Humidity Driven Transition from Insulator to Ionic Conductor in Portland Cement.

This work aims to assess ionic conduction in anhydrous cement particles and hydrated cement pastes with aging periods of 5-25 days. When a cement sample was humidified (relative humidity = 100%) over the range of 50-100 °C, it exhibited bulk conductivities of 10-10 S cm, regardless of the hydration level, whereas the interfacial conductivities varied in the range of 10-10 S cm, depending on the structural defects or conduction pathways of the sample. Both the bulk and interfacial conductivities were increased to 0.

Fuel cell and electrolyzer using plastic waste directly as fuel.

The effective utilization of plastic waste, including its use as an energy or chemical resource, has attracted much attention. Nevertheless, energy recovery from plastics via incineration generates air pollutants and toxic compounds, while chemical conversion requires significant energy inputs, especially in the case of gasification. Herein, we report the electrochemical conversion of plastics into electricity or hydrogen without the use of special procedures.

Kinetically driven switching and memory phenomena at the interface between a proton-conductive electrolyte and a titanium electrode.

Numerous studies have examined the switching properties of semi- or ion-conductors and isolators; however, most of these have focused on the ohmic resistance characteristics. Here, we report a new type of polarity-dependent switching phenomenon obtained for electrical devices with the configuration: metal working electrode│Si0.97Al0.

Rechargeable Metal-Air Proton-Exchange Membrane Batteries for Renewable Energy Storage.

Rechargeable proton-exchange membrane batteries that employ organic chemical hydrides as hydrogen-storage media have the potential to serve as next-generation power sources; however, significant challenges remain regarding the improvement of the reversible hydrogen-storage capacity. Here, we address this challenge through the use of metal-ion redox couples as energy carriers for battery operation. Carbon, with a suitable degree of crystallinity and surface oxygenation, was used as an effective anode material for the metal redox reactions.

High-temperature supercapacitor with a proton-conducting metal pyrophosphate electrolyte.

Expanding the range of supercapacitor operation to temperatures above 100 °C is important because this would enable capacitors to operate under the severe conditions required for next-generation energy storage devices. In this study, we address this challenge by the fabrication of a solid-state supercapacitor with a proton-conducting Sn(0.95)Al(0.

Randomised controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of wrap therapy for wound healing acceleration in patients with NPUAP stage II and III pressure ulcer.

Objectives To evaluate if 'wrap therapy' using food wraps, which is widely used in Japanese clinical sites, is not inferior when compared to guideline adhesion treatments. Design Multicentre, prospective, randomised, open, blinded endpoint clinical trial. Setting 15 hospitals in Japan.