Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemical compounds which can be found naturally in hydrocarbons such as coal and oil, as well as in dead carbon-rich stars after they have exploded. The mass created in the course of the explosion can be regarded as a precursor to the most basic forms of the carbon molecules which are important for creating life on the Earth. PAHs in the form of soot are also some of the world’s most...
Perovskite crystals are a material consisting of calcium titanate which are very suitable for the development of engineered materials, as a great variety of different cations can be embedded in their structure. They play an important role in the development of new materials for efficiently harvesting solar energy. Perovskites are not as expensive as the materials currently used for solar panels, and so far their conversion efficiencies...
Solar energy is one of the driving forces when it comes to achieving more sustainable energy production and enabling the energy transition. A reliable method to boost the efficiency of solar cells is to adapt the cells to different spectrums of light using tandem solar cells. Tandem solar cells consist of a series of connected cells which are grown as monolithic layers on a substrate. The individual cells are joined via junctions. They...
Hydrogen is a commodity which is easily produced by means of electrolysis and transformed back into electricity using fuel cells. It can be generated almost anywhere with the help of renewable energy sources and also employed in private households to provide a reliable power supply. Moreover, hydrogen is a suitable storage medium for solar and wind energy. Its advantage over common batteries is its improved storage density as well as...
Nowadays, hydrogen fuel is often produced from substances where hydrogen is only one component among other elements. Some of the substances hydrogen is obtained from, like methane, have the drawback of being harmful to the environment. To separate hydrogen from water, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) can be used. OER generates molecular oxygen through a limiting chemical reaction, such as oxidation of water during oxygenic...
Hydrogen is a very useful commodity as it can be used to produce agricultural fertilisers on an industrial scale as well as in fuel cells for transportation and power storage. Nowadays, most hydrogen is generated by means of Steam Methane Reforming (SMR), which has the drawback of releasing CO2 as a by-product. As the use of hydrogen is likely to increase even further until 2100, low-emission processes are needed to satisfy growing...
Methane hydrates are solid clathrate hydrate compounds where large amounts of methane are enclosed within a crystal structure of water. This crystal is a solid, reminiscent of ice. It can be found in certain areas in the seafloor and in some Arctic permafrost regions. Just like methane, methane hydrates also burn when you put fire to them. If methane hydrate deposits melt, methane is released into the atmosphere, which can contribute...
Structural batteries are energy storage systems with the additional feature of being able to bear weight. They are often employed in applications used for transport, such as electric vehicles or drones. There are two types of structural batteries: embedded batteries and laminated structural electrodes. One of the greatest challengesof this type of battery is that so far science has failed to produce structures which have good...
Modern life, to a large extent, relies on applications powered by lithium-ion batteries. By 2030 the number of electric vehicles is expected to increase drastically. And then there is also green electricity from wind turbines and solar panels which need large batteries that can store electricity for when it is needed and smooth out peaks and troughs in demand. There may come a point where lithium becomes too scarce or expensive to be...
Every year, tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere. These large amounts of greenhouse gas have the potential to warm the temperature of the earth by 1.5°C until 2040. If the serious consequences of climate change are to be avoided, these emissions need to be reduced. In the fight against global warming, negative emissions technologies (NETs) to remove and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere might play an...
