Bridging the performance gap of the electrocatalyst between the rotating disk electrode(RDE) and membrane electrode assembly(MEA) level testing is the key to reducing the total cost of proton exchange membrane fuel ce...Bridging the performance gap of the electrocatalyst between the rotating disk electrode(RDE) and membrane electrode assembly(MEA) level testing is the key to reducing the total cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) vehicles. Presently, platinum metal accounts for ~42% of the total cost of the PEMFC vehicles for usage in the cathode catalyst layer, where the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) occurs. An alternative to the platinum catalyst, the Fe-N-C catalyst has attracted considerable interest for PEMFC due to its cost-effectiveness and high catalytic activity towards ORR. However, the excellent ORR activity of Fe-N-C obtained from RDE studies rarely translates the same performance into MEA operating conditions. Such a performance gap is mainly attributed to the lack of atomic-level understanding of Fe-N-C active sites and their ORR mechanism. Besides, unless the cost of expensive electrocatalyst is reduced, the total operation cost of the PEMFC vehicles remains constant. Therefore,developing highly efficient Fe-N-C catalysts from academic and industrial perspectives is critical for commercializing PEMFC vehicles. Here, the scope of the review is three-fold. First, we discussed the atomiclevel insights of Fe-N-C active sites and ORR mechanism, followed by unraveling the different iron-based nanostructured ORR electrocatalysts, including oxide, carbide, nitride, phosphide, sulfide, and singleatom catalysts. And then we bridged their ORR catalytic performance gap between the RDE and MEA tests for real operating conditions of PEMFC vehicles. Second, we focused on bridging the cost barriers of PEMFC vehicles between capital, operation, and end-user. Finally, we provided the path to achieve sustainable development goals by commercializing PEMFC vehicles for a better world.展开更多
The term 'Satoyama' refers to traditional and unique secondary forests in Japan that occupy intermediate zones between villages ('sato') and hills or mountains ('yama'). Satoyama landscapes hel...The term 'Satoyama' refers to traditional and unique secondary forests in Japan that occupy intermediate zones between villages ('sato') and hills or mountains ('yama'). Satoyama landscapes help sustain ecosystem services and the diversity of secondary natural environments. As Japan relies more heavily on foreign timber imports, the traditional role of Satoyama in providing forest products has diminished, and this has led to their abandonment and poor management. The chemical behavior of cations, anions, and dissolved organic matter in throughfall and stemflow from one such threatened Satoyama system in central Japan was investigated. From autumn to winter, the atmospheric deposition of sulfates and nitrates was 2.5–6.0 times higher compared to the amounts in summer due to the intrusion of air masses from the Asian continent. The dissolved organic matter in the throughfall and stemflow was composed mainly of humic substances and protein derivatives. The deposition fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from throughfall (7.31–10.1 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) and stemflow (1.79–3.84 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) in this study were within ranges seen in temperate forests in previous studies. The deposition flux of sulfates was low compared to that in other forest types because canopy interaction was lower, suggesting higher canopy openness than in primary forests. If a shift from a mixed species Satoyama forest to a conifer-dominated forest occurs after the mass mortality of oak, the deposition flux of dissolved organic carbon and K^(+) might decrease by 33% and 62%, respectively, while NO_(3)^(−) might increase by 20%. In the near future, the degradation of Satoyama landscapes might change the levels of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen loads, resulting in imbalances in river-ocean linkages affecting forested catchments and aquatic ecosystems in Japan.展开更多
The global energy system needs a revolutionary transition from today’s fossil fuel to a low carbon energy system by having deep carbonization in all energy demand sectors.Especially in the transport sector,fossil fue...The global energy system needs a revolutionary transition from today’s fossil fuel to a low carbon energy system by having deep carbonization in all energy demand sectors.Especially in the transport sector,fossil fuel-based vehicles contribute to a more massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions(GHG),mainly carbon dioxide(CO_(2))and particulate matter(PM2.5),affecting human health,society,and the climate system.Hydrogen and fuel cell technology is a promising low carbon transition pathway that supports GHG mitigation and achieves sustainable development.Although hydrogen and fuel cells are assuring,fuel cell vehicle expensiveness and the high cost of hydrogen production with the low carbon footprint are significant hindrances for its widespread deployment.Besides the situation above,the present corona virus(COVID-19)has devastated our global economy and ramps down the future of fossil fuel.It provides opportunities to rethink and reshape our energy system to a low carbon footprint.By utilizing the situation,governments and policymakers need to eliminate fossil fuel and invest in the hydrogen and fuel cell technologies deployment as future energy systems.This review article provides a technical overview of a low carbon energy system,production,and end-use service in a hydrogen economy perspective for developing a sustainable energy future.The techno-economic analysis of the different hydrogen production routines and fuel cell vehicles and their infrastructures are primarily focused.Finally,a long-term policy alignment was outlined to advance the hydrogen energy system for post-COVID-19 in the United Nation’s(UN)sustainable development goals framework.展开更多
基金the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundations of China (21374008)the Beijing Forbidden City Scholarship (2018420021)。
文摘Bridging the performance gap of the electrocatalyst between the rotating disk electrode(RDE) and membrane electrode assembly(MEA) level testing is the key to reducing the total cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) vehicles. Presently, platinum metal accounts for ~42% of the total cost of the PEMFC vehicles for usage in the cathode catalyst layer, where the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) occurs. An alternative to the platinum catalyst, the Fe-N-C catalyst has attracted considerable interest for PEMFC due to its cost-effectiveness and high catalytic activity towards ORR. However, the excellent ORR activity of Fe-N-C obtained from RDE studies rarely translates the same performance into MEA operating conditions. Such a performance gap is mainly attributed to the lack of atomic-level understanding of Fe-N-C active sites and their ORR mechanism. Besides, unless the cost of expensive electrocatalyst is reduced, the total operation cost of the PEMFC vehicles remains constant. Therefore,developing highly efficient Fe-N-C catalysts from academic and industrial perspectives is critical for commercializing PEMFC vehicles. Here, the scope of the review is three-fold. First, we discussed the atomiclevel insights of Fe-N-C active sites and ORR mechanism, followed by unraveling the different iron-based nanostructured ORR electrocatalysts, including oxide, carbide, nitride, phosphide, sulfide, and singleatom catalysts. And then we bridged their ORR catalytic performance gap between the RDE and MEA tests for real operating conditions of PEMFC vehicles. Second, we focused on bridging the cost barriers of PEMFC vehicles between capital, operation, and end-user. Finally, we provided the path to achieve sustainable development goals by commercializing PEMFC vehicles for a better world.
基金This study was supported in part by the Super Science High School Program(3036)provided by the Japan Science and Technology Agency。
文摘The term 'Satoyama' refers to traditional and unique secondary forests in Japan that occupy intermediate zones between villages ('sato') and hills or mountains ('yama'). Satoyama landscapes help sustain ecosystem services and the diversity of secondary natural environments. As Japan relies more heavily on foreign timber imports, the traditional role of Satoyama in providing forest products has diminished, and this has led to their abandonment and poor management. The chemical behavior of cations, anions, and dissolved organic matter in throughfall and stemflow from one such threatened Satoyama system in central Japan was investigated. From autumn to winter, the atmospheric deposition of sulfates and nitrates was 2.5–6.0 times higher compared to the amounts in summer due to the intrusion of air masses from the Asian continent. The dissolved organic matter in the throughfall and stemflow was composed mainly of humic substances and protein derivatives. The deposition fluxes of dissolved organic carbon from throughfall (7.31–10.1 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) and stemflow (1.79–3.84 g m^(−2) a^(−1)) in this study were within ranges seen in temperate forests in previous studies. The deposition flux of sulfates was low compared to that in other forest types because canopy interaction was lower, suggesting higher canopy openness than in primary forests. If a shift from a mixed species Satoyama forest to a conifer-dominated forest occurs after the mass mortality of oak, the deposition flux of dissolved organic carbon and K^(+) might decrease by 33% and 62%, respectively, while NO_(3)^(−) might increase by 20%. In the near future, the degradation of Satoyama landscapes might change the levels of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen loads, resulting in imbalances in river-ocean linkages affecting forested catchments and aquatic ecosystems in Japan.
基金the financial support from the Beijing Forbidden City scholarship(2018420021)。
文摘The global energy system needs a revolutionary transition from today’s fossil fuel to a low carbon energy system by having deep carbonization in all energy demand sectors.Especially in the transport sector,fossil fuel-based vehicles contribute to a more massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions(GHG),mainly carbon dioxide(CO_(2))and particulate matter(PM2.5),affecting human health,society,and the climate system.Hydrogen and fuel cell technology is a promising low carbon transition pathway that supports GHG mitigation and achieves sustainable development.Although hydrogen and fuel cells are assuring,fuel cell vehicle expensiveness and the high cost of hydrogen production with the low carbon footprint are significant hindrances for its widespread deployment.Besides the situation above,the present corona virus(COVID-19)has devastated our global economy and ramps down the future of fossil fuel.It provides opportunities to rethink and reshape our energy system to a low carbon footprint.By utilizing the situation,governments and policymakers need to eliminate fossil fuel and invest in the hydrogen and fuel cell technologies deployment as future energy systems.This review article provides a technical overview of a low carbon energy system,production,and end-use service in a hydrogen economy perspective for developing a sustainable energy future.The techno-economic analysis of the different hydrogen production routines and fuel cell vehicles and their infrastructures are primarily focused.Finally,a long-term policy alignment was outlined to advance the hydrogen energy system for post-COVID-19 in the United Nation’s(UN)sustainable development goals framework.