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Abstract Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) stand out for portable electronic devices owing to their ease of handling, abundant fuel availability, and high theoretical open circuit potential. However, the practical application of DFAFCs is hindered by the unsatisfactory performance of electrocatalysts for the sluggish anodic formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR). Palladium (Pd) based nanomaterials have shown promise for FAOR due to their highly selective reaction mechanism, but maintaining high electrocatalytic durability remains challenging. In this study, a novel Pd‐based electrocatalyst (UiO‐Pd‐E) is reported with exceptional durability and activity for FAOR, which can be attributed to the Pd nanoparticles encapsulated within a carbon framework where concurrent chemical alloying of Pd and Zr occurs. Further, the UiO‐Pd‐E demonstrates noteworthy multifunctionality in various electrochemical reactions including electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in addition to the FAOR, highlighting its practical potentials.

This study investigates the impact of human-like machines (HLMs) on the user experience (UX) of young adults during voice interactions between drivers and autonomous vehicles. A mixed-method approach was employed to evaluate three voice agents with varying levels of anthropomorphism: a machine voice without humanized speech strategies (Agent A), a human voice without humanized speech strategies (Agent B), and a human voice with humanized speech strategies (Agent C). A total of 30 participants were invited to interact with the agents in a simulated driving scenario. Quantitative measures were employed to assess intimacy, trust, intention to use, perceived safety, and perceived anthropomorphism based on a 7-point Likert scale, while qualitative interviews were conducted to gain deeper insights. The results demonstrate that increased anthropomorphism enhances perceived anthropomorphism (from 2.77 for Agent A to 5.01 for Agent C) and intimacy (from 2.47 for Agent A to 4.52 for Agent C) but does not significantly affect trust or perceived safety. The intention to use was higher for Agents A and C (4.56 and 4.43, respectively) in comparison to Agent B (3.88). This suggests that there is a complex relationship between voice characteristics and UX dimensions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of balancing emotional engagement and functional efficiency in the design of voice agents for autonomous vehicles.

LiFePO4 emerges as a viable alternative to cobalt‐containing cathodes, such as Li[Ni1–x–yMnxCoy]O2 and Li[Ni1−x−yCoxAly]O2. As Fe is abundant in nature, LiFePO4 is a low‐cost material. Moreover, stable structure of LiFePO4 imparts long service life and thermal stability. However, the practical implementation of LiFePO4 cathode in energy storage devices is impeded by its low energy density and high ionic/electrical resistance. Herein, the LiFePO4 electrode with high active material loading and low ionic/electrical resistance through the dry process is reported for the first time. The dry process not only enables the uniform distribution of the polymeric binders and conductive additives within the thick electrode but also inhibits the formation of cracks. Furthermore, the bridge‐like connection of polytetrafluoroethylene facilitates the insertion and extraction of Li ions to the LiFePO4 crystal. Hence, the dry‐processed LiFePO4 electrode with high areal capacity (7.8 mAh cm−2) exhibits excellent cycle stability over 300 cycles in full‐cell operation. In addition, it is demonstrated that the estimated energy density of prismatic cell with the dry‐processed LiFePO4 electrode is competitive with state‐of‐the‐art Li[Ni1–x–yMnxCoy]O2‐based battery.

Lithium (Li) metal anodes have received intensive attention owing to its high specific capacity and low redox potential. However, chronic issues related to dendritic Li growth have hindered the pragmatic use of Li-metal batteries (LMBs). As one of feasible approaches, depositing a functional material on the separator is an efficient strategy for improving the electrochemical stability of LMBs. In this paper, we report a functionalized separator, comprising a nitrided niobium dioxide (named as n-NbO2) and a polypropylene (PP) separator. It is identified that niobium oxide interact with metallic Li, resulting in redistributing the localized Li ion. The n-NbO2-coated separator with enhanced electrical conductivity promotes Li plating/stripping process, reinforcing the Li ion redistribution effect. Due to these properties, Li-Cu cells with the n-NbO2-coated separator show the most outstanding cycle stability with high Coulombic efficiency (CE) over 200 cycles.