Design and synthesis of highly stable poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-zirconium phosphate (PTFE-ZrP) ion-exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB)

Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is a promising technology for large-scale renewable energy storage. Design of ion-exchange membrane (IEM) with desired properties like low-cost, mechanically chemically stable, low vanadium ion permeability and high proton conductivity is one of the major challenges. Here, we report the design and synthesis of novel poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-zirconium phosphate (PTFE-ZrP) asymmetric IEM using a simple brush coating method. XRD results confirmed the presence of α-ZrP crystalline phase onto the top layer of the membrane. Excellent mechanical strength was observed with burst pressure of 3.22 × 10⁵ N m^?2. Oxidative stability of membrane in Fenton’s reagent was much better than Nafion-115. Vanadium ion (V⁴⁺) permeability of the membrane was more than three times lower than that of Nafion-115. Single-cell VRFB with PTFE-ZrP membrane showed ～80% energy efficiency below 30 mA cm^?2. Very high columbic efficiency ～100% of VRFB with PTFE-ZrP membrane confirmed little contamination of electrolyte due to cross-mixing.     

Kinetic study of the interaction of three glycine‐containing dipeptides with diaquaethylenediamineplatinum(II) in aqueous medium

The kinetics of the interaction of three glycine‐containing dipeptides, namely, glycine‐L‐leucine (Gly‐Leu), glycine‐L‐isoleucine (Gly‐Ile), and glycine‐valine (Gly‐Val) with [Pt(en)(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂ has been studied spectrophotometrically as a function of [substrate complex], [dipeptides] and temperature at a particular pH(4.0), where the substrate complex exists predominantly as the diaqua species and the dipeptides as a zwitterion. The substitution reaction shows two consecutive steps; the first is the ligand‐assisted anation and the second is the chelation step. The activation parameters for both the steps were evaluated using Eyring's equation. The low ΔH₁^≠ and large negative value of ΔS₁^≠ as well as ΔH₂^≠ and ΔS₂^≠ indicate an associative mode of activation for both the aqua ligand substitution processes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 43: 498–506, 2011     

SU(2) instantons with boundary jumps and spin tunneling in magnetic molecules

Coherent state path integrals are shown in general to contain instantons with jumps at the boundaries, i.e., boundary points lying outside classical phase space. Inclusion of these instantons is shown to resolve the "missing quench paradox" in the magnetic molecule Fe8, i.e., the fact that the tunneling between the ground Zeeman states of this molecule is quenched at only four magnetic field values, instead of the ten that would be expected from the topological Berry phase between interfering instantons. An approximate formula is found for the location of the four remaining quenches.     

Reheating as a surface effect

We describe a new mechanism for reheating the Universe through evaporation of a surface charge of a fragmented inflaton condensate. We show that for a range of Yukawa coupling of the inflaton to the matter sector evaporation gives rise to a much smaller reheat temperature compared to the standard perturbative decay. As a consequence, reheating through a surface effect could solve the gravitino and moduli overproduction problem in inflationary models without fine tuning the Yukawa sector.     

Structural classification of layered dichalcogenides of group IV B,V B and VI B transition metals

A classification of the trigonal prismatic and octahedral structures exhibited by the layered dichalcogenides of group IV B, V B and VI B metals is achieved through consideration of the relative size, polarisation of the bonding orbitals, and the ionicity of the metal-chalcogen bond. A plot of the ratio of the covalent radii of the metal and chalcogen atoms against Pauling's resonating bond ionicity is shown to successfully achieve a separation of the two structures, consistent with the primarily covalent nature of the bonds.     

Study of activation parameters and NMR spin-lattice relaxation time in some substituted amines

The present communication reports the experimental values of NMR spin-lattice relaxation time (T₁) and dielectric relaxation time (τ) of piperidine, pyrrole, pyridine, diethylamine, triethylamine and pyrrolidine. The values of activation energy (ΔE_A) obtained using dielectric relaxation time, have been correlated with calculated values of ΔE_A obtained using Arrhenius equation of NMR relaxation time (T₁) for pyridine, diethylamine and pyrrole. Authors have also established a correlation between the experimental values of NMR spin-relaxation time (T₁) with its calculated values obtained using different equations of dielectric relaxation time (τ).     

Application of inertia-induced excitation theory for nonlinear acoustic modes in colloidal plasma equilibrium flow

Application of inertia-induced acoustic excitation theory offers a new resonant excitation source channel of acoustic turbulence in the transonic domain of plasma flow. In bi-ion plasmas like colloidal plasma, two well-defined transonic points exist corresponding to the parent ion and the dust grain-associated acoustic modes. As usual, the modified ion acoustic mode (also known as dust ion-acoustic (DIA) wave) dynamics associated with parent ion inertia is excitable for both nanoscale-and micronscale-sized dust grains. It is found that the so-called (ion) acoustic mode (also known as dust-acoustic (DA) wave) associated with nanoscale dust grain inertia is indeed resonantly excitable through the active role of weak but finite parent ion inertia. It is interestingly conjectured that the same excitation physics, as in the case of normal plasma sound mode, operates through the active inertial role of plasma thermal species. Details of the nonlinear acoustic mode analyses of current interest in transonic domains of such impure plasmas in hydrodynamic flow are presented.      

Synthesis,structure and antibacterial activity of manganese(III) complexes of a Schiff base derived from furfurylamine

Two new mononuclear complexes of manganese(III) viz. [MnL₂(LH)₂]ClO₄ (1) and [MnL₂(N₃)]·0.5CH₃OH (2) have been synthesized by reacting manganese perchlorate with furfurylamine and salicylaldehyde (plus sodium azide in 2) where L = (2-hydroxybenzyl-2-furylmethyl)imine, an asymmetric bidentate Schiff base formed in situ to bind the Mn(III) ion. The complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, TGA and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Structural studies reveal that the complexes 1 and 2 adopt an octahedral and a square pyramidal geometry, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the complexes has been tested against Gram(+) and Gram(?) bacteria.     

Cascade synthesis of selective dihydro pyridazino fused acridinone derivatives via MCM-41 catalyzed ring-opening/ring-closure reaction

An enhanced one-pot synthesis of new functionalized 5,6-dihydro-5,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2H-pyridazino[3,4,5-kl]acridin-1(4H)-one derivatives with different substituted patterns by using mesoporous MCM-41 catalyst via a ring opening/ring closure reaction process has been established. This MCM-41 silica catalyst has been synthesized and characterized using an array of sophisticated analytical techniques like BET, XRD, UHRTEM, etc. This reaction could be conducted from inexpensive substrates within short period under neat reflux conditions. Compared with the usual methods, the remarkable advantages of this method are milder reaction conditions, operational simplicity, higher yields, short reaction times and an environmentally friendly procedure.     

Hexanuclear copper(II) cage with {Cu3O···H···OCu3} core supported by a dicompartmental oxime ligand with m-xylyl spacer: synthesis, molecular structure and magnetic studies

A new dicompartmental dioxime ligand (H(2)L) with m-xylyl spacer between the donor sites has been synthesised by Schiff-base condensation of α,α'-diamino-m-xylene and diacetyl monooxime. The ligand reacts with copper(ii) salts giving rise to hexanuclear tricationic copper(II) cage complexes [Cu(II)(6)(μ(3)-O···H···O-μ(3))L(3)(H(2)O)(6)]X(3) (X = BF(4), 1a; X = ClO(4), 1b). The complexes have been characterised by different analytical and spectroscopic techniques and confirmed the hexanuclear structure even in solution. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of both the complexes revealed a very similar core structure with three dicompartmental ligands supporting two triangular Cu(3)O cores that share a proton, located on their common threefold axis and involved in a strong hydrogen bond interaction (O···O distance of 2.517(2) ?). Two Cu(3)O units do not superimpose but are staggered and disposed with the formation of a helicate structure. However both the enantiomers are present in the centrosymmetric space group. The facing Cu(3)-planes in 1a are separated at a distance of 3.476 ?. The temperature dependence of the magnetic behaviour of the hexanuclear complex 1a clearly indicates an overall antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the spin carriers in the cage having two Cu(3)O subunits and leaves a single unpaired electron in each triangular unit. The unpaired electrons in the two Cu(3)O units interact antiferromagnetically through hydrogen bonding giving rise to an overall singlet-spin ground state.