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     

Template synthesis in the nickel(II)–thiocarbohydrazide–propanone triple system

The complexing process proceeding in the Ni^II–thiocarbohydrazide (H₂N–H–NC(=S)–NH–NH₂)–propanone triple system in EtOH solution and nickel(II)hexacyanoferrate(II) gelatin-immobilized matrix has been studied. It has been found that in the first case, template synthesis leading, as a minimum, to formation of three coordination compounds of Ni^II with (N,N,S,S)-donor tetradentate ligands having NiL¹, NiL² and NiL³compositions where L¹ is 4,6,6-trimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazanonen-3-di(thiohydrazide)-1,9, L² is 4,6,6,12-tetrametyl-1,9-dithio-2,3,7,8,10,11-hexaazatridekadien-3,11-hydrazide-1 and L³ is 2,8,10,10,16-pentamethyl-5,13-dithio-3,4,6,7,11,12,14,15-octaazaheptadekatrien-2,7,15 is observed, whereas in the gelatin-immobilized matrix, a complexing process in the system considered does not occur.     

Chemische Vitamin D<Subscript>3</Subscript>-Bestimmung in Lebertran

The different aspects of Vitamin D₃ determination and the data reported in the literature are discussed. The spectrophotometric determination of Vitamin D₃ in cod-liver oil is carried out after the alkaline saponification, extraction of unsaponified parts, precipitation of accompanying sterols and the column- and thin-layer chromatographic purification and separation of vitamin D₃ on 40 cm plates from other vitamins. The dyestuff α-naphtholbenzein is suited well as standard substance for the better location and identification of vitamin D₃ zone on the thin-layer plate. The results obtained from the chemical method were checked through the simultaneous biological determination.     

Planche rearrangement in indolines with acceptor substituents. 2. Pyrrolidone ring formation from the reaction between 1,3,3-trimethyl-ω-cyano-methyleneindoline and o-aminophenol

It was found that when 1,3,3-trimethyl--cyanomethyleneindoline was condensed with o-aminophenol in polyphosphoric acid, a complex heterocyclic system containing a pyrrolidone ring was formed as a result of the Planche rearrangement.For Communication 1, see [1].Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1481–1484, November, 1992.     

Pyrylocyanines. 14. Unsymmetrical pyrylocyanines based on 2,3-polymethylene-4,6-diphenylpyrylium salts

Unsymmetrical 4,6-diphenylpyrylo-2-carbo- and dicarbocyanines, as well as the analogous pyridocyanines, containing 3-ethylbenzothiazolium and 1,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium residues and an ethylene or trimethylene bridging grouping between the position of the polymethine chain and the position of the pyrylium or pyridinium residue were synthesized. The introduction of bridging groups is generally accompanied by a bathochromic effect and intensification (in the pyrylocyanine series) or weakening (in the pyridocyanine series) of the fine structure of the absorption bands. On the basis of the deviations calculated from the centers of the absorption bands and the dependences of the vinylene shifts and the absorption band widths on the structure of the dyes it was concluded that the trimethylene bridging groups in the examined cases increase the electron-donor character of the heterocyclic residues in the dyes more markedly than the ethylene bridging groups.See [1] for Communication 13.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 10, pp. 1327–1331, October, 1981.     

Tricarbocyanines with dihydropyran,dihydrothiapyran, and N-methyltetrahydropyridine rings in the chromophore

Glutaconic dialdehyde dianil salts, the ,-carbon atoms of which are included in dihydropyran, dihydrothiapyran, or N-methyltetrahydropyridine rings, were synthesized. Tricarbocyanine dyes with epoxydimethylene, epithiodimethylene, or N-methylepiminodimethylene groupings were synthesized by condensation of the dianil salts with a 2-methylbenzothiazole quaternary salt. The color of the dyes is discussed.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 175–178, February, 1976.     

Fluorescence polarization immunoassays for pesticides

Fluorescence polarization immunoassay methods for the detection of pesticides and their metabolites or degradation products are reviewed. Advantages and limitations for application to pesticide detection in environmental and food samples are discussed. The influence of the structure of fluorescent-labeled tracers and the affinity and specificity of antibodies on analytical performance is examined. The methods are simple, readily automated, and rapid (total time for assay of a water sample is about 1 min) with sensitivity of 1 - 10 ng/ml pesticide in 0.01 - 0.1 ml sample.     

Palladium salicylaldimine complexes containing boronate esters

Reactions of salicylaldehydes with boronate ester derivatives of aniline have been examined. Addition of these Schiff base ligands to palladium acetate or Na₂PdCl₄ afforded novel boron-containing trans-bis(N-arylsalicylaldiminato) palladium complexes.Condensation of salicylaldehyde (2-HOC₆H₄C(O)H) with H₂NC₆H₄Bpin (pin=1,2-O₂C₂Me₄) afforded the boron-containing Schiff bases, 2-HOC₆H₄C(H)=NC₆H₄Bpin (1–3a). Similar reactivity with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde gave the corresponding Schiff bases (1-3b) and (1-3c), respectively. Reaction of Schiff bases (2) and (3) with palladium acetate or Na₂PdCl₄ afforded complexes of the type PdL₂ (4,5), where L=deprotonated Schiff base. The molecular structure of the nitro-salicylaldehyde 4-Bpin palladium complex (5b) was characterized by an X-ray diffraction study. All new palladium compounds have been characterized fully and tested for their antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus.     

Rapid separation of phenylthiohydantoin amino acids: ambient pressure ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS)

An electrospray ionization (ESI) ambient pressure ion-mobility spectrometer (APIMS) interfaced to an orthogonal reflector time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) was evaluated for the first time as a detector for the identification of phenylthiohydantoin (PTH)-derivatized amino acids, the final products in the Edman sequencing process of peptides and proteins. The drift and flight times of the twenty common PTH amino acids were characterized by a well-defined 2-D mobility/mass spectral pattern. The combination of mobility/mass modes of analysis gave rise to a unique trend-line formation for the series of PTH amino acids. In addition, each PTH amino acid had a unique reduced mobility constant K(o), thus enabling the differentiation of all the amino acid derivatives including the PTH-leucine and PTH-isoleucine isomers. More importantly it was shown that it was possible to resolve a complete reference mixture of PTH amino acids in a single experimental run in less than 1 min. Detection limits for the PTH amino acids were found to range from 1.04 to 3.52 ng; indicating that the limits of detection were less than 17.0 pmol for all of the PTH amino acids.     

Pyrylocyanines. 30. Unsymmetrical 4,6,4′,6′-tetraphenyl-substituted 2-pyrido-2-pyrylocyanines with trimethylene groupings in the chromophore

The reaction of methylamine with symmetrical 4,6,4,6-tetraphenyl-substituted 2-pyrylopolycarbocyanines, in which both a positions of the polymethine chain are linked to the positions of the heterocyclic residues by trimethylene groups, was used to synthesize the corresponding pyridopyrylocyanines. The effect of trimethylene groupings in the 2-pyridocyanines on this transformation was examined. The principles involved in the color of the synthesized pyridopyrylocyanines were studied.See [1] for Communication 29.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 345–348, March, 1992.