Coproduction and cocreation in smart city initiatives: An exploratory study

Citizens\u2019 participation represents an essential condition for successful smart city initiatives. However, citizens\u2019 participation in public initiatives can take many different forms, from simple consultation to the active involvement in their design, implementation and evaluation. When they are actively involved in public initiatives, a shift can be determined from initiatives designed and implemented FOR the citizens, to initiatives designed and implemented with a substantial contribution FROM the citizens, which is what coproduction in the public sector amounts to. With reference to the result of a survey of the relevant academic literature, this exploratory study considers how the concepts of coproduction (and the related concept of codesign) and cocreation are used in the smart city literature. The study highlights a relatively scarce use and a poor conceptualization of these concepts in the smart city literature and identifies some critical aspects that still need a conceptual clarification

Plasma Catalytic Synthesis of Ammonia Using Functionalized-Carbon Coatings in an Atmospheric-Pressure Non-equilibrium Discharge

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York. We investigate the synthesis of ammonia in a non-equilibrium atmospheric-pressure plasma using functionalized-nanodiamond and diamond-like-carbon coatings on α-Al2O3 spheres as catalysts. Oxygenated nanodiamonds were found to increase the production yield of ammonia, while hydrogenated nanodiamonds decreased the yield. Neither type of nanodiamond affected the plasma properties significantly. Using diffuse-reflectance FT-IR and XPS, the role of different functional groups on the catalyst surface was investigated. Evidence is presented that the carbonyl group is associated with an efficient surface adsorption and desorption of hydrogen in ammonia synthesis on the surface of the nanodiamonds, and an increased production of ammonia. Conformal diamond-like-carbon coatings, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition, led to a plasma with a higher electron density, and increased the production of ammonia