Examination of wet coating and co-sintering technologies for micro-SOFCs fabrication

Preparation conditions to obtain a dense electrolyte layer on a micro-tubular electrode support were investigated using wet coating and subsequent co-firing techniques. An anode-supported micro-tubular SOFC with 1.5 mm diameter was successfully fabricated by careful control of the co-sintering process of electrolyte/anode support laminates. The densification of the electrolyte layer deposited on the support surface was greatly affected by the shrinkage of tubular support during the co-sintering process. Support shrinkage above 15% was found to produce a fully densified electrolyte layer on the anode support. In contrast, the use of an anode support with shrinkage below 10% constrained gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) sintering, resulting in a poorly densified GDC microstructure. Finally, we obtained a micro-tubular cell composed of a dense GDC and a porous (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O₃–GDC multi-layered structure on a NiO–GDC micro-tubular anode support. The cell, with a dense and ≈15 μm thick GDC electrolyte layer, was electrochemically evaluated in a temperature range from 450 to 550 °C. This micro-tubular cell with an electrode length of 6.3 mm showed a power density above 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 W/cm² at 450, 500 and 550 °C, respectively, in wet H₂ fuel flow.     

Gd_(0.2)Ce_(0.8)O_2包覆固体氧化物燃料电池Ni-ScSZ复合阳极制备及性能表征

应用双层流延法制备Ni-ScSZ阳极支撑体-ScSZ电解质复合膜素坯,经共烧结得到复合膜.以硝酸铈和硝酸钆为原料,柠檬酸作燃料,由燃烧合成法制备Gd0.2Ce0.8O2(GDC)包覆的Ni-ScSZ阳极.X-射线衍射(XRD)和电子显微镜(TEM和SEM)分析显示,Ni-ScSZ阳极颗粒表面的包覆层是由直径小于100 nm的GDC微粒构成,并与Ni-ScSZ阳极颗粒紧密烧结在一起.实验表明,2.0%(by mass)GDC包覆的Ni-ScSZ阳极具有较佳的性能,以其组装的单电池在850℃用H2或CH4作燃料的最大功率密度分别是825和848 mW/cm2,而由无包覆的Ni-ScSZ作阳极的单电池,功率密度分别是584和586 mW/cm2.由两种阳极材料组装的单电池,分别在700℃于CH4气氛下作长时间发电实验,发现2.0%(by mass)GDC包覆的Ni-ScSZ阳极比Ni-ScSZ阳极具有较好的抗碳沉积性能.     

Preparation and characterization of zirconium titanate fibers with good high temperature performance

Zirconium titanate (ZT) precursor fibers were prepared via sol–gel technique by dry-spinning method using polyacetylacetonatozirconium (PAZ) and tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) as starting materials. PAZ and TBOT were added into methanol with vigorous stirring at room temperature for 2 h and mixed together homogenously. The mixture came into being a new and complicated polymerization system, and PAZ and TBOT were connected through –O– bridge forming the –O–Zr–O–Ti–O– linear chains. The evolutions from the precursor fibers to polycrystalline oxide fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR) and thermal gravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The surface of the ZT fibers was smooth, dense in cross-section without cracks by scanning electronic spectroscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The size of the nanocrystals was less than 50 nm and arranged compactly by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The fibriform was still kept and the size of the grains was up to 400–500 nm due to the grain growth with increasing temperature and the ZT fibers were with good high temperature performance.     

Fabrication and characterization of supported dual acidic ionic liquids for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications

In this study, we proposed an innovative and versatile method for preparation of highly stable and conductive supported ionic liquid (IL) membranes for proton exchange fuel cell applications. Novel covalently supported dual acidic IL membranes were prepared by radiation induced grafting of 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) onto poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) film followed by post-functionalization via sequential treatments with 1,4-butane sultone and sulfuric acid to introduce pyridinium alkyl sulfonate/hydrogen sulfate moieties. The advantage of our approach lies in grafting polymers with highly reactive functional groups suitable for efficient post-sulfonation. The membranes displayed better swelling and mechanical properties compared to Nafion 112 despite having more than 3 times higher ion exchange capacity (IEC). The proton conductivity reached superior values to Nafion above 80 °C. Particularly, the membrane with ion exchange capacity of 3.41 displayed a proton conductivity of 259 mScm⁻¹ at 95 °C. This desired conductivity value is attributed to the high IEC of the membranes as well as dissociation of the hydrophobic ETFE polymer and hydrophilic pyridinium alkyl sulfonate groups. Such appealing properties make the supported IL membranes promising for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight hexafluoroisopropylidene‐containing polybenzimidazole for high‐temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

A high molecular weight, thermally and chemical stable hexafluoroisopropylidene containing polybenzimidazole (6F‐PBI) was synthesized from 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine (TAB) and 2,2‐bis(4‐carboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (6F‐diacid) using polyphosphoric acid (PPA) as both the polycondensation agent and the polymerization solvent. Investigation of polymerization conditions to achieve high molecular weight polymers was explored via stepwise temperature control, monomer concentration in PPA, and final polymerization temperature. The polymer characterization included inherent viscosity (I.V.) measurement and GPC as a determination of polymer molecular weight, thermal and chemical stability assessment via thermo gravimetric analysis and Fenton test, respectively. The resulting high molecular weight polymer showed excellent thermal and chemical stability. Phosphoric acid doped 6F‐PBI membranes were prepared using the PPA process. The physiochemical properties of phosphoric acid doped membranes were characterized by measuring the phosphoric acid doping level, mechanical properties, and proton conductivity. These membranes showed higher phosphoric acid doping levels and higher proton conductivities than the membranes prepared by the conventional membrane fabrication processes. These membranes had sufficient mechanical properties to be easily fabricated into membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and the prepared MEAs were tested in single cell fuel cells under various conditions, with a focus on the high temperature performance and fuel impurity tolerance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4064–4073, 2009     

Fabrication and characterisation of high performance polypyrrole modified microarray sensor for ascorbic acid determination

In this study, gold microelectrode array (Au/MEA) with electrode of 12 μm diameter was fabricated by photolithography technique. Subsequently, polypyrrole (Ppy) modified gold microarrays sensor (Ppy/Au/MEA) was prepared by cyclic voltammetry technique. The deposition potential range and number of cycles were optimised in order to get optimum thickness of Ppy film. Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope investigations reveal that Ppy coating formed at 3 cycles is porous with thickness of 1.5 μm which exhibiting high catalytic current for ascorbic acid (AA) in square wave technique (SWV). In contrast to earlier sensors designs, these Ppy/Au/MEA sensors exhibits lower detection limit (LOD) of 10 nm towards AA at physiological conditions. It also exhibits enhanced sensitivity (2.5 mA cm⁻² mM⁻¹) and long range of linear detection limit from 10 nm to 2.8 mM. In the same way, polypyrrole modified macro Au (Ppy/Au/MA) biosensor was also fabricated and its electro catalytic property towards AA was compared with that of Ppy/Au/MEA. The Ppy/Au/MA exhibits sensitivity of only 0.27 mA cm⁻² mM⁻¹, LOD of 5 μM and linear range of 10 μM to 2.2 mM. Hence, our investigations indicate that the Ppy/Au/MEA could serve as highly sensitive sensor for AA than any of the earlier designs. So, the Ppy/Au/MEA electrode was utilised for determination AA in a wide variety of real samples.     

Synthesis,characterization and electrochemical performances of LiFePO4/graphene cathode material for high power lithium-ion batteries

LiFePO₄/graphene (LiFePO₄/G) cathode with exciting electrochemical performance was successfully synthesized by liquid phase method. LiFePO₄ nanoparticles wrapped with multi-layered grapheme can be fabricated in a short time. This method did not need external heating source. Heat generated by chemical reaction conduct the process and removed the solvent simultaneously. The LiFePO₄/G were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), magnetic properties analysis and electrochemical performance tests. The LiFePO₄/G delivered a capacity of 160 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C and could tolerate various dis-charge currents with a capacity retention rate of 99.8%, 99.2%, 99.0%, 98.6%, 97.3% and 95.0% after stepwise under 5C, 10C, 15C, 20C, 25C and 30C, respectively.     

Enhanced high temperature cycling performance of LiMn2O4/graphite cells with methylene methanedisulfonate (MMDS) as electrolyte additive and its acting mechanism

The effects of methylene methanedisulfonate(MMDS) on the high-temperature(~50℃) cycle performance of LiMn_2O_4/graphite cells are investigated.By addition of 2 wt%MMDS into a routine electrolyte,the high-temperature cycling performance of LiMn204/graphite cells can be significantly improved.The analysis of differential capacity curves and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry(EDX) indicates that MMDS decomposed on both cathode and anode.The three-electrode system of pouch cell is used to reveal the capacity loss mechanism in the cells.It is shown that the capacity fading of cells without MMDS in the electrolytes is due to irreversible lithium consumption during cycling and irreversible damage of LiMn_2O_4 material,while the capacity fading of cell with 2 wt%MMDS in electrolytes mainly originated from irreversible lithium consumption during cycling.     

新型大孔结构重油加氢催化剂的制备、表征与评价

将聚苯乙烯（PS）颗粒模板加入到铝溶胶中,经干燥、煅烧除去PS模板制备了大孔氧化铝载体;采用低温N₂吸附 脱附和SEM对合成Al₂O₃的孔结构进行了表征;将Co-Mo活性组分担载在大孔氧化铝载体上制得重油加氢催化剂,并以大港焦化蜡油为原料在固定床高压微反装置上对合成的催化剂进行活性评价。实验表明,加入PS模板后,Al2O3的比表面积增加了41.5m²/g,孔体积增加了0.35cm³/g;加氢脱硫活性提高了12%,脱氮活性提高了22%。     

Catalytic performance and structural characterization of ferric oxide and its composite oxides supported gold catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation

The preparation and catalytic activity of ferric oxide and its composite oxides supported gold catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation were investigated detailedly, and characterized extensively by XRD, XPS, TPR, EC and XAFS techniques. It was found that containing highly dispersed Au of partially oxidized state, these nano-structured oxides supported Au/Fe2O3 and Au/NiFe2O4 catalysts had higher low-temperature activities. The possible catalytic active center is the gold of partially oxidized state (Auζ+).     

Synthesis and characterization of spin-coatable tert-amine molecules for hole-transport in organic light-emitting diodes

The synthesis of two tert-amine-based, non-fluorescent, hole-transport molecules (4,4′-[bis-{(4-di-n-hexylamino)benzylideneamino)]stilbene (DHABS) and 4,4′-[bis-{(4-diphenylamino)benzylideneamino}]stilbene) (DPABS) that are suitable for spin coating on indium tin oxide (ITO) for electronic device fabrication is described and compared with the widely used TPD. Electroluminescence occurred at a turn-on voltage of 7-8 V in ITO/hole-transport layer (HTL, spin coated)/Alq₃/Al devices.     

SiO2和Al2O3负载的Ni基催化剂在甲烷干重整中的催化性能差异

CH₄与CO₂干重整反应对于环境保护和天然气资源的合理利用具有重要意义。SiO₂和Al₂O₃是适用于甲烷干重整反应的两种典型的催化剂载体。为了阐明这两种载体对催化剂性能的影响,本研究采用等体积浸渍法制备了Ni/Al₂O₃和Ni/SiO₂催化剂,并利用BET、TEM、H₂-TPR、XRD、TG和Raman等技术对还原和反应后的催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,由于载体的性质不同,Ni基催化剂在甲烷干重整中的催化性能也不同。Ni/SiO₂催化剂的初始活性较高,但由于其金属-载体相互作用较弱,催化稳定性较差,在800℃下反应15h其催化活性急剧下降;较弱的金属-载体相互作用使得Ni/SiO₂催化剂上的Ni颗粒较大,有利于积炭前驱物种的生成,导致催化剂快速失活。而对于Ni/Al₂O₃催化剂,金属-载体相互作用较强,Ni颗粒较小,但由于Ni与Al₂O₃生成了NiAl_xO_y物种,有效活性位减少,其催化活性相对较低,但催化稳定性较好,干重整反应进行50h其活性保持稳定;Ni与Al₂O₃之间较强的相互作用有利于形成小且稳定的Ni粒子,能减少积炭,因而具有优异的催化稳定性。     

PEFC catalyst layers: Effect of support microstructure on both distributions of Pt and ionomer and cell performance and durability

In order to improve the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), various improvements in the microstructures of cathode catalyst layers (CLs) were initiated in the early 1990s. More recent advances in CL materials are highlighted, including carbon supports for improved accessibility of Pt nanoparticles (NPs), adsorption of ionomer on the Pt surface, high-oxygen-permeability ionomers, corrosion resistance of mesoporous and microporous carbons, and conductive ceramic supports with a fused-aggregate network structure. These approaches are summarized as stepwise improvements. The influences of the support structure on the distribution of Pt NPs and ionomer are reviewed, as well as their effects on performance and durability. These approaches for carbon supports are extended to conductive ceramic supports and the unique advantages are discussed.     

Fabrication,characterization, and performance evaluation of polyethersulfone/TiO2 nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes for produced water treatment

In the present work, development of neat and nanocomposite polyethersulfone membranes composed of TiO₂ nanoparticles is presented. Membranes are fabricated using nonsolvent phase inversion process with the objective of improving antifouling, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties for real and synthetic produced water treatment. Membranes are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared, contact angle, porosity measurement, compaction factor, nanoparticles stability, and mechanical strength. The performance of prepared membranes was also characterized using flux measurement and oil rejection. Fourier‐transform infrared spectra indicated that noncovalence bond formed between Ti and polyethersulfone chains. The contact angle results confirmed the improved hydrophilicity of nanocomposite membranes upon addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles owing to the strong interactions between fillers and water molecules. The increased water flux for nanocomposite membranes in comparison with neat ones can be due to coupling effects of improved surface hydrophilicity, higher porosity, and formation of macrovoids in the membrane structure. The membrane containing 7 wt% of TiO₂ nanoparticles was the best nanocomposite membrane because of its high oil rejection, water flux, antifouling properties, and mechanical stability. The pure water flux for this membrane was twice greater than that of neat membrane without any loss in oil rejection. The hydrophilicity and antifouling resistance against oil nominates developed nanocomposite membranes for real and synthetic produced water treatment applications with high performance and extended life span.     

Promising solid electrolyte material for an IT‐SOFC: crystal structure of the cerium gadolinium holmium oxide Ce0.8Gd0.1Ho0.1O1.9 between 295 and 1023 K

The crystal structure of Ce_0.8Gd_0.1Ho_0.1O_1.9 (cerium gadolinium holmium oxide) has been determined from powder X‐ray diffraction data. This is a promising material for application as a solid electrolyte for intermediate‐temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT‐SOFCs). Nanoparticles were prepared using a novel sodium alginate sol‐gel method, where the sodium ion was exchanged with ions of interest and, after washing, the gel was calcined at 723 K in air. The crystallographic features of Gd and Ho co‐doped cerium oxide were investigated around the desired operating temperatures of IT‐SOFCs, i.e. 573 ≤ T ≤ 1023 K. We find that the crystal structure is a stable fluorite structure with the space group Fmm in the entire temperature range. In addition, the trend in lattice parameters shows that there is a monotonic increase with increasing temperature.     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic performance of palladium supported on pyridine‐based covalent organic polymer for Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction

A bipyridine‐based covalent organic polymer (COP) was successfully synthesized by condensation of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and 2,2′‐bipyridine‐5,5′‐diamine (Bpy) under ambient conditions. This material was modified by coordination of PdCl₂ to COP framework, affording a hybrid material, Pd@TMC‐Bpy COP, which was applied as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki‐Miyaura reaction under ligand‐free conditions in ethyl lactate. The catalyst could be reused for five times without obvious loss of its activity.     

Preparation and characterization of sulfated zirconia (SO4/ZrO2)/Nafion composite membranes for PEMFC operation at high temperature/low humidity

Fine particle superacidic sulfated zirconia (SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂, S-ZrO₂) was synthesized by ameliorated method, and composite membranes with different S-ZrO₂ contents were prepared by a recasting procedure from a suspension of S-ZrO₂ powder and Nafion solution. The physico-chemical properties of the membranes were studied by ion exchange capacity (IEC) and liquid water uptake measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry (TG–MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the IEC of composite membrane increased with the content of S-ZrO₂, S-ZrO₂ was compatible with the Nafion matrix, the incorporation of the S-ZrO₂ could increase the crystallinity and also improve the initial degradation temperature of the composite membrane. The performance of single cell was the best when the S-ZrO₂ content was 15 wt.%, and achieved 1.35 W/cm² at 80 °C and 0.99 W/cm² at 120 °C based on H₂/O₂ and at a pressure of 2 atm, the performance of the single cell with optimized S-ZrO₂ was far more than that of the Nafion at the same condition (e.g. 1.28 W/cm² at 80 °C, 0.75 W/cm² at 120 °C). The 15 wt.% S-ZrO₂/Nafion composite membrane showed lower fuel cell internal resistance than Nafion membranes at high temperature and low relative humidity (RH).     

Preparation and characterization of layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly membrane based on sulfonated polyetheretherketone and polyurethane for high‐temperature proton exchange membrane

A concept of preparing high‐temperature proton exchange membranes with layer‐by‐layer (LBL) self‐assembly technique was proposed and the sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) and polyurethane (PU) with 200 LBL deposition cycles denoting (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀ membrane was prepared in this research. Owing to the strong electrostatic interaction between ? group in SPEEK and ? C? N⁺ group in PU, (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀ membrane with LBL self‐assembly structure showed a favorable structural stability. The phosphoric acid (PA)‐doped (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀ membrane showed a higher proton conductivity relative to PA doped SPEEK/PU membrane by solution casting method (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀/40%PA membrane possessed a proton conductivity value of 2.90 × 10^?2 S/cm at 150 °C under anhydrous conditions. The LBL self‐assembly structure provided a possibility to reduce the negative effect from polymer skeleton blocking charge carrier species even immobilizing protons. Moreover, the (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀ membrane presented the particularly noteworthy mechanical property even with PA doping. The tensile stress values at break were 72.8 and 24.1 MPa, respectively, for (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀ and (SPEEK/PU)₂₀₀/40%PA membrane at room temperature, which were obviously higher than the reported values of 15.9 and 2.81 MPa for SPEEK/PU and SPEEK/PU/60%PA membrane. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55 , 3446–3454