上，对大气波导干扰进行建模和表征，验证了海量干扰源在时域和频域的功率集总特征，并结合大量4G/5G现网实测数据给出了典型条件下内陆波导和海面波导的量化干扰信号传播模型，对于干扰的预测和预防具有重要意义。基于干扰特征，给出了TDD系统预防大气波导干扰的帧结构与组网的4项设计原则，5G现网数据表明干扰控制方案有效，上行干扰下降10 dB以上，相关原则对于6G系统的设计也具有指导意义。