Study of thermal effects on the performance of micro-tubular solid-oxide fuel cells

Mathematical modeling of methane-fed anode-supported micro-tubular solid-oxide fuel cell (MT-SOFC) is developed. Steam reforming of methane is considered in two cases of: direct internal reforming (DIR) and gradual internal reforming (GIR). The polarization curves and temperature distribution of a cell fed with three variations of fueling (i.e., DIR and GIR of methane and pure hydrogen) are compared with each other. The simulation results are verified through temperature and performance measurements of a MT-SOFC sample operating on above three variations of fueling. In DIR operating condition, a drop in the anode gas temperature at a short distance after entering the cell takes place which results in high temperature gradient. In GIR operating condition, the temperature distribution in axial direction is steadier. The ohmic loss is lower in the case of pure hydrogen fuel than internal reforming of methane, but the concentration loss is lower in methane-fed operating conditions.     

Sulfamic acid as a reusable and green catalyst for efficient and simple synthesis of 2-substituted-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones in water or methanol

A series of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4（1H）-ones have been synthesized in good to excellent yields through direct cyclocondensation of anthranilamide and aryl aldehydes or ketones in water or methanol under mild conditions.The reaction was efficiently promoted by 10 mol%sulfamic acid（SA,H₂NSO₃H） and the catalyst could be recovered easily after the reactions and reused without evident loss of reactivity.     

Heck-type reaction of aryldiazonium silica sulfates

Abstract  

Aryldiazonium silica sulfates were employed as new and efficient reagents for Heck-type arylation reactions with styrene and methyl acrylate. The reactions were carried out in an organic solvent, in the presence of Pd(OAc)₂ as precatalyst without use of base and free ligand. The trans isomers of desired products, methyl cinnamates and stilbenes, were obtained with full conversion. Use of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)₂ produced the corresponding products in short reaction times and excellent yields.     

Control of surface topography in biomimetic calcium phosphate coatings

The behavior of cells responsible for bone formation, osseointegration, and bone bonding in vivo are governed by both the surface chemistry and topography of scaffold matrices. Bone-like apatite coatings represent a promising method to improve the osteoconductivity and bonding of synthetic scaffold materials to mineralized tissues for regenerative procedures in orthopedics and dentistry. Polycaprolactone (PCL) films were coated with calcium phosphates (CaP) by incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF). We investigated the effect of SBF ion concentration and soaking time on the surface properties of the resulting apatite coatings. CaP coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). Young's modulus (E(s)) was determined by nanoindentation, and surface roughness was assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and mechanical stylus profilometry. CaP such as carbonate-substituted apatite were deposited onto PCL films. SEM and AFM images of the apatite coatings revealed an increase in topographical complexity and surface roughness with increasing ion concentration of SBF solutions. Young's moduli (E(s)) of various CaP coatings were not significantly different, regardless of the CaP phase or surface roughness. Thus, SBF with high ion concentrations may be used to coat synthetic polymers with CaP layers of different surface topography and roughness to improve the osteoconductivity and bone-bonding ability of the scaffold.     

Near‐IR Excitation Transfer and Electron Transfer in a BF2‐Chelated Dipyrromethane–Azadipyrromethane Dyad and Triad

A molecular dyad and triad, comprised of a known photosensitizer, BF₂‐chelated dipyrromethane (BDP), covalently linked to its structural analog and near‐IR emitting sensitizer, BF₂‐chelated tetraarylazadipyrromethane (ADP), have been newly synthesized and the photoinduced energy and electron transfer were examined by femtosecond and nanosecond laser flash photolysis. The structural integrity of the newly synthesized compounds has been established by spectroscopic, electrochemical, and computational methods. The DFT calculations revealed a molecular‐clip‐type structure for the triad, in which the BDP and ADP entities are separated by about 14 Å with a dihedral angle between the fluorophores of around 70°. Differential pulse voltammetry studies have revealed the redox states, allowing estimation of the energies of the charge‐separated states. Such calculations revealed a charge separation from the singlet excited BDP (¹BDP*) to ADP (BDP^.+‐ADP^.?) to be energetically favorable in nonpolar toluene and in polar benzonitrile. In addition, the excitation transfer from the singlet BDP to ADP is also envisioned due to good spectral overlap of the BDP emission and ADP absorption spectra. Femtosecond laser flash photolysis studies provided concrete evidence for the occurrence of energy transfer from ¹BDP* to ADP (in benzonitrile and toluene) and electron transfer from BDP to ¹ADP* (in benzonitrile, but not in toluene). The kinetic study of energy transfer was measured by monitoring the rise of the ADP emission and revealed fast energy transfer (ca. 10¹¹ s^?1) in these molecular systems. The kinetics of electron transfer via ¹ADP*, measured by monitoring the decay of the singlet ADP at λ=820 nm, revealed a relatively fast charge‐separation process from BDP to ¹ADP*. These findings suggest the potential of the examined ADP–BDP molecules to be efficient photosynthetic antenna and reaction center models.     

A lupane triterpenoid and other constituents of Salvia eremophila

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of Salvia eremophila led to the isolation of a lupane triterpenoid, 3β, 20-dihydroxylupane-28-oic acid (1), together with eight other compounds, comprising three diterpene, two triterpene, two flavonoids and a steroidal glucoside. Their structures were elucidated by interpretation of their one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectra and completed by the analysis of the HRESIMS data. Compounds 1, 2-4 and 8 were evaluated for their cytotoxicities against five human tumour cell lines. Compounds 1 and 3 hold a good potential for use in future studies due to their anti-cancer properties.