The CO poisoning and low durability of the anode platinum electrocatalyst in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) are the two crucial obstacles of the wide commercialization of the DMFC. In this study, we synthesized two different electrocatalysts using VulcanXC-72R (VC) and Ketjenblack (KB) as the carbon supporting material for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and long-term durability test, in which the carbon supporting materials were wrapped by poly[2,2'-(2,6-pyridine)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] (PyPBI) before the platinum deposition and the fabricated electrocatalysts were coated by the poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PVPA) via the base-acid reaction. We have found that the as-prepared KB/PyPBI/Pt/PVPA shows a higher durability (7% loss in ECSA) under the potential cycling from 1.0 to 1.5 V vs. RHE compared to that of the VC/PyPBI/Pt/PVPA, which showed a 20% loss in ECSA after 10 000 cycle-durability test. Meanwhile, the KB/PyPBI/Pt/PVPA shows a higher CO tolerance before and after the durability test compared to that of the VC/PyPBI/Pt/PVPA, especially under very high methanol concentration (4 M and 8 M), which is close to the practical application of the DMFC. The observed higher CO tolerance is due to the higher amount of the PVPA (14.6 wt %) in the KB/PyPBI/Pt/PVPA caused by the higher specific surface area of the KB (1232 m(2)/g) compared to the VC (235 m(2)/g).

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We describe the in situ synthesis of the covalent organic framework-5 (COF-5) on the surfaces of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphenes having homogeneous CNT@COF-5 coreshell structures using a sonochemical reaction in one pot. CNT@COF-5 was found to show better CO 2 adsorption than the pristine COF-5.Porous materials, especially novel porous materials having high surface areas and easily controllable chemical affinities, have been used in many applications, including gas storage and separation, 13 sensors/sensing, 4 catalysis, etc. 3,5 Metalorganic frameworks (MOFs), referred to as "molecular architectures," are built by the self-assembly of metal ions and organic linkers that form three-dimensional porous structures, and have emerged as one of the more promising materials for gas adsorbents because their pore sizes and chemical affinities are easily controllable by modifying the metals and linkers. 6,7 Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) made by covalent bonding between polyboronic acids and polydiol compounds show properties similar to the MOFs; 8,9 thus, considerable attention has currently been focused on the studies of COFs that have high potential for gas uptake.Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphenes with high surface areas 10,11 have been widely used as nanomaterials in the fields of polymer reinforcements, 12 biological, 13 and electronic applications, 14 due to their remarkable electrical, thermal, optical, and mechanical properties. 1519 However, the low dispersity of the CNTs and graphenes due to the strong van der Waals interactions is a drawback of these materials for use in many areas.Aromatic molecules, such as pyrene, anthracene, triphenylene, and porphyrin derivatives, have been used as building blocks for the COFs. 9 Such molecules have a strong affinity for CNTs and graphenes due to strong ππ interactions; 2022 thus, compounds carrying such a moiety have been used as CNT-and graphene-solubilizers. 23 Based on such events, we considered that complexes of the COFs and the CNTs (or graphene) could be a candidate to improve their dispersity and gas uptake. Although there have been several reports on the synthesis of COFs on graphene-deposited substrates using a solvothermal method, 24 to the best of our knowledge, the fabrication of COF composites with bare graphene or CNTs using a facile sonochemical reaction has not yet been reported.Here we describe the preparation of COF-5 materials hybridized with CNTs (denoted as CNT@COF-5) and graphenes (graphene@COF-5) by in situ sonochemical reactions. COF-5, one of the typical COF materials, was chosen, since a sonochemical method 23 is applicable for the synthesis of this COF material in addition to a solvothermal reaction 25,26 and microwave irradiation. 27 Figure 1 shows a schematic drawing for the synthesis of a COF-5-coated CNT (see also Supporting Information (SI)). We also describe the CO 2 uptake experiment results using the prepared hybrid materials.As shown in Figure 2, the synthesized CNT@COF-5 clearly shows a thicker diameter than those of the c...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to redefine a competency model for each rank of a university’s staff and to assess the training needs of each competency in the Digital Transformation era. Methods: To redefine a competency model, a six-step procedure was designed using a modified generic model overlay method developed by Dubois(1993). A literature review and extant interviews were executed to design roles, responsibilities, and competency structures of each rank. Research team workshops and expert workshops were also conducted to derive a competency model draft which included competency definitions and behavior indicators. Following this, the Delphi method was conducted to secure the validity of the derived model. To assess training needs for university staff, each rank’s competencies and common competencies were utilized. Results: As a result, twenty-five competencies by rank and five common competencies were confirmed. Five common competencies were problem solving, communication, digital literacy, business planning,and documentation. With the assessment of training needs, the highest competencies for each rank were derived. The derived competencies are as follows from the highest rank to common competency:Strategic thinking, vision suggestion/organizational management/conflict and management/creative thinking/responsibility/problem solving. Conclusion: In order to increase the work efficiency and the competitiveness of university staff,universities need to reform their job structure based on the competencies and should implement talent transformation for the Digital Transformation era.

Gold (Au) nanoparticles having a Pt-shell layer (Au–Pt) deposited on a conductive support are a promising electrocatalyst for fuel cells, enabling the minimal use of Pt. We describe a facile one-pot method to grow Au–Pt having a 3.8-nm diameter on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in the absence of a reducing agent, in which polybenzimidazole was used as the binding sites on the MWNTs to load the Au–Pt.