Methanol oxidation in acidic and alkaline electrolytes using PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts prepared by borohydride reduction process

PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts( 20% metal loading by weight) were prepared by sodium borohydride reduction process using H_2PtCl6·6H_2O,RuCl_3·xH_2O and InCl_3·xH_2O as metal sources,borohydride as reducing agent and Carbon Vulcan XC72 as support. The synthetized PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction( XRD),energy dispersive analysis( EDX),transmission electron microscopy( TEM),cyclic voltammetry( CV),chronoamperommetry( CA) and polarization curves in alkaline and acidic electrolytes( single cell experiments). The XRD patterns showPtpeaks are attributed to the face-centered cubic( fcc) structure,and a shift of Pt( fcc) peaks indicates that Ru or In is incorporated into Ptlattice. TEMmicrographs showmetal nanoparticles with an average nanoparticle size between 2.7 and 3.5 nm. Methanol oxidation in acidic and alkaline electrolytes was investigated at room temperature,by CV and CA. PtRu/C( 50 ∶ 50) shows the highest activity among all electrocatalysts in study considering methanol oxidation for acidic and alkaline electrolyte. Polarization curves at 80 ℃ showPtRuIn/C( 50 ∶ 25 ∶ 25)with superior performance for methanol oxidation,when compared to Pt/C,PtIn/C and PtRu/C for both electrolytes. The best performance obtained by PtRuIn/C( 50 ∶ 25 ∶ 25) in real conditions could be associated with the increased kinetics reaction and/or with the occurrence simultaneously of the bifunctional mechanism and electronic effect resulting from the presence of Ptalloy.     

Triatomic Vibrational Energies

The generator coordinate approximation theory isformally applied to H ₃ ⁺ . Asecular equation with an eigenvector ofthree dimensions and matrix elements ofsix dimensions results. Numerical solutions of this equation are thevibrational energy levels ofH ₃ ⁺ .     

Holomorphic rank of hypersurfaces with an isolated singularity

LetV be a germ at 0 C ²,n3, of hypersurface with an isolated singularity at 0. In this paper we prove that the maximal number of germs of vector fields inV ^*=V–0, which are linearly independent in all points ofV ^* is two. In the casesn=3,4 and of quasi homogeneous hypersurfaces (n3), we prove that this number is one.Dedicated to the memory of R. MañéThis research was partially supported by Pronex.     

Host-guest Assembly Based on γ-Cyclodextrin-functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Rutin Electrochemical Sensing

Here, we report multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) functionalized with γ-cyclodextrins (γCD) as a novel electrochemical strategy for Rutin determination, showing superior performance than β-cyclodextrins (βCD) modified MWCNTs, suggesting an adequate environment for host-guest interactions. Under optimized conditions, the sensor showed a linear range of 39–975 nmol L⁻¹ and a limit of detection of 7 nmol L⁻¹. When tested with quercetin, catechin, and caffeine, the platform presented high selectivity with an interference response <10 %. The method was employed to quantify Rutin in spiked pharmaceutical and herbal extracts, providing recovery of 93–98.4 %. Also, HPLC-PDA confirmed the method‘s accuracy.     

Collagen films from swim bladders: preparation method and properties

This paper describes the preparation and characterization of collagen films extracted from swim bladders of three species of tropical fishes: Arius parkeri (Gurijuba), Cynoscion acoupa (Pescada Amarela) and Cynoscion leiarchus (Pescada Branca). Collagen was extracted under acidic conditions (CH(3)COOH, 2.5 pH) and precipitated by the addition of NaCl up to 3.0 mol L(-1). The films were prepared in acrylic containers and dried in a vacuum atmosphere. The collagen films were characterized by hydroxyproline contents, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. The determined values of 4-hydroxiproline and collagens in the films were: 105.23+/-4.48 and 873.2; 102.94+/-4.42 and 854.1; 100.65+/-4.80 and 835.8 mg g(-1) for A. parkeri, C. acoupa and C. leiarchus, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed high denaturation temperature peaks at temperatures ranging from 65.9 to 74.8 degrees C. The micrographs showed no fibrillar organization along the material, but spongy structure, with cavity diameters relatively uniform, at around 2 microm. The impedance spectroscopy presented a distributed relaxation process. A. parkeri's films showed piezoelectricity.     

On the role of a torsion‐like field in a scenario for the Spin Hall Effect

Starting from a field theory action that describes a Dirac fermion, we propose and analyze a model based on a low‐relativistic Pauli equation coupled to a torsion‐like term to study Spin Hall Effect (SHE). We point out a very particular connection between the modified Pauli equation and the (SHE), where what we refer to torsion as field playing an important role in the spin‐orbit (SO) coupling process. In this scenario, we present a proposal of a spin‐type current, considering the tiny contributions of torsion in connection with intrinsic anisotropy of the crystal electric field.     

Thermal Lens Phenomenon Studied by the Z-Scan Technique: Measurement of the Thermal Conductivity of Highly Absorbing Colloidal Solutions

We discuss the thermal lens phenomenon in high-absorbing colloidal systems, studied by using the Z-scan technique. The characteristics of the experimental setup to avoid undesirable effects are presented, in particular when pulsed laser beam is used. We show that a cumulative effect may appear in the experiment with chopped laser beams and compromise the results obtained with this technique. This artefact is more significative when colloidal suspensions are investigated. These materials have different characteristic times of heat and mass diffusion, which must be carefully considered to choose the appropriate time interval for the laser pulse and the time between pulses. Two experimental cases with a chopped laser beam, with and without a shutter, are discussed. The sample employed is a magnetic colloidal suspension (a ferrofluid). This sample has magnetic nanoparticles electrically charged in an aqueous solution with free ions and counter ions. Besides the thermal lens effect, charge and mass diffusion may take place when the sample is illuminated by the Gaussian beam, which imposes a thermal gradient on it. The results show that, with the experimental setup without a shutter, the sample does not achieve a complete relaxation between two laser pulses. This generates a measurable cumulative effect after the sample is illuminated during a relatively long period of time. A time modulation with longer time interval between chopped pulses allows the complete relaxation of the sample. This procedure is important for the correct analysis of the thermal lens effect. Reliable values of the thermal conductivity of the sample in different temperatures are obtained and discussed.     

Partial least squares model and design of experiments toward the analysis of the metabolome of Jatropha gossypifolia leaves: Extraction and chromatographic fingerprint optimization

A major challenge in metabolomic studies is how to extract and analyze an entire metabolome. So far, no single method was able to clearly complete this task in an efficient and reproducible way. In this work we proposed a sequential strategy for the extraction and chromatographic separation of metabolites from leaves Jatropha gossypifolia using a design of experiments and partial least square model. The effect of 14 different solvents on extraction process was evaluated and an optimized separation condition on liquid chromatography was estimated considering mobile phase composition and analysis time. The initial conditions of extraction using methanol and separation in 30 min between 5 and 100% water/methanol (1:1 v/v) with 0.1% of acetic acid, 20 μL sample volume, 3.0 mL min^?1 flow rate and 25°C column temperature led to 107 chromatographic peaks. After the optimization strategy using i‐propanol/chloroform (1:1 v/v) for extraction, linear gradient elution of 60 min between 5 and 100% water/(acetonitrile/methanol 68:32 v/v with 0.1% of acetic acid), 30 μL sample volume, 2.0 mL min^?1 flow rate, and 30°C column temperature, we detected 140 chromatographic peaks, 30.84% more peaks compared to initial method. This is a reliable strategy using a limited number of experiments for metabolomics protocols.