Energy applications of ionic liquids

Ionic liquids offer a unique suite of properties that make them important candidates for a number of energy related applications. Cation–anion combinations that exhibit low volatility coupled with high electrochemical and thermal stability, as well as ionic conductivity, create the possibility of designing ideal electrolytes for batteries, super-capacitors, actuators, dye sensitised solar cells and thermoelectrochemical cells. In the field of water splitting to produce hydrogen they have been used to synthesize some of the best performing water oxidation catalysts and some members of the protic ionic liquid family co-catalyse an unusual, very high energy efficiency water oxidation process. As fuel cell electrolytes, the high proton conductivity of some of the protic ionic liquid family offers the potential of fuel cells operating in the optimum temperature region above 100 °C. Beyond electrochemical applications, the low vapour pressure of these liquids, along with their ability to offer tuneable functionality, also makes them ideal as CO2 absorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture. Similarly, the tuneable phase properties of the many members of this large family of salts are also allowing the creation of phase-change thermal energy storage materials having melting points tuned to the application. This perspective article provides an overview of these developing energy related applications of ionic liquids and offers some thoughts on the emerging challenges and opportunities

Robust NiCo2O4/Superactivated Carbon Aqueous Supercapacitor with High Power Density and Stable Cyclability

Herein, we investigate the performance of an aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor (AAS) assembled by using novel nanostructured NiCo2O4 as the positive electrode and a polymer‐derived superactivated carbon (SAC) as the negative electrode. The combination of both the nanostructured NiCo2O4 and the carbon with hierarchical porosity and ultrahigh specific surface area (above 3000 m2 g−1) led to excellent rate performances and long stability of the system. The optimization of the AAS device is further achieved through the variation of mass ratio between positive and negative electrodes. The optimized AAS full cell exhibits reversibility within the 0.0–1.5 V operative voltage region, delivering a specific cell capacity of 24.6 mAh g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. This results in a remarkable energy density of 13 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 26.2 kW kg−1 and an excellent cycling durability above 87 % of the initial capacity after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Grant Numbers: MINECO/FEDER, MAT2015-64617-C2-2-R Basque Government. Grant Number: CICe Elkartek 201

Tenure or permanent contracts in North American higher education?:A critical assessment

This article offers a critical perspective on the academic tenure system in the USA. Academic tenure is most frequently defended for the protection it affords freedom of speech in higher education, and it is attacked for its cost and lack of flexibility in a rapidly changing sector. The paper makes a third argument, that tenure sustains an unhealthy divide between tenured, untenured, and non-tenure-track staff members. It leads to differences in status, income, and job satisfaction that are inimical to basic principles of social justice. While financial considerations are a powerful factor in university efforts to constrain or challenge tenure, the maintenance of the tenure system and its use to control entry to permanent employment needs further examination. The author explores the system of ‘permanent’ contracts common in British and Australasian universities as an alternative for the USA – not because it benefits entrepreneurial university managers and administrators, but for its potential to offer a greater range of career positions for actual and potential staff members