Thermal energy storage technologies for concentrated solar power – A review from a materials perspective

Sorption thermal energy storage: Concept, process, applications and perspectives

Thermal energy storage (TES) for storing low-grade energy is a promising approach to achieving higher energy security and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. TES is shifting towards using thermochemical materials (TCM) since there are several advantages when compared to sensible or phase change materials. However, thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is more complex and thus has not yet been developed commercially. To further develop this technology and bring it closer to commercialization, there needs to be a merging of research from both material and system design viewpoints. At a material level, salt hydrates are considered the most suitable materials for residential applications due to their high energy density (400-870 kWh m−3) and low turning temperature (

State of the art on salt hydrate thermochemical energy storage systems for use in building applications

A new composite sorbent based on SrBr2 and silica gel for solar energy storage application with high energy storage density and stability

A review of the application of carbon materials in solar thermal energy storage

Development and thermochemical characterizations of vermiculite/SrBr2 composite sorbents for low-temperature heat storage

Development of SrBr2 composite sorbents for a sorption thermal energy storage system to store low-temperature heat

The aim of this study was to investigate the pathological classifications, clinical features, and natural history of pediatric cardiac tumors to provide a basis for the selection of an appropriate therapeutic method. The medical records of in- or outpatients with cardiac tumors at four hospitals were classified to analyze various types of tumor growth locations, clinical manifestations, surgical indications, and long-term follow-up results. There were 166 patients, including 158 with primary cardiac tumors, six with metastatic cardiac tumors, and two with unclassified cardiac tumors. Among the 158 cases of primary cardiac tumor, 150 were benign and eight were malignant. The rhabdomyoma, fibroma, and myxoma are the most common types of benign cardiac tumors. The major clinical manifestations of cardiac tumors include outflow tract obstruction, arrhythmia, dyspnea, pericardial effusion, heart failure, and seizures. Among the 59 patients who underwent surgery, 49 had primary benign cardiac tumors, eight had primary malignant tumors, and two had malignant metastatic tumors. Post-surgery, nine of the patients had residual tumor tissues that did not significantly affect their hemodynamics. Following surgery, there were two cases of recurrence and nine deaths, including four of benign and five of malignant tumors with mortality rates of 8.2 and 50.0 %, respectively. Of the remaining 107 cases of patients who did not undergo surgery, five (4.7 %) died. Conclusion: The primary benign cardiac tumors are the predominant pediatric cardiac tumors, of which rhabdomyoma, fibroma, and myxoma are the most common types. If severe symptoms are nonexistent and the hemodynamics is unaffected, most of the patients can survive in the long term despite the tumors.

Identification and clinical course of 166 pediatric cardiac tumors

Thermochemical characterizations of high-stable activated alumina/LiCl composites with multistage sorption process for thermal storage

Recently, Ti3C2Tx MXenes have begun to receive attention in the field of gas sensors owing to their characteristics of high conductivity and abundant surface functional groups. However, Ti3C2Tx-based gas sensors still suffer from the drawbacks of low sensitivity and sluggish response/recovery speed towards target gases, limiting their development in further applications. In this work, Ti3C2Tx-ZnO nanosheet hybrids were fabricated through a simple sonication method. The Ti3C2Tx-ZnO nanosheet hybrids exhibited a short recovery time (10 s) under UV (ultraviolet) illumination, a short response time (22 s), a high sensitivity (367.63% to 20 ppm NO2) and selectivity. Furthermore, the Ti3C2Tx-ZnO sensor has prominent anti-humidity properties, as well as superior reproducibility in multiple tests. The abundant active sites in the Ti3C2Tx-ZnO nanosheet hybrids, including surface groups (-F, -OH, -O) of Ti3C2Tx and oxygen vacancies of ZnO, the formation of Schottky barriers between Ti3C2Tx and ZnO nanosheets and the rich photogenerated charge carriers of ZnO under UV illumination, together result in excellent gas-sensing performance. Density functional theory calculations have been further employed to explore the sensing performance of Ti3C2Tx and ZnO nanosheets, showing strong interactions existing between the NO2 and ZnO nanosheets. The main adsorption sites for NO2 were present on the ZnO nanosheets, while the Ti3C2Tx played the role of the conductive path to accelerate the transformation of charge carriers. Our work can provide an effective way for improving the gas-sensing performances of Ti3C2Tx-based gas sensors.

Yongwei Zhang

Papers

Development and thermochemical characterizations of vermiculite/SrBr2 composite sorbents for low-temperature heat storage

Development of SrBr2 composite sorbents for a sorption thermal energy storage system to store low-temperature heat

Identification and clinical course of 166 pediatric cardiac tumors

Thermochemical characterizations of high-stable activated alumina/LiCl composites with multistage sorption process for thermal storage

Fast and recoverable NO2 detection achieved by assembling ZnO on Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets under UV illumination at room temperature.