Publications related to Advances in hydration and thermodynamics of cementitious systems

First-principles thermodynamics of precipitation in aluminum-containing refractory alloys

Materials for high -temperature environments are actively being investigated for deployment in aerospace and nuclear applications. This study uses computational approaches to unravel the crystallography and thermodynamics of a promising class of refractory ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Towards edible robots and robotic food

Dario Floreano, Jun Shintake, Bokeon Kwak, Markéta Pankhurst

Edible robots and robotic food — edible systems that perceive, process and act upon stimulation — could open a new range of opportunities in health care, environmental management and the promotion of healthier eating habits. For example, they could enable ...

2024

Renewable energy integration and waste heat valorization in aluminum remelting for co-producing kerosene and methanol

François Maréchal, Daniel Alexander Florez Orrego, Meire Ellen Gorete Ribeiro Domingos, Réginald Germanier

The aluminium sector relies on natural gas for the conversion of recycled scrap into new feedstock, which results in substantial atmospheric emissions. Hydric resources are also impacted, as they serve as heat sinks for the waste heat generated during the ...

Associazione Italiana Di Ingegneria Chimica2024

Cyclic Peptides for Drug Development

Christian Heinis, Xinjian Ji, Alexander Lund Nielsen

Cyclic peptides are fascinating molecules abundantly found in nature and exploited as molecular format for drug development as well as other applications, ranging from research tools to food additives. Advances in peptide technologies made over many years ...

Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH2024

Fungal mycelia: From innovative materials to promising products: Insights and challenges

Wenjing Sun

In transitioning toward a sustainable economy, mycelial materials are recognized for their adaptability, biocompatibility, and eco-friendliness. This paper updates the exploration of mycelial materials, defining their scope and emphasizing the need for pre ...

Aip Publishing2024

Secure and Efficient Cryptographic Algorithms in a Quantum World

Loïs Evan Huguenin-Dumittan

Since the advent of internet and mass communication, two public-key cryptographic algorithms have shared the monopoly of data encryption and authentication: Diffie-Hellman and RSA. However, in the last few years, progress made in quantum physics -- and mo ...

EPFL2024

Printed degradable piezoelectric microsystems: From ink formulation to device fabrication and characterization

Morgan Mc Kay Monroe

As the world moves further and further into the semiconductor era, the amount of waste generated from electronics ("e-waste") is increasing rapidly and unsustainably. Of particular note, alternatives to lead-based piezoelectric materials must be establishe ...

EPFL2023

First-Principles Thermodynamics of CsSnI3

Nicola Marzari, Lorenzo Monacelli

CsSnI3 is a promising ecofriendly solution for energy harvesting technologies. It exists at room temperature in either a black perovskite polymorph or a yellow 1D double-chain, which irreversibly deteriorates in the air. In this work, we unveil the relativ ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2023

Decision support methodology for waste-to-value process integration

Rafael Amorim Leandro De Castro Amoedo

Waste treatment is a complex procedure that comprises multidimensional aspects. The challenges posed by the energy transition and international protocols emphasize the role of waste in its material and energy dimension. With an increasing population and li ...

EPFL2023

Lignin, from biomass waste to sustainable materials for food packaging, antiviral coatings and agriculture

Alice Boarino

Our planet has been challenged for years by our reckless use of fossil fuels, which has led to the ongoing climate change and energy crisis. The transition to the use of renewable alternative sources has now became urgent and inevitable. The valorization o ...

EPFL2023

Impact of substrate clogging on vertical connectivity

Giovanni De Cesare, Romain Maxime Dubuis, Robin Schroff

Connectivity between the hyporheic zone and the flow is essential for the development of benthos and the reproductive success of spawning fish. The infiltration of fine sediment leads to clogging of the riverbed, reducing porosity and vertical water exchan ...

2023

Investigation of Biomass Hydrothermal Conversion Products by HRMS

Daniil Salionov

The dependency on fossil fuels and their impact on the environment is a matter of great concern for the future sustainability of modern society. The development of the "green" technologies which utilize renewable energy sources is now under investigation. ...

EPFL2023

On the role of system integration in plastic waste management

François Maréchal, Ivan Daniel Kantor, Julia Granacher

The management of plastic waste is a growing concern that can harm wildlife and ecosystems, and its end-of-life policies are key to mitigating plastic environmental impact. This work presents a decision-making methodology for the thermal and material valor ...

Elsevier2023

Fabrication of ZIF-8 membranes by direct assembly of nanosheets from bottom-up synthesis growth solution

Kumar Varoon Agrawal, Heng-Yu Chi, Xuekui Duan

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) host intrinsically porous structure and rich structural and chemical features. Several MOFs with pore aperture comparable to the size of gas molecules have attracted interest to form the selective layer of membranes. Synthes ...

ELSEVIER2023

Selection and Optimal Use of Nanoporous Materials for Adsorption Energy Technologies

Emanuele Piccoli

Due to the large waste of heat in the power and industrial sectors, our use of energy is inefficient. Moreover, it relies on rapidly depleting and greenhouse-gas-emitting sources such as fossil fuels. While the scarcity of energy resources is a relevant so ...

EPFL2023

Low-tech methods for the reuse of reinforced concrete structural elements

Maléna Bastien Masse, Julie Rachel Devènes, Corentin Jean Dominique Fivet, Nicole Widmer

Most of existing buildings are made of concrete, new buildings are being built with it and others are demolished when still in good structural condition. This drives increased demands for raw materials, greenhouse gas emissions, and an accumulation of demo ...

2023

Voltage-driven Reactivity of Liquid Ga and CuGa Nanoparticles for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction and Synthesis

Valery Okatenko

The rising atmospheric level of carbon dioxide, CO2, contributes to climate change and poses urgent need to find scalable solutions both to decrease its emissions and to be able to recycle it, if the goals of Paris Agreement to limit the temperature rise a ...

EPFL2023

Revealing the Structure of Tryptophan in Microhydrated Complexes by Cold Ion Spectroscopy

Oleg Boyarkine, Natalia Nagornova, Manuel Dömer, Andrei Zviagin, Ruslan Yamaletdinov

The geometry of biomolecules isolated in the gas phaseusuallydiffers substantially from their native structures in aqueous solution,which are the only ones truly relevant to life science. To connectthe high resolution of cold ion spectroscopy that can be a ...

2023

Nanoliter Liquid Packaging in a Bioresorbable Microsystem by Additive Manufacturing and its Application as a Controlled Drug Delivery Device

Arnaud Bertsch, Jürgen Brugger, Cristina Martin Olmos, Jongeon Park

Precise packaging of nanoliter amounts of liquid in a microsystem is important for many biomedical applications. However, existing liquid encapsulation technologies have limitations in terms of liquid waste, evaporation, trapped bubbles, and liquid degrada ...

2023

Swiss dams: Overview of historical development

Anton Schleiss

With more than 220 large dams in operation, compared to its surface of some 41ʹ000 km2, Switzerland has a very large fleet. They were erected to meet various economic and protection needs. Their main assignments concern the storage of water for later use, ...

CRC Press/Balkema2023