Tokyo Institute of Technology

About: Tokyo Institute of Technology is a education organization based out in Tokyo, Tôkyô, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Thin film. The organization has 46775 authors who have published 101656 publications receiving 2357893 citations. The organization is also known as: Tokyo Tech & Tokodai.

Electride support boosts nitrogen dissociation over ruthenium catalyst and shifts the bottleneck in ammonia synthesis

Abstract: Novel approaches to efficient ammonia synthesis at an ambient pressure are actively sought out so as to reduce the cost of ammonia production and to allow for compact production facilities. It is accepted that the key is the development of a high-performance catalyst that significantly enhances dissociation of the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond, which is generally considered a rate-determining step. Here we examine kinetics of nitrogen and hydrogen isotope exchange and hydrogen adsorption/desorption reactions for a recently discovered efficient catalyst for ammonia synthesis--ruthenium-loaded 12CaO·7Al2O3 electride (Ru/C12A7:e(-))--and find that the rate controlling step of ammonia synthesis over Ru/C12A7:e(-) is not dissociation of the nitrogen-nitrogen triple bond but the subsequent formation of N-Hn species. A mechanism of ammonia synthesis involving reversible storage and release of hydrogen atoms on the Ru/C12A7:e(-) surface is proposed on the basis of observed hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics.

Flyback-Type Single-Phase Utility Interactive Inverter With Power Pulsation Decoupling on the DC Input for an AC Photovoltaic Module System

Abstract: In recent years, interest in natural energy has grown in response to increased concern for the environment. Many kinds of inverter circuits and their control schemes for photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems have been studied. A conventional system employs a PV array in which many PV modules are connected in series to obtain sufficient dc input voltage for generating ac utility line voltage from an inverter circuit. However, the total power generated from the PV array is sometimes decreased remarkably when only a few modules are partially covered by shadows, thereby decreasing inherent current generation, and preventing the generation current from attaining its maximum value on the array. To overcome this drawback, an ac module strategy has been proposed. In this system, a low-power dc-ac utility interactive inverter is individually mounted on each PV module and operates so as to generate the maximum power from its corresponding PV module. Especially in the case of a single-phase utility interactive inverter, an electrolytic capacitor of large capacitance has been connected on the dc input bus in order to decouple the power pulsation caused by single-phase power generation to the utility line. However, especially during the summer season, the ac module inverters have to operate under a very high atmospheric temperature, and hence the lifetime of the inverter is shortened, because the electrolytic capacitor has a drastically shortened life when used in a high-temperature environment. Of course, we may be able to use film capacitors instead of the electrolytic capacitors if we can pay for the extreme large volume of the inverter. However, this is not a realistic solution for ac module systems. This paper proposes a novel flyback-type utility interactive inverter circuit topology suitable for ac module systems when its lifetime under high atmospheric temperature is taken into account. A most distinctive feature of the proposed system is that the decoupling of power pulsation is executed by an additional circuit that enables employment of film capacitors with small capacitance not only for the dc input line but also for the decoupling circuit, and hence the additional circuit is expected to extend the lifetime of the inverter. The proposed inverter circuit also enables realization of small volume, lightweight, and stable ac current injection into the utility line. A control method suitable for the proposed inverter is also proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed inverter is verified thorough P-SIM simulation and experiments on a 100-W prototype

Observation of two charged bottomoniumlike resonances in Υ(5S) decays.

Abstract: We report the observation of two narrow structures in the mass spectra of the pi(+/-) Y(nS) (n = 1, 2, 3) and pi(+/-) h(b)(mP) (m = 1, 2) pairs that are produced in association with a single charged pion in Y(5S) decays The measured masses and widths of the two structures averaged over the five final states are M-1 = (10 6072 +/- 20) MeV/c(2), Gamma(1) =(184 +/- 24) MeV, and M-2 = (10 6522 +/- 15) MeV/c(2), Gamma(2) = (115 +/- 22) MeV The results are obtained with a 1214 fb(-1) data sample collected with the Belle detector in the vicinity of the Y(5S) resonance at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider

Hydrothermal processing of materials: past, present and future

Abstract: The hydrothermal technique provides an excellent possibility for processing of advanced materials whether it is bulk single crystals, or fine particles, or nanoparticles. The advantages of hydrothermal technology have been discussed in comparison with the conventional methods of materials processing. The current trends in hydrothermal materials processing has been described in relation to the concept of soft solution processing, as a single-step low energy consuming fabrication technique. Also some recent developments in multi-energy processing of materials such as microwave-hydrothermal, mechanochemical-hydrothermal, electrochemical-hydrothermal, sonar-hydrothermal, etc. have been discussed. An overview of the past, present and future perspective of hydrothermal technology as a tool to fabricate advanced materials has been given with appropriate examples.

Electrons, Photons, Protons and Earth-Abundant Metal Complexes for Molecular Catalysis of CO2 Reduction

Abstract: Electrochemical and photochemical reduction of CO2, or a smart combination of both, are appealing approaches for the storage of renewable, intermittent energies and may lead to the production of fuels and of value-added chemicals. By using only earth-abundant metal (Cu, Ni, Co, Mn, Fe) complexes, cheap electrodes and/or cheap sacrificial electron donors and visible light sensitizers, systems functioning with molecular catalysts have been recently designed, showing promising results, in particular, for the two-electron reduction of the carbon dioxide. By combining experimental and mechanistic studies, key parameters controlling the catalysis efficiency have been deciphered, opening the way to the design of future, more efficient and durable catalysts, as well as to the development of electrochemical or photoelectrochemical cells, all being key steps for the emergence of applied devices. The most recent advances related to these issues are discussed in this review.