Reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) made of ceria are promising structures used in solar thermochemical redox cycles for splitting CO₂ and H₂O. They feature dual-scale porosity with mm-size pores for effective radiative heat transfer during reduction and µm-size pores within its struts for enhanced kinetics during oxidation. In this work, the detailed 3D digital representation of the complex dual-scale RPC is obtained using synchrotron submicrometer tomography and X-ray microtomography. Total and open porosity, pore size distribution, mean pore diameter, and specific surface area are extracted from the computer tomography (CT) scans. The 3D digital geometry is then applied in direct pore level simulations (DPLS) of Fourier's law within the solid and the fluid phases for the accurate determination of the effective thermal conductivity at each porosity scale and combined, and for fluid-to-solid thermal conductivity from 10 to 1. Results are compared to predictions by analytical models for structures with a wide range of porosities 0.09-0.9 in both the strut's µm-scale and bulk's mm-scale. The morphological properties and effective thermal conductivity determined in this work serve as an input to volume-averaged models for the design and optimization of solar chemical reactors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma7117173 | DOI Listing |
Environ Sci Technol
January 2025
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
Pyrogenic carbons (PCs), with varying structures depending on the materials and thermal treatment conditions, have been extensively used to enhance anaerobic digestion by mediating electron transfer. However, the underlying mechanism has yet to be explored. Herein, the redirection and enhancement of the direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) pathway were evidenced, along with the upregulated electrochemical properties and structural proteins in the methanogenic consortia.
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January 2025
College of Engineering, Applied Science University (ASU), Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
This paper presents an in-depth analytical investigation into the time-dependent flow of a Casson hybrid nanofluid over a radially stretching sheet. The study introduces the effects of magnetic fields and thermal radiation, along with velocity and thermal slip, to model real-world systems for enhancing heat transfer in critical industrial applications. The hybrid nanofluid consists of three nanoparticles-Copper and Graphene Oxide-suspended in Kerosene Oil, selected for their stable and superior thermal properties.
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January 2025
PV Unit, Solar and Space Research Department, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.
The inadequate thermal insulation of the building envelope contributes significantly to the high power consumption of air conditioners in houses. A crucial factor in raising a building's energy efficiency involves utilizing bricks with high thermal resistance. This issue is accompanied by another critical challenge: recycling and disposing of waste in a way that is both economically and environmentally beneficial, including using it to fuel industrial growth, in order to reduce the harmful effects of waste on the environment as waste generation in our societies grows.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
Metal-nonaqueous solution interfaces, a key to many electrochemical technologies, including lithium metal batteries, are much less understood than their aqueous counterparts. Herein, on several metal-nonaqueous solution interfaces, we observe capacitances that are 2 orders of magnitude lower than the usual double-layer capacitance. Combining electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and physical modeling, we ascribe the ultralow capacitance to an interfacial layer of 10-100 nm above the metal surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Thermoelectric (TE) performance in materials is often constrained by the strong coupling between carrier and phonon transport, necessitating trade-offs between electrical and thermal properties that limit improvements in the figure of merit (). Herein, a novel strategy is proposed to achieve simultaneous energy filtering and enhanced phonon scattering, effectively optimizing the TE properties of CoSb-based skutterudites. By introducing CuTe nanoprecipitates into the YbCoSb matrix, interfacial barriers are formed, which selectively filter low-energy charge carriers, significantly improving the Seebeck coefficient while maintaining high carrier mobility.
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