Granite in the deep crust undergoes long-term high-temperature and high-stress (HTHS) environments, and its mechanical properties are significantly different from those under conventional conditions. Granite is prone to thermal damage under the influence of thermo-mechanical (TM) coupling, resulting in complex nonlinear mechanical responses, which directly affect the stability of deep geotechnical engineering. However, due to the limitations of experimental conditions, TM coupling experiments under HTHS conditions are difficult to carry out effectively, resulting in the dominance of single-factor (temperature or stress alone) research and a lack of systematic analysis under TM coupling. This study employed a combined experimental and numerical approach to obtain the physical properties of granite under conventional conditions and the TM coupling response under HTHS conditions. The results indicate that elevated temperatures induce the formation of thermal cracks in granite, leading to thermal damage. This damage causes a transition in specimen deformation from linear elastic behavior under conventional conditions to plastic deformation. Meanwhile, increasing confining pressure effectively suppresses thermal damage by reducing the generation of thermal cracks. A model to predict how thermal damage affects the strength of granite was created, showing how the mechanical properties of granite change when exposed to thermal and mechanical conditions together. This study addresses the limitations of traditional single-factor experiments, which fail to accurately represent complex geological conditions, and provides a theoretical basis for deep engineering projects.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) offer exceptional opportunities for electrocatalytic applications, yet achieving precise control over their atomic-scale defects and electronic properties remains a substantial challenge. Herein, high-entropy alloy aerogels (HEAAs) with a hierarchical porous structure are successfully constructed through systematic thermodynamic and electronic structure analysis combined with particle self-assembly technology. The lattice distortion produces a local micro-strain field and nano-twin boundaries, which destroy the typical atomic periodicity and lead to an unsaturated Pd coordination environment, thereby increasing the density of active sites. In addition, we observe electron transfer from 3d (Cu, Ni, Co) to 4d (Pd) and 5d (Pt) elements, demonstrating effective multi-orbital electron regulation. The optimized HEAAs exhibit excellent bifunctional properties, with a potential difference of 0.64 V and a high kinetic current density of 27.9 mA & centerdot;cm-2, which are much better than those of commercial catalysts. When applied to the zinc-air battery, it exhibits long cycle stability of over 600 h. Theoretical calculations show that the strong anti-bonding effect of PdPtCuNiCo HEAAs weakens the adsorption of OOH*, and its high-spin electronic configuration promotes the electron transfer to the intermediate O 2p orbital, both of which improve the ORR activity.

Thermochemical energy storage system with hydrated salts is well adapted to low-grade waste heat, solar energy and building heating, and has great potential to be an ideal candidate for medium and low temperature applications. This investigation methodically analyses the optimization of zeolite-MgCl2 composites, focusing on designing effective thermochemical energy storage materials with hydrated salts. By means of molecular simulation, the adsorption and diffusion properties of water molecules in the pores of the zeolite and zeolite-MgCl2 composites were studied. The results show that ferrierite (FER) zeolite exhibits the maximum water absorption and excellent diffusion performance, which is the best matrix material. In the low-pressure region (0–0.5 kPa), the MgCl2 impregnation greatly increases the adsorption of water molecules by the zeolite. Moreover, further enhancement in water absorption and diffusion properties of the zeolite is achieved by varying the Al/Si ratio. Changes in the Al/Si ratio are more effective in increasing water adsorption than MgCl2 impregnation at low temperatures (298 K), while at temperatures higher than 323 K, MgCl2 impregnation enhances water uptake more efficiently. The results of this work provide new insights and approaches for the development of zeolite based hydrated salt thermochemical energy storage materials.

Interfacial water plays a significant role in electrochemical reactions involving proton-coupled electron transfer processes, such as the CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the deliberate modulation of interfacial water hydrogen-bond networks via the alkyl chain length of cationic surfactants is poorly systematically explored, and its intrinsic correlation with C2+ selectivity remains elusive at the molecular level, posing considerable challenges to the rational design of catalysts with enhanced selectivity to C2+ products. Herein, we combine a combination of in situ vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation to probe the effect of the interfacial hydrogen-bond network on CO2RR performance over a series of cationic surfactant-modified Cu2O/Cu catalysts. It is revealed that the cationic surfactants with longer alkyl chains preferentially construct a robust interfacial hydrogen-bond network, which alters the hydrogen-bond strength and modulates proton transfer. Moreover, we establish a volcano-type relationship between the strong hydrogen-bonded water and C2+ selectivity, wherein proton transfer promoted by moderate H-bond networks favors C2+ coupling while excessively fast proton transfer aggravates HER. This work provides a simple and tunable approach to tune interfacial hydrogen-bond networks via cationic surfactants, semi-quantitatively reveals their role in CO2RR selectivity, and provides a molecular basis for designing high-performance C2+ catalysts. (c) 2026 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

The microencapsulated phase change materials (MePCMs) are widely applied in energy storage and thermal management systems. Nevertheless, conventional single-shell microcapsules still suffer from insufficient thermal stability, phase change material (PCM) leakage, and limited functional integration. In order to address these issues, this study develops multifunctional paraffin@copper tungstate-ethyl cellulose (PW@CuWO4-EC) microcapsules featuring an inorganic-organic double-shell by a two-step encapsulation method. The experimental results indicate that the double-layer structure of the CuWO4 inner shell and EC outer shell can stably encapsulate PW, forming spherical microcapsules with good structural integrity and dispersibility. When the dosage of EC was 1/30 of the PW mass, the phase change enthalpy and encapsulation efficiency of the PW@CuWO4-EC sample reached as high as 85.12 J/g and 69.38%, respectively. Compared with microcapsules with only a single-layer CuWO4 shell, the secondary coating of the EC shell increased the onset decomposition temperature by about 50 degrees C and effectively prevented leakage at 100 degrees C. Furthermore, the CuWO4-EC heterointerface made the separation of photogenerated carriers more efficient, leading to micro capsules exhibiting strong UV absorption and obvious fluorescence quenching characteristics. The material design and construction of highly stable, multifunctional double-shell MePCMs can be based on the ideas and principles provided by this study.

Methanol steam reforming (MSR) is a highly promising technology, but conventional reactors suffer from bottlenecks of low mass transfer efficiency and insufficient catalyst utilization. To address these issues, this study develops a novel fractal microreactor based on the Sierpinski carpet to efficiently enhance the reforming hydrogen production process. The effects of the fractal iteration order on fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions within the microreactor are investigated through experiments and simulations. Experiments demonstrate that the fractal structure significantly enhances the mixing of reactants and the heat and mass transfer. The methanol conversion rate of the 3rd order fractal microreactor is 78.28 %, which is 21.12 % higher than that of the flat plate type reactor. Simulation indicates that the Nu and the comprehensive performance evaluation criterion (PEC) increase with the fractal iteration order. The 3rd order structure improves the H utilization efficiency by up to 0.71-0.88 %, which exhibits optimal thermal-hydraulic performance and reforming efficiency. This study provides a reasonable reference for the mobile and efficient hydrogen production in microreactors.

Membrane distillation (MD) has attracted growing interest due to its near-complete salt rejection and strong compatibility with low-grade thermal energy. However, its large-scale application is hindered by limited permeate flux and poor energy efficiency, which are primarily associated with severe temperature polarization and insufficient heat and mass transfer near the membrane surface. To address these limitations, turbulence promoters are commonly introduced to intensify flow mixing and boundary-layer disruption. Nevertheless, conventional designs typically incur a pressure drop that negates the productivity gains. To address this critical bottleneck, the main objective of this work is to systematically investigate the unexplored potential of streamlined longitudinal vortex generators (VGs) in MD channels. In this study, cylindrical and square cylinders were selected as representative bluff-body promoters, while integrated V-shape and discontinuous V-shape configurations were employed as longitudinal VGs. Through experiments and three-dimensional numerical simulations, we systematically compared how these promoters influence flow organization, the temperature polarization coefficient (TPC), transmembrane vapor pressure driving force, and pressure drop characteristics. The results demonstrate that longitudinal VGs can significantly enhance wall-normal heat and mass transport and thereby maintaining a higher transmembrane vapor pressure difference. Among the tested designs, the integrated Vshape VG achieved the highest permeate flux, reaching up to 34.42 kg & sdot;m- 2 & sdot;h- 1, but increased the pressure drop by approximately 44.12% relative to an empty plate. A comprehensive performance assessment further indicates that the discontinuous V-shape VG delivers the best overall performance, preserving high permeate flux while imposing a comparatively lower pressure drop penalty. These findings provide practical guidance for optimizing MD channel architectures toward high efficiency with reduced energy consumption.

This study presents a CFD model to study performances of the in-row cooling system (IRCS) with different configurations to improve the uniformity of the supply air flowrates. A new defined parameter i.e. the Airflow Non-uniform Index (ANI) is proposed to evaluate the uniformity of supply air flowrates in the cold aisle and to assess its impact on the inlet temperature of servers (Tin,s). Effects of four different server configurations within racks on preventing air recirculation are analyzed. Results indicate that servers distributed at the top of the rack and servers distributed uniformly within the racks show potentials to save energy in cases of low and high IT loads, respectively. Although the cold aisle width (Wc) and the row-tilted angle (alpha) are designed to optimize the performance of supply air flowrates, the phenomenon of the cold airflow reversal in the cold aisle is still obvious and the temperature reduction at the server inlet is limited. Thus, a further new deflector air supply strategy based on the Coanda effect is consequently proposed in this study to improve them, in which the deflector in the cold aisle forms a certain angle (beta) with the front door of the rack. This strategy is proved effective for servers distributed at the top of the rack. Compared with the benchmark case of beta = 0 degrees, the ANI for cases of beta below to 60 degrees are reduced by about 26.7%-53.5% when Wc changes from 0.6m to 1.5m.

[Objective]Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are pivotal to the global energy transition,however,their catalysts exhibit high sensitivity to CO poisoning.CO preferential oxidation(CO-PROX)serves as the core technology for hydrogen purification,and honeycomb ceramics are ideal supports for CO-PROX catalysts.However,raw cordierite honeycomb ceramics(2MgO·2Al2O3·5SiO2)have drawbacks,including a low specific surface area and poor coating adhesion,which limit catalytic performance.Oriented toward cultivating scientific thinking in teaching practice,this study investigates how pretreatment of honeycomb ceramic supports affects catalytic performance in CO-PROX under hydrogen-rich conditions.It aims to enhance support performance through pretreatment optimization and establish an experimental teaching paradigm that progresses from single-factor to multiparameter optimization.[Methods]Single-factor experiments were first conducted to screen the reasonable operating ranges of key parameters as a basis for systematic optimization of the pretreatment process.Employing the coating loading rate and catalytic activity(correlated with subsequent T50/T90 indicators)as evaluation criteria,this study investigated the independent effects of acid treatment time(1-3 h),nitric acid concentration(1-3 mol/L),calcination temperature(300-500℃),and calcination time(1-3 h).This step excluded support structure damage and ineffective modifications caused by excessive parameter values,and the study then determined the effective range for subsequent multifactor optimization.Based on the results,a response surface methodology(RSM)model was constructed using a four-variable central composite rotatable design.A total of 30 experiments were designed,comprising 16 full-factor points covering different level combinations of the 4 parameters,8 axial points to expand the response at the parameter boundaries,and 6 center repeat points to evaluate experimental errors.The temperatures at which CO conversion reached 50%(T50)and 90%(T90)were used as response values.The RSM model's visual analysis function enabled intuitive identification of parameter interactions and facilitated determination of the parameter combination that minimized T50 and T90 to optimal levels.The model fitting effect was verified to ensure consistency between the experimental data and the predicted results.Finally,the pretreatment process parameters were systematically optimized and verified,and model fitting was used to analyze synergistic effects between acid treatment time,acid concentration,calcination temperature,and calcination time to determine the optimal process parameters.[Results]The single-factor experiments revealed that treating the supports with 1 mol/L nitric acid for 2-3 h effectively optimized their specific surface area and surface roughness,thereby improving coating loading rate.Additionally,calcination at 400℃for 1 h enhanced the pore structure and modified the surface chemical state.The RSM-based model demonstrated strong agreement between predicted and experimental values.The optimal process parameters were identified as a 2.5 h treatment with 1 mol/L nitric acid,followed by calcination at 400℃for 1 h,which significantly enhanced catalytic activity.The analysis of the RSM model revealed that acid treatment time,acid concentration,and calcination temperature exhibit notable synergistic effects on catalytic performance,whereas calcination time shows negligible interactions and can thus be optimized independently.[Conclusions]This study offers a reference for process development in catalytic chemical systems and presents an instructional framework to enhance students'capabilities in multifactor coupling analysis.

Plate–fin heat exchangers (PFHEs) are widely used in petrochemical, energy and electric power, aerospace, and other industries with large heat transfer requirements. The development of performance prediction and optimization methods for PFHEs has become increasingly important in the design and operation of such heat exchangers (HEs). This paper establishes a database of flow and heat transfer characteristics for four types of PFHEs with different structural parameters. Based on this database, the back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model was optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to form the PSO-BP-ANN model for the performance prediction of these four types of PFHEs. This combination has been found to improve the prediction accuracy and generalization ability of the BP-ANN model. Additionally, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) method was used to characterize the relationship between four structural parameters to be optimized (the length, height, spacing, and thickness of the HE fin) and the two objective functions (j and f) of the serrated PFHE in laminar flow. This enables the Pareto optimal solution to be obtained. The results show that, under laminar flow conditions (Re = 800), the serrated fin HE achieves the best heat transfer performance when the fin height, spacing, thickness, and length are 9.29, 1.22, 0.16, and 3.06, respectively.

The removal of radioactive cesium (137Cs) from nuclear wastewater via adsorption is critical for environmental safety and public health. Although Prussian blue analogs possess remarkable affinity and selectivity for Cs+, their practical application is severely hindered by their intrinsic fine powder form, which poses significant challenges for separation and recovery. Herein, we developed chitosan-based microspheres with a unique radially oriented, honeycomb-like porous architecture (RPMP-CTS) to serve as a robust substrate for the uniform immobilization of nickel Prussian blue analog (Ni-PBA) nanoparticles. The synthesized microspheres possess a macroscopic particle size of approximately 2.5 mm, significantly facilitating solid-liquid separation and enhancing collection efficiency. Mechanistically, the radially aligned porous channels not only accelerate the intraparticle diffusion kinetics of Cs+, but also effectively prevent the aggregation of Ni-PBA nanoparticles, thereby maximizing the exposure of active sites. Consequently, the RPMP-CTS/Ni-PBA exhibited a competitive adsorption capacity of 68.8 mg/g (equivalent to 286.5 mg/g for Ni-PBA). Furthermore, the adsorbent achieved a removal efficiency exceeding 98.6% under optimal conditions, demonstrated excellent stability across a broad pH range of 5-11, and maintained high selectivity in the presence of competing ions. These findings highlight the potential of RPMP-CTS/Ni-PBA as a high-performance, easily recoverable adsorbent for practical nuclear wastewater remediation.

Particle-reinforced composites (PRCs) are widely used in electronic thermal management, energy conversion, and thermal protection. Yet, most models for predicting their effective thermal conductivity (ETC) assume uniformly dispersed, non-interacting spherical particles, overlooking the heat transfer enhancement facilitated by the presence of dimer particles (formed by two overlapping spheres). In this work, a three-dimensional composite structure containing both spherical monomers and dimer particles is established to systematically investigate the effects of the overlap ratio between the two spheres forming a dimer, the volume fraction of dimer particles, and their alignment angle on the ETC of PRCs. Numerical results show that when lambda(p)/lambda(m) >>1 and a moderate overlap ratio (gamma approximate to 0.2), dimer particles significantly enhance the ETC, yielding improvements of 12.67% at a volume fraction of 10% and 22.06% at a volume fraction of 20% compared to the configuration with only spherical monomers. The orientation of dimer particles plays a decisive role in governing the ETC. At a particle volume fraction of 10%, full alignment parallel to imposed temperature gradient increases the ETC by 26.72% relative to the random orientation, whereas perpendicular alignment results in an 13.24% decrease. Based on these findings, a geometry-dependent shape factor A is introduced into the Lewis-Nielsen model, enabling accurate prediction of composites reinforced by dimer particles with errors within 2.7%. This model is further extended to mixed configurations containing both dimer particles and spherical monomers via a "two-step homogenization" approach. This study quantitatively reveals the interplay between dimer particles and macroscopic heat conduction, and provides a directly applicable theoretical tool for the structural design and performance optimization of PRCs.

The most thermal and hydraulic incurrence in rocks is the key to the amount of energy to be recovered under optimistic circumstances. The advancement of heat extraction from geothermal systems remains key challenge. To address this, finite element-based mathematical framework incorporating local thermal non-equilibrium theory is developed to model the thermal-hydraulic coupling process. A three-dimensional numerical simulation model of the heat transmission and fluid flow pattern through the fractured reservoir is also made to look into the process of geothermal heat recovery by turning an abandoned petroleum reservoir into a working geothermal reservoir. Fluid flow and heat recovery are examined during a thirty-year span using numerical simulation model, which demonstrates that the temperatures at the outlet of fluid by geothermal systems are excellent carriers of geothermal energy. Additionally, the amount of heat recovery can be optimized by further modifying the recovery technique to achieve return of the investment. There are four well configurations that are recommended: the double well, triplet linear, triplet triangular, and quintuplet configurations. The result highlight that triplet triangular arrangement has a higher heat recovery compared to doublets, quintuplets and triplet linear layout whereas triplet linear layout has the lowest heat extraction rate. Therefore, a triplet triangular configuration is advised to enhance heat recovery.

Under CO2-enhanced oil recovery conditions, the molecular-scale evolution of crude oil adsorption at mineral interfaces plays an important role in interfacial behavior. Using molecular dynamics simulations, this study investigates the adsorption behavior and conformational response of alkanes, resins, and asphaltenes at quartz surfaces under CO2 exposure at pressures of 20–30 MPa. The results show that CO2 does not cause a uniform collapse of the adsorption layer, but rather triggered selective interfacial restructuring driven by differences in energy distribution between components. CO2 preferentially displaces weakly adsorbed nonpolar alkanes from the mineral surface, whereas strongly polar asphaltenes remain stably adsorbed. In contrast, resin molecules exhibit CO2-induced conformational rearrangements and gradually migrate toward the interface, partially compensating for alkane desorption and thereby reshaping the interfacial adsorption structure. Furthermore, the study found that elevated pressure significantly delays this interfacial reorganization process at the kinetic level by restricting molecular diffusion through increased fluid density. These observations offer molecular-level insight into the interfacial mechanisms governing multicomponent crude oil systems under CO2-enhanced oil recovery conditions.

The prediction of effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of composites containing randomly oriented ellipsoidal particles is addressed through a combined theoretical-numerical-data-driven framework. First, the Lewis-Nielsen model is reformulated to express the ETC in a first-order form governed by the coupled effects of conductivity ratio, particle fraction, and shape factor. Then a large-scale database of ETC for ellipsoidal particle reinforced composites covering different conductivity ratios, volume fractions, and shape factors was established using finite element method simulations. Based on this database, multiple regression strategies including FullRidge and Sparse-Ridge were systematically compared under both global fitting and partitioned fitting schemes (R < 1 and R >= 1). The results show that the partitioned Sparse-Ridge model achieves the highest prediction accuracy, with R2 > 0.999 and average relative error below 1%, while simultaneously reducing redundant coefficients and retaining key physically meaningful terms. In contrast, the modified Maxwell model consistently underestimates ETC in high-volume-fractions. By combining physical interpretability with statistical learning capability, the proposed Sparse-Ridge framework provides a reliable and generalizable approach for predicting the ETC of ellipsoidal particle reinforced composites.

Radiative heat transfer plays a crucial role in heat transfer within silica aerogel. Due to the complex optical properties of silica aerogel, approximate models often introduce non-negligible deviations in radiative thermal conductivity estimation. Although partitioning radiation into spectral bands is adequate for achieving accurate numerical modeling of radiative heat transfer, this approach incurs high computational costs. In this study, a Beer-Lambert law-based general acceleration approach is proposed to simplify the radiative heat transfer calculations in silica aerogel. The proposed approach exploits the significant variation in spectral optical thickness across bands. Specifically, it truncates the source function integration in the incident radiation calculation and neglects contributions from distant regions in bands with large optical thickness. Results show that the proposed approach reduces computational time by up to 33% while keeping the relative deviation in radiative heat flux below 0.01%. Moreover, the computational efficiency further improves as the optical thickness increases.

In addressing the critical thermal management challenges posed by multi-cores and escalating power density in chiplet microsystems, this study undertakes the construction of a series of models for the interlayer microchannel structure within the 2.5D package of the chiplet microsystem. These models are devised to conduct numerical analyses of flow and heat transfer characteristics within the microchannels. Across a R number spectrum spanning from 400 to 1200, the study systematically explores the comprehensive impacts of rib filling modes and arrangements across four distinct configurations, elucidating the underlying mechanisms therein. Moreover, employing the entropy generation rate enables a thorough examination of the irreversibility associated with flow and heat transfer processes. Subsequently, the performance evaluation criterion (PEC) and the field synergy principle Fc are harnessed to compare the efficacy of various microchannel configurations. Notably, amidst the configurations under investigation, the microchannel incompletely filled with aligned ribs (MIFAR) demonstrates superior PEC performance when R numbers exceed 600. However, results derived from the field synergy principle diverge from these findings, attributable to disparities in the weighting of heat transfer capacity and flow resistance between the two criteria. These insights lay a foundation for further optimization efforts aimed at enhancing the performance and cost-effectiveness of microchannels.

Flow boiling in the microchannel with the ultrasound is regarded as a promising method for confronting the challenge posed by heat dissipation in microelectronic devices. During this process, the nucleation is vital for the thermal performance, but the nucleation mechanism with the interplay of ultrasonic, thermal, and flow fields remains inadequately explored. This study first endeavors to reveal the nucleation mechanism of flow boiling within the ultrasonic field through the experimental inquiry into the impact of ultrasound on the onset of nucleate boiling (ONB). It is ascertained that ultrasound plays a pivotal role in promotion of the nucleation. An evident decrease of the wall superheat at ONB, specifically 20.7 %, is achieved by activating abundant vapor embryos at a relatively low wall superheat. Meanwhile, associated bubble generation rate increases by approximately two orders of magnitude, owing to the noteworthy reduction in the temporal requisites within the ultrasonic field for the generation of an equivalent number of bubbles. Furthermore, the elevation in ultrasonic power and operating time lead to a substantial reduction of 18.6 % and 16.7 %, respectively, in the wall superheat required to ONB. Concomitant with the rise in mass flux, the heat flux at ONB exhibits a remarkable ascent of 52.1 %.

Membrane distillation technology has broad application prospects in seawater desalination and high- concentration brine treatment; however, the process is characterized by low thermal efficiency and low membrane flux. By introducing turbulence promoters, such as spacers, into the membrane distillation system, can significantly improve the membrane distillation efficiency and reduce the temperature polarization. However, this significantly increases the flow resistance in the channel and raises system energy consumption. In this paper, experimental methods were used to examine the influence of operating conditions, salt types and concentrations, as well as the arrangement and shape of spacers on the direct contact membrane distillation characteristics. Additionally, this study also optimized the performance of membrane distillation by introducing perforations in the framework of spacers. The research results show that as the feed-side fluid temperature and flow rate increase, both the flux and thermal efficiency of membrane distillation improve. Compared to NaCl, CaCl2, and KCl, MgCl2 solution exhibits the lowest membrane flux, and as the concentration increases, the membrane flux decreases. Notably, when the concentration becomes too high, the membrane flux for MgCl2 solution may become negative. Moreover, spacers could significantly enhance the membrane flux and thermal efficiency of membrane distillation but also increase the flow pressure drop on the feed side. Compared to the layouts of cavity type spacers and zigzag type spacers, the submerged type spacers perform best in improving membrane distillation flux and thermal efficiency, but it also causes the greatest system pressure drop. The optimized turbulence promoters in this paper, could significantly increase the membrane distillation flux and decrease the pressure drop, increasing the membrane flux by 19.2% while reducing the pressure drop by 13.3%.

Fuel cells/zinc–air cells represent a transformative technology for clean energy conversion, offering substantial environmental benefits and exceptional theoretical efficiency. However, the high cost and limited durability of platinum-based catalysts for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode severely restrict their scalability and practical application. To address these critical challenges, this study explores a groundbreaking approach to developing ORR catalysts with enhanced performance and reduced costs. We present a novel Pd3Cu alloy, innovatively modified with N-doped carbon aerogels, synthesized via a simple self-assembly and freeze-drying method. The three-dimensional carbon aerogel-based porous structures provide diffusion channels for oxygen molecules, excellent electrical conductivity, and abundant ORR reaction sites. The Pd3Cu@2NC-20% aerogel exhibits a remarkable enhancement in ORR activity, achieving a half-wave potential of 0.925 V, a limiting current density of 6.12 mA/cm2, and excellent long-term stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that electrons tend to transfer from the Pd atoms to the neighboring *O, leading to an increase in the negative charge around the *O. This, in turn, weakens the interaction between the catalyst surface and the *O and optimizes the elementary steps of the ORR process.