RE Hydrogen (United Kingdom)

The morphology and property of the high-temperature proton exchange membranes (PEMs) based on short-side-chain perfluorosulfonic acid (SSC-PFSA) are determined by the polymer structure in dispersion during solution casting. In this work, by using rheological analysis and structural characterization techniques, including Cryo-transmission electron microscope (Cryo-TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), the rheology and microstructure of SSC-PFSA dispersions were collectively studied to spotlight the concentration dependent viscoelasticity across a large scale from dilute solution to gelation. Initially, SSC-PFSA forms rod-like primary aggregates exhibiting a scaling exponent (0.63) that deviates from the theoretical values of 0.5 (for semidilute solutions). As the concentration increases, these primary aggregates assemble into secondary aggregates, where the viscosity-concentration relationship deviates from the predicted scaling behavior. Further increasing the concentration, the secondary aggregates interact to form a percolating network, leading to gelation. This new multiscale self-assembly mechanism elucidates the fundamental connections underlying the gelation process toward membrane formation. It provides the first comprehensive understanding of the nonequilibrium morphology evolution across multiple magnitudes of concentration and length scales and finds the origin of the physical properties for SSC-PFSA electrolyte membranes.

Aerobic oxidation of the C–H bond is a fundamental transformation in heterogeneous catalysis, yet achieving high selectivity remains challenging because the oxidation products are often more reactive than the starting hydrocarbons. Herein, we demonstrate that a Mn2O3-supported Pd single-atom catalyst (Pd1/Mn2O3) enables selective aerobic oxidation of the benzylic C–H bond to ketones while suppressing undesired overoxidation via C–C bond cleavage. Other SAC systems, including Au1/Mn2O3, Ru1/Mn2O3, and Pd1/TiO2, exhibit similar selectivity trends, supporting the generality of the mechanistic insight. Combined experimental and DFT studies reveal that single atoms are intrinsically inactive toward further oxidation of ketones due to their inability to promote keto–enol transformation, thereby preventing C–C bond cleavage and overcoming the conventional activity–selectivity trade-off. This work provides a mechanistic understanding of selective C–H activation in heterogeneous catalysis.

A novel mathematical model is developed for a multilayer metal‐supported solid oxide fuel cell (MS‐SOFC) designed for medium‐temperature operation at 600–700°C. The MS‐SOFC model is integrated with a steam reforming module to simulate the behavior of mixed fuels and evaluate their impact on fuel cell performance. Stack‐level simulations are conducted to examine the current density, temperature distribution, and voltage response under various fuel conditions, including pure hydrogen and mixed fuels with different steam‐to‐carbon (S/C) ratios and reforming reaction rates. The objective is to identify the MS‐SOFC operating parameters that enhance current density and overall performance under medium‐temperature conditions. Simulation results indicate that hydrogen consistently yields a higher cell voltage than mixed fuel, regardless of the methane steam reforming rate or S/C ratio. The peak power density for pure hydrogen is 0.24201 W cm −2 at a current density of 0.27660 A cm −2 . For mixed fuel with an S/C ratio of 2, the peak power densities were 26.082%, 13.210%, and 4.793% lower than that of hydrogen for methane reforming rates of 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. Overall, the findings provide valuable insights for designing MS‐SOFC systems capable of delivering efficient, flexible, and sustainable energy under low‐temperature operating conditions.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are promising for solar-thermal energy storage, yet polymeric PCMs such as PEG suffer from supercooling, low thermal conductivity, and limited cycling stability. Here we investigate Co, Ni, and Co-Ni-doped 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate metal–organic frameworks (BTC MOFs) as porous matrices for PEG and systematically assess how metal substitution tunes the local coordination environment, melting behavior, and enthalpy of the resulting MOF–PCM composites. We find that disorder–order phase transitions are decisive in governing energy storage performance. Among the materials studied, Ni-BTC/PEG delivers the best results, enabled by its higher specific surface area, larger pore volume, and abundant surface hydroxyl groups that promote strong hydrogen bonding with PEG. Ni-BTC/PEG attains a high latent heat of 156 J/g, reduced supercooling (ΔT = 19.0 °C), and stable performance over 200 melt–freeze cycles, while its thermal conductivity increases by ∼38% relative to pure PEG. The composite also achieves a solar-thermal energy storage efficiency of 72.2%. These results identify the specific surface area and pore-size distribution as dominant, design-controllable parameters for MOF–PCM systems and position Ni-BTC/PEG as a strong candidate for practical solar-thermal energy storage applications.

Abstract Achieving efficient double doping in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices is hindered by parasitic interactions between p‐ and n‐type dopants, which lead to radical accumulation, deep‐level traps, and reduced device performance. Herein, we report a solvent‐mediated infiltration doping strategy to overcome these challenges based on D18/L8‐BO layer‐by‐layer (LBL) system. By incorporating F4TCNQ as the p‐type dopant in the donor layer and DMBI as the n‐type dopant in the acceptor layer, with controlled infiltration via a chlorobenzene:ethanol (CB:EtOH) binary solvent mixture, we constructed a polarized heterojunction that mitigates dopant crosstalk. This approach reduces trap depths (activation energy E a = 0.2 eV vs. 0.84 eV for direct doping) and narrows lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) density of states while enhancing built‐in potential and hole transfer rate ( τ 1 = 0.40 ps). Consequently, the optimized devices achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.5%, with a fill factor (FF) of 82.3%, surpassing control (19.5%) and direct doping (19.1%) configurations. These findings highlight the efficacy of spatially controlled doping for advancing high‐efficiency, scalable OPVs toward sustainable energy applications.

1,2-cis-2-Amino glycosidic linkagesare prevalentin biologically important molecules; however, they are difficult toform reliably in high stereoselectivity. Herein, we disclose a catalyst-free,α-stereospecific oxime O-glycosylation in hexafluoroisopropanol(HFIP) that assembles diverse N−O-linked 2-nitro-α-glycosides(60 examples), enabling facile access to 1,2-cis-2-aminoglycoside mimetics. The synthetic utility of this approach is highlightedby the late-stage functionalization of complex molecules and varioussynthetic transformations. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studiesreveal strong hydrogen-bonding (HB) interactions between HFIP and2-nitroglycals/oximes. Computational studies reveal a novel glycosylationmechanism in which aggregated HFIP trimers play a critical role infacilitating HB activation of substrates and then enable the α-stereospecific,concerted 1,4-addition of oxime to 2-nitroglycal and protonation througha proton shuttle-mediated macrocyclic transition state. Overall, thiswork uncovers the HFIP trimer as an efficient hydrogen-bond catalystfor stereoselective glycosylation, providing a powerful tool for α-stereospecificsynthesis of N−O-linked 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosides.

With the increasing power electronics integration and the decreasing proportion of synchronous machines of the power system, the inertia level is constantly dropping, and the power system is facing a serious risk of frequency stability. Cascaded H-bridge converter-based battery energy storage system (CHB-BESS) can provide inertia support by energy exchange in battery storage units. However, the inertia support potential of the two factors, energy stored in the dc capacitors and additional cluster voltage margin, has yet been discussed. Therefore, this paper proposed a coordinated virtual inertia control method for CHB in distribution systems. The active power reference and submodule capacitor voltage are adjusted at the same time. Besides, a distributed parameter is designed to distribute the transient power. As a result, the peak power is suffered by capacitors and the battery power is smoothed. Comparative simulation verification results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Against the backdrop of accelerating global energy transition toward cleaner and lower-carbon sources, hydrogen energy is emerging as a pivotal force driving the energy revolution due to its numerous advantages, including abundant availability, clean and pollution-free properties, and high energy density. This study conducts numerical simulations on the coupled heat/mass transfer and chemical reaction processes within a single-cell magnesium hydride reaction vessel for a 50-kg-class magnesium/magnesium hydride hydrogen storage and release system. Utilizing Ansys Fluent software and a custom UDF function to reconstruct the reaction kinetics equation, the dynamic characteristics of hydrogen release and storage are simulated. The study analyzes the impact of heating tube operation on hydrogen release and investigates the evolution of reaction bed temperature and reactant behavior during hydrogen storage. Results indicate that activating the heating tube reduces hydrogen release reaction time by approximately 40%. This research provides numerical evidence for optimizing the design of large-scale single-core magnesium-based hydrogen storage systems.