International Journal of Energy Research

In this study, a new and facile process was developed for the preparation of composite catalysts based on tungsten oxide (WO₃) by batch reactor routes. The structures, morphologies, compositions, and characteristics of synthesized materials were investigated and confirmed. Using batch reactor processes, WO₃ nanorods (WO₃ NR), heterostructures of WS₂/WO₃ nanobricks (WS₂/WO₃ NB), and WS₂/WO₃ nanorods (WS₂/WO₃ NR) were successfully prepared. The prepared materials were then employed for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to investigate their catalytic performance. The results indicated that the electrocatalytic activities of WS₂/WO₃ NR are significantly improved compared to those of WO₃ NR and WS₂/WO₃ NB. This improvement could be attributed to the formation of heterostructure between WS₂ and WO₃ elements in highly uniform materials, which could create the synergistic effect and further improve the catalytic activities of the catalyst. The data shows that the Tafel slope of WS₂/WO₃ NR (82.7 mV dec⁻¹) is significantly lower than that of WO₃ NR (112.5 mV dec⁻¹) and WS₂/WO₃ NB (195.5 mV dec⁻¹). Furthermore, the resistance of WS₂/WO₃ NR (397.7 Ω) is markedly decreased compared to those of WO₃ NR (1816 Ω) and WS₂/WO₃ NB (3597 Ω). The results indicate that WS₂/WO₃ NR could be a great catalyst for electrochemical applications.

Transition metal oxides are considered alternative electrocatalysts for ZAB owing to their multiple oxidation states. However, they have limitations such as low electrical conductivity and the deficiency of reactive sites. In this study, to overcome these shortcomings and improve electrocatalytic activity, oxygen vacancies and porous architectures were introduced through a partial reduction process and a porous carbon framework. Open porous carbon microspheres with uniformly loaded NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets and oxygen vacancies (V-NCO/OPC) displayed enhanced electrocatalytic performance with a low Tafel slope (68 mV dec^-1) in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and a low overpotential (402 mV) at 10 mA cm^–2 in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The combined effect of the oxygen vacancies and porous architecture can offer sufficient active sites, modify the electronic structure of the metal oxide surface, and facilitate mass transport, enhancing the electrocatalytic properties of V-NCO/OPC. Furthermore, when applied for ZAB, V-NCO/OPC demonstrated better electrochemical performance including discharge power density (154.9 mW cm^-2) at the current density of 175.9 mA cm^-2, low voltage gap (0.85 V) at the initial cycle, and long-term (250 h) cycle stability at the current density of 10 mA cm⁻² than those of noble-metal electrocatalysts.

Optimal sizing and management of hybrid wind turbine-diesel-battery system for reverse osmosis seawater desalination in NEOM city is the objective of the paper. Therefore, the paper explored the different factors to optimize and introduce a technoeconomic evaluation and energy management of a stand-alone wind turbine (WT) system, diesel generator (DG), and battery storage (BS). The suggested WT/DG/BS system is implemented to feed seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) unit in NEOM. The necessitated desalinated water per day is 100 m³. To determine the optimal size of WT/DG/BS corresponding to the minimum cost of energy (COE) and net present cost, two different ratings of the SWRO units (SWRO-100 and SWRO-150), three control dispatch strategies (load following, cycle charging, and combined dispatch), and five types of batteries are considered. HOMER software is performed to simulate and optimize the WT/DG/BS. The optimization results indicated that the best battery storage is the Trojan SAGM battery. In this case, the COE ranged between $0.337/kWh and $0.564/kWh. The lowest COE of $0.377/kWh is obtained when using a combined control strategy and SWRO-100 unit, whereas the worst COE of $0.564/kWh is obtained when using load following control strategy and SWRO-150 unit. The best option of the WT/DG/BS system to supply the SWRO unit is option number 26. This system includes one wind turbine of 90 kW, DG of 25 kW, 47 Trojan SAGM batteries, a 23.8 kW converter, a SWRO-100 unit, and a combined control strategy. The net present cost and the initial cost are $950,725 and $221,495, respectively. The annual operating cost and annual consumed fuel are $56,409 and 36,396 L, respectively. Compared with using only a 25 kW diesel generator, the COE reduced from $0.373/kWh (using only DG/BS) to $0.337/kWh (using the best option) by around 9.65%. Under this condition, the values for the internal rate of return, return on investment, and simple payback are 11%, 7.8%, and 8.3 years, respectively.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising energy-harvesting devices that generate electricity from mechanical energy. However, the electrical outputs of typical TENGs are limited because of the fundamental mechanism by which TENGs require a certain amount of space for contact-separation motion. Therefore, we developed an origami-based vertical/fluttering hybrid TENG (OVFH-TENG), which is the innovative structure that can generate electricity from both vertical movement and wind flow which is generated by vertical movement. It consists of a vertical TENG and a fluttering TENG where vertical TENGs can generate electricity and wind flow from mechanical input and the fluttering TENGs can generate electricity from the wind flow which is generated by its own operation process. Thus, OVFH-TENG can effectively harvest energy from vertical contact and fluttering motions with a single input. The optimized OVFH-TENG generated a 34.7% higher output than the general contact-separation TENG. Finally, the OVFH-TENG was able to light 180 LEDs, which was not possible with a general contact-separation TENG.

The increasing global dependence on fossil fuels for energy has prompted researchers to explore alternative power generation sources that offer higher efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and low environmental impact. Developed countries have been making continuous efforts to reduce their reliance on depleting fossil fuel sources to curb carbon emissions. As a result, hydrogen has gained significant attention among researchers as a potential future fuel that meets all the necessary criteria. Many countries aiming for a hydrogen economy have invested in research on fuel cells. Among various fuel cells, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has emerged as a commercially viable power source at a small scale. This paper provides an extensive review of the components, materials, design, operation, and integration strategies of SOFCs with existing thermal-based power plants. The performance and prospects of various SOFCs in standalone and hybrid modes are summarized, along with the limitations. Additionally, the research and commercialization efforts that can enhance the potential applications of SOFCs as a sustainable and reliable system in the long term are outlined.

The development of energy-dense, thermomechanically stable, and low-viscous phase change emulsions (PCMEs) is proposed as an alternative thermal energy storage solution for building air conditioning. A set of oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions with hexadecane concentration varied between 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 wt. % is prepared and characterized with respect to their physical, thermal, and rheological properties. The storage characteristics are evaluated in terms of storage density, phase transition behaviour, supercooling, and dynamic viscosity. A systematic comparison in terms of energy density between the PCMEs and water is carried out at different temperature conditions. For this purpose, the storage break-even temperature is proposed as a novel parameter to determine suitable operating temperature ranges and cycling conditions. The cycle stability is evaluated by rheological measurements, applying thermomechanical loads to the samples for a high number of cycles. According to the results, the energy density of the PCMEs is always higher than that of water, when the minimum temperature used for the cycling is below the storage break-even temperature. The emulsion with 30 wt. % hexadecane fraction is considered particularly promising, thanks to its high stability when exposed to thermomechanical stress, relatively low viscosity between 10 and 22 mPa s (0–30°C), and a storage density of 98 MJ/m³ within a cycling temperature range of 12 K.