The corrosion inhibiting effect of lithium carbonate has been studied over the pH range relevant for atmospheric corrosion conditions at the polymer/metal interface. It is demonstrated that lithium carbonate offers optimum corrosion protection under moderately alkaline conditions attributed to the formation of a protective layer identified as aluminum-lithium layered double hydroxide. It is proposed that an active-to-passive transition occurs in the presence of lithium carbonate under moderately alkaline conditions where anodic dissolution of the aluminum matrix is an important step prior to the formation of the protective layer. After prolonged exposure, the protective layer is uniformly formed on the surface of AA2024-T3 and lithium containing AA2198-T8 covering both the matrix and active intermetallic particles thus hindering further corrosion reactions.@en

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems may be catalyzers of sustainable, near-zero energy buildings. To maximize the benefits of employing BIPV, it is important to integrate them properly into the grid of the building. The discussion on AC versus DC distribution for microgrid and nanogrid backbones is currently revisited as the level of penetration of renewable sources, electric vehicles and DC loads is constantly increasing. This paper tackles this question and provides guidelines using a validated simulation framework. The study compares DC (48 V and 380 V) and AC (230 V/50 Hz) topologies integrated into a ten-story office building with façade-integrated BIPV. Annual simulations are carried out for five locations with different climatic conditions and comparisons are made in terms of system- and component-level efficiency, system losses, self-sufficiency, self-consumption and CO2 emission. The analysis shows that the DC topologies perform better than the AC one, especially for the locations with high solar energy yield compared to the cooling and heating loads. Further, a parametric analysis is performed to determine the optimal sizing of the building grid components, DC and AC alike. Finally, different scenarios of battery energy storage system capacity are examined in order to test the sensitivity of the performed analysis.@en

This work presents the synthesis of nanostructured hollow polyaniline (PANI) capsules and their application for encapsulation of corrosion inhibitor 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT). The pH-triggered release of MBT from the capsules was evidenced using UV–vis and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). Incorporation of MBT loaded PANI capsules into epoxy ester coating on AA2024-T3 resulted in a protective system with self-healing ability confirmed by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET). The results showed that the incorporation of MBT-loaded PANI capsules into the coating has significantly improved its corrosion protection performance due to the interesting smart characteristics of PANI capsules.@en