Ammonia is an important precursor of fertilizers, as well as a potential carbon-free energy carrier. Nowadays, ammonia is synthesized via the Haber-Bosch process which is capital-and energyintensive process with an immense CO 2 footprint. Thus, alternative processes for the sustainable and decentralized ammonia production from N2 and H2O using renewable electricity are required.The key challenges for the realization of such processes are the efficient activation of the N2 bond and selectivity towards NH3. In this contribution, we report an all-electric method for sustainable ammonia production from nitrogen and water using a plasma-activated proton conducting solid oxide electrolyser. Hydrogen species produced by water oxidation over the anode are transported through the proton conducting membrane to the cathode where they react with the plasmaactivated nitrogen towards ammonia. Ammonia production rates and faradaic efficiencies up to of 26.8 nmol NH3/s/cm 2 and 88%, respectively, were achieved.H-B process, as they prevent the possibility of lowering capital costs [16], decentralization and small-scale ammonia production at the level of local communities. Moreover, the world's hydrogen, which is also a key reactant in ammonia production, is produced primarily from the steam reforming of methane, emitting huge amounts of CO2 that account for 1.6% of global emissions per year [2, 15]. Therefore, alternative technologies need to be explored for ammonia synthesis, which occur under more moderate conditions [17], require less carbon input [18], or can be powered by intermittent renewable energy sources [19].Nowadays, plasma technology has attracted a lot of attention as an alternative method of clean ammonia synthesis, including a renewable pathway that coupled this technology with other renewable energy approaches. At low temperature, plasmas are reported as one of the most efficient approaches for rupturing the triple nitrogen bond [20][21][22][23][24], which is the fundamental requirement for the ammonia synthesis. Most of the studies on plasma-assisted ammonia synthesis are based on atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma over various catalytic systems, with nitrogen conversion between 0.2-7.8% in N2/H2 mixtures [25][26][27][28][29][30]. There are also approaches in which plasma activation of nitrogen and water vapor (as a hydrogen source) have been investigated for ammonia synthesis offering promising results in terms of selectivity [31][32][33][34].However, there are a few studies on the synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen−hydrogen using low pressure (0.01−10 Torr) discharges [35][36][37][38][39][40]. In fact, low pressure nitrogen discharges are wellknown for efficiently producing vibrationally excited molecules that can further generate atomic nitrogen via a vibrational dissociation channel [41][42][43]. Despite the potential benefits of plasma technologies, such as localized and environmentally friendly energy storage through chemical conversion, the two most critical challenges for upscaling ...

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy through the catalytic reaction of microorganisms. In this paper, electricity generation was investigated in microbial fuel cells using e-beam deposited Pt electrodes to improve efficiency and minimize Pt loading. We deposited Pt on carbon paper electrodes using an e-beam evaporator and imaged microscopic structures of the Pt deposited electrodes using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Although the e-beam electrode had the least thick Pt layer (1000 Å) among many tested electrode types (Pt-black = 1500 Å and commercial electrode = 2500 Å), it showed excellent coverage and Pt uniformity, resulting in minimal loading of Pt. In MFC testing, the e-beam Pt electrode installed only on the anode (carbon paper electrode on the cathode) produced the highest peak value of 0.42 A/m2 in the current density, which was about 2 times higher than when the Pt-black anode electrode or E-Tek commercial Pt anode electrode was used. After 45 h of microbial fuel cell running with the Pt electrode on the anode, the carbon electrode on the cathode was also replaced with an e-beam electrode. This replacement generated an immediate rise in current density, reaching a second peak of 0.50 A/m2. Considering the mass-specific current density, which represents the current density per unit Pt thickness, the e-beam electrode was the most effective with minimal Pt loading. The mass-specific current density for the e-beam electrodes was 2.5 times higher than that for the E-Tek commercial electrodes. These promising results suggest the high potential of e-beam-deposited Pt electrodes in improving microbial fuel cell efficiency with minimal Pt loading.

Abstract-Open source appropriate technology (OSAT) refers to technologies that provide for sustainable development while being designed in the same fashion as free and opensource software. Facilitated by advances in information technology software and hardware, new ways to disseminate information such as wikis and Internetenabled mobile phones, the global development of OSAT has emerged as a reality. This paper shows the sharing of design processes, appropriate tools, and technical information is enables more effective and rapid development of appropriate technologies for both industrialized and nonindustrialized regions. This sharing will require the appropriate technology community to adopt open standards/licenses, document knowledge, and build on previous work. This paper offers solutions in the form of both business models and tools to overcome technical constraints of OSAT development in the forms of the platforms necessary on which to share and build knowledge about appropriate technologies. These solutions are open, easily accessible for those in need, have a low barrier to entry for both users and information creators, and must be vetted in order to utilized as a trustworthy source on critical information needs. Current progress towards implementing these solutions will be reviewed and recommendations will be made to further increase the rate of OSAT development.

Over the last decade, exsolution has emerged as a powerful new method for decorating oxide supports with uniformly dispersed nanoparticles for energy and catalytic applications. Due to their exceptional anchorage, resilience to various degradation mechanisms, as well as numerous ways in which they can be produced, transformed and applied, exsolved nanoparticles have set new standards for nanoparticles in terms of activity, durability and functionality. In conjunction with multifunctional supports such as perovskite oxides, exsolution becomes a powerful platform for the design of advanced energy materials. In the following sections, we review the current status of the exsolution approach, seeking to facilitate transfer of ideas between different fields of application. We also explore future directions of research, particularly noting the multi-scale development required to take the concept forward, from fundamentals through operando studies to pilot scale demonstrations.

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