This article completes the presentation of various techniques reducing concentration polarisation in palladium based membranes for supplying ultra-high purity hydrogen to a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), such as the implementation of baffles and the use of microchannel configuration. The present paper also reviews and reports the current methods for estimating hydrogen permeation flux under concentration polarisation influence, which will be a useful guide for academics and industrial practitioners.

Developing novel hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with high activity, high stability and low cost is of great importance for the applications of hydrogen energy. In this work, iridium-nickel thin films were electrodeposited on a copper foam as electrocatalyst for HER, and electrodeposition mechanism of iridium-nickel film was studied. The morphology and chemical composition of thin films were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The electrocatalytic performances of the films were estimated by linear sweep voltammograms (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results show that iridium-nickel thin films were attached to the substrate of porous structure and hollow topography. The deposition of nickel was preferable in the electrolyte without the addition of additives, and the iridium-nickel thin film was alloyed, resulting in a high deposition rate for Ir₄₂Ni₅₈ thin film, and subsequently an increase of iridium content in the thin films of Ir₈₀Ni₂₀ and Ir₈₈Ni₁₂. Iridium-nickel thin films with Tafel slopes of 40–49 mV dec^–1 exhibited highly efficient electrocatalytic activity for HER. The electrocatalytic activity of iridium-nickel thin films showed a loading dependence. As the solution temperature increased from 20°C to 60°C, the hydrogen evolution performance of iridium-nickel thin films improved. The apparent activation energy value of Ir₈₈Ni₁₂ film was 7.1 kJ mol^–1. Long-term hydrogen evolution tests exhibited excellent electrocatalytic stability in alkaline solution.

Lithium Sulfur: Mechanism, Modelling and Materials (Li-SM3) was organised by Oxis Energy Ltd, UK, Imperial College London, UK, and the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), USA. It was held at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Savoy Place, London from 26th–27th April 2017. More than 150 researchers from around the world attended this event, 44 of them...

Proteolytic and lipolytic extremely halophilic archaea found in curing salt may contaminate skins during the brine curing process and damage skin structure. In the present study, three proteolytic and lipolytic extremely halophilic archaea were isolated from deteriorated salted sheepskins and characterised using conventional and molecular methods. Each test strain (Haloarcula salaria AT1, Halobacterium salinarum 22T6, Haloarcula tradensis 7T3), a mixed culture of these strains and the mixed culture treated with 1.5 A direct current (DC) were used for brine curing processes of fresh sheepskins and examined during 47 days of storage to evaluate the degree of destruction wreaked by these microorganisms. Both organoleptic properties and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of sheepskins proved that each separate test strain and the mixed culture caused serious damage. However, the mixed culture of strains treated with electric current did not damage sheepskin structure. Therefore, we highly recommend sterilisation of brine using DC to prevent archaeal damage on cured hides and skins in the leather industry.