Mineralization occurs during weathering of silicate materials/rocks rich in CA+ and Mg+, particularly peridotite which composes Earth's upper mantle. The carbon mineralization mantle peridotite is the base activated carbon for nanostructured-carbon-base-material. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes is a new catalyst for batteries and fuel-cell use that doesn't use precious metal such as platinum and that performs as effectively as many well-known, expensive precious-metal catalysts. The nanostructured-carbon-base-material using mantle peridotite carbon mineralization based activated carbon nanotubes makes possible the creation of economical lithium-air batteries that could power electric vehicles. The carbon nanotubes have useful qualities such as slim, strong, lightweight, high electronic conductivity, has metallic/semiconductive properties that are useful in (1) electronics i.e. wiring, transistor; (2) material that reinforced resin/metal; (3) energy source i.e. catalysis support, ion adsorption, capacitors; (4) nanotechnology i.e. nanostructure; and (5) biotechnology i.e. cell cultivating, drug delivery system, biosensor.

An energy conversion device for conversion of various energy forms into electricity. The energy forms may be chemical, photovoltaic or thermal gradients. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The substrate itself can be planar, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and possess internal and external surfaces. These substrates may be rigid, flexible and/or foldable. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous conductor material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous conductor material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

The copolymer includes divalent units represented by formula —[CF.sub.2—CF.sub.2]—, at least one divalent unit represented by formula (I): and at least one divalent unit independently represented by formula (II): A is —N(RF.sup.a).sub.2 or a is non-aromatic, 5- to 8-membered, perfluorinated ring comprising one or two nitrogen atoms in the ring and optionally comprising at least one oxygen atom in the ring, each RFa is independently linear or branched perfluoroalkyl having 1 to 8 carbon atoms and optionally interrupted by at least one catenated O or N atom, each Y is independently —H or —F, with the proviso that one Y may be —CF.sub.3, h is 0, 1, or 2, each i is independently 2 to 8, and j is 0, 1, or 2. A catalyst ink and polymer electrolyte membrane including the copolymer are also provided.

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Disclosed herein are membrane-electrode assemblies and fuel cells comprising an anode comprising a first catalyst; a cathode comprising a second catalyst; and a proton exchange membrane between the anode and cathode; wherein at least one of the proton exchange membrane, anode, and cathode comprise an antioxidant comprising yttrium doped cerium oxide and a metal doped cerium oxide that has a faster release time of cerium ions compared to yttrium doped cerium oxide.

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) includes an ionically-conductive proton exchange membrane, an anode contacting a first side of the membrane and a cathode contacting a second side of the membrane and including third catalyst particles and a cathode GDL. The anode includes an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL), a first anode catalyst layer containing first catalyst particles, a hydrophobic polymer bonding agent, and a first ionomer bonding agent that lacks functional chains on a molecular backbone, and a second anode catalyst layer containing second catalyst particles and a second ionomer bonding agent that includes functional chains on a molecular backbone.

Proposed is an iridium alloy catalyst having reversible catalytic activity for an oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and a hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) by including an iridium alloy including iridium (Ir) and nickel (Ni). The iridium alloy catalyst according to the present disclosure is rapidly converted to an iridium alloy catalyst in an oxide form and an iridium alloy catalyst in a metallic form according to applied voltage by controlling its crystallinity. Thus, even in case an oxide layer is formed after the OER, the oxidation layer disappears during the HER and HOR and the properties of an iridium metal catalyst remain, thereby maintaining HER/HOR performance.

An energy conversion device for conversion of various energy forms into electricity. The energy forms may be chemical, photovoltaic or thermal gradients. The energy conversion device has a first and second electrode. A substrate is present that has a porous semiconductor or dielectric layer placed thereover. The substrate itself can be planar, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional, and possess internal and external surfaces. These substrates may be rigid, flexible and/or foldable. The porous semiconductor or dielectric layer can be a nano-engineered structure. A porous conductor material is placed on at least a portion of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer such that at least some of the porous conductor material enters the nano-engineered structure of the porous semiconductor or dielectric layer, thereby forming an intertwining region.

A method for creating a metal-carbon composite. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing a polymer Schiff base transition metal .[.film.]. .Iadd.complex .Iaddend.precursor .Iadd.film .Iaddend.having a chemical structure of the formula [M(Schiff)].sub.n and a recurring unit and a transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, palladium, platinum, cobalt, copper, iron; Schiff is a tetradentate Schiff base ligand selected from the group consisting of Salen (residue of bis(salicylaldehyde)-ethylenediamine), Saltmen (residue of bis(salicylaldehyde)-tetramethylethylenediamine, Salphen (residue of bis-(salicylaldehyde)-o-phenylenediamine), a substituent in a Schiff base is selected from the group consisting of H—, and carbon-containing substituents, preferably CH.sub.3—, C.sub.2H.sub.5—, CH.sub.3O—, C.sub.2H.sub.5O—, and Y is a bridge in a Schiff base depositing the polymer Schiff base transition metal precursor film onto a support substrate; and heating the polymer Schiff base transition metal .Iadd.complex .Iaddend.precursor film and support substrate in a furnace in an inert atmosphere.

Bismuth-based, chloride-storage electrodes and rechargeable electrochemical cells incorporating the chloride-storage electrodes are provided. Also provided are methods for making the electrodes and methods for using the electrochemical cells to remove chloride ions from a sample. The chloride-storage electrodes, which are composed of bismuth metal, can store chloride ions in their bulk by forming BiOCl via an oxidation reaction with bismuth in the presence of an oxygen source.

A battery includes: an electrode group including an air electrode and a negative electrode that are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween; and a container housing the electrode group together with an alkaline electrolyte liquid. The air electrode includes a catalyst for an air electrode. This catalyst for an air electrode is a catalyst for an air electrode including an oxide containing at least bismuth (Bi), ruthenium (Ru), sodium (Na), and oxygen, and Na/(Ru+Bi+Na) representing an atomic ratio of the sodium to a sum of the bismuth, the ruthenium, and the sodium is 0.126 or more and 0.145 or less.