Fuel Cells and Hydrogen

This mini-review provides a focused overview of configuration-dependent and multi-parameter optimization in biomass gasification systems. Rather than broadly summarizing biomass gasification, it examines how key operating variables, including temperature, equivalence ratio, and steam-to-biomass ratio, interact across different gasifier configurations and influence syngas composition, tar formation, and process efficiency. Major reactor types, including fixed-bed, fluidized-bed, dual fluidized-bed, entrained-flow, and supercritical water gasifiers, show different sensitivities to these parameters because of differences in hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and reaction environments. Based on a comparative assessment of recent studies, the review discusses configuration-specific trends, parameter trade-offs, and the limited transferability of operating conditions between systems. Emerging data-driven approaches, including computational fluid dynamics, machine learning, and hybrid modeling, are also considered in the context of multi-parameter optimization. Although these approaches have shown potential for improving hydrogen yield, carbon conversion, and cold-gas efficiency, their current limitations related to data availability, model generalizability, and industrial implementation are also discussed. Overall, the review indicates a gradual shift from fixed operating windows toward more adaptive and condition-responsive gasification strategies. Future research needs include improved data consistency, integrated multi-parameter optimization, real-time process monitoring, and further evaluation of AI-assisted approaches for scalable biomass gasification systems.

The digital ecosystem’s steady state is characterized by sophisticated operational dynamics, interrelationships, and disruption scenarios which need to be employed. The complexity and fluidity of an organization’s operations have increased over time leading to the need for developed enterprise systems architectures. This study presents a multi-agent system (MAS) architecture framework for modeling, stress-testing and measuring the stability of distributed enterprise architectures. MAS aids in providing realistic architectural views by allowing mapping of services, data processes and control elements to self-forming software units called agents. The framework captures emerging from local failures, communication delays or breakdowns. It facilitates the realization of multiple architectural styles including microservices, service oriented and event driven architectures or topologies and allows them to be compared under various levels of disruptions. Architectural resilience is quantified by measuring performance indicators like Mean Time To Recover (MTTR), cascading failure probability, service availability, and SLA violations. The analyses reveal important design compromise between modularity, redundancy as well as coordination overhead. The simulations fulfill requirements for modern adaptive systems, where enterprise architects can analyze architectural strength, inform data-driven transformation planning, and proactively design stability-increasing interventions. The results establish a basis for incorporating AI based adaptation and predicting oriented enterprise architecture management.

Lowering the overpotential for the oxygen‐evolution reaction (OER) is central to designing efficient water‐splitting catalysts. However, the atomistic origin behind the enhanced OER activity of hollandite IrO2 compared to rutile has remained unclear. Here, using grand‐canonical DFT with an implicit solvation model, the electrochemical stability and reactivity of the most stable hollandite facets, (100) and (112) are elucidated. The thermodynamic analysis identifies that hollandite is more readily oxidized than rutile under the working potential of 1.6 V and predicts potential‐driven deintercalation of K+ from Hol(112) surface. Fully K‐deintercalated hollandite surfaces exhibit lower overpotentials than rutile (110) due to local lattice distortions that enhance π‐bonding with *O species. Additionally, the hollandite (112) surface possesses an exceptionally low O2 desorption energy of 0.45 eV (less than half that of rutile), pointing to a highly efficient O2‐release process. The theoretical predictions clarify the atomistic origin of the experimentally observed OER reactivity of the hollandite phase and provide deeper insight into structure–activity relationships in hollandite IrO2, providing rational design strategies for next‐generation OER catalysts.

High overpotential resulting from the slow reaction rate of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at air electrodes limits the practical use of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and zinc–air batteries (ZABs). In this study, a simplified single-step synthesis of PdAg alloy nanoparticles loaded on reduced graphene oxide (PdAg-rGO) as a bifunctional catalyst for the ORR and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was designed. Electrochemical evaluations revealed that the PdAg-rGO electrocatalyst showed a good ORR Eonset potential in alkaline (0.87 V) and acidic media (0.74 V). For the OER, PdAg-rGO required a 290 mV overpotential to deliver 50 mA cm–2 and a Tafel slope of 61 mV dec–1. Notably, PdAg-rGO demonstrated long durability, maintaining stable performance over 120 h in ZAB and over 100 h in PEMFC tests. The findings highlight the practical potential of the PdAg alloy as a robust and versatile ORR catalyst for emerging technologies in energy systems.

Background/Objectives: Despite increasing awareness of best sports nutrition practices, discrepancies persist between knowledge and behaviour amongst female endurance athletes. Methods: To understand this discrepancy study investigated dietary practices, macronutrient intakes, and influ-encing factors using a multi-method approach. Seventy-two female endurance athletes (42 ± 9 y) completed four-day weighed food diaries, and a subset of twenty athletes (40 ± 10 y) then participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis revealed that athletes met the lower end of carbohydrate (CHO) guidelines on rest days (3.0 g·kg−1), but intake fell short on training days, with deficits increasing as training volume rose (moderate: −1.4 g·kg−1, high: −3.5 g·kg−1, very high: −5.5 g·kg−1). Despite awareness of CHO’s role in performance, athletes unintentionally underfuelled, leading to a cumu-lative energy deficit. Energy intake increased by 473 kcal·day−1 per 1000 kcal·day−1 of exercise energy expenditure. In contrast, protein intake was prioritised, with mean in-takes of 1.7 ± 0.7 g·kg−1·day−1 aligning with recommendations. Results: Qualitative findings iden-tified barriers to CHO intake, including time constraints, diet culture influences and body image concerns. Social and environmental factors, such as household environments and professional nutrition guidance, played a critical role in behaviours. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for practical, evidence-based nutrition interventions to support fe-male endurance athletes. Personalised education addressing CHO requirements, the psychology/emotions around nutrition, and the influence of social environments may bridge the gap between knowledge and practice, optimising both performance and long-term health outcomes.

Biodiesel, predominantly derived from canola oil, isrecognizedas an essential renewable and ecofriendly fuel, significantly reducinggreenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency. Despite its advantages,optimizing catalytic reactions remains challenging. This researchsystematically evaluates the catalytic efficiency and selectivityof three homogeneous heteropoly acids (HPAs)phosphotungsticacid (PWA), phosphomolybdic acid (PMo), and silicotungstic acid (SiW)forbiodiesel production using canola oil. Under the optimized homogeneousreaction conditions, the Brønsted acidity was quantitativelyanalyzed using UV–vis spectroscopy with 4-nitroaniline, whilesolvent-dependent dissociation characteristics were confirmed viaFT-IR spectroscopy. Among the HPAs, PWA and PMo exhibited higher methanolsolubility, correlating to significantly greater FAME yields (43.97%and 47.22%, respectively) compared with SiW (21.81%). Product analysisrevealed that W-based catalysts (PWA, SiW) predominantly producedpolyunsaturated esters such as C18:3 (65.9% and 67.5%, respectively),while PMo favored monounsaturated esters such as C18:1 (55.1%), reflectingintrinsic differences in acidity and catalyst configuration. Effectivebiphasic separation using dichloromethane and water facilitated catalystrecovery and product purification, with FT-IR confirming HPAs’retention in the aqueous phase. This study underscores the necessityof concurrently managing catalyst solubility and acidity to optimizebiodiesel production and product selectivity using homogeneous HPAs,in which the process of efficient phase separation is an advantagefor effective management.

Abstract The rigid atomic ordering in Pt‐based intermetallic catalysts enhances structural stability but inherently restricts local electronic tunability and compositional flexibility. These limitations hinder catalyst optimization under dynamic electrochemical conditions in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). To overcome this, an inter‐sublattice random (ISR) alloy strategy is reported that integrates atomic‐level compositional disorder into a structurally ordered Pt–M (M = Co, Ni) framework. Using a two‐step heteroepitaxial growth approach, Ni atoms are introduced into the M‐sublattice of a PtCo intermetallic seed, forming a catalyst with retained crystallographic order and randomized Co/Ni distribution. This dual order‐disorder motif decouples structural symmetry from chemical complexity, offering precise electronic modulation and reaction‐adaptive flexibility. The ISR catalyst exhibits optimized d‐band filling and intermediate binding, achieving ORR activity and durability that surpass the Department of Energy (DOE) 2025 PEMFC targets. Mechanistic analyses combining in situ microscopic observation, synchrotron spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that sublattice disorder and Pt‐skin formation synergistically stabilize the surface structure and modulate adsorption energy. This work establishes sublattice‐level disorder engineering within intermetallic structures as a promising synthetic strategy for developing robust and tunable electrocatalysts. Moreover, the solid‐state synthesis enables scalable production for widespread PEMFC deployment.

Abstract The non‐metallic‐Pt materials with high activities for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have attracted considerable attentions, but still face challenges related to the mismatched performance in device applications, especially for the atomic site catalysts. In this work, we propose a microenvironment‐regulation strategy on introducing amino‐fluorinated cyclotriphosphazene as grafting agents to address the critical issue on the mass‐transfer limitations for the highly active and well‐defined Fe─N 4 sites in phthalocyanine macrocycles. When this functional cyclotriphosphazene was grafted to polyphthalocyanines by the amidate linkage, the large steric hindrance of cyclotriphosphazene and the low surface energy of C─F bonding in fluorinate groups provide the enriched channels with low hygroscopicity, which guarantees the oxygen supply to Fe─N 4 sites and the hydroxyl leave from catalyst molecules. This microenvironment regulation improves the activities of catalyst molecules in electrochemical testing, and an amplified effect are also shown in the corresponding electrode assemblies. As results, the superior peak power densities of 178 mW cm −2 in aqueous Zn‐air batteries (1.4‐fold enhancements) and 616 mW cm −2 in alkaline membrane fuel cells (2.5‐fold enhancements) are obtained. These findings offer a deeper understanding of non‐Pt catalysts and provide a promising approach to their applications in advanced electrochemical devices.