Technical University of Denmark

About: Technical University of Denmark is a education organization based out in Kongens Lyngby, Hovedstaden, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 24126 authors who have published 66394 publications receiving 2443649 citations. The organization is also known as: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet & DTU.

Density functional studies of functionalized graphitic materials with late transition metals for oxygen reduction reactions

Abstract: Low-temperature fuel cells are appealing alternatives to the conventional internal combustion engines for transportation applications. However, in order for them to be commercially viable, effective, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts are needed for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) at the cathode. In this contribution, on the basis of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, we show that graphitic materials with active sites composed of 4 nitrogen atoms and transition metal atoms belonging to groups 7 to 9 in the periodic table are active towards ORR, and also towards Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER). Spin analyses suggest that the oxidation state of those elements in the active sites should in general be +2. Moreover, our results verify that the adsorption behavior of transition metals is not intrinsic, since it can be severely altered by changes in the local geometry of the active site, the chemical nature of the nearest neighbors, and the oxidation states. Nonetheless, we find that these catalysts trend-wise behave as oxides and that their catalytic activity is limited by exactly the same universal scaling relations.

Ambient fabrication of flexible and large-area organic light-emitting devices using slot-die coating.

Abstract: The grand vision of manufacturing large-area emissive devices with low-cost roll-to-roll coating methods, akin to how newspapers are produced, appeared with the emergence of the organic light-emitt ...

How zooplankton feed: mechanisms, traits and trade‐offs

Abstract: Zooplankton is a morphologically and taxonomically diverse group and includes organisms that vary in size by many orders of magnitude, but they are all faced with the common problem of collecting food from a very dilute suspension. In order to maintain a viable population in the face of mortality, zooplankton in the ocean have to clear daily a volume of ambient water for prey particles that is equivalent to about 10(6) times their own body volume. While most size-specific vital rates and mortality rates decline with size, the clearance requirement is largely size-independent because food availability also declines with size. There is a limited number of solutions to the problem of concentrating dilute prey from a sticky medium: passive and active ambush feeding; feeding-current feeding, where the prey is either intercepted directly, retained on a filter, or individually perceived and extracted from the feeding current; cruise feeding; and colonization of large particles and marine snow aggregates. The basic mechanics of these food-collection mechanisms are described, and it is shown that their efficiencies are inherently different and that each of these mechanisms becomes less efficient with increasing size. Mechanisms that compensate for this decline in efficiency are described, including inflation of feeding structures and development of vision. Each feeding mode has implications beyond feeding in terms of risk of encountering predators and chance of meeting mates, and they partly target different types of prey. The main dichotomy is between (inefficient) ambush feeding on motile prey and the more efficient active feeding modes; a secondary dichotomy is between (efficient) hovering and (less efficient) cruising feeding modes. The efficiencies of the various feeding modes are traded off against feeding-mode-dependent metabolic expenses, predation risks, and mating chances. The optimality of feeding strategies, evaluated as the ratio of gain over risk, varies with the environment, and may explain both size-dependent and spatio-temporal differences in distributions of various feeding types as well as other aspects of the biology of zooplankton (mating behaviour, predator defence strategies).

Microalgal carbohydrates: an overview of the factors influencing carbohydrates production, and of main bioconversion technologies for production of biofuels.

Abstract: Microalgal biomass seems to be a promising feedstock for biofuel generation. Microalgae have relative high photosynthetic efficiencies, high growth rates, and some species can thrive in brackish water or seawater and wastewater from the food- and agro-industrial sector. Today, the main interest in research is the cultivation of microalgae for lipids production to generate biodiesel. However, there are several other biological or thermochemical conversion technologies, in which microalgal biomass could be used as substrate. However, the high protein content or the low carbohydrate content of the majority of the microalgal species might be a constraint for their possible use in these technologies. Moreover, in the majority of biomass conversion technologies, carbohydrates are the main substrate for production of biofuels. Nevertheless, microalgae biomass composition could be manipulated by several cultivation techniques, such as nutrient starvation or other stressed environmental conditions, which cause the microalgae to accumulate carbohydrates. This paper attempts to give a general overview of techniques that can be used for increasing the microalgal biomass carbohydrate content. In addition, biomass conversion technologies, related to the conversion of carbohydrates into biofuels are discussed.

A compact two-dimensional grating coupler used as a polarization splitter

Abstract: We demonstrate a novel polarization splitter based on a two-dimensional grating etched in a silicon-on-insulator waveguide. The device couples orthogonal modes from a single-mode optical fiber into identical modes of two planar ridge waveguides. The extinction ratio is better than 18 dB in the wavelength range of 1530-1560 nm and the coupling efficiency is approximately 20%. The device is very compact and couples light only to transverse-electric modes of the planar waveguides. Therefore, it may be used in a polarization diversity configuration to implement a polarization insensitive photonic integrated circuit based on photonic crystal waveguides.