Jubin Thomas

Journal of Electrical Systems • 2024

In response to global warming and the dwindling reservoirs of fossil fuels, Thailand has increasingly embraced alternative energy sources. Central to its energy development strategy is the Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP), which aims to reduce energy intensity, capitalize on residual resources, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. While significant strides have been made in meeting various consumption targets set forth by the AEDP, notable challenges persist, particularly in the realms of bio-mass-derived electricity generation, bio-gas utilization, and bio-ethanol production from bio-mass. Therefore, this study delves into the factors contributing to the shortfall in achieving AEDP targets and proposes strategies to enhance the efficiency of the bio-energy supply chain. Leveraging mathematical and linear programming techniques, our research optimizes the supply chain dynamics, accounting for monthly supplier profiles spanning 77 provinces, 17 distinct biomasses, and 427 bio-energy plants equipped with diverse energy conversion technologies. Our findings indicate that Thailand currently boasts adequate bio-mass resources to fulfill the electricity and bio-ethanol targets outlined in the AEDP—provided enhancements are made to supply chain efficiency. To fully realize the objectives of the AEDP, we recommend augmenting bio-mass cultivation efforts and implementing new power plant installations. Additionally, we advocate for the consideration of high-methane content fuels, such as solid waste, as a means to alleviate bio-mass demand. This study underscores the paramount importance of strategic planning and optimization in propelling Thailand towards its alternative energy ambitions while surmounting supply chain impediments. 

Libin Zeng, Xinyong Li, Qidong Zhao et al.

Nanoscale • 2019

Recently, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has stimulated significant research interest as a promising electrode candidate in solar cells and energy conservation fields. Unfortunately, the short lower electron/hole migration lifetimes and easy agglomeration hamper its wide practical applications to some extent. Herein, interface engineering coupled with a bio-assisted photoelectrochemical (PEC) strategy is presented to construct a 0D MoS2 quantum dot (QD)/1D TiO2 nanotube electrode for pollutant elimination. Aimed at accelerating charge transfer over the 0D/1D composite interface, three types of coupling PEC models were developed to optimize the catalytic performance. The single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC)-PEC integrated system was found to be the best alternative for levofloxacin (LEV) elimination (0.029 min-1), and the sequential SCMFC-PEC further realized the whole system self-running independently. In addition, the interfacial electron migration and LEV degradation pathways were thoroughly investigated by LC/TOF/MS coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to clearly elucidate the electron transfer paths, LEV-attacked sites and mineralization pathways in a joint sequential SCMFC-PEC system. As such, the constructed self-recycling system provides a new platform for bio-photo-electrochemical utilization, which could exhibit promising potential in environmental purification.

T. Ayodele, A. Ogunjuyigbe, O. Durodola et al.

Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects • 2020

ABSTRACT In this paper, an estimation of the electricity generating potential as well as the environmental implications of bio-oil derivable from pyrolysis of plastic in some selected cities of Nigeria is conducted. The estimation premise on the experimental results obtained across different literatures, which gave the possible bio-oil yield of different mixture of plastics. First, the amount of plastic in different streams of municipal solid waste across the selected cities are sourced from the local literature and are used to estimate the theoretical amount of bio-oil obtainable through pyrolysis of plastics. Thereafter, the electricity generation potential of the bio-oil is estimated. The environmental impact assessment is conducted through the determination of its global warming and acidification impact. Some of the key results show that pyrolysis of plastic waste has great potential for electricity generation in Nigeria with total electricity generation potential of 87.5 MW with total global warming potential 634.9 kgCO2 (i.e. 0.634922769 tCO2e) and acidification potential of 16.4 kgSO2. The paper is important as it gives an insight into the probable opportunities in waste to energy technology for electricity generation using plastic wastes. This could be an eye-opener to the investors, researcher, policy makers, relevant government parastatals, and legislators.

Pelin Cavdar, Emel Yilmaz, A. E. Tugtas et al.

Water Science and Technology • 2011

Acidogenic fermentation of organic municipal solid waste (MSW) and the bio-electricity production potential from its volatile fatty acid (VFA)-rich leachate using an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) was investigated in this study. The acidogenic fermentation of 2 kg of MSW has been carried out in a 6 L anaerobic leach-bed reactor (LBR) under mesophilic conditions (30 degrees C). Total production of 92 g VFA expressed as chemical oxygen demand (COD) in 3 L leachate mainly containing acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids has been achieved with manual leachate recirculation and without pH control in 74 days of incubation. Leachate collected on day 32 was used as a feed to an air-cathode MFC after being diluted and supplemented with NaCl or NaHCO3. The maximum power density in the diluted leachate was only 5.9 W/m3, but reached up to 8.6 W/m3 upon the addition of 7 mmol/L NaCl. Increase in coulombic efficiency from 6 to 22% was also observed as a result of NaCl supplementation. On the other hand, NaHCO3 addition did not improve the power output.

G. De Gioannis, Alessandro Dell’Era, A. Muntoni et al.

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy • 2021

This study investigated the performance of a novel integrated bio-electrochemical system for synergistic hydrogen production from a process combining a dark fermentation reactor and a galvanic cell. The operating principle of the system is based on the electrochemical conversion of protons released upon dissociation of the acid metabolites of the biological process and is mediated by the electron flow from the galvanic cell, coupling biochemical and electrochemical hydrogen production. Accordingly, the galvanic compartment also generates electricity. Four different experimental setups were designed to provide a preliminary assessment of the integrated bio-electrochemical process and identify the optimal configuration for further tests. Subsequently, dark fermentation of cheese whey was implemented both in a stand-alone biochemical reactor and in the integrated bio-electrochemical process. The integrated system achieved a hydrogen yield in the range 75.5–78.8 N LH_2/kg TOC, showing a 3 times improvement over the biochemical process. Graphical abstract

H. Raheman, D. Padhee

Recent Patents on Biotechnology • 2016

BACKGROUND The review of patents reveals that Handling of Jatropha seed cake after extraction of oil is essential as it contains toxic materials which create environmental pollution. METHODS The goal of this work is complete utilisation of Jatropha seeds. For this purpose, Jatropha oil was used for producing biodiesel and the byproduct Jatropha seed cake was gasified to obtain producer gas. Both biodiesel and producer gas were used to generate electricity. To achieve this, a system comprising gasifier, briquetting machine, diesel engine and generator was developed. RESULTS Biodiesel was produced successfully using the method patented for biodiesel production and briquettes of Jatropha seed cake were made using a vertical extruding machine. Producer gas was obtained by gasifying these briquettes in a downdraft gasifier. A diesel engine was then run in dual fuel mode with biodiesel and producer gas instead of only diesel. Electricity was generated by coupling it to a generator. CONCLUSION The cost of producing kilowatthour of electricity with biodiesel and diesel in dual fuel mode with producer gas was found to be 0.84 $ and 0.75 $, respectively as compared to 0.69 $ and 0.5 $ for the same fuels in single fuel mode resulting in up to 48 % saving of pilot fuel. Compared to singlefuel mode, there was 25-32 % reduction in system and brake thermal efficiency along with significantly lower NOx, higher CO and CO2 emissions when the bio-electricity generating system was operated in dual fuel mode. Overall, the developed system could produce electricity successfully by completely uti- lising Jatropha seeds without leaving any seed cake to cause environmental pollution.

A. Sophia, V. M. Bhalambaal

Current Science • 2016

Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) are modified microbial fuel cells (MFC) that are energy-sustainable. They use organic matter in wastewater as the energy source for desalination. The electric potential gradient is caused by exoelectrogenic bacteria. A typical MDC has a middle compartment for water desalination between the anode and cathode chambers. Our study reports lab-scale desalination, for evaluating the role of carbon from biomass waste, i.e. coconut shells. Control experiments were performed in the absence of activated carbon. Different initial salt concentrations (25 and 35 gl -1 ) were investigated. MDC produced a maximum voltage of 460 ± 13 mV simultaneously removing about 83.3 ± 1.3% of Na + and 57.8 ± 1.1% of Cl - , in the desalination cycle. The control MDC produced a maximum of 260 ± 8 mV and 69.3 ± 2% of Na + removal and 51 ± 1.5% Cl - removal. These results explain the role of using activated carbon for improved power production and water desalination. The SEM image of the biofilm shows pili (nanowires) with rod-shaped microorganisms. EDAX confirmed the presence of minerals such as Al, P, K, O, N, which may be due to chemical scale formation (especially P, Na and Ca).

A. S. Jatoi, M. Siddique, A. N. Mengal et al.

• 2016

Pakistan facing problem with respect to energy having abounded source of fossil fuel. On the basis of that one of new technology which getting importance nowadays is nothing but MFC. In this regard work were carried out on different biomass as substrate in Microbial Fuel Cell for electricity generation. Among the different biomass sewage sludge had potential for generation of 2500mv/l. When compare it other sources the yield is 270mv/l for carbo manure, 229mv/l for waste water, 330mv/l for cow manure. Sewage sludge containing organic compound higher percentage of glucose, due to this will give the good results for power generation and environment.

M. Radha, S. Kanmani

Current Science • 2017

This work deals with the performance of a microbial fuel cell, focusing on the electrocatalytic activity of selected cathodes constructed by coating nanocomposites over graphite felt under neutral pH in a doublechamber configuration using paper-recycled waste water as a typical electrolyte. Among all cathodes, iron phthalocyanine (FePc) combined multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) shows the highest power density (9.34 W/m) compared to other two catalysts, FePc/Ketjan black (4.68 W/m) and MWCNT (2.9 W/m) under similar conditions of using a reference platinum/carbon (Pt/C) loading of 0.5 mg/cm. The morphology of these catalyst coated electrodes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Their electrocatalytic activities were examined using cyclic voltammetry. This work provides an appropriate alternative for cathode catalysts in treatment as well as in electricity production as demonstrated by the high power density of the above catalysts compared to that using precious Pt metal catalyst in microbial fuel cells.

Lizheng Chen, Hongyi Zhang, Yongqi Li et al.

Fermentation • 2023

In this study, an algal–bacterial symbiotic consortium was integrated with the sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) to construct an algal–bacterial cathode SMFC (AC-SMFC) for excess sewage sludge treatment and electricity generation. A bacterial cathode SMFC (BC-SMFC) and a static settling system (SS-system) were used as controls. Electrochemical analysis confirmed that the algal–bacterial biofilm on the cathode improved electricity production. The maximum power density of AC-SMFC was 75.21 mW/m2, which was 65.70% higher than that of the BC-SMFC (45.39 mW/m2). After 60 days of treatment, AC-SMFC achieved much higher removal efficiencies of the total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) (59.60%), suspended solids (SS) (62.42%), and volatile suspended solids (VSS) (71.44%) in the sediment, compared to BC-SMFC and the SS-system, exhibiting an effective degradation of the organic matter in the sediment sludge. Moreover, the lower concentration of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the overlying water of AC-SMFC demonstrated that the algae on the cathode could inhibit the accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus released from the sediments. The three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the tryptophan protein and aromatic protein in the loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS) of the sediment sludge in the AC-SMFC were significantly decreased. Additionally, the abundance of functional microbiota in the AC-SMFC increased, such as Trichococcus, Alphaproteobacteria, and Clostridia, which contributed to electricity generation and sludge degradation. The combined application of microalgae and the SMFC provided a promising approach for excess sludge reduction and energy recovery.

Chao Liu, Yue Yin, Chuang Chen et al.

Energies • 2023

Medium chain carboxylic acids (MCCAs, e.g., caproic acid, caprylic acid, etc.) with 6–12 carbon atoms are valuable platform chemicals produced from organic waste via microbial chain elongation metabolism named as reversed β-oxidation and fatty acid-biosynthesis cyclical pathway. Recently, many articles reported that electricity could not only serve as the external electron donor and provide the reduction equivalent required for chain elongation but also regulate the microbiome structure and metabolic behaviors to promote MCCAs formation. Electricity-steering MCCAs bioproduction has become an appealing technique to valorize low-value organic waste, paving an alternative pathway for net-zero carbon emission energy systems and sustainable socio-economic development. However, the MCCAs’ bioproduction from organic waste steered by electric field has not been comprehensively reviewed. From a systematical analysis of publicly available literature, we first covered the basic working principle, fermentation architecture, functional microflora, and metabolic pathway of MCCAs production driven by electricity. The strategies of substrate modulation, applied voltage/current regulation, electrode optimization, and microbial cooperation and stimulation for boosting electricity-driven MCCAs bioproduction are then scrutinized and extensively discussed. Ultimately, the pressing knowledge gaps and the potential path forward are proposed to provide pointers for consistently higher MCCAs yield and the transition from laboratory to market.

A. S. Jatoi, H. Mahar, S. Aziz et al.

SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología • 2016

With the development of industrial revolution environmental pollution greatly affected by various pollutants emitted from industries. A part from this energy requirement also increased due to growing civilization. Ethanol is one of the future fuel that is produced from sugar cane molasses. During distillation of alcohol waste water also drawn off, this waste water contain many organic matter. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is one of the major source for treating waste water and generating electricity. This study deals with electricity generation from distillery waste and factor affecting salt bridge used for proton transfer. The maximum voltage and electricity generation was seen at 10% agarose,1 M Kcl, 1 M NaCl, 5 cm length and 1cm diameter of salt bridge about 0.67 mv and  0.0642 mA.

Xing Zhou, Huilong Jin, N. Li et al.

Molecules • 2023

Fe-based chemical looping gasification is a clean biomass technology, which has the advantage of reducing CO2 emissions and the potential of self-sustaining operation without supplemental heating. A novel process combining Fe-based chemical looping and biomass pyrolysis was proposed and simulated using Aspen Plus. The biomass was first subjected to pyrolysis to coproduce biochar, bio-oil and pyrolysis gas; the pyrolysis gas was subjected to an Fe looping process to obtain high-purity hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The influences of the pyrolysis reactor operating temperature and fuel reactor operation temperature, and the steam reactor and air reactor on the process performance are researched. The results showed that, under the operating condition of the established process, 23.07 kg/h of bio-oil, 24.18 kg/h of biochar, 3.35 kg/h of hydrogen and a net electricity of 3 kW can be generated from 100 kg/h of rice straw, and the outlet CO2 concentration of the fuel reactor was as high as 80%. Moreover, the whole exergy efficiency and total exergy loss of the proposed process was 58.98% and 221 kW, respectively. Additionally, compared to biomass direct chemical looping hydrogen generation technology, the new process in this paper, using biomass pyrolysis gas as a reactant in the chemical looping hydrogen generation process, can enhance the efficiency of hydrogen generation.

M. Siddique, A. S. Jatoi, M. Rajput et al.

IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering • 2018

Bio-electrochemical system for power generation getting attention due to utilization of waste material. Based on that study was made to convert sugar industry waste water for bio-electricity generation using double chamber microbial fuel cell. Different organic load in form of substrate concentration and parametric effect were tested to optimize the best condition for electricity generation. From 100g/l to 300g/l with step size 100g/l, for aeration rate from 100-250ml/min with step size 50ml/min, and for as pH from 4.5 to 6.5 with step size 0.5pH. The maximum power generation were observed at pH 6, aeration rate 200ml/min and organic load 200g/l about 820mA. Regarding above results that found favourable condition on environment as well as waste reduction.

A. Abusoglu, A. Anvari‐Moghaddam, J. Guerrero

2019 International Conference on Power Generation Systems and Renewable Energy Technologies (PGSRET) • 2019

This study investigates the bio-electricity and bio-heat production potential of an urban wastewater treatment plant using biogas-engine powered cogeneration system and fluidized bed sewage sludge incineration system operating data. The facilities of the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Central Wastewater Treatment Plant were used as case studies. The operating data of the plants was analyzed to perform thermodynamically qualitative and quantitative assessments of the energy recovery potential. Wastewater treatment plant digests 68.26 kg of sludge with a dry matter content of 8.0% for each 1 m3 of biogas. The annual production of the cogeneration plant is 8.760 GWh, which corresponds to an annual biogas consumption of 3,400,000 m3. For each 1 kWh of electricity produced in the biogas-engine, 0.387 m3 of biogas with a methane content of 60% is consumed. The average energy produced in the fluidized bed sludge incineration plant is 10,240,000 kcal/hour in the winter and 7,700,000 kcal/hour in the summer. On the other hand, the average energy consumed in the incineration plant 4,900,000 kcal/hour in the winter and 4,800,000 kcal/hour in the summer.

R. Niu, Jiaxin Ren, Junqiang Justin Koh et al.

Advanced Energy Materials • 2023

The integration of solar‐driven interfacial evaporation and electricity co‐generation is considered a promising approach to simultaneously alleviate freshwater scarcity and the energy crisis. However, affected by intermittent solar irradiation/uncontrollable weather, the overall performance of solar‐driven evaporation in the real world is greatly reduced. Herein, inspired by antifreeze proteins in beetles that survive in extreme climates, all‐weather solar‐driven interfacial evaporators with a sandwich structure are designed. The top and bottom layers composed of MnO2‐modified cotton cloth are used for photothermal conversion and water transport, meanwhile, the middle layer made of a phase change microcapsule/hydrogel composite serves for heat storage and release. Under 1 kW m−2 irradiation, the evaporator exhibits a high evaporation rate of 2.67 kg m−2 h−1 and an efficiency of 89.5%. In the dark, the heat released from the phase change layer supports an evaporation rate of 0.43 kg m−2 h−1, 3.6 times that of pure water. Additionally, assembled with a thermoelectric module, the hybrid device achieves a stable output electricity power of 0.42 W m−2 under 1‐sun illumination and a prolonged output for 30 min in the dark. This work provides a novel approach for full‐time solar‐powered steam‐electricity co‐generation and a proof of concept for biomimetic steam generation/heat management integration.

Aisha Umar, Mustansar Mubeen, Iftikhar Ali et al.

Frontiers in Microbiology • 2024

Integrating fungi into fuel cell systems presents a promising opportunity to address environmental pollution while simultaneously generating energy. This review explores the innovative concept of constructing wetlands as fuel cells for pollutant degradation, offering a practical and eco-friendly solution to pollution challenges. Fungi possess unique capabilities in producing power, fuel, and electricity through metabolic processes, drawing significant interest for applications in remediation and degradation. Limited data exist on fungi’s ability to generate electricity during catalytic reactions involving various enzymes, especially while remediating pollutants. Certain species, such as Trametes versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Galactomyces reessii, Aspergillus spp., Kluyveromyce smarxianus, and Hansenula anomala, have been reported to generate electricity at 1200 mW/m3, 207 mW/m2, 1,163 mW/m3, 438 mW/m3, 850,000 mW/m3, and 2,900 mW/m3, respectively. Despite the eco-friendly potential compared to conventional methods, fungi’s role remains largely unexplored. This review delves into fungi’s exceptional potential as fuel cell catalysts, serving as anodic or cathodic agents to mitigate land, air, and water pollutants while simultaneously producing fuel and power. Applications cover a wide range of tasks, and the innovative concept of wetlands designed as fuel cells for pollutant degradation is discussed. Cost-effectiveness may vary depending on specific contexts and applications. Fungal fuel cells (FFCs) offer a versatile and innovative solution to global challenges, addressing the increasing demand for alternative bioenergy production amid population growth and expanding industrial activities. The mechanistic approach of fungal enzymes via microbial combinations and electrochemical fungal systems facilitates the oxidation of organic substrates, oxygen reduction, and ion exchange membrane orchestration of essential reactions. Fungal laccase plays a crucial role in pollutant removal and monitoring environmental contaminants. Fungal consortiums show remarkable potential in fine-tuning FFC performance, impacting both power generation and pollutant degradation. Beyond energy generation, fungal cells effectively remove pollutants. Overall, FFCs present a promising avenue to address energy needs and mitigate pollutants simultaneously.

D. Khater, K. El-Khatib, M. Hazaa et al.

Journal of Basic and Environmental Sciences • 2024

Received; 24 September 2014 In Revised form; 2 November 2014 Accepted; 2 November 2014 Based on the catalytic properties of electrochemically active organisms, activated-sludge based-microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was designed for the electricity generation. As a microbial energy source, glucose has been exploited as electron provider. During the incubation time of bacterial culture in a mediated-less MFC, the cell voltage and degradation rates of glucose were determined. The results showed that electricity output was increasing due to the increase of glucose concentration. The MFC displayed a maximum power density of 52 mW/m 2 at stable current density 275 mA/m 2 and a maximum glucose degradation rate 94.4%. However, the electrical current was dropped when the glucose level in the bacterial culture was higher than 5.0 g/l. This fact was confirmed by studying the glucose concentrations using cyclic voltammetry.Concerning to the extracellular electron transfer mechanism(s), the biofilm formation on the anode was visible by Scanning electron Microscope (SEM). SEM showed the intensive adherence of microbes on anodic electrodes.On the other hand, rates of glucose consumption (degradation) were analyzed, the degradation rate was in accordance with the electrical current.Therefore, the current study demonstrates the applicable use of activated sludge-based microbial fuel cells for bioelectricity generation.

Rooman Roy Chowdhury, Kasuba Sirisha, Santosh Kumar Yadav et al.

BIO Web of Conferences • 2024

Modern economies are centered on electricity, which is also contributing to an increasing amount of energy services. As a result of increased household incomes, electrification of transport and rising demand for digital connected devices and air conditioning, there will be a rise in the need for energy. Residential electricity consumption in India has tripled over the past few decades with houses having access to uninterrupted power supply. This study is conducted in order to understand the determinants of electricity consumption such as income, family size, stock of electrical appliances, size of dwellings and their influence on consumer’s electricity consumption. It also seeks to examine if the consumers are willing to reduce their electricity consumption and are interested in shifting to renewable energy resources considering the costs involved in shifting to more sustainable energies. Due to the nature of power, which is invisible from the moment it was discovered, as well as consumer attitudes and behavior, saving electricity may appear to be a challenging undertaking. However, if the consumer acquires a basic understanding of what electricity is, how it is utilized, and, more significantly, how energy is wasted, the problem might become very simple. This will make consumers more aware of wasteful electricity use and perhaps encourage them to modify their daily consumption of electricity.

S. Sarkar, Samiran Garain, D. Mandal et al.

RSC Adv. • 2014

In this work we report on the preparation of polymer nanocomposite (PNC) films, consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and bismuth vanadium oxide nanoparticles (BiVO4-NPs), and its electroactive phase (β- and γ-phase) formation. It was found that BiVO4-NPs can yield up to 98% of the electroactive phases in PVDF. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results reveal that electrostatic interactions are present at the interface between surface charges of BiVO4-NPs and –CH2/CF2– molecular dipoles of PVDF favoring and stabilizing the electroactive phases. The electrostatic interaction is further confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Compared to the neat PVDF film, a significantly increased dielectric constant (e ∼ 44) and a low loss factor (tan δ ∼ 0.02) were observed in the PNC films. In addition, PNC films exhibit a high electrical energy density up to 11 J cm−3 with a breakdown electric field higher than 400 MV m−1. Furthermore, a dramatic improvement of the toughness (460%) was also noticed for the PNC films. These results underline the high potential of such films for their use as flexible high energy density capacitors and flexible piezoelectric based power sources as well.

Zelin Chen, Dewei Rao, Jinfeng Zhang et al.

ACS Applied Energy Materials • 2019

Pt-based catalysts for methanol fuel electro-oxidation typically suffer from CO intermediate poisoning. Herein, we incorporated secondary Ni element into PtPd hollow nanocrystals (HNCs) to fabricat...

Zafar Abas, H. Kim, Jaehwan Kim et al.

Frontiers in Materials • 2014

Cellulose electro-active paper (EAPap) is an attractive material of electro-active polymers (EAPs) family due to its smart characteristics. EAPap is thin cellulose film coated with metal electrodes on both sides. Its large displacement output, low actuation voltage and low power consumption can be used for biomimetic sensors/actuators and electromechanical system. Because cellulose EAPap is ultra-lightweight, easy to manufacture, inexpensive, biocompatible, and biodegradable, it has been employed for many applications such as bending actuator, vibration sensor, artificial muscle, flexible speaker, and can be advantageous in areas such as micro-insect robots, micro-flying objects, microelectromechanical systems, biosensors, and flexible displays.

M. Tixier, J. Pouget

Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics • 2014

Ionic electro-active polymer is an active material consisting in a polyelectrolyte (for example Nafion). Such material is usually used as thin film sandwiched between two platinum electrodes. The polymer undergoes large bending motions when an electric field is applied across the thickness. Conversely, a voltage can be detected between both electrodes when the polymer is suddenly bent. The solvent-saturated polymer is fully dissociated, releasing cations of small size. We used a continuous medium approach. The material is modelled by the coexistence of two phases; it can be considered as a porous medium where the deformable solid phase is the polymer backbone with fixed anions; the electrolyte phase is made of a solvent (usually water) with free cations. The microscale conservation laws of mass, linear momentum and energy and the Maxwell’s equations are first written for each phase. The physical quantities linked to the interfaces are deduced. The use of an average technique applied to the two-phase medium finally leads to an Eulerian formulation of the conservation laws of the complete material. Macroscale equations relative to each phase provide exchanges through the interfaces. An analysis of the balance equations of kinetic, potential and internal energy highlights the phenomena responsible of the conversion of one kind of energy into another, especially the dissipative ones : viscous frictions and Joule effect.

Zafar Abas, H. Kim, L. Zhai et al.

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology • 2014

In this paper, a cellulose-based Electro-Active Paper (EAPap) energy scavenging transducer is presented. Cellulose is proven as a smart material, and exhibits piezoelectric effect. Specimens were prepared by coating gold electrodes on both sides of cellulose film. The fabricated specimens were tested by a base excited aluminum cantilever beam at resonant frequency. Different tests were performed with single and multiple parallel connected electrodes coated on the cellulose film. A maximum of 131 mV output voltage was measured, when three electrodes were connected in parallel. It was observed that voltage output increases significantly with the area of electrodes. From these results, it can be concluded that the piezoelectricity of cellulose-based EAPap can be used in energy transduction application.

Xue Han, S. Mendes

Analytical Chemistry • 2014

An optical impedance spectroscopy (OIS) technique based on a single-mode electro-active-integrated optical waveguide (EA-IOW) was developed to investigate electron-transfer processes of redox adsorbates. A highly sensitive single-mode EA-IOW device was used to optically follow the time-dependent faradaic current originated from a submonolayer of cytochrome c undergoing redox exchanges driven by a harmonic modulation of the electric potential at several dc bias potentials and at several frequencies. To properly retrieve the faradaic current density from the ac-modulated optical signal, we introduce here a mathematical formalism that (i) accounts for intrinsic changes that invariably occur in the optical baseline of the EA-IOW device during potential modulation and (ii) provides accurate results for the electro-chemical parameters. We are able to optically reconstruct the faradaic current density profile against the dc bias potential in the working electrode, identify the formal potential, and determine the energy-width of the electron-transfer process. In addition, by combining the optically reconstructed faradaic signal with simple electrical measurements of impedance across the whole electrochemical cell and the capacitance of the electric double-layer, we are able to determine the time-constant connected to the redox reaction of the adsorbed protein assembly. For cytochrome c directly immobilized onto the indium tin oxide (ITO) surface, we measured a reaction rate constant of 26.5 s–1. Finally, we calculate the charge-transfer resistance and pseudocapacitance associated with the electron-transfer process and show that the frequency dependence of the redox reaction of the protein submonolayer follows as expected the electrical equivalent of an RC-series admittance diagram. Above all, we show here that OIS with single-mode EA-IOW’s provide strong analytical signals that can be readily monitored even for small surface-densities of species involved in the redox process (e.g., fmol/cm2, 0.1% of a full protein monolayer). This experimental approach, when combined with the analytical formalism described here, brings additional sensitivity, accuracy, and simplicity to electro-chemical analysis and is expected to become a useful tool in investigations of redox processes.

Yunhua Zhu, Xuxu Wang, Jing Zhang et al.

Environmental Science & Technology • 2019

Our study on the synergetic effect of electrolysis and permanganate (E-PM) revealed a novel alternative methods for generating active Mn(III)(aq) heterogeneously by electrochemical activating PM with Mn2+ as promoter and stabilizer. We systematically explored the generation mechanism of Mn(III)(aq). It indicated that all three components (electrolysis+PM+Mn2+) were necessary to facilitate the generation of active Mn(III) in E-PM-Mn2+ process. It was worth noting that Mn2+, as essential promoter and Mn(III)(aq) stabilizer, could considerably enhance the concentration of Mn(III) in E-PM-Mn2+ process. Further study revealed that the active Mn(III) was mainly produced on cathode rather than in aqueous solution or on anode. In addition, the soluble Mn(III)(aq) generated in E-PM-Mn2+ process was demonstrated to be very efficient for the degradation and mineralization of diclofenac (DCF) as well as methyl blue, carbamazepine, and phenol, sulfamethoxazole, and nitrobenzene. Moreover, the effects of the main operating parameters (Mn2+ dosage, PM dosage, applied current density, pH of solution, and contaminant concentration) and different water matrices on E-PM-Mn2+ process were investigated systematically. Possible degradation pathways of DCF in E-PM-Mn2+ process were also proposed. The results demonstrated that the E-PM-Mn2+ system based on active Mn(III)(aq) could create a more efficient, sustainable, and less energy costing technology for water treatment.

Zafar Abas, Dong-Ho Yang, H. Kim et al.

International Journal of Applied Mechanics • 2015

We characterized a vibration sensor made of piezoelectric paper by measuring the frequency response function of an aluminum cantilever that was subjected to impulse loading and random excitation. The dynamic characteristics of the device were measured by recording the transient response of the smart cantilever beam with a pair of electro-active paper (EAPap) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors located at a 5 mm distance from the clamped end as well as from a second pair of piezoelectric sensors located at a distance of 140 mm. The responses were measured by impacting the cantilever at its tip and at its mid-point. A fast Fourier transform was applied on the time domain data to measure the resonant frequencies of the vibrating structure. Both the EAPap and the PVDF sensors were observed to be very sensitive to varying levels of dynamic strain. The EAPap sensor showed a low strain sensitivity that was found to be desirable due to the inherent piezoelectricity and eco-friendly behavior of the material. The results revealed that the dynamic sensing ability of the EAPap at a low frequency range was quite comparable to that of PVDF when monitoring structural vibrations. The frequency response function was also measured via random excitation, piezoelectricity of the EAPap sensor shows potential for sensing vibrations with a dynamic response.

Bekim Osmani, Tino Töpper, C. Deschenaux et al.

AIP Conference Proceedings • 2015

Treatments of severe incontinence are currently based on purely mechanical systems that generally result in revision after three to five years. Our goal is to develop a prototype acting in a natural-analogue manner as artificial muscle, which is based on electro-active polymers. Dielectric actuators have outstanding performances including millisecond response times, mechanical strains of more than 10 % and power to mass densities similar to natural muscles. They basically consist of polymer films sandwiched between two compliant electrodes. The incompressible but elastic polymer film transduces the electrical energy into mechanical work according to the Maxwell pressure. Available polymer films are micrometers thick and voltages as large as kV are necessary to obtain 10 % strain. For medical implants, polymer films should be nanometer thin to realize actuation below 48 V. The metallic electrodes have to be stretchable to follow the strain of 10 % and remain conductive. Recent results on the stress/strain ...

Ruqi Ding, Min Cheng, Lai Jiang et al.

IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics • 2021

Aiming at the tough requirements for safety and maintainability in mobile hydraulic systems, in this article, an active fault-tolerant control (FTC) system is proposed against the valve faults of an independent metering valve. Not only moderate faults of activated valves, but also significant faults and unactivated valve faults are considered. Without additional hardware redundancy, analytical redundancy is derived by the coordinate control of other fault-free valves. Accordingly, an FTC system in parallel with a normal controller is designed based on the pressure feedback. It consists of a set of reconfigurable controllers and a decision mechanism. The control signals, control loops, and operating modes can all be precisely reconfigured to adaptively match unmodeled fault dynamics. A bumpless transfer controller based on a latent tracking loop is designed to smooth the switching between the normal controller and FTC. Consequently, random valve faults can be tolerated with minor degradations in motion tracking and energy-saving performance. The feasibility of the FTC system is evaluated by a 2-ton excavator.

J. Ghithan, Mónica Moreno, G. Sombrio et al.

Optics Letters • 2017

Here we report the development of a novel immunosensor-based strategy for label-free detection of viral pathogens by incorporating a sandwich bioassay onto a single-mode, electro-active, integrated optical waveguide (EA-IOW). Our strategy begins with the functionalization of the electro-active waveguide surface with a capture antibody aimed at a specific virus antigen. Once the target antigen is bound to the photonic interface, it promotes the binding of a secondary antibody that has been labeled with a methylene blue (MB) dye. The MB is a redox-active probe whose optical absorption can be electrically modulated and interrogated with high sensitivity by a propagating waveguide mode. In this effort, we have targeted the hemagglutinin (HA) protein from the H5N1 avian influenza A virus to demonstrate the capabilities of the EA-IOW device for detection and quantification of an important antigen. Our initial results for the HA H5N1 influenza virus show a remarkable limit of detection in the pico-molar range.

Prakriti Adhikary, D. Mandal

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics • 2017

We have prepared a flexible polymer composite film containing poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) and Zn2+ for the fabrication of a multifunctional piezoelectric based nanogenerator (MFNG), where a traditional electrical poling treatment was avoided. The desirable amount of Zn2+ yields more than 99% of electro-active phases in the P(VDF-HFP) matrix that co-operates to enhance the dielectric properties of the composite film via hydrogen bonding interactions. In situ thermal Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy affirms the improved thermal stability of the electro-active β-phase and the β→γ phase transition temperature in the Zn2+ doped composite film. It also shows UV absorption and intense blue light emission confirmed by a CIE 1931 chart that gives it applicability as a flexible optical sensor. The MFNG behaves as an efficient mechanical energy harvester that delivers an open-circuit voltage ∼6 V and an output power of 2.4 μW and successfully enables the charging of a capacitor by simple repetitive finger touch and release motions (a pressure amplitude of ∼14 kPa). The UV light sensing ability of the MFNG is confirmed under the continuous application and removal of applied stress, which is very promising for designing versatile self-powered optoelectronic smart sensors. Our approach is very simple and cost effective for the construction of a new class of flexible multifunctional energy harvesters that have wonderful applications in the areas of piezo-photonics, wireless detection and flexible self-powered opto-electronics.

Shanyong Chen, T. Luo, Kejun Chen et al.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition • 2021

Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide through two-electron (2e- ) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an on-site and clean route. Oxygen-doped carbon materials with high ORR activity and H2O2 selectivity have been considered as the promising catalysts, however, there is still a lack of direct experimental evidence to identify true active sites at complex carbon surface. Herein, we proposed a chemical titration strategy to decipher the oxygen-doped carbon nanosheet (OCNS900 ) catalyst for 2e-  ORR. The OCNS900 exhibits outstanding 2e- ORR performances with onset potential of 0.825 V (vs. RHE), mass activity of 14.5 A g-1 at 0.75 V (vs. RHE) and H2 O2 production rate of 770 mmol g -1 h -1 in flow cell, surpassing most reported carbon catalysts. Through selective chemical titration of C=O, C-OH, and COOH groups, we found C=O species contributed to the most electrocatalytic activity and were the most active sites for 2e- ORR, which were corroborated by theoretical calculations.

V. Guarino, S. Zuppolini, A. Borriello et al.

Polymers • 2016

Through recent discoveries and new knowledge among correlations between molecular biology and materials science, it is a growing interest to design new biomaterials able to interact—i.e., to influence, to guide or to detect—with cells and their surrounding microenvironments, in order to better control biological phenomena. In this context, electro-active polymers (EAPs) are showing great promise as biomaterials acting as an interface between electronics and biology. This is ascribable to the highly tunability of chemical/physical properties which confer them different conductive properties for various applicative uses (i.e., molecular targeting, biosensors, biocompatible scaffolds). This review article is divided into three parts: the first one is an overview on EAPs to introduce basic conductivity mechanisms and their classification. The second one is focused on the description of most common processes used to manipulate EAPs in the form of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) materials. The last part addresses their use in current applications in different biomedical research areas including tissue engineering, biosensors and molecular delivery.

Asif Khan, Zafar Abas, H. Kim et al.

Sensors • 2016

We report on the recent progress and development of research into cellulose-based electro-active paper for bending actuators, bioelectronics devices, and electromechanical transducers. The cellulose electro-active paper is characterized in terms of its biodegradability, chirality, ample chemically modifying capacity, light weight, actuation capability, and ability to form hybrid nanocomposites. The mechanical, electrical, and chemical characterizations of the cellulose-based electro-active paper and its hybrid composites such as blends or coatings with synthetic polymers, biopolymers, carbon nanotubes, chitosan, and metal oxides, are explained. In addition, the integration of cellulose electro-active paper is highlighted to form various functional devices including but not limited to bending actuators, flexible speaker, strain sensors, energy harvesting transducers, biosensors, chemical sensors and transistors for electronic applications. The frontiers in cellulose paper devices are reviewed together with the strategies and perspectives of cellulose electro-active paper and cellulose nanocomposite research and applications.

Shun-Wen Cheng, T. Han, Teng-Yung Huang et al.

Polymer Chemistry • 2018

Novel electrochromic (EC) and aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE)-active triphenylamine (TPA)-based polyamides were prepared with 4-cyanotriphenylamine (TPA-CN), 4-methoxytriphenylamine (TPA-OMe), cyclohexane (CH) and tetraphenylethene (TPE) moieties via condensation polymerization. The emission from the polyamides could be quenched from the neutral to oxidized states effectively due to the structural planarization and optical absorption shift of TPA units during electrochemical switching. With the introduction of n-heptyl viologen (HV) into the device system as a counter EC layer for balancing charges, the resulting high-performance electrofluorochromic (EFC) devices based on TPA-CN-CH as a photoluminescent (with a fluorescence quantum yield of up to 46% in the film state) and redox-active layer showed a high fluorescence contrast ratio (Ioff/Ion) of 105. The HV-containing TPA-OMe-TPE-based EFC device displayed the shortest response time of less than 4.9 s, and excellent improvement in reducing the switching recovery time and lowering the oxidation potential could also be achieved. Thus, judiciously designed multi-functional polymers with both redox- and AEE-active features are a crucial and feasible approach for preparing highly efficient EFC devices.

Asif Khan, F. Khan, H. Kim

Sensors • 2018

Electro-active paper (EAPap) is a cellulose-based smart material that has shown promising results in a variety of smart applications (e.g., vibration sensor, piezo-speaker, bending actuator) with the merits of being flexible, lightweight, fracture tolerant, biodegradable, naturally abundant, cheap, biocompatible, and with the ability to form hybrid nanocomposites. This paper presents a review of the characterization and application of EAPap as a flexible mechanical vibration/strain sensor, bending actuator, and vibration energy harvester. The working mechanism of EAPap is explained along with the various parameters and factors that influence the sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting capabilities of EAPap. Although the piezoelectricity of EAPap is comparable to that of commercially available polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), EAPap has the preferable merits in terms of natural abundance and ample capacity of chemical modification. The article would provide guidelines for the characterization and application of EAPap in mechanical sensing, actuation, and vibration energy scavenging, along with the possible limitations and future research prospects.

Hehe Qin, Xiaojie Wei, Ziwei Ye et al.

Environmental Science & Technology • 2022

We report an electrolysis system using NiFe layered double hydroxide/CoMoO4/nickel foam (NFLDH/CMO/NF) as the anode and CMO/NF as the cathode for simultaneous phenol electro-oxidation and water electrolysis. This system shows high performance for both phenol degradation and hydrogen evolution. We demonstrate that the degradation rate of phenol on the active anode is governed by the mass transfer rate at a low phenol concentration (0.5-2 mM) and by the electro-oxidation rate at a high phenol concentration (5 mM). The anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) can promote the phenol degradation through enhanced mass transfer efficiency. More importantly, the common deactivation issue of phenol electro-oxidation on the inert anode can be eliminated by the high OER activity of the active anode. The constructed full electrolytic cell only needs a low potential of 1.498 V to achieve 10 mA/cm2 for water electrolysis. The reported promotion effect of phenol degradation by OER as well as the improved anode resistance to deactivation offer new insights into efficient and robust waste-to-resource electrolysis system for water treatment.

R. K. Tripathy, Aneeya K. Samantara, J. N. Behera

Dalton Transactions • 2019

The oxygen electrocatalysis, i.e. the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, is traditionally executed using noble metal and metal oxide-based nanostructures. However, they are associated with many disadvantages such as high cost, lower durability/selectivity and detrimental environmental effects; this motivates researchers to develop new electroactive materials. In this study, we presented the synthesis of a Co-containing metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) and explored its electrocatalytic application towards the oxygen electrocatalysis (i.e. the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction). The Co-MOF efficiently catalyzes the ORR with a lower onset (0.85 V vs. RHE)/reduction potential and higher reduction current density by a four-electron reduction path. Moreover, the MOF shows higher durability with >70% performance retention after 25 hours of reaction and tolerance towards methanol; this demonstrates its potential for application in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs); furthermore, due to the availability of more active sites and accessible surface area, the Co-MOF performs well towards the OER with lower onset potential and small Tafel slope as compared to the commercial RuO2 nanoparticles. Moreover, it needs only 280 mV overpotential to deliver the state-of-the-art current density of 10 mA cm-2 and robust stability. It shows the high TOF value of 93.21 s-1 at the overpotential of 350 mV as compared to the reported MOF/nanoparticle-based electrocatalysts and the state-of-the-art RuO2. Therefore, we believe that the as-developed Co-MOF holds the potential to be used as both a cathode and an anode electrocatalyst in the future energy storage and conversion systems.

C. Rajapaksha, C. Feng, C. Piedrahita et al.

Macromolecular Rapid Communications • 2020

Preparation and low voltage induced bending (converse flexoelectricity) of crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), modified with thiosiloxane (TS) and ionic liquid (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) (IL) are reported. In between 2µm PEDOT:PSS electrodes at 1 V, it provides durable (95% retention under 5000 cycles) and relatively fast (2 s switching time) actuation with the second largest strain observed so far in ionic electro-active polymers (iEAPs). In between 40 nm gold electrodes under 8 V DC voltage, the film can be completely curled up (270° bending angle) with 6% strain that, to the best of the knowledge, is unpreceded among iEAPs. These results render great potential for the TS/PEGDA/IL based electro-active actuators for soft robotic applications.

Ankit Gangrade, Basveshwar Gawali, Praveen Kumar Jadi et al.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces • 2020

Conventional systemic chemotherapeutic regimens suffer from challenges such as non-specificity, shorter half-life, clearance of drugs and dose-limiting toxicity. Localized delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs through non-invasive spatiotemporally controllable stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems could overcome these drawbacks while utilizing drugs approved for cancer treatment. In this regard, we developed photo-electro active nanocomposite silk-based drug delivery systems (DDS) exhibiting, on-demand drug release in vivo. A functionally modified single-walled carbon nanotube loaded with doxorubicin was embedded within cross-linker free silk hydrogel. The resultant nanocomposite silk hydrogel showed electrical field responsiveness and near-infrared (NIR) laser-induced hyperthermal effect. The remote application of these stimuli in tandem or independent manner led to the increased thermal and electrical conductivity of nanocomposite hydrogel, which effectively triggered the intermittent on-demand drug release. In a proof-of-concept in vivo tumor regression study, the nanocomposite hydrogel was administered in a minimally invasive way at the periphery of the tumor by covering most of it. During the 21-day study, drastic tumor regression was recorded upon regular stimulation of nanocomposite hydrogel with simultaneous or individual external application of an electric field and NIR laser. Tumor cell death marker expression analysis uncovered the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells leading to its shrinkage. Heart ultrasound and histology revealed no cardiotoxicity associated with localized DOX treatment. To our knowledge, this is also the first report to show the simultaneous application of electric field and NIR laser in vivo for localized tumor therapy, and our results suggested that such strategy might have high clinical translational potential.