In this work, we have performed first-principle calculations to investigate the electronic properties, structural stability, and lithium migration pathway of 2D Ti 2CY 2/Graphene (Y = O, S) van der Waals (vdW) Heterostructure. The heterostructure formed by O and S functionalized MXene and graphene layers are separated by 3.04 and 3.40 Å exhibiting weak vdW interaction. It is found that the intercalation of lithium (Li) atoms in between the Ti 2CY 2/Graphene layers is thermodynamically more favorable in comparison with intercalation on the top or below the heterostructures. The Bader charge transfer analysis confirms that O atoms gain less charge -0.13 e during Li intercalation compared to S atoms with charge transfer of -0.47 e due to the larger size of the 3p orbital of S atoms. Each Li atom contributes ~0.88-0.89 e during the intercalation process. As O is more negatively charged in comparison with S atoms in the heterostructures, Li atoms are more localized on the Ti 2CO 2 layers with a tendency to form chemical bonds with Ti 2CO 2 layers while they are less localized on the Ti 2CS 2 layers creating lesser chemical bonds. The diffusion energy barrier is lower for Ti 2CS 2/graphene than Ti 2CO 2/graphene during Li intercalation. The NEB study also confirms that the activation energy barrier decreases with the increase of intercalated Li atoms for both the heterostructures indicating that Li atoms exhibit weak repulsive interaction causing weak Li binding with the heterostructures as they increase in number. Both the Ti 2CO 2/graphene and Ti 2CS 2/graphene heterostructures can be considered promising anode materials for Li-ion batteries due to their structural stability, and lower diffusion energy barrier.

Two nano-precursors with capping agent were incorporated in stearyl alcohol-adipic acid combination phase change material in this study. The addition of nanomaterials made the eutectic reliable in the manner of its thermal properties like higher enthalpy, degradation point and more compatible with the metal encapsulation materials when compared with the pristane eutectic. The importance of nano-metal oxides in parent material was shown by the reduced time frame of the PCM’s thermal energy storing and releasing process for space heating applications. The specific heat capacity of both the aluminium and titanium oxide nanocomposites were greater than the eutectic which indicates that the material can retain more energy. The thermal conductivities of base material and nanocomposite PCMs were 0.2686, 0.2815 and 0.4395 W/mK at 40 °C and the highest percentage increment of nanocomposites was seen as 9.19 and 63.62 % at varied encircled temperatures. The crystal structure and chemical disintegration was evinced with the X-ray diffractometer results of the composites.

Driven by the goal to achieve sustainable mobility, mitigate climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles (EVs) represent a radical paradigm shift in the automotive industry. Significant progress has been made in electric vehicle (EV) technology in recent times, including enhancements in battery efficiency, range, and charging infrastructure. As the main energy storage option for electric vehicles, lithium-ion battery technology has advanced significantly, increasing energy density and lowering costs. Wider acceptance of EVs has also been encouraged by the development of fast-charging stations and smart grid integration, which have greatly solved issues with convenience and charging time. However, lithium-ion cells used currently have a working temperature range of 15 o C to 35 o C. The temperature above or below can affect the battery performance and range of the vehicle. Thus, implementation of proper Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) is required to achieve effective cooling performance and maintain the cells within operating range of temperatures. The current study focuses on the use of fly ash nanoparticles dispersed in base fluid water-ethylene glycol to be used as coolant in indirect liquid cooling system. An ANSYS FLUENT model is developed for 14 LFP cylindrical cells having 2S7P arrangement with serpentine cooling channel in between the cells. The current study uses 5 % particle concentration fly ash nanofluid as coolant to understand the rise in temperature at the outlet for different flow velocities. The better cooling performance was observed for fluid flow rate of 0.1 m/sec with an outlet temperature rise of 311.976 K along with rise of 4 % in temperature compared to inlet fluid flow temperature of 300 K. The percentage difference between the rise in temperature of the outlet for the fluid at 0.1 m/sec and 3 m/sec is 3.07 % indicating effective cooling at lower fluid flow velocities. Thus, by the use of Fly ash as nanofluid in battery cooling application will certainly help to reduce the temperature of battery pack and can provide to be a sustainable solution leading to lesser degradation of environment.

Nanofiller-doped polymer electrolyte-based electrochemical devices are now emerged as a novel material for electrochemical devices. This paper reports a solid polymer electrolyte film doped with a new nanofiller synthesized by the solution casting technique. Electrical, Optical, and photoelectrochemical characterization are presented in detail. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows with the dispersion of nanofillers conductivity increases attains maxima and decreases. The maximum conductivity was at 0.05 wt% nanofiller concentration of 3.25 x 10 -5 S/cm. The calculated ionic transference value was 0.92 which shows the domency of the system as ionic. The linear sweep voltammetry confirms a high electrochemical stability window (ESW) of 4.01V. Sandwitched electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLC) has been developed using carbon-based electrodes and sandwitched nanofiller dispersed polymer electrolyte, showing a high specific capacitance value of ~ 200 F/g.

In last two decades, metallic particles of nano-sizes (~10 -9m) are tested profoundly in volumetric absorption solar collectors (VASC) due to their excellent optical properties and broadband absorption in entire solar spectrum. However, availability, ease to synthesise, toxicity, and non-biodegradable nature of these nanofluids are some of the challenges that still needs attention of scientific community for future commercialisation of this technology. Further, based on literature review, very limited studies are available for understanding the performance of integrated energy storage VASC system using nanofluids. Considering all these issues, a hybrid nanofluid of gold nanoparticles in Azadirachta Indica leaves extract has been synthesised by chemical route. The prepared hybrid nanofluid has shown good absorption in 400-700nm wavelength range and hence high photo-thermal conversion efficiency for VASC. Further, commercial available paraffin wax is used as phase change material (PCM) in thermal energy storage (TES) and further integrated with VASC to analyse thermal performance of system even after sunshine hours. The real-time experiments were conducted using different working fluids and at three mass flow rates i.e. 0.5 lpm, 1 lpm and 2 lpm, respectively during mild winter days under tropical climate of India. The study revealed a photo-thermal efficiency enhancement of about 17.1% when hybrid heat transfer fluid was used in VASC system with TES as compared to base fluid water without TES. Further, a maximum zero loss efficiency of 83.8% was estimated at optimal mass flow rate of 2 lpm for TES integrated VASC system.

One of the greatest alternatives to Li-ion batteries is an Al-air battery. The aluminium (Al) is more effective as a battery because of its viability and nontoxicity. The design of cell and electrode stacking affect the performance of Al-air battery. The present study focuses on designing an efficient air cathode host to lengthen the battery’s lifespan using highly porous carbon aerogel. Initially, the carbon aerogel (CA) material is synthesized using sol-gel polymerization process and characterized using XRD, SEM, and BET. The synthesized CA is used to fabricate the electrode stacking using the in-house-built Al-air cell. The performance of carbon aerogel coated on carbon cloth as air cathode has been evaluated using a galvanostatic discharge of the assembly at different current rates, and the specific capacity is recorded. The highest specific capacity observed is ~ 683 mAh g-1 at 2.551 mA cm -2 current density. The acquired results demonstrate the superiority of the present electrodes material compared to currently used air electrode. The improved electrochemical stability and the robust pore network in CA allow oxygen to pass through the cathode end for chemical reaction. Overall, this enhances kinetics and makes the interactions between oxygen and aluminum to generate higher current because of relatively faster chemical reaction.

A document by M Sterlin Leo Hudson. Click on the document to view its contents.

In the present study, an experimental test was conducted to investigate the energetic performance of a novel designed solar air heater (SAH), with and without phase change material (PCM). Two identical in dimensions SAHs were constructed and tested to compare their performance between them, the first is a jacket tube solar air heater (SAH 1), and the second SAH is similar to the first, filled with PCM (SAH 2). Experimental results showed that increasing air flow rate increases the thermal efficiency,. Thermal energy during day hours can be stored in the PCM and used after sunset. SAH 2 gave additional operating time after sunset for 4 hours at 0.01 kg/s, 2.5 hours at 0.035 kg/s, and one hour at 0.06 kg/s. Maximum improvement in the daily thermal efficiency was 15% at SAH 2, more than SAH 1 at 0.01 kg/s air flow rate. Employing PCM, as so as increasing air flow rate can reduce the daily thermal losses..

Thermal energy storage (TES) is an enabling system that provides uninterrupted energy from concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Packed-bed TES systems have great opportunity to significantly enhance the cost-effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of CSP plants by employing an affordable and sustainable packing material. The objective of this study is to design a packed bed TES system with a maximum storage capacity of 40 kWh, specifically tailored to store heat within the temperature range of 290 – 565 °C, thereby making it suitable for integration into CSP plants. Performance and thermal behavior of demolition waste-based packed-bed TES system was assessed through numerical analysis. The results demonstrate that a high discharging efficiency of 96.7% was achieved when the HTF flow rate was set at 300 kgh -1. However, it is important to note that at lower HTF flow rates, heat loss increases, leading to a decrease in discharging efficiency to 93.7%. The experiment also revealed a uniform thermal gradient within the packed-bed TES system, up to a fluid flow rate of 300 kgh -1. It is worth mentioning that lower flow rates can further improve the stratification effect; however, they may also result in increased heat loss and reduced storage capacity. Based on these findings, an optimal flow rate range of 100-200 kgh -1 is recommended to achieve the best performance for the packed-bed TES system.

Among organic phase change materials, paraffin is most commonly used, but it is not environmentally friendly due to its petrochemical content. For efficient utilization of solar or thermal energy, new phase change materials are urgently needed, or it is necessary to improve the thermal properties of existing materials. Therefore, the utilization of lamb’s tail fat as a latent heat storage material is of particular importance for the evaluation of bio based waste oils. T-history is one of the simplest and most reliable and the simple equipment setup and reliable results make the T-History method attractive. In this study, new phase change materials were improved by using different concentrations of cyclophosphazene derivatives as an additive to the starting lamb tail fat material. According to the results, 1% HEHCP-doped lamb tail fat can be proposed for application in thermal energy storage systems when used for insulation. In addition, it is found that if the phase change materials developed by inclusion of HBACP can be operated as cooling liquid for photovoltaic panels or as working fluid in concentrated solar power systems, owing to higher fusion of heat value of 1% HBACP and higher specific heat capacity of 2% HBACP consisting lamb tail fat.

Covid-19 has given us a new way to look at our globe with regards to minimize air and noise pollution and thereby upgrading global environmental conditions. This positive pandemic outcome indicates that green energy is the future of energy, and one new origin of green energy is lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Electric vehicles are constructed with LIBs, but they have a number of disadvantages, including poor thermal performance, thermal runaway, fire dangers, and a higher discharge rate in low- and high-temperature conditions. The underlying fault of LIBs is their temperature reactivity. Extreme temperatures and challenging working circumstances can cause lithium-ion cells to malfunction and cause the battery pack to overheat. For optimal performance in vehicles and long-term lithium-ion battery durability, LIBs must be thermally managed within their operating temperature span. This paper presents an overview of several cooling strategies used to maintain the internal battery pack temperature. This paper discusses cooling techniques using air, liquid, and Phase Change Material (PCM), Heat pipe(HP). Additionally, various battery pack configurations and heat generation techniques are explored. This research also discusses the usage of nanomaterials to address the battery pack’s heat-related problems. This study emphasises the use of nanomaterial to boost the heat conductivity of coolant in order to raise the batteries temperature into their ideal working range (PCM as well as LC). This article also provides some of the research gaps that have been found and the crucial areas on which attention should be directed in order to build the best lithium-ion BTMS technology.

Thermal energy storage systems (TES) have emerged as a vital solution for addressing the gap between energy supply and demand. While research on solar energy storage has primarily focused on flat-plate collectors, limited work has been done to explore the potential of Scheffler solar concentrators. This study proposes an innovative approach to thermal energy storage using a Scheffler solar concentrator and phase change material (PCM) to address the energy needs of rural areas with limited access to electricity. Real-time design and testing were conducted using paraffin wax as the PCM, and CFD analysis was performed using the ANSYS Fluent software to determine the optimal charging and discharging times. The results indicated that the required charging time was 17 min according to the CFD analysis, while the experimental results yielded a charging time of 18 min. The results demonstrated that the proposed approach is a feasible and effective solution for meeting the energy demands of rural communities. The charging time was optimized using the response surface method, yielding an optimal charging time of 20.5 min and an optimal discharging time of 26.2 min. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of utilizing Scheffler solar concentrators and PCMs for sustainable and reliable thermal energy storage.