Abstract: An electrocatalyst and a method of preparing the electrocatalyst are described. The electrocatalyst includes a porous foam substrate; and a catalytically active layer comprising NiVOx nanostructures, the catalytically active layer being disposed on an exterior surface and an interior pore surface of the porous metal foam substrate; where “x” is in the range of 1 to 3. A method of using the electrocatalyst for water oxidation is also described.

Abstract: The invention is directed to use of polystyrene wastes, such as Styrofoam® wastes, and carbon nanofibers to produce a highly hydrophobic composition or composite that can separate oil and water.

Abstract: Catalytic materials useful, e.g., in water oxidation performing at low overpotential and/or stable for applications such as solar-to-fuel conversion systems may include nanoscale, nanoporous Pd-containing materials. Thin-film Pd electrocatalysts may be obtained via Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AACVD) on conducting surfaces. XRD and XPS analyses show a phase pure crystalline metallic Pd deposit. Surface morphology study reveals a nanoparticulate highly porous nanostructure. Under electrochemical conditions, such Pd electrocatalysts may conduct water oxidation at onset potentials starting around 1.43 V against a reversible hydrogen electrode (? of 200 mV, Tafel slope of 40 mV/dec), and/or may achieve around 100 mA/cm2 current density at 1.63 V against a reversible hydrogen electrode, and may exhibits long-term stability in oxygen evolution. Method of making such electrocatalysts and their uses are also provided.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the conductivity of MOF-5 by the development of an MOF-5 polymer composite material. The composite material incorporates a conductive polymer, preferably polyaniline, in the solvo-thermal synthesis pathway of MOF-5. The electrically conductive MOF-5 composite exhibits electric conductivity three orders of magnitude higher than that of MOF-5 while maintaining the crystallinity, robustness, and thermal stability of MOF-5.

Abstract: A microgrid system is described. The microgrid system includes a Hodrick-Prescott filter configured to generate a filtered power based on an electrical power that is generated from an renewable energy. The microgrid system further includes a battery configured to output a battery power based on the electrical power and the filtered power. Also, the microgrid system includes a state of charge (SoC) control module configured to control charging and discharging of the battery by applying a feedback control on the output battery power.

Abstract: A system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium that assigns an electric vehicle to a charging station is described. The system includes a software-defined networking (SDN) controller application stored in a cloud-based computing platform, a computing device stored in the cloud platform, and a fog and cloud-based charging service application stored in the computing device. The SDN controller application is linked to a plurality of fog servers and is configured to manage network communications between the fog servers and the cloud-based computing platform, between the fog and a number S of charging stations CSs, where s=1, 2, . . . , S, and between the fog and a number I of electric vehicles EVi, where I=1, 2, . . . , I. The fog and cloud-based charging service application determines an optimal charging station CSopt for each electric vehicle and transmits a route to the optimal charging station to the EVi.

Abstract: Stiction analysis of a conventional or legacy valve operation in a fluid process plant is described. The method includes receiving a series of setpoint signals, SP, generating, by the controller, a series of controller output signals, OP, driving the valve operation by applying the OP, to the valve, measuring a series of process variable signals, PV, downstream of the valve, receiving the series of process variable signals at the controller, performing inverse modelling on the PV, to estimate a manipulated variable, , receiving and analyzing by a system processor, the SP, the OP, and the , and outputting the estimated stick values, S, the estimated jump values, J, an average of the estimated stick values, an average of the estimated jump values, a confidence interval for the average of the stick values, and a confidence interval for the average of the jump values.

Abstract: A method of making a polyolefin nanocomposite including, mixing a zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxide (LDH), and a zirconocene complex in a non-polar solvent to form a first mixture. Prior to the mixing the zirconocene complex is not supported on the zinc-aluminum LDH. The method further includes sonicating the first mixture for at least one hour to form a homogeneous slurry. The method further includes degassing the homogenous slurry and adding at least one olefin gas to form a second mixture. The method further includes adding an aluminoxane catalyst to the second mixture and reacting for at least 10 minutes to form a reaction mixture including the polyolefin nanocomposite. The method further includes separating the polyolefin nanocomposite from the reaction mixture.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided for permeability prediction. The method acquires data associated with one or more geological formations, calculates, using processing circuitry and a trained Hidden Markov model, log-likelihood values to group the data into a plurality of clusters, and trains an artificial neural network for each of the plurality of clusters when the mode of operation is training mode. Further, the method acquires one or more formation properties corresponding to a geological formation, determines using the trained Hidden Markov model, a log-likelihood score associated with the one or more formation properties, identifies a cluster associated with the one or more formation properties as a function of the log-likelihood score, and predicts a permeability based at least in part on the one or more formation properties and a trained artificial neural network associated with the identified cluster when the mode of operation is forecasting mode.

Abstract: An asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor and a method of making the asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor. The asymmetric nanocomposite supercapacitor includes a negative electrode with monoclinic tungsten oxide (m-WO3) nanoplates, and a binding compound coated on one face of a substrate, and a positive electrode with a carbonaceous material and a binding compound coated on one face of a substrate. Where the face of the positive electrode and the face of the negative electrode coated with the carbonaceous material and m-WO3 nanoplates, respectively, are separated by and in direct contact with a porous separator.

Abstract: An absorption chiller refrigerator system with an evaporator-absorber section and a generator-condenser section disposed together within a housing. The evaporator-absorber system has an evaporator section having an evaporator and an absorber disposed together within the evaporator section but separated by a perforated plate within the evaporator section. The generator condenser system has a generator section having a generator and a condenser disposed together within the generator section but separated by a perforated plate within the generator section. Perforations in the perforated plate of each of the evaporator section and the generator section are cone-shaped passages.

Abstract: A dynamic damper system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for damping vibrations in a beam structure. The dynamic damper system includes a beam with a first and a second fixed end having a width and a thickness; a first and a second flexible support, each having a spring constant k1 connected to the beam beneath the first and the second end, respectively; a first and a second torsional spring, each having a spring constant k? connected to the first and the second end, respectively; a moving load configured to traverse the beam reciprocally between the ends and generate first vibrations in the beam; and a dynamic linear spring mass damper connected to the beam is configured to travel reciprocally between the ends and generate second vibrations in the beam which are 180 degrees out of phase with the first vibrations in the beam generated by the moving load.

Abstract: A circuit and methods describing a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) rectifier for use in radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting with body biasing by the RF input to control the threshold voltage of each transistor. The CMOS rectifier includes an energy harvesting antenna, and multiple rectifier stages. The antenna receives electromagnetic radiation from the environment and generates a DC current. The oscillating input current is an RF+ positive current during a first half cycle and is an RF? negative current during a second half cycle. A first rectifier stage includes a first capacitor connected to the RF+ positive current, a second capacitor connected to the RF? negative current and a cross coupled CMOS circuit connected to the antenna.

Abstract: The solar augmented chilled-water cooling system comprises a refrigeration cycle, a cooling tower, an air handling unit (AHU), a supplemental cycle and a solar energy harvesting unit. The supplemental cycle is in fluid communication with the refrigeration cycle, which is in fluid communication with the cooling tower, which in turn is in fluid communication with the supplemental cycle. The cooling tower cools a water stream by evaporation. The water stream from the cooling tower is passed to the supplemental cycle for further cooling using energy from the solar energy harvesting unit. The water stream is then passed to a condenser of the refrigeration cycle for its efficient operation at proper temperature. The water stream is then retuned back to the cooling tower to be re-cooled. In the refrigeration cycle, an evaporator uses operation of the associated condenser for providing cooling effect through the AHU.

Abstract: A wind turbine control apparatus, method and non-transitory computer-readable medium are disclosed. The wind turbine control apparatus comprises a generator connected to a wind turbine with a drive train. The drive train comprises a rotor, a low speed shaft, a gear box, a high speed shaft, and a controller module. The controller module is configured to obtain a maximum power within a large range of varying wind velocities by operating the rotor at a neural network determined optimal angular speed for the current wind velocity.

Abstract: A light harvesting supercapacitor and a method of preparing the light harvesting supercapacitor is disclosed. The light harvesting supercapacitor includes a transparent conducting substrate, an active layer including TiO2 nanoparticles and polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles disposed on the transparent conducting substrate, an electrolyte layer including a solid separator soaked with an electrolyte comprising polyvinyl alcohol and at least one ionic material selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydroiodic acid, an alkali metal phosphate salt, an alkali metal sulfate salt, an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkali metal halide, and a mixture of a halogen and an alkali metal halide disposed on the active layer, a carbon electrode disposed on the electrolyte layer, and a metal layer disposed on the activated carbon electrode. The light harvesting supercapacitor of the present disclosure can be used in a photovoltaic device.

Abstract: Copper-boron-ferrite (Cu—B—Fe) composites may be prepared and immobilized on graphite electrodes in a silica-based sol-gel, e.g., from rice husks. Different bimetallic loading ratios can produce fast in-situ electrogeneration of reactive oxygen species, H2O2 and ·OH, e.g., via droplet flow-assisted heterogeneous electro-Fenton reactor system. Loading ratios of, e.g., 10 to 30 wt. % Fe3+ and 5 to 15% wt. Cu2+, can improve the catalytic activities towards pharmaceutical beta blockers (atenolol and propranolol) degradation in water. Degradation efficiencies of at least 99.9% for both propranolol and atenolol in hospital wastewater were demonstrated. Radicals of ·OH in degradation indicate a surface mechanism at inventive cathodes with correlated contributions of iron and copper. Copper and iron can be embedded in porous graphite electrode surface and catalyze the conversion of H2O2 to ·OH to enhance the degradation.

Abstract: A method of making a CsSnI3 perovskite thermoelectric (TE) material including mixing a fatty acid, a fatty amine, a C8-C30 hydrocarbon, and CsCO3 in a vessel to form a cesium mixture; heating the cesium mixture to a temperature of 400-450 K to form a heated mixture; dissolving SnI2 in an organophosphine to form a tin solution; mixing the tin solution and the heated mixture to form a reaction mixture; cooling the reaction mixture to form a precipitate comprising a CsSnI3 perovskite; enclosing the CsSnI3 perovskite in a chamber; pressurizing the chamber to a hydrostatic pressure of at least 0.1 GPa; and heating the chamber to a temperature of 300-1,000 K to form the CsSnI3 perovskite TE material having a ZT that is at least 0.1.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates drilling fluids and methods of producing and using drilling fluids. The drilling fluid include an aqueous base fluid; at least one of a clay-based component and a mud; and a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, wherein the drilling fluid does not comprise KC1, has a shale cutting rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%. The method of using the drilling fluid in drilling operations includes mixing an aqueous base fluid, a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, and at least one of a clay material and a mud to produce a drilling fluid; and introducing the drilling fluid to a subsurface formation, wherein the drilling fluid does not comprise KC1, has a shale cutting recovery rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%.

Abstract: A three-tandem (3T) perovskite/silicon (PVT)-based tandem solar cell (TSC) includes an antireflection coating (ARC), a first transparent conductive oxide layer (TCO), a hole transport layer (HTL), a perovskite (PVT) layer, a second transparent conductive oxide layer (TCO), an electron transport layer (ETL), a plurality of buried contacts, a p-type Si layer, a p-type wafer-based homo-junction silicon solar cell, a n+ silicon layer, a back contact layer. The solar cell further includes a top sub-cell, a bottom sub-cell and a middle contact-based tandem. The top sub-cell includes the PVT layer. The bottom sub-cell includes the silicon solar cell. The middle contact-based tandem includes the second TCO layer to be used as the middle contact-based tandem, as well as a recombination layer for current collection. Further, a conduction and a valence band edge are employed at a front surface of the ETL.