Nanostructured materials, and methods and apparatus for their production are provided. Nanostructured materials comprise nanofibers having nanoparticles deposited along the outer surface thereof. The size of the nanofibers and nanoparticles, and the spacing of such nanoparticles along the nanofibers may be controlled over a wide range. Nanostructured materials may comprise a plurality of such nanofibers interwoven together to form fiber cloth-like materials. Many materials may be used to form the nanofibers including polymer nanofiber materials (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), etc.) along with compatible nanoparticle materials (e.g., salts or other crystallizable materials).

A method of making a nanostructured palladium thin film electrode is described. The method involves contacting a substrate with an aerosol comprising a solvent and a Pd(II) compound. The substrate is heated, and no hydrogen gas or an additional reducing agent is required to reduce the Pd(II) to form the deposited thin film. The nanostructured palladium thin film electrode is capable of detecting compounds such as hydrazine in an aqueous sample with a 10 nM limit of detection.

The porphyrin-based catalysts for water splitting are composites of porphyrin or metalloporphyrin active ingredients, conductive carbon (e.g., graphene sheets, vapor grown carbon fiber, carbon black, etc.), and a polymer or binder that may be coated on a glassy carbon electrode. The polymer or binder may be Nafion oil or polyvinylidine difluoride. The porphyrin may be a porphyrin having a transition metal or hydrogen at its center, and may be halogenated and/or have a thiophene substituent.

A redox flow battery may include: a membrane interposed between a first electrode positioned at a first side of the membrane and a second electrode positioned at a second side of the membrane opposite to the first side; a first flow field plate comprising a plurality of positive flow field ribs, each of the plurality of positive flow field ribs contacting the first electrode at first supporting regions on the first side; and the second electrode, including an electrode spacer positioned between the membrane and a second flow field plate, the electrode spacer comprising a plurality of main ribs, each of the plurality of main ribs contacting the second flow field plate at second supporting regions on the second side, each of the second supporting regions aligned opposite to one of the plurality of first supporting regions. As such, a current density distribution at a plating surface may be reduced.

A method of forming a fuel cell catalyst system, the method includes providing an anticorrosive, conductive catalyst support material having oxygen vacancies and a formula (I):
MgTi.sub.2O.sub.5-δ  (I),
where .sub.δ is any number between 0 and 3 optionally including a fractional part denoting the oxygen vacancies, coating the catalyst support material with a polymeric film, attaching a catalyst material onto the polymeric film, removing the polymeric film, and providing additional material onto the support material to increase physical, electrical, and/or mechanical contact between the catalyst material and the catalyst support material.

An anticorrosive, conductive material includes a first oxide having oxygen vacancies and a formula (I): MgTi.sub.2O.sub.5-δ (I), where .sub.δ is any number between 0 and 3 optionally including a fractional part denoting the oxygen vacancies; and a second oxide having a formula (II): Ti.sub.aO.sub.b (II), where 1<=a<=20 and 1<=b<=30, optionally including a fractional part, the first and second oxides of formulas (I) and (II) forming a polycrystalline matrix.

Disclosed are a method for manufacturing an electrode, an electrode manufactured thereby, a membrane-electrode assembly including the electrode, and a fuel cell containing the membrane-electrode assembly. The method includes the steps of: preparing an electrode forming composition by mixing a catalyst with an ionomer; applying a low-frequency acoustic energy to the electrode forming composition to perform resonant vibratory mixing so as to coat the ionomer on the surface of the catalyst; and coating the electrode forming composition to manufacture an electrode.

A microbial fuel cell and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The microbial fuel cell includes a cathode, an anode, and a microbial community. The anode is made of an activated carbon prepared from waste coffee ground as an electrode material, and the microbial community is adhered to the surface of the activated carbon. Since the activated carbon prepared from waste coffee ground is beneficial for the adhesion of various microbial communities to form a biofilm, the electron transfer efficiency of the microbial fuel cell may be improved.

An electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example, the electrode may include a plastic mesh; and a coating on the plastic mesh. The coating may be a hydrophilic coating or a conductive coating and the electrode may have an electrode reaction potential is less than 0.8V. Further, a method of manufacturing a coated plastic mesh electrode for use in an all-iron redox flow battery is provided. In one example method, the steps include fabricating a plastic mesh, treating the plastic mesh by applying a solvent treatment or a plasma treatment or a mechanical abrasion treatment; coating the plastic mesh with a material selected from: carbon inks, metal oxides, and hydrophilic polymers.

The present invention relates to a metal-doped tin oxide which has a BET surface area of at least 30 m 2/g, and comprises at least one metal dopant which is Sb, Nb, Ta, Bi, W, or In, or any mixture thereof, wherein the metal dopant is present in an amount of from 2.5 at % to 25 at %, based on the total amount of tin and metal dopant atoms, and is in a mixed valence state containing atoms of oxidation state OS1 and atoms of oxidation state OS2, wherein the oxidation state OS1 is >0 and the oxidation state OS2 is >OS1 and the atomic ratio of the atoms of OS2 to the atoms of OS1 is from 1.5 to 12.0.