The world's ever-growing demand for power has created an urgent need for new efficient and sustainable sources of energy and electricity. Today's consumers of portable electronics also demand devices that not only deliver more power but are also environmentally friendly. Fuel cells are an important alternative energy source, with promise in military, commercial and industrial applications, for example power vehicles and portable devices.A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that...

There are a large number of books available on fuel cells; however, the majority are on specific types of fuel cells such as solid oxide fuel cells, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, or on specific technical aspects of fuel cells, e.g., the system or stack engineering. Thus, there is a need for a book focused on materials requirements in fuel cells. Key Materials in Low-Temperature Fuel Cells is a concise source of the most important and key materials and catalysts in low-temperature fu...

Membranes have emerged over the last 30 years as a viable water treatment technology. Earth's population is growing and the need for alternative ways to generate potable water is rising. The recent advent of nanotechnology opens the door to improving processes in membranetechnology, which is a promising step on the way to solving the earth's potable water problem. Current performance is enhanced and new concepts are possible by engineering on the nanoscale. This book presents key ar...

Water is one of the essential resources on our planet. Therefore, fresh water and the recycling of waste-water are very important topics in various areas. Energy-saving green technologies are a demand in this area of research.Photocatalysis comprises a class of reactions which use a catalyst activated by light. These reactions include the decomposition of organic compounds into environmental friendly water and carbon dioxide, leading to interesting properties of surfaces covered wi...

Supercapacitors are a relatively new energy storage system that provides higher energy density than dielectric capacitors and higher power density than batteries. They are particularly suited to applications that require energy pulses during short periods of time, e.g., seconds or tens of seconds. They are recommended for automobiles, tramways, buses, cranes, fork-lifts, wind turbines, electricity load leveling in stationary and transportation systems, etc. Despite the technological maturi...

This book presents a comprehensive review, analysis and synthesis of the advances in nanoreactors and their innovative applications in sustainable energy, environmental, and biomedical processes. It begins with an overview of bioinspired materials and artificial devices, followed by a detailed explanation of the definition and basic structural characteristics of nanoreactors. It focuses on key synthetic strategies for controlling the size, composition, morphology, and functionalisation of ...

"This textbook will be welcomed by professors and students who have been long looking for an appropriate textbook for teaching and studying the changing geography of post-reform China." —Hongmian Gong, Hunter College, CUNY "A wonderful collection of current source data. The range of bibliographic material in these pages is great." —Kit Salter, University of Missouri, Columbia Changing China: A Geographic Appraisal provides an up-to-date and detailed account of the giant country that is und...

Asia has become the new battle ground for the war against HIV/AIDS. The magnitude of the potential public health problems caused by AIDS in this populous continent may become a catastrophic disaster. A 10% rate of prevalence of HIV-1 in India and China alone would mean more than 200 million people are infected with HIV.AIDS in Asia is useful as a comprehensive, up-to-date AIDS reference book for public health and medical professionals. This volume provides ...

The book focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategies in resource-poor settings. Contributors include HIV/AIDS researchers and public health administrators from the US, Africa, China, and Thailand. Several chapters, written by local health officials, take a close look at AIDS prevention and treatment in China at the community level. Other chapters cover issues of treatment scale-up, drug resistance, and mother-to-child transmission in Southern Africa and Thailand, and offer less...

- Provides an overview of Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs), from fundamentals to applications - Evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of particular applications, methods and techniques - Contains new chapters on sensing, femtosecond laser writing of FBGs and poling of glass and optical fibers - Includes a special version of the photonic simulator PicWave(tm), allowing the reader to make live simulations of many of the example devices presented in the book. This fully revised, updated and e...

This book is an overview of the strategies to generate high-quality films of one-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures on flexible substrates (e.g., plastics) and the use of them as building blocks to fabricating flexible devices (including electronics, optoelectronics, sensors, power systems). In addition to engineering aspects, the physics and chemistry behind the fabrication and device operation will also be discussed as well. Internationally recognized scientists from academia, nati...

'A long-awaited book that answers many questions.' Jan de Vries Antibiotics were developed in the 1940s. Then, they were hailed as a huge breakthrough in the treatment of bacterial infections. Today, they are the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide. But massive over-prescription of antibiotics has created its own problems. The advent of antibiotic-resistant organisms – or 'superbugs' – has led more and more people to demand alternatives. Natural Alternatives to Antibiotics is a revise...