Improving electrochemical performance of poly(vinyl butyral)-based electrolyte by reinforcement with network of ceramic nanofillers

This study has concerned the development of polymer composite electrolytes based on poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) reinforced with calcinated Li/titania (CLT) for use as an electrolyte in electrochemical devices. The primary aim of this work was to verify our concept of applying CLT-based fillers in a form of nano-backbone to enhance the performance of a solid electrolyte system. To introduce the network of CLT into the PVB matrix, gelatin was used as a sacrificial polymer matrix for the implementation of in situ sol–gel reactions. The gelatin/Li/titania nanofiber films with various lithium perchlorate (LiClO₄) and titanium isopropoxide proportions were initially fabricated via electrospinning, and ionic conductivities of electrospun nanofibers were then examined at 25 °C. In this regard, the highest ionic conductivity of 2.55 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm was achieved when 10 wt% and 7.5 wt% loadings of LiClO₄ and titania precursor were used, respectively. The nanofiber film was then calcined at 400 °C to remove gelatin, and the obtained CLT film was then re-dispersed in solvated PVB-lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PVB-LiTFSI) solution before casting to obtain reinforced composite solid electrolyte film. The reinforced composite PVB polymer electrolyte film shows high ionic conductivity of 2.22 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm with a wider electrochemical stability window in comparison to the one without nanofillers.

     

Gold Spherical and Flake Assemblies Fabrication Through Calcination of Gold Nanoparticles Incorporated Poly(acrylonitrile) Nanofibers

Journal of Cluster Science - This work reports on the outcome of the calcination of gold nanoparticles incorporated polyacrylonitrile nanofibers in air which results in the formation of gold...     

A New Nanocomposite Based on Pt-rGO Embedded Polymelamine Formaldehyde Nanocomposite for Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Here, polymelamine formaldehyde was decorated on the surface of reduced graphene oxide whose surface was then electrodeposited with a sub-monolayer of platinum nanoparticles. The nanocomposite thus prepared was characterized using several spectroscopic methods. Using the nanocomposite as a potential electrocatalyst for carbon dioxide reduction, the products were detected by Raman spectroscopy, gas chromatography, ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analytical results identified methanol as the main product of CO₂ reduction. Moreover, analysis of the liquid products confirmed methanol as the predominant product with a current density of 0.4 mA/cm and a Faradaic efficiency of 93 %.     

Electrochemical determination of captopril in the presence of acetaminophen,tryptophan, folic acid,and l-cysteine at the surface of modified carbon nanotube paste electrode

Ionics - A novel carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with 2,2′-[1,7–heptanediylbis(nitrilomethylidene)]-bis(4-hydroxyphenol) (DHB) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was prepared. At first,...     

Electrochemical Determination of Dextromethorphan on Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Screen‐Printed Electrode after Electromembrane Extraction

In this paper, electromembrane extraction coupled with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) on a reduced graphene oxide modified screen‐printed carbon electrode (RGO‐SPCE) for the determination of dextromethorphan (DXM) in urine and plasma has been described. DXM migrated from 4 mL of a donor phase across a thin layer of 2‐nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) immobilized in the pores of a porous hollow fiber, into a 20 µL acceptor phase (HCl) present inside the lumen of the fiber. Then, 15 µL of a 0.1 M NaOH solution was added to the acceptor phase and the mixture was analyzed using DPV.     

Conductometric study of complex formation between benzylbisthiosemicarbazone and metal cations in acetonitrile,dimethylformamide, and their binary mixtures

We report on conductometric study of complexation between benzylbisthiosemicarbazone [(2E,2′E)-2,2′-(1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-diylidene)bis(hydrazine-1-carbothioamide)] with Zn²⁺, Cr³⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ cations at different temperatures in acetonitrile-dimethylformamide binary solvents of varied composition. The equilibrium constant and standard thermodynamic parameters (Δ_c H ⁰ and Δ_c S ⁰) of the complexes formation have been determined and found to be dependent on the binary solvent composition, the metal ion nature, and temperature.     

A novel method for risk assessment of electrostatic sensitivity of nitroaromatics through their activation energies of thermal decomposition

This study presents a novel relationship between electric spark sensitivity of nitroaromatic energetic compounds and their activation energies of thermal decomposition. The new correlation can help to elucidate the mechanism of initiation of energetic materials by electric spark. It can be used to predict the magnitude of electric spark sensitivity of new nitroaromatics, which is difficult to measure. The methodology assumes that electric spark sensitivity of a nitroaromatic energetic compound with general formula C_aH_bN_cO_d can be expressed as a function of its activation energy of thermal decomposition as well as optimized elemental composition and the contribution of specific molecular structural parameters. The new correlation has the root mean square and the average deviations of 1.43 and 1.17 J, respectively, for 22 nitroaromatic energetic compounds with different molecular structures. The proposed new method is also tested for eight nitroaromatic energetic compounds, which have complex molecular structures, e.g., 1,3,7,9-tetranitrophenoxazine, 2,4,6-tris(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, and 1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-5,7-dinitrobenzotriazole.     

A unique path to reach thermostable polypyrrole/Pd microfibers via chemical oxidative polymerization

Polypyrrole/palladium (PPy/Pd) nanocomposites, labeled by PPy/Pd-2/1-0, PPy/Pd-2/1-25, and PPy/Pd-3/1-0, are synthesized via a direct redox reaction between pyrrole monomer and PdCl₂ in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) stabilizer in chloroform (CHCl₃)/acetonitrile (CH₃CN) binary organic solvents with 2:1 and 3:1 volume ratios at two temperatures involving 0 and 25 °C. A Pd-unloaded polypyrrole (PPy-2/1-0) is also synthesized similarly using iron(III) chloride (FeCl₃) oxidant for comparison purposes. The volume ratio of the solvents used as well as the temperature at which the oxidative polymerization takes place affects significantly the thermostability of the resulting nanocomposites. According to the thermogravimetric analyses, the stability order towards heat is found to be PPy/Pd-2/1-25?>?PPy/Pd-2/1-0?>?PPy/Pd-3/1-0?>?PPy-2/1-0. The nanocomposite PPy/Pd-2/1-25 shows clearly more thermostability compared to PPy/Pd-2/1-0 analog at temperatures above 400 °C. Furthermore, whereas three discrete maxima can be obviously found in the differential thermal analysis (DTA) thermogram of PPy-2/1-0 pure sample, no distinctive exothermic peak is observed in the curves of the three Pd-loaded nanocomposites.     

Thermodynamic Consistency Test of Vapor–liquid Equilibrium Data of Binary Systems Including Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) and Ionic Liquids Using the Generic Redlich–Kwong Equation of State

The thermodynamic consistency test of solubility P–T–x data for binary mixtures including carbon dioxide (CO2) + a room temperature ionic liquid has been investigated. Experimental solubility data taken from the open literature for 32 binary mixtures of CO2/RTILs contains 80 isotherms. The applied consistency test is based on the fundamental Gibbs–Duhem equation with use of the generic Redlich–Kwong (GRK) equation of state (EoS) coupled with the van der Waals–Berthelot (GRK/vdWB) mixing rule. The optimum parameters were obtained by minimizing the summation of per cent relative deviations between modeled and experimental data, based on the bubble pressure algorithm. Modeling was found acceptable for all isotherms, which demonstrated the usability of the GRK equation of state. Results of the thermodynamic consistency test showed that 36 of the isothermal data sets were thermodynamically consistent, 37 were not fully consistent, 6 were thermodynamically inconsistent and only one data set was found to need another model.     

A comparative DFT study of Fe3+ and Fe2+ ions adsorption on (100) and (110) surfaces of pyrite: An electrochemical point of view

Pyrite acts as a catalyst in the mineral processing, and the speed of ferric ion reduction and mineral decomposition increases with increasing cathodic points. In this study, the ferric ion interaction on the (100) and (110) surfaces of pyrite was studied using the density functional theory calculations. The analysis of stability, density of states, and electron density were performed to understand the interaction between the ferric ion and pyrite surfaces. The results showed that pyrite surface is chemically active and tends to absorb ferric ion between two surface sulfur atoms. The hyperconjugation between the 3d orbital of ferric ion and the 3p or 3d orbitals of surface atoms provides the conditions for the Fe³⁺ ion adsorption. The molecular orbital (MO) and electron density analyses indicate that the 3p orbitals of S atoms play a more important role in bonds formations relative to the 3d orbitals. The (110) surface is more active, and the adsorption energy is larger than that of surface (100), which is the result of decreased cation coordination and the presence of sulfur at the surface. Subsequently, the interaction of the Fe²⁺ ion, as product of Fe³⁺ ion reduction and its competitor for adsorption, on the surfaces was studied. The Fe^{2 +} ion adsorbs stronger at the surface of (110), and the adsorption energies at (100) and (110) surfaces were obtained as −24 and −47 kcal/mol, respectively. In general, the Fe³⁺ ion is a stronger oxidizing agent than Fe²⁺ on pyrite surfaces.