Organic ionic plastic crystals having colossal barocaloric effects for sustainable refrigeration.

Barocaloric (BC) materials offer the potential for highly energy-efficient refrigeration by generating heat absorption through the effect of pressure on a solid-solid phase transition. However, very few of the known materials have the required phase transition in the temperature regions necessary for domestic refrigeration or air conditioning. We introduce organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) as a new family of BC materials.

Trimodal thermal energy storage material for renewable energy applications.

The global aim to move away from fossil fuels requires efficient, inexpensive and sustainable energy storage to fully use renewable energy sources. Thermal energy storage materials in combination with a Carnot battery could revolutionize the energy storage sector. However, a lack of stable, inexpensive and energy-dense thermal energy storage materials impedes the advancement of this technology.

A novel flame-retardant lithium fluoroborate salt for LNMO-graphite-based Li-ion batteries.

A novel lithium salt (lithium di-fluoro di-nonafluoro--butoxy borate) shows high solubility (>1 M) and flame-retardant properties in an electrolyte solution with conventional carbonate solvents as well as stable cycling in a high-voltage (4.8 V) LiNiMnO-graphite based lithium-ion battery.

Unexpected Energy Applications of Ionic Liquids.

Ionic liquids and their various analogues are without doubt the scientific sensation of the last few decades, paving the way to a more sustainable society. Their versatile suite of properties, originating from an almost inconceivably large number of possible cation and anion combinations, allows tuning of the structure to serve a desired purpose. Ionic liquids hence offer a myriad of useful applications from solvents to catalysts, through to lubricants, gas absorbers, and azeotrope breakers.

Advanced Electrolyte Formula for Robust Operation of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries at Elevated Temperatures.

Insufficient thermal stability of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) electrolytes at elevated temperatures (>40 °C) remains a challenge in the development and commercialization of this technology, which otherwise presents a broad range of technological advantages for the long-term storage of intermittent renewable energy. Herein, a new concept of combined additives is presented, which significantly increases thermal stability of the battery, enabling safe operation to the highest temperature (50 °C) tested to date. This is achieved by combining two chemically distinct additives-inorganic ammonium phosphate and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactant, which collectively decelerate both protonation and agglomeration of the oxo-vanadium species in solution and thereby significantly suppress detrimental formation of precipitates.

Preface to Special Issue on Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis.

In this Editorial, Guest Editors Douglas R. MacFarlane, Egill Skúlason, Hideo Hosono and Minhua Shao discuss the newly emerging field of electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) in the Special Issue of ChemSusChem on Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis.

Fluoroborate ionic liquids as sodium battery electrolytes.

High-voltage sodium batteries are an appealing solution for economical energy storage applications. Currently available electrolyte materials have seen limited success in such applications therefore the identification of high-performing and safer alternatives is urgently required. Herein we synthesise six novel ionic liquids derived from two fluoroborate anions which have shown great promise in recent battery literature.

Probing the molecular interactions between cholinium-based ionic liquids and insulin aspart: A combined computational and experimental study.

Despite extensive studies revealing the potential of cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) in protein stabilization, the nature of interaction between ILs' constituents and protein residues is not well understood. In this work, we used a combined computational and experimental approach to investigate the structural stability of a peptide hormone, insulin aspart (IA), in ILs containing a choline cation [Ch] and either dihydrogen phosphate ([Dhp]) or acetate ([Ace]) as anions. Although IA remained stable in both 1 M [Ch][Dhp] and 1 M [Ch][Ace], [Dhp] exhibited a much stronger stabilization effect than [Ace].

Biorenewable Calcite as an Inorganic Filler in Ionic Liquid Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors play a crucial role in the global shift toward cleaner, renewable energy and away from fossil fuels. Ionic liquid electrolytes have a larger electrochemical window than some organic electrolytes and have been mixed with various polymers to make ionic liquid gel polymer electrolytes (ILGPEs), a solid-state electrolyte and separator combination. One way to improve the conductivity of these electrolytes is to add inorganic materials such as ceramics and zeolites to increase their ionic conductivity.

Concluding remarks: Sustainable nitrogen activation - are we there yet?

The activation of dinitrogen as a fundamental step in reactions to produce nitrogen compounds, including ammonia and nitrates, has a cornerstone role in chemistry. Bringing together research from disparate fields where this can be achieved sustainably, this seeks to build connections between approaches that can stimulate further advances. In this paper we set out to provide an overview of these different approaches and their commonalities.

Phase Change Materials for Renewable Energy Storage at Intermediate Temperatures.

Thermal energy storage technologies utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) that melt in the intermediate temperature range, between 100 and 220 °C, have the potential to mitigate the intermittency issues of wind and solar energy. This technology can take thermal or electrical energy from renewable sources and store it in the form of heat. This is of particular utility when the end use of the energy is also as heat.

A Survey of Catalytic Materials for Ammonia Electrooxidation to Nitrite and Nitrate.

Studies of the ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) for the synthesis of nitrite and nitrate (NO ) have been limited to a small number of catalytic materials, majorly Pt based. As the demand for nitrate-based products such as fertilisers continues to grow, exploration of alternative catalysts is needed. Herein, 19 metals immobilised as particles on carbon fibre electrodes were tested for their catalytic activity for the ammonia electrooxidation to NO under alkaline conditions (0.

High-Performance Magnesium Electrochemical Cycling with Hybrid Mg-Li Electrolytes.

Kinetics and coulombic efficiency of the electrochemical magnesium plating and stripping processes are to a significant extent defined by the composition of the electrolyte solution, optimization of which presents a pathway for improved performance. Adopting this strategy, we undertook a systematic investigation of the Mg process in different combinations of the Mg-Li-borohydride-bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (TFSI) electrolytes in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) solvent. Results indicate that the presence of BH is essential for high coulombic efficiency, which coordination to Mg was confirmed by Raman and NMR spectroscopic analysis.

Metallic Inverse Opal Frameworks as Catalyst Supports for High-Performance Water Electrooxidation.

High intrinsic activity of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is often limited by their low electrical conductivity. To address this, we introduce copper inverse opal (IO) frameworks offering a well-developed network of interconnected pores as highly conductive high-surface-area supports for thin catalytic coatings, for example, the extremely active but poorly conducting nickel-iron layered double hydroxides (NiFe LDH). Such composites exhibit significantly higher OER activity in 1 m KOH than NiFe LDH supported on a flat substrate or deposited as inverse opals.

Electroreduction of nitrogen with almost 100% current-to-ammonia efficiency.

In addition to its use in the fertilizer and chemical industries, ammonia is currently seen as a potential replacement for carbon-based fuels and as a carrier for worldwide transportation of renewable energy. Implementation of this vision requires transformation of the existing fossil-fuel-based technology for NH production to a simpler, scale-flexible technology, such as the electrochemical lithium-mediated nitrogen-reduction reaction. This provides a genuine pathway from N to ammonia, but it is currently hampered by limited yield rates and low efficiencies.

Nanoscale TiO Coatings Improve the Stability of an Earth-Abundant Cobalt Oxide Catalyst during Acidic Water Oxidation.

The large-scale deployment of proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers for high-throughput sustainable hydrogen production requires transition from precious noble metal anode electrocatalysts to low-cost earth-abundant materials. However, such materials are commonly insufficiently stable and/or catalytically inactive at low pH, and positive potentials required to maintain high rates of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). To address this, we explore the effects of a dielectric nanoscale-thin layer, constituted of amorphous TiO, on the stability and electrocatalytic activity of nanostructured OER anodes based on low-cost CoO.

Doping Engineering of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Nitrogen Compounds Using Basicity and Alignment.

Charge transport properties in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be significantly modified through doping, tuning their electrical and thermoelectric properties. In our study, we used more than 40 nitrogen-bearing compounds as dopants and determined their impact on the material's electrical conductivity. The application of nitrogen compounds of diverse structures and electronic configurations enabled us to determine how the dopant nature affects the SWCNTs.

Enhanced structural stability of insulin aspart in cholinium aminoate ionic liquids.

Cholinium aminoates [Ch][AA] have gained tremendous interest as a promising ionic liquid medium for the synthesis and storage of proteins. However, high alkalinity of [Ch][AA] limits its usage with pH-sensitive proteins. Here, we probed the structure, stability, and interactions of a highly unstable therapeutic protein, insulin aspart (IA), in a range of buffered [Ch][AA] (b-[Ch][AA]) using a combination of biophysical tools and in silico pipeline including ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopies, dynamic light scattering measurements and molecular docking.

Study of Proton Transport in Diethylmethylammonium Poly[4-styrenesulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide]-Based Composite Membranes with Triflic Acid and Diethylmethylamine-Rich Compositions.

The study highlights the effect of acid- and base-rich conditions on the proton dynamics of diethylmethylammonium poly[4-styrenesulfonyl(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [DEMA][PSTFSI], a polymerized protic ionic liquid designed as a polymer electrolyte for nonhumidified polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Different proportions of triflic acid (HTf) and diethylmethylamine (DEMA) were added to the pristine polymer. The thermal analysis of the mixtures revealed that the addition of the base increases the glassy/amorphous nature of the polymer; however, HTf plasticizes the polymer and lowers the value, so that it falls outside of the differential scanning calorimetry-studied temperature range.

A solution scan of societal options to reduce transmission and spread of respiratory viruses: SARS-CoV-2 as a case study.

Societal biosecurity - measures built into everyday society to minimize risks from pests and diseases - is an important aspect of managing epidemics and pandemics. We aimed to identify societal options for reducing the transmission and spread of respiratory viruses. We used SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) as a case study to meet the immediate need to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually transition to more normal societal conditions, and to catalog options for managing similar pandemics in the future.

Copper-Catalyzed Electrosynthesis of Nitrite and Nitrate from Ammonia: Tuning the Selectivity via an Interplay Between Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of ammonia is an appealing, low-temperature process for the sustainable production of nitrites and nitrates that avoids the formation of pernicious N O and can be fully powered by renewable electricity. Currently, however, the number of known efficient catalysts for such a reaction is limited. The present work demonstrates that copper-based electrodes exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for the NH oxidation to NO and NO in alkaline solutions.

High-capacity and high-rate Ni-Fe batteries based on mesostructured quaternary carbon/Fe/FeO/FeO hybrid material.

The Ni-Fe battery is a promising alternative to lithium ion batteries due to its long life, high reliability, and eco-friendly characteristics. However, passivation and self-discharge of the iron anode are the two main issues. Here, we demonstrate that controlling the valence state of the iron and coupling with carbon can solve these problems.