Modular Flow Reactors for Valorization of Kraft Lignin and Low-Voltage Hydrogen Production.

Recent studies have found that green hydrogen production and biomass utilization technologies can be combined to efficiently produce both hydrogen and value-added chemicals using biomass as an electron and proton source. However, the majority of them have been limited to proof-of-concept demonstrations based on batch systems. Here the authors report the design of modular flow systems for the continuous depolymerization and valorization of lignin and low-voltage hydrogen production.

Bias-free solar hydrogen production at 19.8 mA cm using perovskite photocathode and lignocellulosic biomass.

Solar hydrogen production is one of the ultimate technologies needed to realize a carbon-neutral, sustainable society. However, an energy-intensive water oxidation half-reaction together with the poor performance of conventional inorganic photocatalysts have been big hurdles for practical solar hydrogen production. Here we present a photoelectrochemical cell with a record high photocurrent density of 19.

Correlation with the Microstructure and Synergistic Physiochemical Etching Resistance of Nanocomposites under Fluorine-Containing Plasma Conditions.

In the semiconductor fabrication industry, high-power plasma is indispensable to obtain a high aspect ratio of chips. For applications to ceramic components including the dielectric window and ring in the semiconductor etching chamber, the YO ceramics have attracted interest recently based on excellent erosion resistance. When a high bias voltage is applied in a plasma environment containing fluorine gas, both chemical etching and ion bombardment act simultaneously on the ceramic components.

Remarkable plasma-resistance performance by nanocrystalline YO·MgO composite ceramics for semiconductor industry applications.

Motivated by recent finding of crystallographic-orientation-dependent etching behavior of sintered ceramics, the plasma resistance of nanocrystalline YO-MgO composite ceramics (YM) was evaluated for the first time. We report a remarkably high plasma etching resistance of nanostructure YM surpassing the plasma resistance of commercially used transparent YO and MgAlO ceramics. The pore-free YM ceramic with grain sizes of several hundred nm was fabricated by hot press sintering, enabling theoretical maximum densification at low temperature.