Featured
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| Open AccessGas diffusion enhanced electrode with ultrathin superhydrophobic macropore structure for acidic CO2 electroreduction
Carbon dioxide electroreduction in acidic environments has been suboptimal. Here, the authors addressed this issue by designing a gas diffusion electrode with a special metal structure, which achieves efficient electroreduction while conducting a systematic investigation of the underlying mechanism.
- Mingxu Sun
- , Jiamin Cheng
- & Miho Yamauchi
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Article
| Open AccessA dicarbonate solvent electrolyte for high performance 5 V-Class Lithium-based batteries
Rechargeable lithium batteries featuring 5 V cathodes offer high energy density yet struggle with stability. Here, the authors formulate an electrolyte incorporating dimethyl 2,5-dioxahexanedioate solvent, which facilitates stable lithium plating and stripping while offering an extended cycle life.
- Xiaozhe Zhang
- , Pan Xu
- & Alexandru Vlad
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Article
| Open AccessAccurate nowcasting of cloud cover at solar photovoltaic plants using geostationary satellite images
Accurate nowcasting of cloud cover or fraction and its movement remains a significant challenge for stable solar photovoltaic electricity generation. Here, the authors combine continuous radiance images with high spatio-temporal resolutions to develop a nowcasting algorithm for predicting cloud cover at a leading time of 0–4 h.
- Pan Xia
- , Lu Zhang
- & Shengjie Jia
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Article
| Open AccessSynergistic dual-phase air electrode enables high and durable performance of reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells
Efficient air electrodes drive reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells, accelerating renewable energy conversion and storage. Here, the authors propose a highly active hybrid air electrode that effectively controls phase content, enhancing electrochemical activity and stability through synergistic effects.
- Zuoqing Liu
- , Yuesheng Bai
- & Zongping Shao
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Article
| Open AccessCobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with lithium-stoichiometry control for sustainable lithium-ion batteries
As electric vehicle batteries adopt cobalt-free layered cathodes to tackle supply chain issues, it greatly impacts battery lifespan. Here, the authors develop a lithium stoichiometry control method to synthesize cobalt-free composite-structured cathodes with high cycling stability, enabling long-life sustainable batteries.
- Ke Chen
- , Pallab Barai
- & Feng Wang
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Article
| Open AccessHydrogen evolution with hot electrons on a plasmonic-molecular catalyst hybrid system
Direct participation of plasmon-induced hot electrons in the photoelectrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen. This report solves a long-lasting contentious issue surrounding plasmonic materials on catalytic applications.
- Ananta Dey
- , Amal Mendalz
- & Jacinto Sá
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Article
| Open AccessScalable nano-architecture for stable near-blackbody solar absorption at high temperatures
Nanostructures are generally unstable above 850 °C in air, limiting their use in high-temperature solar thermal applications. Here, a scalable ceramic nano-architecture layer can significantly enhance and stabilise the absorption of an arbitrary solar absorber.
- Yifan Guo
- , Kaoru Tsuda
- & Juan F. Torres
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Article
| Open AccessA cross-scale framework for evaluating flexibility values of battery and fuel cell electric vehicles
Electrified transportation exhibits great potential to provide flexibility. This article analyzed and compared the flexibility values of battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles for planning and operating interdependent electricity and hydrogen supply chains.
- Ruixue Liu
- , Guannan He
- & Benben Jiang
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Article
| Open AccessOperando formation of highly efficient electrocatalysts induced by heteroatom leaching
Stability of catalyst dopant species under working conditions is often unexplored. Here, the authors reveal that the dopant sites tend to collapse when the applied potential is too negative or too positive and describe a protocol for the in-situ formation of highly efficient active sites via the leaching of dopants.
- Cong Liu
- , Bingbao Mei
- & Weilin Xu
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Article
| Open AccessSystemwide energy return on investment in a sustainable transition towards net zero power systems
Here, the authors adopt systemwide EROI to assess the sustainability risks of nine global energy transition scenarios. The EROI of fossil fuel dominated scenarios tend to approach the upper limit of the net energy cliff, posing higher sustainability risks.
- Hasret Sahin
- , A. A. Solomon
- & Christian Breyer
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Article
| Open AccessElectronic paddle-wheels in a solid-state electrolyte
Conduction in solid-state electrolytes composed of monatomic ions is found to be analogous to the paddle-wheel mechanism in molecular solid electrolytes, facilitated by rotational motion of lone pair electrons, helping unify understanding of mechanisms.
- Harender S. Dhattarwal
- , Rahul Somni
- & Richard C. Remsing
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Article
| Open AccessStructural regulation of halide superionic conductors for all-solid-state lithium batteries
Predicting the structure of lithium halide solid-state electrolytes from their composition alone is a challenge. Here, the authors introduce the “cationic polarization factor” that captures the key interactions of halide-based solid-state electrolytes and predicts the stacking structures.
- Xiaona Li
- , Jung Tae Kim
- & Xueliang Sun
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Article
| Open AccessVitamin C-induced CO2 capture enables high-rate ethylene production in CO2 electroreduction
Efficiently producing multicarbon chemicals through electrochemical CO2 reduction is essential for achieving economically feasible carbon neutrality. Here, the authors present molecularly enhanced CO2-to-*CO conversion and *CO dimerization for high-rate ethylene production by nanoconfinement of ascorbic acid.
- Jongyoun Kim
- , Taemin Lee
- & Dae-Hyun Nam
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Article
| Open AccessMetal-support interaction boosts the stability of Ni-based electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen oxidation
Nickel-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation in anion exchange membrane fuel cells face stability issues. Here the authors report Ni4Mo/TiO2 catalyst with significantly improved stability, owing to the efficient charge transfer from TiO2 to Ni.
- Xiaoyu Tian
- , Renjie Ren
- & Wenchao Sheng
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Article
| Open AccessEngineering a synthetic energy-efficient formaldehyde assimilation cycle in Escherichia coli
One-carbon substrates are attractive feedstocks for circular bioeconomy. Here, the authors design an erythrulose monophosphate (EuMP) cycle for formaldehyde assimilation, demonstrate the activity of the core reactions in E. coli, and show its integration with pathway reactions existed in pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis.
- Tong Wu
- , Paul A. Gómez-Coronado
- & Hai He
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Article
| Open AccessModulation of the morphotropic phase boundary for high-performance ductile thermoelectric materials
Power factor and figure-of-merit values are normally low in flexible thermoelectric materials. Here, the authors fabricate high-performance ductile thermoelectric materials with high power factor and figure-of-merit values near the morphotropic phase boundary in Ag2Se-Ag2S pseudobinary compound.
- Jiasheng Liang
- , Jin Liu
- & Xun Shi
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Article
| Open AccessAsynchronous domain dynamics and equilibration in layered oxide battery cathode
The battery performance at the cell level is an integration of contributions from many active particles. Here, the authors present a direct visualization of the active cathode particles that react heterogeneously and asynchronously by using coherent multi-crystal diffraction and optical microscopy.
- Zhichen Xue
- , Nikhil Sharma
- & Yijin Liu
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Article
| Open AccessBias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical system for sustainable wastewater treatment
Photoelectrochemical systems have emerged as a sustainable technology for wastewater treatment. Here, Tang et.al report a bias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical system that can utilize sodium chloride in seawater as a cost-effective additive for wastewater treatment.
- Qi Dang
- , Wei Zhang
- & Liang Tang
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Article
| Open AccessAn inorganic-rich but LiF-free interphase for fast charging and long cycle life lithium metal batteries
Fluorinated interphases are often pursued as a design strategy for Li metal batteries. In contrast, here the authors show that an electrolyte with a non-fluorinated solvent and CsNO3 additive results in an LiF-free but inorganic-rich interphase that enables fast-charging of Li metal batteries.
- Muhammad Mominur Rahman
- , Sha Tan
- & Enyuan Hu
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Article
| Open AccessSoft ferroelectret ultrasound receiver for targeted peripheral neuromodulation
Neurostimulators are often bulky and uncomfortable. Researchers report a wireless, leadless, and battery-free ultrasound receiver that wraps around the target peripheral nerve and allows precise modulation of organ function, providing a framework for future bioelectronic medicines
- Tong Li
- , Zhidong Wei
- & Zhang-Qi Feng
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal transcontinental power pools for low-carbon electricity
By building transcontinental power pools, Yang and colleagues find global electricity demand can be 100% met by renewables, at an affordable cost.
- Haozhe Yang
- , Ranjit Deshmukh
- & Sangwon Suh
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of fast and stable proton storage in bulk hexagonal molybdenum oxide
Nanostructured electrode materials pose several challenges, including poor volumetric performance, severe side reactions, high costs, and complexity. Here, the authors develop a micrometer-sized bulk hexagonal molybdenum oxide with unconventional charge storage mechanism for fast and stable proton storage.
- Tiezhu Xu
- , Zhenming Xu
- & Laifa Shen
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Article
| Open AccessBreaking solvation dominance of ethylene carbonate via molecular charge engineering enables lower temperature battery
Low-temperature operation remains challenging for batteries. Here, the authors report an electrolyte solvation structure design strategy to break solvation dominance of ethylene carbonate to facilitate the desolvation process that improves the low-temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries even below −100 °C.
- Yuqing Chen
- , Qiu He
- & Jilei Liu
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Article
| Open AccessNonintrusive thermal-wave sensor for operando quantification of degradation in commercial batteries
Monitoring real-world battery degradation is crucial for the widespread application of batteries in different scenarios. Here, the authors report a simple non-embedded thermal-wave sensing technique that can quantitatively distinguish different battery degradation sources during operation.
- Yuqiang Zeng
- , Fengyu Shen
- & Ravi S. Prasher
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Article
| Open AccessGreen electrosynthesis of 3,3’-diamino-4,4’-azofurazan energetic materials coupled with energy-efficient hydrogen production over Pt-based catalysts
The hybrid water electrolysis system enables a potential for high-efficiency H2 production. Here, the authors propose an electrosynthesis of azo-energetic material coupled with water electrolysis, realizing energy-saving H2 production and obtaining azo-energetic materials via a green pathway.
- Jiachen Li
- , Yuqiang Ma
- & Jieshan Qiu
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Article
| Open AccessElectrical performance of a fully reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic module
Reconfigurable modules have the potential to increase the energy yield of partially shaded photovoltaic systems. Here, the authors present outdoor test results of a full-scale prototype that can produce over 10% more energy than a module with fixed interconnections and six bypass diodes.
- Andres Calcabrini
- , Mirco Muttillo
- & Olindo Isabella
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Article
| Open AccessStabilizing ruthenium dioxide with cation-anchored sulfate for durable oxygen evolution in proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers
Designing stable Ru-based catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose an oxyanion protection strategy to prevent the formation of oxygen vacancies on the RuO2 surface by creating coordination-saturated lattice oxygen, thereby greatly enhancing the stability.
- Yanrong Xue
- , Jiwu Zhao
- & Xu Lu
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Article
| Open AccessEnhanced formation of methane hydrate from active ice with high gas uptake
Gas hydrates have promising energy storage applications, a main bottleneck being their slow formation kinetics. Here, the authors demonstrate that by dispersing kinetic promoters in porous ice as active ice for gas hydrate formation, a minute-level formation process can be achieved for hydrate-based technologies.
- Peng Xiao
- , Juan-Juan Li
- & Guang-Jin Chen
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Article
| Open AccessPerformance boost for bismuth telluride thermoelectric generator via barrier layer based on low Young’s modulus and particle sliding
The lack of desirable barrier layers prohibits the power generation applications of bismuth telluride thermoelectric devices. Here, the authors construct a kind of Ti barrier layer with high strength and low resistivity with a module exhibiting high thermal stability during the service at 523 K.
- Yuxin Sun
- , Fengkai Guo
- & Jiehe Sui
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Article
| Open AccessDefective oxygen inert phase stabilized high-voltage nickel-rich cathode for high-energy lithium-ion batteries
The oxygen evolutions from layered cathode surfaces cause battery degradation during high-voltage operation and pose thermal safety concerns. Here, the authors propose a strategy to anchor and reserve surface oxygen with defective oxygen inert phase for high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.
- Zhongsheng Dai
- , Zhujie Li
- & Li Li
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Article
| Open AccessUltraflexible, cost-effective and scalable polymer-based phase change composites via chemical cross-linking for wearable thermal management
Jing et al. report a cost-effective chemical cross-linking method for synthesizing ultraflexible polymer-based phase change composites with 3D crosslinked networks and further demonstrate portable applications for wearable thermal management.
- Yaoge Jing
- , Zhengchuang Zhao
- & Tingxian Li
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Article
| Open AccessCollaborative and privacy-preserving retired battery sorting for profitable direct recycling via federated machine learning
Unsorted retired batteries pose recycling challenges due to diverse cathodes. Here, the authors propose a privacy-preserving machine learning system that enables accurate sorting with minimal data, important for a sustainable battery recycling industry.
- Shengyu Tao
- , Haizhou Liu
- & Hongbin Sun
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Article
| Open AccessElectrochemical nitrate reduction in acid enables high-efficiency ammonia synthesis and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cells
Research on electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia in acidic conditions has been less extensive than that conducted in alkaline conditions. Here, the authors report a hybrid of iron phthalocyanine and TiO2 catalyst with improved efficiency toward acidic nitrate reduction and its application in Zn-nitrate batteries and high-voltage pollutes-based fuel cell.
- Rong Zhang
- , Chuan Li
- & Chunyi Zhi
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Article
| Open AccessEngineering artificial photosynthesis based on rhodopsin for CO2 fixation
Microbial rhodopsins are major contributors to global light harvesting on Earth, but their role in carbon fixation is unclear. Here, the authors construct an artificial photosynthesis system by combining rhodopsin with an extracellular electron uptake mechanism for photoelectrosynthetic CO2 fixation in Ralstonia eutropha.
- Weiming Tu
- , Jiabao Xu
- & Wei E. Huang
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Article
| Open AccessSingle-crystal ZrCo nanoparticle for advanced hydrogen and H-isotope storage
ZrCo, a promising hydrogen isotope storage material, has poor cyclic storage capacity. Here author reveal a defect-derived disproportionation mechanism and report a nano-single-crystal strategy to comprehensively improve performances.
- Zhenyang Li
- , Shiyuan Liu
- & Jianglan Shui
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Article
| Open AccessContinuous and efficient elastocaloric air cooling by coil-bending
In this work, authors demonstrate a low-force and energy-efficient elastocaloric air cooling approach based on coil-bending of NiTi ribbons/wires. The device achieves continuous cold outlet airflow with a temperature drop of 10.6 K and a specific cooling power of 2.5 W g−1 at a low specific driving force of 26 N g−1.
- Xueshi Li
- , Peng Hua
- & Qingping Sun
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Article
| Open AccessPotential window alignment regulating ion transfer in faradaic junctions for efficient photoelectrocatalysis
Band alignment theory has been widely used to design semiconductor heterojunctions for photo(electro)catalysis, but it cannot describe coupled electron and ion transfer process. Here, the authors propose potential window alignment theory to remarkably improve the performance of heterojunctions.
- Hongzheng Dong
- , Xiangyu Pan
- & Zhigang Zou
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Article
| Open AccessOperando analysis of a solid oxide fuel cell by environmental transmission electron microscopy
By contacting a solid oxide fuel cell to a microelectromechanical system inside an environmental electron microscope, the authors establish links between environmental conditions (gas atmosphere, temperature), cell voltage and atomic-scale structure.
- Q. Jeangros
- , M. Bugnet
- & M. Duchamp
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Article
| Open AccessPrecise synthesis and photovoltaic properties of giant molecule acceptors
The synthesis of giant molecule acceptors with more than two subunits was challenging. Here, the authors present a stepwise precise synthetic method for acceptors of this type, explore and compare their photovoltaic performance to those of polymerized small molecule acceptor for organic solar cells.
- Hongmei Zhuo
- , Xiaojun Li
- & Yongfang Li
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Article
| Open AccessNonredox trivalent nickel catalyzing nucleophilic electrooxidation of organics
A good understanding of the mechanism behind organic electrooxidation is crucial for the development of efficient energy conversion technology. Here, the authors find that trivalent nickel is capable of oxidizing organics through a nucleophilic attack and electron transfer via a non-redox process.
- Yuandong Yan
- , Ruyi Wang
- & Zhigang Zou
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Comment
| Open AccessAccelerating CO2 electrochemical conversion towards industrial implementation
Despite significant progress in CO2 conversion field, there remains a significant gap between fundamental research and the industrial demands. This Comment discusses key performance parameters for industrial applications and outlines current limitations in the field.
- Doris Segets
- , Corina Andronescu
- & Ulf-Peter Apfel
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Article
| Open AccessLithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides as a generalized strategy for oxidative coupling of methane with exceptional yields
Lithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides can be used as redox catalysts for OCM at 700 °C and achieve a single-pass C2+ yield up to 30.6%. The high activity is assigned to the peroxide and OH radicals induced by Pr4+ in the redox catalyst.
- Kun Zhao
- , Yunfei Gao
- & Fanxing Li
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Article
| Open AccessConfined Cu-OH single sites in SSZ-13 zeolite for the direct oxidation of methane to methanol
High yields of methanol are difficult to achieve with direct oxidation of methane to methanol. Here the authors report a high methanol space-time yield which is attributed to the confinement effect of 6-membered ring voids and the isolated Cu-OH single sites in SSZ−13 zeolite.
- Hailong Zhang
- , Peijie Han
- & Yong Wang
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Article
| Open AccessSelf-activated superhydrophilic green ZnIn2S4 realizing solar-driven overall water splitting: close-to-unity stability for a full daytime
A superhydrophilic green hollow ZnIn2S4 was fabricated to realize unassisted photocatalytic overall water splitting. This work could provide an innovative aperture for efficient solar-driven green hydrogen production to achieve carbon neutrality.
- Wei-Kean Chong
- , Boon-Junn Ng
- & Siang-Piao Chai
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Article
| Open AccessCorrosion-resistant cobalt phosphide electrocatalysts for salinity tolerance hydrogen evolution
Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production is limited by the poor salinity tolerance of catalysts. CoP was found to repel chlorine while attracting H2O molecules to form a thin layer on the catalyst surface, thus constructing a corrosion-resistant CoP/rGO@Ti catalyst for seawater splitting.
- Xinwu Xu
- , Yang Lu
- & Yibo He
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Article
| Open AccessSteam recovery from flue gas by organosilica membranes for simultaneous harvesting of water and energy
Flue gas is a rich source of water and energy. Here, authors provide a state-of-the-art system anchored in organosilica membrane technology, attaining impressive steam recovery, delivering up to 70% energy recovery, and offering a promising remedy for global water shortages.
- Norihiro Moriyama
- , Akihiro Takeyama
- & Toshinori Tsuru
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Article
| Open AccessStabilizing lattice oxygen redox in layered sodium transition metal oxide through spin singlet state
Oxygen redox in transition metal oxides enhances the energy content of Na-ion batteries but is typically plagued by poor reversibility. Here, the authors achieve non-hysteresis through the formation of a spin singlet state to stabilize the active oxygen redox reaction in P3-type Na2/3Cu1/3Mn2/3O2.
- Xuelong Wang
- , Liang Yin
- & Jue Liu
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Article
| Open AccessA scalable membrane electrode assembly architecture for efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid is a promising and sustainable pathway for valuable chemical generation. However, direct production of formic acid rather than formate is challenging. Herein the authors report a zero-gap membrane electrode assembly architecture with perforated cation exchange membrane for the direct electrochemical synthesis of formic acid from CO2.
- Leiming Hu
- , Jacob A. Wrubel
- & K. C. Neyerlin
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Article
| Open AccessBalancing elementary steps enables coke-free dry reforming of methane
High-temperature hydrocarbon conversions often face issues like coke buildup and catalyst deactivation. Here, the authors show a general approach: balancing key reaction steps to achieve coke-free processes, exemplified in a 1000-hour coke-free dry reforming of methane process by optimizing C-H activation and C removal steps.
- Jiaqi Yu
- , Tien Le
- & Wenyu Huang