Emission Area Research Articles

Exploring the dynamics and trends of carbon emission spatiotemporal patterns in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Zone, China, from 2000 to 2020

Analysis of the spatial–temporal pattern and trend of carbon emissions provides an important scientific basis for the development of a low-carbon economy. Based on the corrected NPP-VIIRS and DMSP/OLS nighttime light data, a carbon emission model for the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Zone (CCEZ) in China is constructed. Furthermore, the article establishes an integrated qualitative and quantitative research system. The qualitative results show that at the city and county scales, the high carbon emission areas and counties are mainly distributed in Chengdu and Chongqing, while the low carbon emission areas are concentrated in the marginal cities of the CCEZ and the counties with low levels of industrialization around the Sichuan Basin. The high-carbon emission zone tended to expand to the north, and the low-carbon emission zone tended to expand to the south. At the grid scale, the carbon emissions of the CCEZ fluctuated and increased from 2000 to 2020, forming a trend connected with those of the central city, with high carbon emissions at the core and radiating outward expansion. Quantitative analysis revealed that carbon emissions at the county and grid scales exhibited a significant positive global spatial correlation, and the overall correlation degree exhibited an increasing trend.

From global to human factors: Shipping emissions policy process in the IMO

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the UN agency responsible for regulating the maritime industries which includes shipping emissions, a complex problem that affects human health and is tied closely with climate issues. Much of the previous research on the IMO is focused on the influence of industry or economic aspects of shipping. This research seeks to expand the viewpoint through the lens of governance which fits well with a multi-actor, multi-layered policy process. It seeks out factors that influence the policy process on the issue area of emissions in the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC). The article uses qualitative data obtained through ethnographic observation and elite interviews. The data shows that factors external to the IMO, such as geopolitical context, national issues, and climate governance spillover, influence the policymaking in the MEPC. Within the IMO factors influence the process on the organization level, such as norms, principles and negotiations, and on the individual level. The most prominent spillover effects come from global climate governance with the MEPC becoming more political and less technical, which suggests politicization of the Greenhouse Gas issue has affected the organization, its norms, and its policymaking process. Consequentially, this affects factors in the policymaking process on other levels, through principles, negotiations, processes, and human factors, such as personal capacity and relationships. It also finds individuals may influence the process from the bottom up. The findings offer insights for future policy processes in the MEPC and other international organizations that deal with emissions issues.

Bayesian analysis of the molecular emission and dust continuum of protoplanetary disks

Context. The MIRI instrument on board the James Webb Space Telescope probes the chemistry and dust mineralogy of the inner regions of protoplanetary disks. The observed spectra are unprecedented in their detail and reveal a rich chemistry with strong diversity between objects. This complicates interpretations that are mainly based on manual continuum subtraction and 0D slab models. Aims. We investigate the physical conditions under which the gas emits in protoplanetary disks. Based on MIRI spectra, we apply a full Bayesian analysis that provides the posterior distributions of dust and molecular properties, such as column densities and emission temperatures. Methods. To do so, we introduced the Dust Continuum Kit with Line emission from Gas (DuCKLinG), a Python-based model simultaneously describing the molecular line emission and the dust continuum of protoplanetary disks without large computational cost. The model describes the dust continuum emission by dust models with precomputed dust opacities. The molecular emission is based on LTE slab models but from extended radial ranges with gradients in column densities and emission temperatures. We compare the model to observations using Bayesian analysis with linear regression techniques to reduce the dimension of the parameter space. We benchmarked this model to a complex thermo-chemical ProDiMo model of AATau and fit the MIRI spectrum of GW Lup. The latter allowed for a comparison to the previous results obtained with single slab models and hand-fitted continuum. Results. We successfully decrease the computational time of the fitting method by a factor of 80 by eliminating linear parameters, such as the emission areas, from the Bayesian run. This approach does not significantly change the retrieved molecular parameters, and only the calculated errors on the optically thin dust masses slightly decrease. For an AA Tau ProDiMo mock observation, we find that the retrieved molecular conditions from DuCKLinG (column densities from 3 × 1018 cm−2 to 4 × 1020 cm−2, radial range from 0.2 au to 1.2 au, and temperature range from about 200 K to 400 K) fall within the true values from ProDiMo (column densities between 4 × 1017 cm-2 to 5 × 1020 cm−2, radial extent 0.1 au to 6.6 au, and temperature range from about 120 to 1000 K). The smaller DuCKLinG ranges can be explained by the relative flux contributions of the different parts of ProDiMo. The parameter posterior of GW Lup reinforces previously found results. The previously determined column densities fall within the retrieved ranges in this study for all examined molecules (CO2, H2O, HCN, and C2H2). Similar overlap is found for the temperatures with only the temperature range of HCN (from 570−60+60 to 750−70+90 K) not including the previously found value (875 K). This discrepancy may be due to the simultaneous fitting of all molecules compared to the step-by-step fitting of the previous study. There is statistically significant evidence for radial temperature and column density gradients for H2O and CO2 compared to the constant temperature and column density assumed in the 0D slab models. Additionally, HCN and C2H2 emit from a small region with near constant conditions. Due to the small selected wavelength range 13.6–16.3 µm, the dust properties are not well constrained for GW Lup. DuCKL inG can become an important tool to analyse the molecular emission and dust mineralogy of large samples based on JWST /MIRI spectra in an automated way.

Digital economy's role in shaping carbon emissions in the construction field: Insights from Chinese cities

Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector is essential to sustainable development policy. Previous studies have ignored the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions in the construction industry. Using relevant city-level data from China from 2011 to 2021 and employing ArcGIS and Stata software, this study examines the current status of carbon emissions from the construction industry and investigates the impact of the digital economy on these emissions. The findings reveal that (1) from 2011 to 2021, carbon emissions of the construction industry have a pattern of decreasing-increasing-decreasing-increasing across the country. There is an increasing concentration of areas with high and relatively high carbon discharges in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Guangxi, and Guizhou. (2) The standard deviation ellipse indicates the core area of carbon emissions in China's construction industry is moving northeast and becoming more decentralized. (3) Through a series of robustness tests, the digital economy has been proven to effectively reduce carbon emissions from the construction sector in municipal areas. (4) In severely cold regions, mild regions, and high-population-density cities, the digital economy reduces building sector's carbon output. However, it stimulates carbon emissions in the hot summer and cold winter regions. (5) Mechanism tests show that the digital economy reduces China's urban construction carbon emissions by fostering technological progress and green innovation. Urban resilience further strengthens the contribution of the digital economy to reducing carbon discharges in the urban construction sector of China. This article presents empirical evidence demonstrating how the digital economy empowers the construction industry to curtail emissions.

Spatiotemporal dynamics and influencing factors of CO2 emissions under regional collaboration: Evidence from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in China

Against the backdrop of global climate change and the “dual carbon” target, cities have a significant responsibility to achieve carbon reduction targets. As a crucial urban agglomeration in northern China, effectively balancing economic growth with CO2 emission reduction to achieve high-quality economic development remains a significant challenge that the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region should address both presently and in the future. The objective of this study is to utilize nighttime lighting data and energy consumption information to quantify the CO2 emissions of diverse cities within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region spanning from 2006 to 2020. The research aims to analyze the spatial progression patterns of CO2 emissions across these urban centers, identify key determinants and their interrelations, and delve into the underlying mechanisms pivotal for advancing carbon mitigation strategies within urban agglomerations. The results indicate that: with an exception in Beijing where CO2 emissions slightly decreased compared to 2006, CO2 emissions increased across cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region by 2020. High-value CO2 emission areas are primarily concentrated in central of the study area, exhibiting negative spatial correlation characteristics. Based on its urban development positioning, it is imperative for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration to formulate and implement carbon reduction strategies on innovative development, industrial upgrading, and ecological protection among other aspects towards coordinated low-carbon development.

A scattered volume emitter micropixel architecture for ultra efficient light extraction from DUV LEDs

Deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) typically suffer from strong parasitic absorption in the p-epitaxial layer and rear metal contact/mirror. This problem is exacerbated by a substantial portion of the multiple quantum well (MQW) emissions having a strong out-of-plane dipole component, contributing to emission in widely oblique directions outside the exit cone of the front semiconductor emitting surface. To address this, we propose an architecture that leverages such a heavily oblique angular emission profile by utilizing spaced-apart or scattered volume emitter micropixels that are embedded in a low-index dielectric buffer film with a patterned top surface. This approach achieves high light extraction efficiency at the expense of enlarging the effective emission area, however, it does not require a high-index (e.g., sapphire) substrate or a lens or a nanotextured epi for outcoupling purposes. Hybrid wave and ray optical simulations demonstrated a remarkable larger than three to sixfold increase in light extraction efficiency as compared to that of a conventional planar LED design with a sapphire substrate depending on the assumed epi layer absorption, pixel size, and ratio of light emission area to the MQW active area. An extraction efficiency three times greater than that of a recent nanotextured DUV LED design was also demonstrated. This architecture paves the way for DUV LEDs to have a plug efficiency comparable to that of mercury lamps while being significantly smaller.

Performance Enhancement of Multiple Quantum Shell Nanowire‐Based Micro‐Light Emitting Diodes with Underlying GaInN/GaN Superlattices

GaInN/GaN multiple quantum shell (MQS) nanowires (NWs) are of great interest as high‐efficiency micro‐light emitting diodes (micro‐LEDs), mainly due to their quantum confined Stark effect suppression and dry etching insensitivity features. Herein, morphological and device properties corresponding to NW‐LEDs with different numbers of GaInN/GaN superlattices (SLs) are evaluated. The scanning electron microscopy measurements revealed that the polar‐plane MQS are shrunken, while the semipolar‐plane underwent expansion upon the introduction of the SLs. The current density–voltage–light output analysis at low current density indicates that samples with a greater number of SL pairs exhibit higher light output. Electroluminescence spectra show that NWs lacking SLs exhibit an emission wavelength of 700 nm, which is derived from indium‐rich clusters in polar‐plane MQS, whereas those with SLs emit at a significantly shorter wavelength of 560 nm. The reduction in the polar‐plane MQS coupled with the enhancement in MQS quality resulting from the SLs is identified as the primary contributing factor. Additionally, the external quantum efficiency factor for NW‐LEDs, which remained consistent even as the emission area decreased, is assessed. These findings suggest that NW‐LEDs with SLs possess the potential to mitigate the emission degradation associated with sidewall etching and realize high‐efficiency micro‐LEDs.

Two-dimensional space charge limited current in regime between accelerating diode and drift space for sheet and circular beam

We develop a general electrostatic steady-state model to calculate the two-dimensional (2D) space-charge-limited current (SCLC) with an initial velocity v0 (i.e., kinetic energy eKV=mv02/2) injected from a cathode into a vacuum diode with a spacing D and a potential difference of Vg. We consider two types of beam cross section: (a) a sheet beam with a width W and (b) a circular beam with a radius R, where both W and R are larger than D in the calculation. By introducing a parameter ε≡KV/Vg≥0, we can tune the operating regime to be in between the accelerating diode (ε≪1) and drift space (ε≫1). Hence, we verify the 2D SCLC model by converging to some prior analytical findings such as the 2D Child–Langmuir law at ε = 0, 2D SCLC at drift space at ε≫1, and their 1D limits at W/D≫1 or R/D≫1. Our 2D SCLC model indicates that there is a maximal value at ε∼1/60, which is independent of W/D or R/D. Furthermore, the hysteresis behavior is also studied when the injected current density is beyond the SCLC threshold and its dynamics are mainly influenced by ε instead of geometrical effect. This model is useful in high current electron beam emission with a finite emission area and with a non-negligible arbitrary injection kinetic energy.

Investigation on MOS shunt LVTSCR for ESD application

Continuously scaling down ICs result in more stringent electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection design requirements. Compared with other devices, silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) has become the first choice for its area efficiency and robustness. In order to improve the latch-up issue of SCR, various schemes have been proposed. A simple method is to extend the SCR path length, which will result in the enlarged ON resistance. Segment technology is also used to improve the holding voltage of SCR, but it will shrink the effective emitter area and lead to the serious degradation of ESD robustness. MS-LVTSCR is used to protect CMOS input ports. The circuit operating voltage is 3.3V and the gate oxide DC breakdown voltage is 19V so that considering the safety margin, the ESD window is from 3.63V to 17.1V. This work proposes a novel MOS shunt low-voltage trigger silicon-controlled rectifier (MS-LVTSCR) electrostatic discharge protection device by inserting an embedded PMOS structure. Compared with the conventional LVTSCR, the proposed MS-LVTSCR achieves 53% improvement in the holding voltage and still maintains high ESD robustness with a current level of 31.5 mA/μm without more device area consumption. In addition, both the TCAD simulation and theoretical analysis were carried out to explore the principle of current shunt effect to improve holding voltage. The extra shunt paths will weaken the conductance modulation effect of the main drift region in the main SCR path and its holding voltage can be further raised by reducing the proportion of main drift region current in the total current. We also conducted detailed studies on the mechanisms and geometry effects of this newly proposed structure via experimental validations.

Impact of carbon emission trading system on green technology innovation of energy enterprises in China

China proposed establishing a carbon emission trading market in its 12th Five-Year Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through market mechanisms, promote the development of science and technology and help China become an environment-friendly country. To examine the impact of carbon emission trading on green technology innovation in Chinese energy enterprises, data from 1993 to 2020 were collected from 494 A-share-listed energy enterprises. Enterprises located in the pilot area of carbon emissions trading were assigned to the treatment group, while those in the non-pilot area were assigned to the control group. The propensity-score-matching method was utilized to match the treatment group with the control group, and the resulting samples were used as the actual sample data. The difference-in-differences method was then employed to assess the net impact of carbon emission trading and investigate its effect on green technology innovation in energy enterprises. This empirical study suggested that carbon emission trading has a positive impact on green technology innovation in energy enterprises, particularly state-owned ones. Larger enterprises are more willing to engage in green technological innovation than small enterprises. Furthermore, when faced with a carbon emission trading system, ‘mature’ companies tend to pay more attention to green technology innovation than younger enterprises do. This study puts forward policy measures for establishing a national-level carbon emission market in China in the future.

Green Finance Advancement and Its Impact on Urban Haze Pollution in China: Evidence from 283 Cities

This study selects the entropy method to measure the comprehensive index of green finance and 2011–2020 panel data covering 283 cities in China; describes spatial and temporal evolution, the migration of the centre of gravity, and discrete trends in green finance and urban haze pollution; and empirically examines the effect of green finance on urban haze pollution using static and dynamic spatial Durbin models. The study revealed that Chinese urban haze pollution significantly decreased during the sample period and that the hotspot emission area shifted to the northeast. Green finance experienced significant advancement, transitioning from a lower stage to a higher stage and becoming more geographically focused. Green finance mainly suppresses urban haze pollution through spatial spillover effects, and such spatial spillover effects change from positive to negative over time. Regarding regional heterogeneity, the effect on the western region is positive, the effects on the central and eastern regions are negative, and there is a spatial spillover effect “from promotion to inhibition” in the eastern region. Due to the heterogeneity in resource endowments, green finance in nonresource-based cities has a greater impact on haze pollution than does green finance in other cities, and in the long term, it has a significant inhibitory effect on haze pollution. This study reveals the effect of green finance on urban haze pollution from a dynamic perspective and, in doing so, it not only provides a new path for joint governance of haze pollution between cities but also provides more accurate guidance for the government to formulate policies for different regions and regions with different resource endowments.

Phytoncidal activity of the needles of Juniperus L. representatives in the technogenic conditions of the city of Dnipro

The territory of the Dnipro urban agglomeration is one of the most polluted in Ukraine. The high concentration of industrial enterprises, roads, density of residential buildings and urban population are factors of anthropogenic pressure on urban ecosystems that significantly affect the quality of the habitat of living organisms and human life. Therefore, an urgent problem of modern urban planning and urban amenities is compliance with sanitary requirements for landscaping residential and industrial areas. The creation of decorative compositions with a predominance of tree and shrub species ensures the landscape attractiveness of the city, reduces the level of noise and dust pollution, improves temperature and wind conditions, improves public health by normalizing the psychological state of people and purifying the city air with phytoncides of plants, especially conifers. Taking into account the high decorative qualities and resistance of junipers to adverse climatic conditions, the aim of the study was to analyze the annual dynamics of phytoncidal activity of Juniperus media V. D. Dmitriev «Blue gold» and J. sabina L. «Tamariscifolia» needles in conditionally clean and polluted by vehicle emissions areas of Dnipro city. The plant material was collected at 4 monitoring points in Dnipro, 1 was a conditional control, and the other 3 were experimental plots with different levels of vehicle traffic. Needles were sampled at all periods of shoot ontogeny. The phytoncidal activity was determined by the method of «steaming» microbial test cultures with volatile needle secretions on test cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus sp., Bacillus subtilis, Esherechia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Candida albicans. The results of the study show that the dynamics of phytoncidal activity of J. media and J. sabina needles during the year is the same in plants growing in a conditionally clean area and under the influence of motor vehicle traffic: the amount of released phytoncides increases in spring, during the period of intensive shoot growth, reaches a maximum at the stage of slowing down their growth (in summer), decreases in autumn, with the cessation of growth processes, and is minimal in winter, when there is no shoot growth. It has been shown that in a clean area, needle extracts of both representatives of the genus Juniperus have the greatest inhibitory effect on the growth of S. aureus colonies, and under the influence of vehicle emissions, the phytoncidal activity is highest against S. aureus and S. epidermidis strains. It was found that out of the two studied representatives of the genus Juniperus, J. media has the highest stability of the ability to secrete phytoncides under conditions of motor vehicle traffic load, which we recommend for use in urban landscaping.

Spatiotemporal dynamic evolution and influencing factors of land use carbon emissions: evidence from Jiangsu Province, China

Land use/cover change has an important impact on global climate change and carbon cycle, and it has become another major source of carbon emission after energy consumption. Therefore, this study focuses on the main line of “land use carbon emissions-spatial and temporal patterns-influencing factors,” and selects 13 cities in Jiangsu Province as the research object. Based on the data of land use and energy consumption, combined with the method of land use carbon emissions and ArcGIS technology, this study conducted a quantitative analysis of the spatio-temporal distribution of carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province. The factors affecting the spatial distribution of carbon emissions from land use in Jiangsu Province were discussed by using Geographic detector. The results show that: 1) Carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province showed an overall growth trend, from 16215.44 ×104tC in 2010–23597.68 ×104tC in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of 4.55%, of which the construction land and watersheds had a greater impact on carbon sources and sinks, respectively. 2) During the period, there were significant differences in carbon emission levels among different cities in Jiangsu Province, and the land use carbon emission in Jiangsu Province showed a stable spatial pattern of “northwest—southeast.” The southern part of Jiangsu is always the hot area of carbon emission, while the cold spot area is mainly distributed in the northern and central parts of Jiangsu. 3) The interaction of factors such as economic development, industrial structure, energy intensity, land use and human activities is an important reason for the spatio-temporal differences of land use carbon emissions in Jiangsu Province. Among them, the level of urbanization, population size and economic aggregate have significant effects on carbon emissions.

Realizing low-carbon development of industrial parks in China: Model construction and its application

As the main energy consumption and emission area, carbon emission reduction for industrial parks is a pivotal target for China. In this study, a multi-objective optimization model was established to quantitatively develop low-carbon development strategies for industrial parks that simultaneously considers land productivity, energy structure and efficiency, carbon emissions, and industrial structure optimization. A Monte Carlo method was adopted to investigate the uncertainties associated with emission-reduction technologies and economic development. A study on an industrial park showed that with the implementation of a series of fossil energy-saving measures, the percentage of clean energy in the park is projected to reach 62.6–72.2 %, while the percentage of output from energy-intensive enterprises relative to the total output of the industrial park decreases from 3.78 % in the baseline year to 1.74–3.29 %, and carbon emissions are projected to decrease by 69–85.4 % relative to the benchmarking scenario. This implies that the model developed in this study is effective and can serve as a roadmap for designing industrial parks to realize low-carbon development.

Administrative-led urbanization and urban carbon emission intensity: Evidence from city-county merger in China

Cities in China are concentrated areas of energy consumption and carbon emission. Thus, controlling urban carbon emission intensity is the key to achieving “carbon neutrality” and “carbon peak” goals. Administrative urbanization, for which city–county merger (CCM) plays an important role, is yet to be examined to understand whether it intensified carbon emissions. This study uses panel data of 269 cities from 2008 to 2019 and staggered difference-in-differences method to analyze the impact of administrative-led urbanization on urban carbon emission intensity. The results reveal that the CCM significantly increased urban carbon emission intensity. A mechanism test shows that the CCM can increase carbon emission intensity by inhibiting industrial structure upgrading and promoting urban infrastructure construction. Heterogeneity analysis shows that there is no significant regional difference in carbon intensity; however, regional difference has a more significant positive impact on carbon intensity of sub-provincial cities, general prefecture-level cities, and strong counties with districts.

Beef’s intersection with ESG Metrics

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics are in­creasingly important to businesses for evaluating their perfor­mance in non-financial indicators to investors. Currently, the largest intersection of the beef industry with ESG metrics is re­lated to the area of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reporting and goals and targets. Many companies that sell beef products have made public commitments to reduce Scope 3 GHG emis­sions, which includes GHG emissions from all inputs, including emissions associated with the raising of cattle for beef. Cur­rently, there is a gap between company commitments and the U.S. beef supply’s ability to document and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from cattle production. Research filling these gaps, including improving models used for reporting and find­ing practical and scalable solutions to mitigate enteric methane emissions is a key focus of Colorado State University’ AgNext. Animal health and veterinary medicine is a key part of main­taining and achieving ESG metrics outcome goals, as lower rates of morbidity and mortality can lower resource inputs and GHG emissions per pound of beef produced. Additionally, animal health and well-being are fundamental components of the social license to operate for beef supply chains, thus bovine veterinari­ans can play a key role in ESG metrics related to beef production.

Impacts of spatial and temporal patterns and economic development on carbon emissions in Chinese cities

With the economic and social development and the improvement of peoples living standards, the urban carbon emission increases. Studying the influence of industrial structure and spatial patterns on carbon emission under the economic development of different cities can help to find the main factors affecting carbon emission, formulate policies to solve the problem according to local conditions, and provide an important scientific basis for the transformation of economic growth mode and the construction of low-carbon cities. This paper draws conclusions by analyzing the trend curves of urban carbon emissions and economic factors over the years. Different regions of the citys economic development potential differences are obvious, and the potential for greater spatial concentration of cities; citys economic development potential in the spatial and temporal distribution of key cities and major urban agglomerations as the basis for the point - line - surface in order to promote. economically developed cities, the total carbon emissions, carbon emissions growth rate of a declining trend; economically underdeveloped areas, the total carbon emissions, carbon emissions growth rate of a year-on-year trend; the degree of carbon emissions and the degree of prosperity of the secondary industry is closely linked. Chinas urban carbon emissions have a significant positive spatial correlation between 2006 and 2016, the cold spot area of urban carbon emissions is relatively stable, mainly distributed in the eastern and southern economic zones, while the hot spot area is mainly distributed in the northwest, northeast and the middle reaches of the Yellow River economic zone.

Investigation of virtual cathode generated by a tungsten emissive probe in a vacuum

The virtual cathode characteristics (the potential barrier and the spatial size) generated by a tungsten emissive probe are investigated in a vacuum using the one-dimensional theory of the virtual cathode developed by us. In the calculation principle of the virtual cathode, the effective filament area for electron emission is treated with different models. Using the calculation principle, the potential barrier and the spatial size of the virtual cathode are calculated with the tungsten emissive probe heated from the beginning of electron emission to the end of the filament life. The calculated results show that the potential barrier of the virtual cathode generated by the tungsten emissive probe can reach several volts, the spatial size is on the order of centimeters, and the corresponding electric field is on the order of kilovolts per meter.

Overcoming Challenges in OLED Technology for Lighting Solutions

In academic research, OLEDs have exhibited rapid evolution thanks to the development of innovative materials, new device architectures, and optimized fabrication methods, achieving high performance in recent years. The numerous advantages that increasingly distinguish them from traditional light sources, such as a large and customizable emission area, color tunability, flexibility, and transparency, have positioned them as a promising candidate for various applications in the lighting market, including the residential, automotive, industrial, and agricultural sectors. However, despite these promising attributes, the widespread industrial production of OLEDs encounters significant challenges. Key considerations center around efficiency and lifetime. In the present review, after introducing the theoretical basis of OLEDs and summarizing the main performance developments in the industrial field, three crucial aspects enabling OLEDs to establish a competitive advantage in terms of performance and versatility are critically discussed: the quality and stability of the emitted light, with a specific focus on white light and its tunability; the transparency of both electrodes for the development of fully transparent and integrable devices; and the uniformity of emission over a large area.

Development of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype Vehicle Supported by Artificial Intelligence for Green Urban Transport

In the automotive sector, the zero emissions area has been dominated by battery electric vehicles. However, prospective users cite charging times, large batteries, and the deployment of charging stations as a counter-argument. Hydrogen will offer a solution to these areas, in the future. This research focuses on the development of a prototype three-wheeled vehicle that is named Neumann H2. It integrates state-of-the-art energy storage systems, demonstrating the benefits of solar-, battery-, and hydrogen-powered drives. Of crucial importance for the R&D platform is the system’s ability to record its internal states in a time-synchronous format, providing valuable data for researchers and developers. Given that the platform is equipped with the ROS2 Open-Source interface, the data are recorded in a standardized format. Energy management is supported by artificial intelligence of the “Reinforcement Learning” type, which selects the optimal energy source for operation based on different layers of high-fidelity maps. In addition to powertrain control, the vehicle also uses artificial intelligence to detect the environment. The vehicle’s environment-sensing system is essentially designed to detect, distinguish, and select environmental elements through image segmentation using camera images and then to provide feedback to the user via displays.