| 1. |
- Sá, Barbara A.C., et al.
(author)
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Rechargeable zinc-air battery with bifunctional electrocatalyst of copper oxide and graphene nanoplatelets
- 2024
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In: Electrochemistry Communications. - 1388-2481. ; 165
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rechargeable zinc-air batteries have been identified as promising technologies for energy storage. However, developing cost-effective electrocatalysts that can efficiently facilitate the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for their advancement. This work investigates synthesized electrocatalysts composed of graphene-Cu2O deposited on carbon cloth by doctor blading casting method as bifunctional electrodes in a rechargeable Zn-air battery. The battery integrated with graphene-Cu2O as the air-cathode electrocatalyst showed superior performance in terms of cycling stability compared to that without Cu2O. This enhanced performance is attributed to the reversibility of Cu+/Cu2+ species during the redox reactions facilitated by the high electrical conductivity of graphene. Therefore, the results suggest the potential of the synthesized electrodes for advancing the development of rechargeable Zn-air batteries.
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| 2. |
- Durkin, Kirill, et al.
(author)
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Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
- 2024
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In: Energies. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 17:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to the large quantities of carbon emissions generated by the transportation sector, cleaner automotive technologies are needed aiming at a green energy transition. In this scenario, hydrogen is pointed out as a promising fuel that can be employed as the fuel of either a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine vehicle. Therefore, in this work, we propose the design and modeling of a fuel cell versus an internal combustion engine passenger car for a driving cycle. The simulation was carried out using the quasistatic simulation toolbox tool in Simulink considering the main powertrain components for each vehicle. Furthermore, a brief analysis of the carbon emissions associated with the hydrogen production method is addressed to assess the clean potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles compared to conventional fossil fuel-fueled cars. The resulting analysis has shown that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is almost twice as efficient compared to internal combustion engines, resulting in a lower fuel consumption of 1.05 kg-H2/100 km in the WLTP driving cycle for the fuel cell vehicle, while the combustion vehicle consumed about 1.79 kg-H2/100 km. Regarding using different hydrogen colors to fuel the vehicle, hydrogen-powered vehicles fueled with blue and grey hydrogen presented higher carbon emissions compared to petrol-powered vehicles reaching up to 2–3 times higher in the case of grey hydrogen. Thus, green hydrogen is needed as fuel to keep carbon emissions lower than conventional petrol-powered vehicles.
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| 3. |
- Santos Andrade, Tatiana, 1991, et al.
(author)
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From Hydrogen Fuel to Wheels: Characterizing the Powertrain Hydrogen/Energy Consumption for Battery Versus Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
- 2023
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In: 2023 IEEE IAS Global Conference on Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Technologies, GlobConHT 2023.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Investments in the hydrogen industry have been recently intensified as this fuel is considered to be a relevant part of the green energy transition. Since the transportation sector is one of the main targets to reduce fossil fuel utilization, it is crucial to investigate the use of hydrogen fuel for automotive applications. Therefore, in this paper, the powertrain of a battery electric vehicle versus a hydrogen fuel cell was compared considering for both scenarios hydrogen as the fuel. Accordingly, in the first scenario, hydrogen is used as the source of electricity to power the battery electric vehicle while in the second scenario, it is used as the fuel for the propulsion of a fuel cell vehicle. For the boundary and criteria utilized here, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle consumed 13% less hydrogen per km compared to the battery electric vehicle. Thus, the results show that in the case that hydrogen is available as fuel, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle would be more energy efficient, in terms of driving range.
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| 4. |
- Santos Andrade, Tatiana, 1991, et al.
(author)
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Investigating a fuel cell as a combined heat and power for a house in Sweden
- 2023
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In: 2023 International Conference on Clean Electrical Power (ICCEP). - 2471-6189 .- 2474-9664. - 9798350348378 ; , s. 864-867
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The high energy consumption by the residential sector makes it a relevant sector to address efficient and clean electricity use, and thus, a potential application for hydrogen fuel cells. Therefore, in this work, proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems of different sizes are simulated as combined heat and power technologies for a house in Sweden. Two cases are investigated: with no energy storage besides the hydrogen storage and, with a lithium-ion battery as energy storage. For all the cases, we have shown that fuel cells are promising devices to be applied as combined heat and power technologies. Using the battery as the energy storage, the house energy systems could reach efficiencies of 84-88%. The results obtained indicate a promising path for hydrogen application and thus, for a cleaner energy transition.
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| 5. |
- Santos Andrade, Tatiana, 1991, et al.
(author)
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Low platinum fuel cell as enabler for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
- 2024
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In: Journal of Power Sources. - 0378-7753. ; 598
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work, the design and modeling of a fuel cell vehicle using low-loading platinum catalysts were investigated. Data from single fuel cells with low Pt-loading cathode catalysts were scaled up to fuel cell stacks and systems, implemented in a vehicle, and then compared to a commercial fuel cell vehicle. The low-loading Pt systems have shown lower efficiency at high loads compared to the commercial systems suggesting less stable materials. However, the analysis showed that the vehicle comprising low-loading Pt catalysts achieves similar or higher efficiency compared to the commercial fuel cell vehicle when being scaled up for the same number of cells. When the systems were scaled up for the same maximum power as the commercial fuel cell vehicle, all the low-loading Pt fuel cell systems showed higher efficiencies. In this case, more cells are needed, but still, the amount of Pt is significantly reduced compared to the commercial one. The high-efficiency results can be associated with the vehicle's power range operation that meets the region where the low-loading Pt fuel cells have high performance. The results suggested a positive direction towards the reduction of Pt in commercial fuel cell vehicles supporting a cost-competitive clean energy transition based on hydrogen.
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