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Abstract For a successful transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles and from conventional power plants to renewable energy supply, battery technology plays a vital role. Accordingly, battery research and development (R&D) efforts have been increased considerably over the past decades, particularly regarding materials and cell chemistries to further improve the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries. The impetus behind such massive R&D has been the replacement of metallic lithium anodes, a notorious for potentially catastrophic shorting by lithium metal dendrites. However, despite the promise of a step improvement in energy density outperforming established LIB technology, the commercial introduction of cells with alternative anode materials in the mass market is slow. Against this backdrop, the aim of the present study is to provide an overview of current developments in the academic and industrial research arena, summarising the historical development of scientific literature and patent landscape beyond established anode materials. The study identifies and critically reviews tin, silicon, silicon oxide, aluminium and titanium-based anode materials as promising pathways to develop high-energy density next-generation LIBs.

AbstractAlthough our observing capabilities of solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) have been growing rapidly, the quality and consistency of SIF datasets are still in an active stage of research and development. As a result, there are considerable inconsistencies among diverse SIF datasets at all scales and the widespread applications of them have led to contradictory findings. The present review is the second of the two companion reviews, and data oriented. It aims to (1) synthesize the variety, scale, and uncertainty of existing SIF datasets, (2) synthesize the diverse applications in the sector of ecology, agriculture, hydrology, climate, and socioeconomics, and (3) clarify how such data inconsistency superimposed with the theoretical complexities laid out in (Sun et al., 2023) may impact process interpretation of various applications and contribute to inconsistent findings. We emphasize that accurate interpretation of the functional relationships between SIF and other ecological indicators is contingent upon complete understanding of SIF data quality and uncertainty. Biases and uncertainties in SIF observations can significantly confound interpretation of their relationships and how such relationships respond to environmental variations. Built upon our syntheses, we summarize existing gaps and uncertainties in current SIF observations. Further, we offer our perspectives on innovations needed to help improve informing ecosystem structure, function, and service under climate change, including enhancing in‐situ SIF observing capability especially in “data desert” regions, improving cross‐instrument data standardization and network coordination, and advancing applications by fully harnessing theory and data.

Machine learning studies in the field of renewable energy are analysed here (REML). So, from 2012 to 2021, we looked at the publication tendencies (PT) and bibliometric analysis (BA) of REML research that was indexed by Elsevier Scopus. Key insights into the research landscape, scientific discoveries, and technological advancement were revealed by BA, while PT highlighted REML's important players, top cited papers, and financing organisations. In total, the PT discovered 1,218 works, 397 of which were conference papers and 106 were reviews. Because it spans the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, REML research is exhaustive, varied, and consequential. The most productive researchers, countries, and sponsors include Ravinesh C. Deo, the United States' National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and China's National Natural Science Foundation. Journal prestige and open access are valued by contributors, as seen by the success of Applied Energy and Energies. Productivity among REML's key stakeholders is boosted by collaborations and research funding. Keyword co-occurrence analysis was used to categorise REML research into four broad topic areas: systems, technologies, tools/technologies, and socio-technical dynamics. According to the results, ML plays a crucial role in the prediction, operation, and optimisation of RET as well as the design and development of RE-related materials.

Improving the environmental performance of the built environment is a ‘super wicked’ problem, lacking a simplistic or straightforward response. This is particularly challenging where space is rented, in part because the relationships between the various owners, users and managers of the space is regulated – at least in a formal sense - through the lease. Traditional leases largely ignore environmental considerations and present barriers to making energy efficient upgrades. Leasing practices are evolving to become greener. Evidence from a Sydney Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) study, Australian leasing experts, a UK commercial lease study and a case-study of a major UK retailer, Marks and Spencer (MandS), suggests an increasing, trend towards green leases in most of these markets and opportunities for improving environmental performance through green leasing. Further research is needed in both countries to understand the impact that greener leasing has on environmental performance of buildings.

The application of compliant filament seals to jet engine secondary air systems has been shown to yield significant improvements in specific fuel consumption and improved emissions. One such technology, the leaf seal, provides comparable leakage performance to the brush seal but offers higher axial rigidity, significantly reduced radial stiffness and improved compliance with the rotor. Investigations were carried out on the Engine Seal Test Facility at the University of Oxford into the behavior of a leaf seal prototype at high running speeds. The effects of pressure, speed and cover plate geometry on leakage and torque are quantified. Early publications on leaf seals showed that air-riding at the contact interface might be achieved. Results are presented which appear to confirm that air-riding is taking place. Consideration is given to a possible mechanism for torque reduction at high rotational speeds.

Abstract Sodium and potassium carbonates and their mixtures are important for different applications, e.g. for latent thermal energy storage, die-casting processes and molten carbonate fuel cells. In this work the phase diagram and thermodynamic properties of Na2CO3–K2CO3 system were studied by differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and high temperature X-ray diffraction. Three carbonate mixtures (56, 25 and 75 mol% of Na2CO3) have solid-solid transition in a wide temperature range between 648 K and 823 K. The high temperature XRD analysis has shown that this transition is a continuous process of changing of the unit cell volume without structural changing of the hexagonal lattice. This phenomenon has also been observed on the measured heat capacity curves. The obtained experimental results were compared with calculations performed using the previous thermodynamic datasets. The comparison of these results shows that further thermochemical assessment of this system needs to be performed to achieve better agreement with the available experimental data.

A method is presented to extract solar cell parameters from the derivatives of dark current–voltage curves with a three-diode model, using the monotonic properties of the current–voltage characteristic associated with each diode or resistive current. The method yields an improved accuracy of the solar cell parameters when compared with that used on the actual current–voltage curves. Despite the complexity of the three-diode model with seven fit parameters, a good accuracy can be reached using the proposed method with a relatively small computational effort. A hypothetical case is presented using various approaches to obtain the solar cell parameters, with a root-mean-square error for the logarithm of the current–voltage curve ( $\text{RMS}_{\text{log}_{10}I}$ ) of $4{\,\,\times\, 10}^{-3}$ . An example fitting is then demonstrated on a multicrystalline passivated emitter rear contact solar cell, yielding $\text{RMS}_{\text{log}_{10}I}=1.45{\,\,\times\, 10}^{-1}$ .

Energy efficiency has long been considered a key component of an industrial company's competitive repertoire. However, despite the potential benefits of adopting so-called energy efficiency measures, their uptake in such companies remains low. In response, this study proposes a framework aimed at supporting key decision-makers in undertaking a thorough assessment of energy efficiency measures. This involves, on the one hand, providing a complete characterization of a general industrial energy efficiency measure and, on the other, identifying the multiple impacts stemming from its adoption based on a novel performance measurement system that encompasses sustainability features and is defined at the shop floor level. Once theoretically validated through literature, the framework is empirically tested with a heterogeneous sample of Italian companies. The preliminary results demonstrate the framework's ability to thoroughly assess energy efficiency measures, highlighting characteristics and impacts that are sometimes considered more critical than energy saving by industrial decision-makers and therefore able to guide the outcome of the adoption decision.