Publications by authors named "P A Shearing"
High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) offer solutions to challenges intrinsic to low-temperature PEMFCs, such as complex water management, fuel inflexibility, and thermal integration. However, they are hindered by phosphoric acid (PA) leaching and catalyst migration, which destabilize the critical three-phase interface within the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). This study presents an innovative approach to enhance HT-PEMFC performance through membrane modification using picosecond laser scribing, which optimises the three-phase interface by forming a graphene-like structure that mitigates PA leaching.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeparation processes are substantially more difficult when the species to be separated is highly dilute. To perform any dilute separation, thermodynamic and kinetic limitations must be overcome. Here we report a molten-carbonate membrane that can 'pump' CO from a 400 ppm input stream (representative of air) to an output stream with a higher concentration of CO, by exploiting ambient energy in the form of a humidity difference.
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- Laboratory-based x-ray microscopes can utilize intensity-modulation masks to achieve sub-micron imaging in the dark field contrast channel while still maintaining micron-level resolution in refraction and attenuation channels.
- These channels allow for high-resolution, multi-modal imaging by highlighting features smaller than the system resolution, and their effectiveness depends on the relationship between feature size and aperture size.
- The study proposes a model to connect measured signals with the microscopic properties of samples and showcases practical applications, including imaging collagen in cartilage and dendritic growth in lithium batteries.
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- Spatially selective vagus nerve stimulation (sVNS) shows potential for improving treatment for heart disease by targeting specific nerve fibers to minimize side effects.
- Research on pigs found that cardiac afferent and efferent fibers are significantly separated in the vagus nerve, allowing for more precise neuromodulation during sVNS.
- This understanding may lead to more effective treatments that can reduce heart rates without triggering unwanted reflexes, making sVNS a valuable option for managing heart disease.
Aqueous zinc (Zn) iodine (I) batteries have emerged as viable alternatives to conventional metal-ion batteries. However, undesirable Zn deposition and irreversible iodine conversion during cycling have impeded their progress. To overcome these concerns, we report a dynamical interface design by cation chemistry that improves the reversibility of Zn deposition and four-electron iodine conversion.
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