Mechanical endurance of polymer electrolyte membrane and PEM fuel cell durability

The life of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is currently limited by the mechanical endurance of polymer electrolyte membranes and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). In this paper, the authors report recent experimental and modeling work toward understanding the mechanisms of delayed mechanical failures of polymer electrolyte membranes and MEAs under relevant PEMFC operating conditions. Mechanical breach of membranes/MEAs in the form of pinholes and tears has been frequently observed after long‐term or accelerated testing of PEMFC cells/stacks. Catastrophic failure of cell/stack due to rapid gas crossover shortly follows the mechanical breach. Ex situ mechanical characterizations were performed on MEAs after being subjected to the accelerated chemical aging and relative humidity (RH) cycling tests. The results showed significant reduction of MEA ductility manifested as drastically reduced strain‐to‐failure of the chemically aged and RH‐cycled MEAs. Postmortem analysis revealed the formation and growth of mechanical defects such as cracks and crazing in the membranes and MEAs. A finite element model was used to estimate stress/strain states of an edge‐constrained MEA under rapid RH variations. Damage metrics for accelerated testing and life prediction of PEMFCs are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2346–2357, 2006     

Stereochemie von Metallocenen, 40. Mitt.

Starting from optically active methylferrocene-- and--carboxylic acids (1 a and1 b) of known absolute configuration and enantiomeric purity about 15 chiral ferrocenes (of each isomeric series— and ) were obtained by suitable ligand transformations. Thereby (almost) all possible chiral combinations of the ligands CH₃, COOH (COO^–), COOCH₃, CN and NH₂ (NH₃ ⁺) were accessible which are necessary for a potential test of approximations of chirality functions for compounds with basic symmetry C_5v. The chiroptical properties of these disubstituted ferrocenes are recorded.Preliminary tests using a shortened Ansatz revealed large discrepancies between calculated () and found [M]_D-values. Possible reasons for this failure are discussed.

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61. Mitt. über Ferrocenderivate

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39. Mitt.:A. Meyer, H. Neudeck undK. Schlögl, Chem. Ber.110, 1403 (1977).

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60. Mitt.:V. Rapi, K. Schlögl undB. Steinitz, J. Organometal. Chem.94, 87 (1975).     

Wirkungsgrade in der Welt des Lebens und der Technik

Zusammenfassung Um der oft gehörten Meinung entgegenzutreten, die energetischen Wirkungsgrade lebender Organismen seien wesentlich höher als die technischer Verfahren, werden entsprechende Werte miteinander verglichen. Der sehr niedrige Wirkungsgrad der Photosynthese zusammen mit der kleinen Energiedichte der Sonnenstrahlung erzwang ab einer kritischen Größe die Aufspaltung in Energiesammler, die Pflanzen, und Verbraucher chemischer Energie, den Tieren. Dank den 10 mal höheren Wirkungsgraden in der Technik, lassen sich Solarmobile bauen, die von der auf sie fallenden Sonnenstrahlung angetrieben werden. Wegen des Multiplikationsgesetzes der Teilwirkungsgrade ergeben sich sowohl für die Speicherung der Sonnenenergie in den fossilen Brennstoffen wie in der Nahrungskette extrem niedrige Wirkungsgrade.

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Efficiencies in the world of life and in engineering

One often hears the opinion, that the efficiencies in the world of life are higher than in engineering. To disprove this, many values of efficiency of corresponding processes are compared. The very low efficiency of photosynthesis in living plants together with the low density of solar radiation has led the world of life to split into collectors of energy, the plants, and consumers of chemical energy, the animals. Thanks to the ten times higher efficiencies of solar cells, it is possible, to produce solar mobiles, vehicles that move driven by solar radiation.

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Herrn Prof. Dr.-Ing. U. Grigull zum 75. Geburtstag gewidmet     

Umsetzung von hydrobromiertem 1,4-Polybutadien mit lithiumorganischen Verbindungen

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 1 Abbildung und 1 Tabelle     

Die Schmelzdiagramme der Systeme CsN3/Zn(N3)2 und KN3/Zn(N3)2

The phase diagrams of the systems CsN₃/Zn(N₃)₂ and KN₃/Zn(N₃)₂ have been obtained employing the microscopic technique ofL. Kofler andA. Kofler. Within the system CsN₃/Zn(N₃)₂ three eutectics at 148°C, 142°C, and 210°C were found. Besides Cs₂Zn(N₃)₄, melting incongruently in the interval 153°C to 170°C, there exist two further compounds of the most probable composition Cs₃Zn₂(N₃)₇ and CsZn₂(N₃)₅, melting congruently at 170°C and 210°C, resp. In the system KN₃/Zn(N₃)₂ there exist two eutectics at 203°C and 172°C and two compounds, one of them, i.e. K₂Zn(N₃)₄, melting congruently at 206°C, the other one, with composition KZn₃(N₃)₇ or KZn₄(N₃)₉, melting incongruently at 210°C.

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Mit 8 Abbildungen

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Herrn Professor Dr.Heribert Grubitsch zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Vernetzung und Abbau von Polyäthylenterephthalat durch Elektronenbestrahlung

Zusammenfassung PÄT-Folien wurden in Luft, Stickstoff und Vakuum bei 20 °C mit 1 MeV-Elektronen bestrahlt. Untersucht wurden Löslichkeit und Viskosität von Proben, die unmittelbar nach der Bestrahlung gelöst wurden.In allen untersuchten Fällen trat bei hohen Bestrahlungsdosen ein unlöslicher, d. h. vernetzter Anteil auf, dessen Ausbildung jedoch durch in den Proben enthaltene Feuchtigkeit verzögert werden kann. Bei niedrigen Bestrahlungsdosen bewirkt Feuchtigkeit einen Abbau des Polymeren, wie durch Viskositätsmessungen gezeigt wird.Aus den Gel-Messungen wurde derp ₀/q ₀-Wert für Bestrahlung in Luft, Stickstoff und Vakuum zu 1,05 bestimmt.Die Änderung des Gel-Anteils bei Lagerung der Proben zwischen Bestrahlung und Lösung wird diskutiert.

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Summary Polyethyleneterephthalate samples were irradiated in air, nitrogen and vacuum at 20 °C with 1 MeV electrons. The solubility of the samples and the viscosity of the solutions were studied immediately after irradiation. At high doses an insoluble crosslinked part was always observed. Crosslinking was delayed by moisture in the samples. At low irradiation doses moisture causes chain scission as shown by viscosity measurements. The ratiop ₀/q ₀ of degradation to crosslinking in the case of irradiation in air, nitrogen and vacuum was found by gel measurements to be 1.05. The insoluble gel-part changes with increasing storage time of the samples between irradiation and solution.

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Herrn Diplom-PhysikerH. Fischer sei an dieser Stelle für wertvolle Anregungen und Diskussionen besonders gedankt.     

Viskoelastische Eigenschaften von Polyisobutylenen in verdünnten Lösungen

Zusammenfassung Die Speicher- und VerlustmodulnG undG verdünnter Lösungen (2–4%) dreier Isobutylenpolymerisate mit den Molekulargewichten 0,63, 1,29 und 11×10⁵ wurden in der Apparatur vonBirnboim undFerry über einen Frequenzbereich von 0,4–400 Hz und einen Temperaturbereich von –17,5 bis 25,0° bestimmt. Für die scharf fraktionierten Polymerisate von niederem Molekulargewicht ergab die Frequenzabhängigkeit der Moduln eine ausgezeichnete Übereinstimmung mit der Theorie vonZimm. Die aus den experimentell erhaltenen Kurven ermittelten Molekulargewichte und größten Relaxationszeiten waren von der erwarteten Größenordnung. Für das Polymerisat mit höherem Molekulargewicht entsprach die Frequenzabhängigkeit vonG undG – _s jedoch der Theorie vonRouse. Der Einfluß der hydrodynamischen Wechselwirkung in der Bewegung der Knäuelsegmente, in welchem der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Theorien besteht, erscheint als von der Größe des Molekulargewichts abhängig.

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Summary The storage and loss moduliG andG of dilute (2–4%) solutions of three polyisobutylenes of molecular weight 0.63, 1.29, and 11×10⁵ were determined in the apparatus ofBirnboim andFerry over a frequency range of 0.4 to 400 cps, and a temperature range of –17.0 to 25.0°. The sharply fractionated polymers of low molecular weight showed a frequency dependence in excellent agreement with the theory ofZimm. The experimentally determined molecular weights and terminal relaxation times were of the expected order of magnitude. The frequency dependence of the polymer of highest molecular weight, however, conformed more closely to the theory ofRouse. The influence of the hydrodynamic interaction on the motion of the coil segments, which constitutes the difference in the two theories, appears to depend on the magnitude of the molecular weight.

     

Mechanism of the oxidation of cycloheptanone by chloramine-T

The oxidation kinetics of cycloheptanone by chloramine-T in alkaline media has been investigated. A mechanism involving the formation of an intermediate by the interaction between the enolic anion of cycloheptanone and chloramine-T in a slow step followed by its interaction with another molecule of chloramine-T in a fast step leading to products has been proposed. The scheme satisfactorily accords with the observed stoichiometry, negligible influence of ionic strength and a positive dielectric effect. Various rate parameters have been computed and 1.2-cycloheptanedione identified as the end product.With 2 Figures     

Chiral separation of 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol and its analogue on molecular imprinting monolithic columns by HPLC

Two molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) monolithic columns with (S)-(-)-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol and (R)-(+)-5,5',6,6',7,7',8,8'-octahydro-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol as the templating molecules, respectively, have been prepared by in situ polymerization using 4-vinylpyridine and ethylene dimethacrylate as functional monomer and cross-linker, respectively. The columns with good flow-through properties were obtained by changing the molar ratio of the functional monomer and the template molecule. The effects of mobile-phase composition on separation of enantiomers were systematically investigated. The results indicate that hydrophobic interaction in aqueous solution and hydrogen-bonding interaction in ACN between the enantiomers and polymers could play important roles in the retention and resolution. The effects of chromatographic conditions, such as flow rate, column temperature, sample loading, on the enantioseparation were also studied. Further, these two MIP columns show a cross-reactivity.     

Anwendung mikroanalytischer Methoden zur Lösung kunst- und kulturgeschichtlicher Probleme

Zusammenfassung Mit bekannten mikroanalytischen Arbeitsmethoden — Oberflächenreaktionen, Abstrichuntersuchungen mit dem Korundstäbchen, Schutzschichtreaktionen sowie dem Abdruckverfahren — lassen sich archaeometrische Probleme einer Lösung näherbringen. Die Art der Korrosion kupferhaltiger Oberflächen wurde diskutiert.

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Application of microanalytical methods to the solution of artistic- and cultural historical problems

Summary Archeometrical problems are brought closer to a solution by means of known microanalytical procedures-surface reactions, surface scraping studies with the corundum rod, protective layer reactions as well as the imprint method. A discussion of the corrosion of copper-bearing surfaces is included.

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Vortrag anläßlich der Tagung Chemische Analysen — Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften im Reiß-Museum in Mannheim, 19.–21. September 1974.