Sputtered Ir–Ru based catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction: Study of iridium effect on stability

Magnetron sputtered low-loading iridium-ruthenium thin films are investigated as catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction at the anode of the Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer. Electrochemical performance of 50 nm thin catalysts (Ir pure, Ir–Ru 1:1, Ir–Ru 1:3, Ru pure) is tested in a Rotating Disk Electrode. Corresponding Tafel slopes are measured before and after the CV-based procedure to compare the activity and stability of prepared compounds. Calculated activities prior to the procedure confirm higher activity of ruthenium-containing catalysts (Ru pure > Ir–Ru 1:3 > Ir–Ru 1:1 > Ir pure). However, after the procedure a higher activity and less degradation of Ir–Ru 1:3 is observed, compared to Ir–Ru 1:1, i.e. the sample with a higher amount of unstable ruthenium performs better. This contradicts the expected behavior of the catalyst. The comprehensive chemical and structural analysis unravels that the stability of Ir–Ru 1:3 sample is connected to RuO₂ chemical state and hcp structure. Obtained results are confirmed by measuring current densities in a single cell.     

Robust optimisation of sustainable food grain transportation with uncertain supply and intentional disruptions

The proliferating need for sustainability intervention in food grain transportation planning is anchoring the attention of researchers in the interests of stakeholders and environment at large. Uncertainty associated with food grain supply further intensifies the problem steering the need for designing robust, cost-efficient and sustainable models. In line with this, this paper aims to develop a robust and sustainable intermodal transportation model to facilitate single type of food grain commodity shipments while considering procurement uncertainty, greenhouse gas emissions, and intentional hub disruption. The problem is designed as a mixed integer non-linear robust optimisation model on a hub and spoke network for evaluating near optimal shipment quantity, route selection and hub location decisions. The robust optimisation approach considers minimisation of total relative regret associated with total cost subject to several real-time constraints. A version of Particle Swarm Optimisation with Differential Evolution is proposed to tackle the resulting NP-hard problem. The model is tested with two other state-of the art meta-heuristics for small, medium, and large datasets subject to different procurement scenarios inspired from real time food grain operations in Indian context. Finally, the solution is evaluated with respect to total cost, model and solution robustness for all instances.     

Industry 4.0: a supply chain innovation perspective

The Fourth Industrial Revolution – also known as Industry 4.0 (i4.0) – comprises the digitalisation of the industrial sector. This paper uses the theoretical lens of supply chain innovation (SCI) to investigate the implications of i4.0 on supply chain management. For these purposes, the method of structured content analysis is applied to more than 200 use cases of i4.0-enabled SCI introduced by both established and startup companies. i4.0-enabled SCI manifests along three dimensions: process, technology, and business architecture. The key findings of this study can be summarised as follows: first, i4.0-enabled SCI extends the initial focus on productivity improvements in SC processes towards scalability and flexibility. Second, extant i4.0 solutions rely mostly on analytics and smart things while omitting smart people technology and the human-centric approach associated with the i4.0 paradigm. Third, established companies adopt i4.0 merely to sustain their existing business architectures while startup companies radically change their operating models, relying heavily on data analytics and the platform economy. Consequently, established companies pursue a problem-driven, engineering-based approach to SCI while startup companies follow an ‘asset-light’, business-driven approach. Lastly, there are two distinct approaches to digitalising operational SC processes: platform-based crowdsourcing of standard processes and on-demand provision of customised services.     

Strategic planning optimization for natural gas to liquid transportation fuel (GTL) systems

A strategic planning optimization model is proposed for a network of natural gas to liquids (GTL) systems, and it is solved using a rolling horizon strategy. The model formulation determines the strategic and tactical decisions of the GTL supply chain over a long time horizon. The decisions to build new GTL refineries may be made over the span of 30 years and their operations cover the span of 60 years. Multiple capacities of GTL refineries (i.e., 1, 5, 10, 50, and 200 thousand barrels per day) that produce gasoline, diesel, and kerosene commensurate to the United States demand ratio may exist in the network. The parameter inputs include the locations, availabilities, and prices of natural gas in the United States discretized by county, the delivery locations of fuel products, and the transportation costs of every input and output of the refinery, defined for each time period. Formulated as a large-scale mixed-integer linear optimization (MILP) model, the problem is solved using a rolling horizon strategy for tractability. Case studies on the state of Pennsylvania are presented for different planning schemes and their impact on the economic performance of the GTL network is discussed.     

Mesoporous g-C3N4 decorated by Ni2P nanoparticles and CdS nanorods together for enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Ni₂P nanoparticles and CdS nanorods were grew together on a mesoporous g-C₃N₄ through a facile in-situ solvothermal approach. Under visible light (λ > 400 nm), the as-prepared ternary PCN–CdS-5% Ni₂P composite displays a high H₂ evolution rate with 2905.86 μmol g^?1 h^?1, which is about 14, 18 and 279 times that of PCN–CdS, PCN–Ni₂P and PCN, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the improved separation efficiency of the photocarriers by the type II PCN–CdS heterojunction and the effective extraction of photogenerated electrons by Ni₂P. Meanwhile, Ni₂P acts as co-catalyst to provide the photocatalytic active site for hydrogen reduction. In addition, PCN–CdS-5% Ni₂P composite exerts good stability in 12-h cycles.     

Distributed ledger technology in supply chains: a transaction cost perspective

With the emergence of distributed ledger technology (DLT), numerous practitioners and researchers have proclaimed its beneficial impact on supply chain transactions in the future. However, the vast majority of DLT initiatives are discontinued after a short period. With the full potential of DLT laying far down the road, especially managers in supply chain management (SCM) seek for short-term cost-saving effects of DLT in order to achieve long-term benefits of DLT in the future. However, the extant research has bypassed grounding long-term as well as short-term effects of DLT on supply chain transaction with empirical data. We address this shortcoming, following an abductive research approach and combining empirical data from a multiple case study design with the corresponding literature. Our study reveals that the effects of DLT on supply chain transactions are two-sided. We found six effects of DLT solutions that have a cost-reducing or cost avoidance impact on supply chain transactions. In addition, we found two effects that change the power distribution between buyers and suppliers in transactions and a single effect that reduces the dependency of supply chain transactions on third parties. While cost-reducing and avoidance as well as dependency-reducing effects are positive effects, the change in power distribution might come with disadvantages. With these findings, the paper provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of DLT on supply chain transactions, which will enable managers to improve their assessment of DLT usage in supply chains.     

极限工况下的管网“互联互通”改进方案

在全国天然气管道“主干互联、区域成网”(以下简称“互联互通”)基础格局逐渐形成的背景下,天然气管网规模日益扩大、管道分支和气源增加,并且分布不集中、输送方向可变,使得输气方案更加灵活,可以更好地解决某些地域的供气紧张问题;但受现有站场和设备的限制,暂不能满足某些多线组合极限工况,使得“互联互通”的初衷难以全部实现。为了使得现有的各输气干线在实现“互联互通”之后可以满足更多的多线组合工况,在分析“互联互通”背景下M管网工况变化的基础上,研发了可以进行水力仿真和压气站方案制订的计算软件,并对3种极限工况下的不同输气量情况进行了可行性试算,进而基于试算结果提出了相应的管网改进建议。研究结果表明:(1)经验证,软件计算误差满足要求;(2)在M管道某处增设压气站或在某些输气站场配置压缩机组;(3) M管网改进调整后,可以完成大部分的多线组合极限工况,真正实现“互联互通”的输气方案。结论认为,该研究成果有助于推进全国天然气管网早日实现“互联互通”。     

亲子乐园空调送风方式的数值模拟研究

大型综合室内亲子乐园属于高大空间,设有游乐设施和游戏的特殊性使得对空间的舒适性要求一致,但是送风气流遇阻严重,室内存在较多气流死角,影响室内空气质量和儿童健康。因此其空调设计不仅需要考虑温度、风速的空间均匀度,还要考虑各点的空气龄和PMV-PPD指标。以天津某亲子乐园为研究对象,利用scSTREAM软件对适用于该房间的辐射供冷加新风、置换通风、混合通风三种空调方式的送风效果进行数值模拟分析,从流场的均匀性、人员的热舒适性等方面对模拟结果进行探讨,研究结果表明辐射供冷加新风方式的空间均匀性和PMV指标最佳,混合通风方式的空气龄最小。