Digital Simulation of Discharge of Nickel–Cadmium Batteries

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - A computer analysis of the mathematical model for the nickel–cadmium battery discharge with different types of electrodes is presented. The model...     

Conversion of Methane to Hydrogen via Pulsed Corona Discharge

Experiments are performed to develop a pulsed corona discharge system for the conversion ofmethane to hydrogen at atmospheric pressure (≌760 Torr) without using a catalyst. The corona dischargewas energized by 10-12 μs wide voltage pulses (≤7 kV) at a repetition rate of about 1.0-1.5 kHz. Theresidual gases were characterized by mass spectrometry. The conversion of methane is as high as 50.8% producing the 70% yield of hydrogen. The influences of argon on the discharge of methane were studied.This result could be useful for the mass production of hydrogen in both academic and industrial point ofview.     

Direct Synthesis of Oxygenates from Water and Methane via Dielectric-barrier Discharge

In this investigation, a clean, atomic economic and direct synthesis of oxygenates (methanol, ethanol) form water and methane via dielectric-barrier discharge was developed at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure. The effect of discharge voltage on this process was studied. The results showed that the conversion of water can be as high as 7%, the selectivity of methanol and ethanol can be as high as 100%.     

Characterization of Microwave-Induced Electric Discharge Phenomena in Metal–Solvent Mixtures

Electric discharge phenomena in metal–solvent mixtures are investigated utilizing a high field density, sealed-vessel, single-mode 2.45 GHz microwave reactor with a built-in camera. Particular emphasis is placed on studying the discharges exhibited by different metals (Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, Ni) of varying particle sizes and morphologies in organic solvents (e.g., benzene) at different electric field strengths. Discharge phenomena for diamagnetic and paramagnetic metals (Mg, Zn, Cu) depend strongly on the size of the used particles. With small particles, short-lived corona discharges are observed that do not lead to a complete breakdown. Under high microwave power conditions or with large particles, however, bright sparks and arcs are experienced, often accompanied by solvent decomposition and formation of considerable amounts of graphitized material. Small ferromagnetic Fe and Ni powders (<40 μm) are heated very rapidly in benzene suspensions and start to glow in the microwave field, whereas larger particles exhibit extremely strong discharges. Electric discharges were also observed when Cu metal or other conductive materials such as silicon carbide were exposed to the microwave field in the absence of a solvent in an argon or nitrogen atmosphere.     

Amorphization of Metal–Organic Framework MOF-5 by Electrical Discharge

Amorphization of various solid materials has attracted increasing attentions. We report here an amorphization of metal–organic framework-5 (MOF-5) of composition Zn₄O(BDC)₃ (BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) using dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) treatment at ambient pressure and low gas temperature (around 120°C). The irreversible amorphization was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. The result of N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements revealed a collapse of pores, which further supported the XRD results. The destroying of part of carboxylate groups might be the main reason resulting in the amorphization of MOF-5.     

Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Gas–Liquid Pulse Discharge Plasma-Induced Degradation of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Containing Wastewater

A multi-needle-to-plate pulsed discharge plasma reactor was designed to investigate its potential for polyvinyl alcohol-containing wastewater (PVA) treatment. The effects of some operational parameters such as PVA initial concentration, pulse peak discharge voltage, air flow rate, solution pH value, and iron additives on PVA degradation were examined. The results indicated that PVA could be effectively degraded from aqueous solutions. PVA degradation efficiency was 76.0 % within 60 min’s discharge plasma treatment with 1.5 mmol L^?1 Fe²⁺ addition. Decreasing PVA initial concentration and increasing pulse peak discharge voltage were both beneficial for PVA degradation. There existed appropriate air flow rate for obtaining great PVA degradation efficiency in the present study. A little acid environment was conducive to PVA degradation. The presence of Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺ could both benefit PVA degradation, and the increment of Fe²⁺ and Cu²⁺ concentrations to a certain extent could enhance its degradation efficiency, as well as energy yield. PVA possible degradation mechanisms were discussed, and the degradation processes were mainly triggered by the reactions of PVA with \(^{ \cdot } {\text{OH}}\) radicals.     

Effect of Temperature and Discharge Rate on Electrochemical Performance of Fiber Nickel–Cadmium Cell

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - The effect of temperature and discharge rate on the discharge capacity of nickel–cadmium (Ni?Cd) cell is investigated quantitatively. Ni–Cd...     

Effects of the Liquid Conductivity on Pulsed High-voltage Discharge Modes in Water

Spark, stream and corona pulsed high-voltage discharges in water induced by the various initial conductivities have been examined in this paper. The discharge modes changed from spark to corona discharge with the liquid conductivity increasing. The apparent production of OH radical and quantum yield generated by spark discharge in distilled water were 11.57 gmol/L and 0.0978 photon/s, respectively. A preliminary study on acid fuchsine (AF) treatment indicated that higher AF removal efficiency has been achieved by spark discharge. The process of degradation showed that the oxidative effects through OH radical oxidation did not play an important role and did increase with the discharge mode changing to spark discharge.     

Elemental Analysis of Mineral Water by Solution-Cathode Glow Discharge–Atomic Emission Spectrometry

A solution-cathode glow discharge was used for atomic emission spectrometry. The acidic reagent, discharge current, and flow rate were optimized. The detection limits for sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were 1.51, 4.13, 131, and 54.9?µg?L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviation for five replicates was from 0.52 to 3.00%. Sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were determined in mineral water by solution-cathode glow discharge–atomic emission spectrometry. The results demonstrate that the protocol is suitable for the elemental analysis of mineral water.     

An Investigation of the Positive Column of a Cd–Ne Glow Discharge: II. Afterglow

The afterglow of a Cd–Ne glow discharge is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The time-dependent electron Boltzmann equation and the balance equations for the Cd excited states and charged particles have been self-consistently solved. The temporal relaxation of the electron energy distribution function, electron, and cadmium excited states densities is reported and the influence of neon and cadmium vapor pressure on the plasma characteristics in the afterglow is studied. The modeling compares favorably with experimental results.     

Effects of Alkaline Ferrocyanide on Non-faradaic Yields of Anodic Contact Glow Discharge Electrolysis: Determination of the Primary Yield of OH· Radicals

Non faradaic yields of anodic contact glow discharge electrolysis (CGDE) originate through H^· and OH^· radical generated during the process. Scavenging effects of Fe(CN) ₆ ^4? on OH^· radicals, in alkaline media have been investigated. A kinetic analysis of the competing reactions of O^? with different species in the system leads to an yield of 9.8?mol?mol?electron^?1 of OH^· and H^· radicals each in the liquid phase reaction zone of anodic CGDE in good agreement with the yield reported from a study involving H^· radical scavengers.     

Methane Decomposition and C2 Hydrocarbon Formation under the Condition of DC Discharge Plasma

The infrared emission spectra of methane, H, CH and C2 hydrocarbons in natural gas were measured. The processes of methane decomposition and formation of C2 hydrocarbons were studied. The experiment shows that methane decomposition can be divided into three periods as the reaction proceeds.In the first period, a large number of free radicals were formed. While in the last period, the formation of C2 hydrocarbons and the decrease of free radicals were observed. The time and conditions of methane decomposition and formation of C2 hydrocarbons are different.     

An Investigation of the Positive Column of a Cd–Ne Glow Discharge. I: Steady State

An investigation of cadmium-neon plasma in cylindrical axially homogeneouspositive column of a dc glow discharge at low and intermediate pressure ispresented. Electron impact excitation cross sections, heavy-particlecollision rate coefficients, and radiative decay rates for Cd–Nemixture have been assembled from the literature and summarized. Aself-consistent collisional-radiative model based on numerical solution ofthe electron Boltzmann equation coupled with a system of particle balanceequations for the electrons, excited atoms and ions, as well as the electronenergy balance equation, is developed. By this model, the electron energydistribution function, mean energy, electron density, electron mobility, anddiffusion coefficient, populations of Cd and Ne excited states and theapplied dc electric field are calculated. The populations of the excitedCd(5p³P_0,1,2) atoms are measured using opticalabsorption spectroscopy. From these measurements the effective lifetime ofthe resonance state Cd(5p³P₁) and the diffusioncoefficients of both metastable states Cd(5p³P₀) andCd(5p³P₂) are determined. The electron density isderived by probes measurements. The influence of the Cd vapor pressure anddischarge current on the main plasma characteristics is studied. Modelpredictions compare favorably with measured electron density and populationsof excited states in a wide range of discharge conditions.     

Reactions in a Mixture of CH4 and CO2 under the Aciton of Microwave Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Reactions between CH4 and CO2 under the action of continuous microwave discharge at atmospheric pressure were studied in a special homemade reactor,The main products were CO and H2,while acetylene and ethylene were also found in the products.Experimental results show that conversions of CH4 and CO2 could be higher than 90% without the presence of any catalyst,Effects of CO2/CH4 molar ratio and total flow rate of the feed gas on the reaction were also investigated.     

Spatially Dependent Kinetics of Electrons and Excited Atoms in the Column Plasma of a He–Xe dc Discharge

The radially varying kinetics of electrons and excited atoms in the cylindrical axially homogeneous positive column of a dc glow discharge in a gas mixture of helium and 2% xenon was studied. The experimental investigations comprise the radially resolved measurements of the isotropic part of the electron velocity distribution function (EVDF) using a single-probe technique and of the densities of atoms in the lower excited states by using a laser diode absorption method. The theoretical investigations are based on the solution of the space-dependent kinetic equation for the EVDF and the balance equations of excited gas atoms. Besides a strict solution, various simplified treatments of the electron kinetics as the conventional homogeneous approach and the nonlocal approach have been applied. The electron kinetic behavior in the helium–xenon column plasma changes remarkably with increasing helium gas pressure from a distinctly nonlocal behavior at a low pressure of 100 Pa to a nearly local behavior at a medium pressure of 600 Pa.     

Effect of Spark Discharge Plasma on Water,Physiological Saline,and Hanks’ Solution

The effect of the duration of a current pulse of spark discharge in air on the composition of products formed in liquid both by the action of plasma radiation and with the participation of species formed in the discharge itself has been studied. The products formed in water, 0.9% NaCl, and in Hanks’ solution have been determined. It has been that in all the cases, nitrous acid is one of the primary products. The yield of nitrous acid is the same in all the three solutions. With a decrease in the current pulse duration, the influence of the species formed in the discharge itself on the yield of nitrous acid increases. The products formed in water decompose within up to 13 days. Peroxynitrite and N₂O₃ were identified as degradation products.     

Reactions in a Mixture of CH_4 and CO_2 under the Action of Microwave Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Reactions between CH_4 and CO_2 under the action of continuous microwave discharge at atmospheric pressure were studied in a special homemade reactor. The main products were CO and H2, while acetylene and ethylene were also found in the products. Experimental results show that conversions of CH4 and CO2 could be higher than 90% without the presence of any catalyst. Effects of CO2/CH4 molar ratio and total flow rate of the feed gas on the reaction were also investigated.     

Yields of Hydrogen and Hydrogen Peroxide from Argon–Water Vapor in Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Controlled chemical transformation of water vapor in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) of argon into hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide for its usability as in situ or ex situ H₂ and H₂O₂ source are reported. Online analysis of the product gas mixture by conventional wet-chemical colorimetric method using buffered KI absorber solution revealed typical H₂O₂ G-value = 6.4 × 10^?3 µmol J^?1 (G-value defines as the number of molecules produced/consumed per 100 eV of energy; in SI unit G-value is expressed in µmol J^?1) in the absence of ozone. On the other hand, H₂ in product mixture analyzed in gas chromatograph-thermal conductivity detector (GC-TCD) with argon carrier revealed its G-value = 0.134 µmol J^?1. Enhancements in products’ yields were explored by varying gas residence time inside the plasma zone, and applied voltage and frequency on the dielectric surfaces. Employing a double-DBD reactor, at applied high voltage ~2.5 kV mm^?1 @50 Hz and gas residence time ~20 s resulted in the highest yields of H₂O₂. However, the H₂ yield increased continuously with increase in gas residence time. On the other hand, the single-dielectric barrier surface reactors were more efficient for high and exclusive generation of ex situ H₂ (e.g. maximum 1260 ppm; G-value typically 0.498 µmol J^?1).     

Activation of Au–Ag Plasmonic Bimetallic Nanocatalysts with Cold Plasma: The Role of Loading Sequence of Plasmonic Metals and Discharge Atmosphere

The activation of Au–Ag plasmonic bimetallic nanocatalyst can make the nanocatalyst exhibit superior visible-light (VL) photocatalytic activity. An efficient activation of Au–Ag nanocatalyst by cold plasma requires the restructuring of Au and Ag species over catalyst surface to form Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles while suppressing agglomeration of the nanoparticles. We here report that the loading sequence of Au and Ag components on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) support during catalyst preparation and discharge atmosphere play important roles in the plasma activation. Preparation of AuAg/TiO₂ nanocatalyst by depositing Ag and Au in sequence could avoid the undesired loss of Ag component, and ensure an effective restructuring of Au and Ag species in O₂ plasma activation. Compared with the reductive (H₂) and inert (Ar and N₂) plasmas, discharge in oxidative O₂ establishes Coulomb field with the negatively charged species over catalyst surface and enable the restructuring and intimate interaction of Au and Ag species. The catalyst characterization and density functional theory calculations suggest that O₂ plasma endows AuAg/TiO₂ nanocatalyst with large numbers of Au–Ag alloy nanoparticles, small size of plasmonic nanoparticles, high density of coordinatively unsaturated sites, and high content of surface oxygen species in the activation, which facilitates the adsorption and activation of O₂, and thus CO oxidation reaction under VL irradiation.