Internet-of-thing (IoT) is an assembly of devices that collect and share data with other devices and communicate via the internet. This massive network of devices, generates and communicates data and is the key to the value in IoT, allowing access to raw information, gaining insight, and making an intelligent decisions. Today, there are billions of IoT devices such as sensors and actuators deployed. Many of these applications are easy to connect, but those tucked away in hard-to-access spots will need to harvest ambient energy. Therefore, the aim is to create devices that are self-report in real-time. Efforts are underway to install a self-powered unit in IoT devices that can generate sufficient power from environmental conditions such as light, vibration, and heat. In this review paper, we discuss the recent progress made in materials and device development in power- and, storage units, and power management relevant for IoT applications. This review paper will give a comprehensive overview for new researchers entering the field of IoT and a collection of challenges as well as perspectives for people already working in this field.
Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 presents an attractive way to store renewable energy in chemical bonds in a potentially carbon-neutral way. However, current electrolyzers suffer from intrinsic problems, like ooding and salt accumulation, that must be overcome to industrialize the technology. To resolve ooding and salt precipitation issues, researchers have used ultra-hydrophobic electrodes based on either polytetra uoroethylene (PTFE) gas-diffusion layers (GDL's), or carbon-based GDL's with added PTFE.While the PTFE backbone is highly-resistant to ooding, the non-conductive nature of PTFE means that without additional current collection the catalyst layer itself is responsible for electron-dispersion, which penalizes system e ciency and stability. In this work, we present operando results that illustrate the poor current/potential distribution in thin catalyst layers (~50 nm) deposited onto PTFE GDL's. We then compare the effects of thicker catalyst layers (~500 nm) and a newly developed non-interfering current collector (NICC). The NICC can maintain even current distribution with 10-fold thinner catalyst layers while improving stability towards ethylene (≥ 30%) by approximately two-fold. Main TextThe electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) has been gaining traction as a means of storing renewable energy in sustainable fuels and chemicals like carbon monoxide, ethylene and ethanol.As a result, research and development efforts are shifting from understanding fundamental reaction mechanisms towards industrial scale-up and practical challenges of electrochemical conversion processes. 1,2 Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) are now widely used to overcome mass-transport limitations at the cathode, where CO 2 is reduced, to perform CO2RR at industrially relevant reaction rates, to yield value-added carbon products. 3,4 The electrochemical reduction of CO 2 using GDEs is however challenged by several problems that curb the industrial upscaling of this process (Fig. 1a). First, the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) forces CO 2 electrolysis towards alkaline environments, where HER has a higher overpotential than CO2RR. This, in turn, causes CO 2 to buffer in the alkaline reaction medium to form carbonates and bicarbonates. 5 Second, the accumulation of carbonates and cations close to the cathode catalyst causes the precipitation of carbonate salts that hamper transfer of reactant to the electrocatalytic phase. 6 Third, the hydrophobicity of the carbon gas-diffusion layer (GDL) of the GDE declines (i.e., the carbon becomes more hydrophilic) as current ows through the GDL, 7,8 and together with precipitation of hygroscopic carbonate salts, enhances ooding of electrolyte into the GDE pore structure. The ooding of GDE pores with liquid electrolyte blocks gas diffusion pathways for CO 2 , which reduces the availability of CO 2 at the electrocatalytic sites and allows the promotion of the HER. 9To avoid ooding issues during long-term CO2RR operation, researchers have aimed to increase the hydrophobicit...
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