Pseudocapacitors are energy-storage devices characterized by fast and reversible redox reactions that enable them to store large amounts of electrical energy at high rates. We simulate the response of pseudocapacitive electrodes under realistic conditions to identify the microscopic factors that determine their performance, focusing on ruthenia (RuO2) as a prototypical electrode material. Electronic-structure methods are used together with a self-consistent continuum solvation (SCCS) model to build a complete dataset of free energies as the surface of the charged electrode is gradually covered with protons under applied voltage. The resulting dataset is exploited to compute hydrogenadsorption isotherms and charge-voltage responses by means of grand-canonical sampling, finding close agreement with experimental voltammetry. These simulations reveal that small changes on the order of 5 µF/cm 2 in the intrinsic double-layer capacitance of the electrode-electrolyte interface can induce variations of up to 40 µF/cm 2 in the overall pseudocapacitance.

In Japan, the development of large-scale wind power generation facilities has been promoted since about 2000. Nationwide investigations of the acoustic characteristics of wind turbine noise have been conducted at various wind farms. In this study, to examine the horizontal and vertical radiation characteristics of noise generated from wind turbines, field measurements of noise from a single wind turbine with a rated power of 1.5 MW have been performed. Some receiving points were set circularly around the wind turbine and mounted on a nearby lightning tower. Meteorological and associated wind turbine operational data were collected at 1 s intervals along with corresponding acoustic data. In addition, the sound pressure level distributions at distances of 50 m to 200 m from the wind turbine were investigated. Results revealed distinguishable horizontal directivity of wind turbine noise. The A-weighted sound pressure levels in the crosswind direction are almost 5 dB lower than those in the up-and downwind directions. Furthermore, it has been found that the sound directivity around the wind turbine could be expressed by a simple empirical formula, assuming the wind turbine to be a point source with combined bi-and omnidirectional patterns.

MXene transition-metal carbides and nitrides are of growing interest for energy storage applications. These compounds are especially promising for use as pseudocapacitive electrodes due to their ability to convert energy electrochemically at fast rates. Using voltage-dependent cluster expansion models, we predict the charge storage performance of MXene pseudocapacitors for a range of electrode compositions. M3C2O2 electrodes based on group-VI transition metals have up to 80% larger areal energy densities than prototypical titanium-based (e.g., Ti3C2O2) MXene electrodes. We attribute this high pseudocapacitance to the Faradaic voltage windows of group-VI MXene electrodes, which are predicted to be 1.2 to 1.8 times larger than those of titanium-based MXenes. The size of the pseudocapacitive voltage window increases with the range of oxidation states that are accessible to the MXene transition metals. By similar mechanisms, the presence of multiple ions in the solvent (Li+ and H+) leads to sharp changes in the transition-metal oxidation states and can significantly increase the charge capacity of MXene pseudocapacitors.

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Field measurements of noise generated from two different wind turbines, one with an upwind rotor and one with a downwind rotor, have been performed. To examine the radiation characteristics of wind turbine noise, some receiving points were set around each wind turbine and the apparent A-weighted sound power levels were calculated from the obtained data at 200 ms intervals under various wind conditions. Wind turbine operational data were collected at 1 s intervals along with corresponding acoustic data. Additionally, a simple empirical formula for the sound directivity was proposed, assuming the directivity pattern of aerodynamic and mechanical sound to be bi-and omnidirectional, respectively. The results showed that the horizontal directivity of the A-weighted sound pressure level at the ground level for the two different wind turbines is almost the same, whereas the frequency dependence of the sound directivity is different for the individual wind turbines. Furthermore, obtaining data of the rotor rotational speed, output power, and nacelle direction is strongly recommended to assess the characteristics of noise emission, such as the changes in the sound power level, sound directivity, and tonal components of wind turbine noise.

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MXenes are a novel class of two dimensional materials, discovered by Barsoum and Gogotsi [M. Naguib, J. Come, B. Dyatkin, V. Presser, P. Taberna, P. Simon, M. W. Barsoum, and Y. Gogotsi, Electrochemistry Communications 16, 61-64 (2012); B. Anasori, M. R. Lukatskaya, and Y. Gogotsi, Nature Reviews Materials vol. 2, 16098 (2017)]. Their large specific surface area and the tunability of their physicochemical properties as a function of the transition metal and surface terminal group make them a unique design platform for various applications, a primary example of which is pseudocapacitive energy storage. However, there is still incomplete understanding of how the transition metal chemistry and stoichiometry, and the surface termination affect charge storage mechanisms in MXene. In this study, we have performed systematic first-principles calculations for bulk MXene and found that the atomic charge of the metal cations, which is related to their valence, decreases across the d-electron metal series. Electronic-structure indicators of performance are examined to understand the energy storage behavior, whereby charges are stored between the terminal groups and adsorbing cations. Importantly, we found that the differential Bader charges show good agreement with theoretical capacitances and are useful in predicting charge storage trends in MXene-based pseudocapacitors. Furthermore, we have performed first-principles and grand canonical Monte Carlo calculations for the slab systems, finding that the solvent plays a critical role in enhancing the pseudocapacitive response.