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Hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs) can make use of some relatively cheap components due to their alkaline environment, but face the problem of CO2 in the air feed impeding performance. Here, the authors demonstrate a hydrogen-powered shorted electrochemical cell that effectively removes CO2 from air streams for use in HEMFCs.
High-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are promising for heavy-duty vehicle applications, but strides in performance are needed to improve their commercial viability. Here it is demonstrated that protonating phosphonic acid electrodes greatly enhances power density and durability.
There are increasing questions about emissions from unconventional oil and gas exploration, and the impact of such exploration on health outcomes has not been thoroughly studied. Looking at data from 2.5 million wells and more than 15 million medical beneficiaries, Li et al. find an increased mortality risk for beneficiaries downwind of unconventional plays.
The efficiency of perovskite/organic tandem solar cells is limited by losses in the open-circuit voltage and at the interconnecting layer. Now, Chen et al. develop a defect passivation strategy and a thin indium zinc oxide interlayer which lead to an efficiency as high as 23.6%.
To decarbonise the shipping sector, a deeper understanding of the suitability of carbon-neutral fuels is required. Here, the authors assess the techno-economics of a variety of energy carriers in terms of their ability to power the bulk shipping fleet in Europe.
Cycling capability, especially at high rates, is limited for lithium metal batteries. Here the authors report electrolyte solvent design through fine-tuning of molecular structures to address the cyclability issue and unravel the electrolyte structure–property relationship for battery applications.
Integrated models will be needed to capture the cascading effects of climate change through climatic, water, energy and economic systems. Webster et al. now develop a coupled hydrologic–power-production–economic model to estimate water-stress impacts on electricity cost.
Policy effort has been put into pollution reduction from both coal-fired electricity and domestic solid fuel burning in China; however, the former has attracted greater research and funding. Li and colleagues now show that the more toxic pollution from residential combustion may be responsible for greater health impacts than coal electricity.
Most proton exchange membrane fuel cells are designed to operate within a temperature range of a few tens of degrees, but functioning in a broader range of conditions could be advantageous. Here the authors use ultramicroporous, phosphoric acid-doped membranes that allow fuel cell operation from −20 °C to 200 °C.
Intensive research is underway to develop solid-state electrolytes for rechargeable batteries. Here the authors report a family of mixed-metal halospinel electrolytes that exhibits promising properties for high-performance solid-state batteries.