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.     

Cold Active Pectinases: Advancing the Food Industry to the Next Generation

Pectinase has been an integral part of commercial food processing, where it is used for degradation of pectin and facilitates different processing steps such as liquefaction, clarification and juice extraction. The industry currently uses pectinases from mesophilic or thermophilic microorganisms which are well established, but recently, there has been is a new trend in the food industry to adopt low-temperature processing. This trend is due to the potential economic and environmental advantages which the industry envisages. In order to achieve this change, an alternative for the existing pectinases, which are mostly mesophilic and temperature-dependent, must be identified, which can function efficiently at low temperatures. Psychrophilic pectinases derived from cold-adapted microorganisms, are known to function at low to freezing temperatures and may be an alternative to address the problem. Psychrophilic pectinases can be obtained from the vast microflora inhabiting various cold regions on earth such as oceans, Polar Regions, snow-covered mountains, and glaciers. This article is intended to study the advantages of cold active pectinases, its sources, and the current state of the research.     

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.     

Effects of Thermal Radiation on a 3D Sisko Fluid over a Porous Medium Using Cattaneo-Christov Heat Flux Model

This paper investigates the three-dimensional flow of a Sisko fluid over a bidirectional stretching sheet, in a porous medium. By using the effect of Cattaneo-Christov heat flux model, heat transfer analysis is illustrated. Using similarity transformation the governing partial differential equations are transferred into a system of ordinary differential equations that are solved numerically by applying Nachtsheim-Swigert shooting iteration technique along with the 6-th order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The effect of various physical parameters such as Sisko fluid, ratio parameter, thermal conductivity, porous medium, radiation parameter, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, Prandtl number, and Lewis number are graphically represented.     

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.     

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.     

Proton-conducting membranes: poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone) complexes with various ammonium salts

The present study focuses on the proton-conducting polymer electrolytes; poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone)–ammonium thiocyanate and poly (N-vinyl pyrrolidone)–ammonium acetate prepared by solution casting technique. The XRD analysis indicates the amorphous nature of the polymer electrolytes. The Raman spectra of the C=O vibration of pure polymer PVP at 1,663 cm^?1 has been appeared as doublet in the polymer electrolytes. The introduction of this new peak in the salt-doped polymer electrolytes may be due to interaction of the cation with the polymer. The room temperature ionic conductivity σ _303κ has been found to be high, 1.7?×?10^?4 S cm^?1 for 80 mol% PVP–20 mol% NH₄SCN and 1.5?×?10^?6 S cm^?1 for 75 mol% PVP–25 mol% CH₃COONH₄. The polymer electrolytes have been tested for their application in Zn–air battery.     

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.