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Algal biomass is a promising pyrolysis feedstock, however, large amounts of nitrogen‐containing compounds (NH3, HCN,...) are emitted during its conversion. These emissions can be decreased by incorporating nitrogen in the biochar's carbon matrix via co‐pyrolysis. This study investigates whether adding glucose (GL) to the microalgae, Arthrospira sp. (SP), increases the nitrogen fixation in the solid biochar. Moreover, scalable (co‐) pyrolysis experiments are linked with micro‐scale pyrolysis. Using hyphenated pyrolysis (Py–GC–MS, TG‐IR) and characterization (CHNS, XPS, and Raman) techniques the phenomena associated with the incorporation of nitrogen in the biochars are unraveled. Co‐pyrolyzing SP and GL increased biochar yields and nitrogen retention, which is attributed to Maillard reactions occurring in the initial pyrolysis stages. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that co‐pyrolysis of microalgae and reducing sugars is a more sustainable strategy to produce algae‐based biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work asserts that increasing the planar area of a lithium (Li) electrode is a challenge in view of ensuring a uniform plating and stripping and spatial uniformity for the state‐of‐health over the surface of lithium. A significant in‐plane heterogeneity is observed for the symmetric Li cells with the stack area in the range of 24 to 96 cm2. The cycling of the large‐area lithium electrodes is performed inside a dedicated home‐made electrochemical setup capable of incorporating electrodes of different sizes. The cycling data and post‐mortem analysis reveal a clear non‐uniformity in the distribution of current and aging for the lithium electrodes having a size larger than the coin‐cell and relevant to the commercial applications. It is shown that the inhomogeneous aging manifests mainly in the formation of dead Li film with a spatial variation in thickness and impedance over the surface of the Li electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expanding field of flexible organic electronics has led to a high demand for flexible, stable, and transparent electrodes that retain their conductivity at high‐strain deformation. Among many transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) of which indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most renowned, silver nanowires (AgNWs) prove to be an excellent highly conductive and transparent alternative. These 1D silver nanostructures form a flexible mesh of nanometer‐thin wires that can be applied using solution‐processing and printing techniques. Ultrasonic spray coating is a high‐end low‐cost, environmentally friendly, and roll‐to‐roll compatible printing technique. AgNWs with three different diameters (50, 70, and 115 nm) are ultrasonically spray coated on glass and demonstrate sheet resistances lower than 10 Ω sq−1 combined with transparencies up to 88%. Consequently, the conductive polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythio‐phene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is ultrasonically spray coated to fill up the cavities between the AgNW mesh and to planarize the surface. The ultrasonically spray coated AgNWs/PEDOT:PSS electrodes are employed as TCEs for organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) showing very promising results with a luminous flux of 1.75 lm and a luminous efficacy of about 11 lm W−1 at 3 V driving voltage. Herein, ultrasonic spray coating is demonstrated as an excellent printing technique to apply AgNWs and PEDOT:PSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmon catalysis is an interesting technology concept for powering chemical processes with light. Here, we report the use of various Al2O3‐supported Ru spheroidal nanoparticles as catalyst for the low‐temperature conversion of CO2 and H2 to CH4 (Sabatier reaction), using sunlight as energy source. At high loadings of Ru spheroidal nanoparticles (5.9 % w/w), we observe a sharp increase in the rate of the sunlight powered reaction when compared to the reaction in dark at the same catalyst bed temperature. Based on our results we exclude plasmon coupling as cause, and attribute the rate enhancement to collective photothermal heating of the Al2O3‐supported Ru nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solution‐based (multi)metal oxide synthesis has been carried out employing a large diversity of precursor routes. The selection of an appropriate synthesis strategy is frequently dictated by the resulting material properties, although this choice should also be based on green chemistry principles, atom economy considerations and energy efficiency. In order to limit the required energy budget to convert the chemical precursor to the target oxide material, various approaches were recently reported. This Review summarizes some frequently encountered low‐temperature routes, critically assessing their application window and advantages. More specifically, auto‐combustion synthesis, UV‐assisted decomposition routes, sol–gel network adjustments and precursor complex design concepts are discussed. It is expected that this toolbox of low‐temperature strategies may assist further progress in the field, stimulating novel applications, such as flexible electronics or organic–oxide hybrid materials, which are very sensitive to the temperature requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticle inkjet inks are commonly used to print electrically conductive patterns, such as sensors or electrodes in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) or organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). After printing, a sintering step is required to transform the printed layer into an electrically conductive one. Gaining more insight into the occurring phenomena during this post-treatment step is necessary when applying different kinds of inkjet ink. Therefore, in this work the commercially available silver nanoparticle inkjet ink Metalon JS-B30G from Novacentrix is characterised during the different stages in the printing and thermal sintering sequence. The pre-printing and post-sintering characterisation proves that the inkjet ink used has got the right material parameters, such as viscosity and particle size. Silver layers with sheet resistances of 40 mΩ/sq were obtained with an average roughness lower than 10 nm. The experiments performed show the different stages during the thermal sintering procedure. Based on this, suitable thermal sintering parameters are defined leading to application of these conductive silver layers in OLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dead lithium, lithium-metal electrode, large area electrodes, non-uniform Cover Feature: Non-Uniform Distribution of Current in Plane of Large-Area Lithium Electrodes (Batteries & Supercaps 10/2022) Keywords: dead lithium; lithium-metal electrode; large area electrodes; non-uniform EN dead lithium lithium-metal electrode large area electrodes non-uniform 1 1 1 10/13/22 20221001 NES 221001 B The Cover Feature b illustrates the non-uniform nature of plating in-plane of a large area lithium electrode. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT For an increased lifetime of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells, an understanding of the chemical and morphological degradation phenomena taking place under operational conditions is crucial. Phase separation between polymer and fullerene induced by thermal stress has been pointed out as a major issue to overcome. While often the effect of thermal stress on the morphology of polymer:fullerene BHJ is investigated in the darkness, here we observe that light exposure slows down fullerene crystallization and phase separation induced at elevated temperatures. The observed photo-stabilizing effect on active layer morphology is quite independent on the polymer and is attributed to light-induced dimerization of the fullerene. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51, 1209-1214 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontispiece: Precursor Design Strategies for the Low-Temperature Synthesis of Functional Oxides: It's All in the Chemistry Keywords: auto-combustion synthesis; low-temperature strategies; precursor complex design; sol-gel adjustment; UV-decomposition EN auto-combustion synthesis low-temperature strategies precursor complex design sol-gel adjustment UV-decomposition 1 1 1 07/29/20 20200727 NES 200727 B Limiting the energetic budget b during the solution processing of oxides is one of the most crucial considerations, adhering to green chemistry principles. Auto-combustion synthesis, low-temperature strategies, precursor complex design, sol-gel adjustment, UV-decomposition. [Extracted from the article]

The interfacial decomposition products forming the so‐called solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) significantly determine the destiny of a Li‐ion battery. Ultimate knowledge of its detailed behavior and better control are required for higher rates, longer life‐time, and increased safety. Employing an electrochemical surface force apparatus, it is possible to control the growth and to investigate the mechanical properties of an SEI in a lithium‐ion battery environment. This new approach is here introduced on a gold model system and reveals a compressible film at all stages of SEI growth. The demonstrated methodology provides a unique tool for analyzing electrochemical battery interfaces, in particular in view of alternative electrolyte formulations and artificial interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]