Transport mechanism of Cu-ion conducting PVA based solid-polymer electrolyte

Copper-ion conducting solid-polymer electrolyte systems based on Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been prepared by solution cast technique. UV-VIS data show a broad peak in the wavelength region 600–800 nm due to complex formation. The 30 wt.% Cu(NO₃)₂ doped system has a maximum conductivity of 1.6×10⁻⁵ Scm⁻¹ at room temperature. The conductance spectrum shows two distinct regions: a dc plateau and a dispersive region. The dielectric spectra show an increase in the dielectric constant with decreasing frequency. The transference number measurements reveal that the transport in these electrolytes is mainly due to ions. Paper presented at the International Conference on Functional Materials and Devices 2005, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 6 – 8, 2005.     

Electrochemical methanol reformation (ECMR) using low-cost sulfonated PVDF/ZrP membrane for hydrogen production

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)-based electrochemical methanol reformation has gained interest as a practical way to produce hydrogen than water electrolysis due to its low operating voltages. Development of alternative PEM for this application is of considerable interest in order to reduce the cost as well as increase the system efficiency. Presently, a novel SPVDF/ZrP composite membrane was synthesized as proton exchange membrane for hydrogen production using electrochemical methanol reformation (ECMR). PVDF-co-HFP granules were defluorinated by alkali treatment followed by sulfonation using chlorosulfonic acid to prepare sulfonated polymer. Inorganic zirconium phosphate (ZrP) was further added to increase proton conductivity. The membranes were characterized for their physicochemical properties, mechanical strength, and thermal stability. The enhancement in proton exchange capacity and water uptake with adequate dimensional stability was observed with dehydrofluorination and impregnation of ZrP. A novel electrolyzer consisting of Pt-Ru/C as anode electrode, same format as anode as cathode electrode and the SPVDF/ZrP composite membrane was assembled and its performance was tested for hydrogen production. It was found that SPVDF/ZrP composite membrane showed good electrochemical cell performance of 0.65 V at 0.15 A cm^?2 current density at ambient temperature and gives scope for operating ECMR cell at higher current densities for to increase the hydrogen production rate which is comparable to the performance of commercial Nafion^® 117 membrane.     

Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/Co3O4 nanocomposite electrode material for sensor application

Research on Chemical Intermediates - A sensitive electrochemical sensor has been developed based on reduced graphene oxide/Co3O4 (rGO/Co3O4) nanocomposites (NCs) synthesized by a facile...     

Facile reduction and stabilization of ginsenoside-functionalized gold nanoparticles: optimization,characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity studies

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are forecasted to provide an attractive platform in biomedicine and catalysis with their potentials of combining a variety of biophysicochemical properties into an integrated nanodevice with great therapeutic and optical functions. There are several reports of crude plant extracts mediating the conversion of metal ions into nanoparticles. However, we aimed to investigate the capability of single bioactive compounds, namely ginsenosides compound K (C-K) and Rh2, to accommodate a synergistic chemical reduction of gold salts by one-pot green chemistry. Ginsenosides C-K and Rh2 are unique triterpenoid saponins present in Panax ginseng Meyer, a perennial plant traditionally used as an oriental medicinal herbal with long history. C-K and Rh2 have demonstrated diverse pharmacological properties such as anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-aging, and neuroprotective properties. The reduction of gold ions by these ginsenosides led to the production of nontoxic GNPs as tested in mouse macrophage (J774A.1) and human kidney epithelial (HEK-293) in vitro. The kinetics of the bioreduction and the influence of pH were examined by an ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer. GNPs were characterized by field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Ginsenoside loading efficiency of C-K-GNPs and Rh2-GNPs was determined to be approximately 62.83% and 54.91%, respectively, by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These results suggest that one-pot synthesis by ginsenosides C-K and Rh2 may be useful for producing ginsenoside-loaded gold nanocarriers.

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Synthesis, structure and optical properties of rare-earth benzene carboxylates

Two series of rare-earth isophthalates of the general formula, [M(2)(H(2)O)][{C(6)H(4)(COO)(2)}(2){C(6)H(4)(COOH)(COO)}(2)].H(2)O, M=La (I), Pr (Ia), and Nd (Ib) and [M(2)(H(2)O)(2)][{C(6)H(4)(COO)(2)}(3)].H(2)O, M=Y (II), Gd (IIa), and Dy (IIb) have been prepared by the reaction of the corresponding trivalent lanthanide salts and isophthalic acid under mild hydrothermal conditions. The La (I), Pr (Ia) and Nd (Ib) have MO(9) polyhedra connected to the isophthalate anions forming a two-dimensional structure, whereas Y (II), Gd (IIa) and Dy (IIb) have MO(7) and MO(8) polyhedral units connected to the isophthalate anions forming a different, but related two-dimensional structure. Both the structures are stabilized by hydrogen bonding and pi...pi/CH...pi interactions. Partial substitution of Eu and Tb (2 and 4%) at the La (I) and Y (II) sites give rise to characteristic red/pink or green luminescence, indicating a ligand-sensitized metal-centered emission. The Nd (Ib) compound shows interesting UV and blue emission through an up-conversion process.     

Triiodide quenching of ruthenium MLCT excited state in solution and on TiO2 surfaces: an alternate pathway for charge recombination

The excited states of [Ru(bpy)2(deeb)](PF6)2, where bpy is 2,2-bipyridine and deeb is 4,4'-(CO2CH2CH3)2-2,2'-bipyridine, were found to be efficiently quenched by triiodide (I3-) in acetonitrile and dichloromethane. In dichloromethane, I3- was found to quench the excited states by static and dynamic mechanisms; Stern-Volmer analysis of the time-resolved and steady-state photoluminescence data produced self-consistent estimates for the I3- + Ru(bpy)2(deeb)2+ <==> [Ru(II)(bpy)2(deeb)2+,(I3-)]+ equilibrium, K = 51,000 M(-1), and the bimolecular quenching rate constant, kq = 4.0 x 10(10) M(-1) s(-1). In acetonitrile, there was no evidence for ion pairing and a dynamic quenching rate constant of k(q) = 4.7 x 10(10) M(-1) s(-1) was calculated. Comparative studies with Ru(bpy)2(deeb)2+ anchored to mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films also showed efficient excited-state dynamic quenching by I3- in both acetonitrile and dichloromethane, kq = 1.8 x 10(9) and 3.6 x 10(10) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. No reaction products for the excited-state quenching processes were observed by nanosecond transient absorption measurements from 350 to 800 nm under any experimental conditions. X-ray crystallographic, IR, and Raman data gave evidence for interactions between I3- and the bpy and deeb ligands in the solid state.     

Conductivity and thermal behavior of proton conducting polymer electrolyte based on poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone)

The polymer electrolytes based on poly N-vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and ammonium thiocyanate (NH₄SCN) with different compositions have been prepared by solution casting technique. The amorphous nature of the polymer electrolytes has been confirmed by XRD analysis. The shift in T_g values and the melting temperatures of the PVP-NH₄SCN electrolytes shown by DSC thermo-grams indicate an interaction between the polymer and the salt. The dependence of T_g and conductivity upon salt concentration have been discussed. The conductivity analysis shows that the 20 mol% ammonium thiocyanate doped polymer electrolyte exhibit high ionic conductivity and it has been found to be 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, at room temperature. The conductivity values follow the Arrhenius equation and the activation energy for 20 mol% ammonium thiocyanate doped polymer electrolyte has been found to be 0.52 eV.     

Degradation of passive layers of iron studied by conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy

Integral electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (ICEMS) and additionally some electrochemical methods were used to characterize the passivation process of iron (low carbon steel) in sulfate, sulfate+sulfite (a possible model solution of acid rain) solutions and in phospate buffer. The phase compositions and thicknesses of the passive layers formed due to the electrochemical polarizations were analyzed in dependence on the duration of the anodic passivations and on the pH of the used electrolytes. The passive layer, as determined from the Mössbauer spectra, consists mainly of -FeOOH, however in sulfite containing sulfate aqueous solution at pH 3.5 Fe₃C and despite ex-situ circumstances FeSO₄·H₂O was detected after the shortest polarization time. The film thickness, which was found to grow nearly linearly with polarization time in pure sulfate solution and in phospate buffer, reached a maximum of 60–160 nm (depending on pH) in sulfate+sulfite solution after a passivation time of about 4 hours. It has been proved, that HSO₃ ^–-ion, which is contained by acid rain, initiate pit formation under acid conditions and so enforces the corrosion of iron. The experimental results furthermore suggest, that not the whole oxidic layer is responsible for the passivity but only a very thin intermediate layer formed between an inner oxide layer of a cubic structure and the rhombic oxide (-FeOOH) cover.