Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis of dye-sensitized solar cells

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has been performed to investigate electronic and ionic processes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC). A theoretical model has been elaborated, to interpret the frequency response of the device. The high-frequency feature is attributed to the charge transfer at the counter electrode while the response in the intermediate-frequency region is associated with the electron transport in the mesoscopic TiO2 film and the back reaction at the TiO2/electrolyte interface. The low-frequency region reflects the diffusion in the electrolyte. Using an appropriate equivalent circuit, the electron transport rate and electron lifetime in the mesoscopic film have been derived, which agree with the values derived from transient photocurrent and photovoltage measurements. The EIS measurements show that DSC performance variations under prolonged thermal aging result mainly from the decrease in the lifetime of the conduction band electron in the TiO2 film.     

One-electron versus electron-electron interaction contributions to the spin-spin coupling mechanism in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: analysis of basic electronic effects

For the first time, the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-spin coupling mechanism is decomposed into one-electron and electron-electron interaction contributions to demonstrate that spin-information transport between different orbitals is not exclusively an electron-exchange phenomenon. This is done using coupled perturbed density-functional theory in conjunction with the recently developed J-OC-PSP [=J-OC-OC-PSP: Decomposition of J into orbital contributions using orbital currents and partial spin polarization)] method. One-orbital contributions comprise Ramsey response and self-exchange effects and the two-orbital contributions describe first-order delocalization and steric exchange. The two-orbital effects can be characterized as external orbital, echo, and spin transport contributions. A relationship of these electronic effects to zeroth-order orbital theory is demonstrated and their sign and magnitude predicted using simple models and graphical representations of first order orbitals. In the case of methane the two NMR spin-spin coupling constants result from totally different Fermi contact coupling mechanisms. (1)J(C,H) is the result of the Ramsey response and the self-exchange of the bond orbital diminished by external first-order delocalization external one-orbital effects whereas (2)J(H,H) spin-spin coupling is almost exclusively mitigated by a two-orbital steric exchange effect. From this analysis, a series of prediction can be made how geometrical deformations, electron lone pairs, and substituent effects lead to a change in the values of (1)J(C,H) and (2)J(H,H), respectively, for hydrocarbons.     

Cation selective ion channels formed by macrodiolide antibiotic elaiophylin in lipid bilayer membranes

The macrodiolide antibiotic elaiophylin (1) forms stable, long-lasting cation selective ion channels in planar lipid bilayer membranes prepared from soybean phosphatidylcholine. Current of the single ion channel displayed two sublevels corresponding to the two substates of the channel conductance: a slow substate, with about 5 s of mean dwell time in the open state at 40% level of the total amplitude conductance, and a fast substate of higher conductance with dwell times in the open and closed state of about 0.1 s. Amplitude conductances of the single ion channels in 200 mM of LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl and CsCl were 75, 140, 220, 240 and 226 pS, and the conductance was linear function of the electrolyte concentration. Ratios of cation to anion permeabilities of the channel for NaCl and KCl were 8+/-2 and >24, respectively. A molecular model of the channel structure is suggested.     

Some new aspects of a HPLC-method for the determination of traces of formaldehyde in air

Summary A practicable method was developed for the routine determination of formaldehyde in air. Formaldehyde is sampled in small sampling tubes filled with Chromosorb P, coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (= DNPH). The sorbent is extracted with acetonitrile, and the different DNPhydrazones were separated by reversed-phase HPLC. UV-detection at = 345 nm was compared with electrochemical detection. The detection limit was 100 pg for UV- and 50 pg for electrochemical detection with a linear range of more than 3 decades, respectively. For the determination of formaldehyde in air the detection limit is 10 ppb with an average recovery of 99.3% and an estimated relative standard deviation S of 1.5%. This method was compared with the sampling by impingers using the same separation and detection method.

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Einige neue Aspekte einer HPLC-Methode zur Spurenbestimmung von Formaldehyd in Luft

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Capillary electrophoresis-based analysis of phospholipid and glycosaminoglycan binding by human beta2-glycoprotein I

Human beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2gpI) is a phospholipid and heparin binding plasma glycoprotein involved in autoimmune diseases characterized by blood clotting disturbances (thrombosis) together with the occurrence of autoantibodies against beta2gpI. With the final goal of assessing autoantibody influence on binding interactions of beta2gpI we have studied the development of capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based assays for interactions of negatively charged ligands with beta2gpI. In the development of suitable conditions for analysis at neutral pH of this basic protein (pI about 8) we found the pH hysteresis behavior of fused silica surfaces useful since the protonated surface after an acid pre-wash counteracted protein adsorption efficiently in contrast to more laborious procedures including acrylamide/dimethylacrylamide coatings that did not permit analysis of this particular protein. This simple approach made estimates of heparin-beta2gpI interactions possible and the principle was shown also to work for detection of betagpI binding to anionic phospholipids. Utilizing the pH hysteresis effect may be a simple solution to the adsorption problems often encountered in analyses of proteins by CE.     

Electrolysis in calorimetry

The procedure used by many electrochemists in calculating enthalpy in calorimetric measurements of electrolysis reactions is compared to a purely thermodynamic approach, using the data published by Fleischmannet al. [J. Electroanal. Chem., 287 (1990) 293.] as a case study.The set of excess values dH _ex/dt=dH _obs/dt -dH_calo/dt obtained with the former procedure was neither correlated to any of the experimental parameters nor to the set of values found using thermodynamics. The latter, smaller by factors of up to two orders of magnitude, are shown to follow an expression of the form dH _ex/dt=–kI exp (–E _a/RT) with an activation enthalpy of about 85 kJ·mol^–1. It is suggested that recombination of electrolysis gases may account for this.

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Zusammenfassung Das von vielen Elektrochemikern verwendete Verfahren zur Berechnung der Enthalpie in kalorimetrischen Messungen an Elektrolysereaktionen wurde unter Anwendung der von Fleischmann et.al. in einer Fallstudie [J. Electroanal. Chem., 287 (1990) 293.] veröffentlichten Angaben mit einer rein thermodynamischen Näherung verglichen.Eine Reihe von mit der ersten Methode erhaltenen überschu\werten dH _ex/dt=dH _obs/dt-dH _calc/dt korrelierte weder mit den experimentellen Parametern noch mit den entsprechenden, thermodynamisch gefundenen Werten. Letztere, um etwa zwei Grö\enordnungen kleinere Werte konnten durch die Gleichung dH _ex/dt= -kI exp (-E _a/RT) mit einer Aktivierungsenthalpie von etwa 85 kJ·mol^–1 beschrieben werden. Es wird deshalb nahegelegt, da\ dies einer Rekombinierung der Elektrolysegase zugeschrieben werden kann.

     

From allylic alcohols to aldols by using iron carbonyls as catalysts: computational study on a novel tandem isomerization-aldolization reaction

The tandem isomerization-aldolization reaction between allyl alcohol and formaldehyde mediated by [Fe(CO)3] was studied with the density functional B3LYP method. Starting from the key [(enol)Fe(CO)3] complex, several reaction paths for the reaction with formaldehyde were explored. The results show that the most favorable reaction path involves first an enol/allyl alcohol ligand-exchange process followed by direct condensation of formaldehyde with the free enol. During this process, formation of the new C-C bond takes place simultaneously with a proton transfer between the enol and the aldehyde. Therefore, the role of [Fe(CO)3] is to catalyze the allyl alcohol to enol isomerization affording the free enol, which adds to the aldehyde in a carbonyl-ene type reaction. Similar results were obtained for the reaction between allyl alcohol and acetaldehyde.     

Influence of spectral and angular sensitivity on the readout of biological dosimeters

Biological systems used as biological dosimeters can possess different angular sensitivities from the detectors usually used in physical devices. A simple experimental setup has been developed and used to measure the angular sensitivity of uracil thin-layer biological dosimeters. Results of angular sensitivity measurements for uracil thin-layer dosimeters are presented using a Xe arc lamp as the UV source. According to the experiments described here, uracil thin-layer dosimeters show a cosine-type angular dependence. In several indoor experiments broadband UV meters are used to control the applied dose rate from a given artificial UV source. The experimental setup has been designed and used to verify experimentally the importance of spectral and angular sensitivity differences of biological and physical UV meters applied in biological experiments. Model calculations for two different irradiation systems, using different geometrical arrangements of artificial UV sources, are also presented. For these arrangements relative dose rates that could be measured with dosimeters of arbitrary spectral, but different angular sensitivity have been calculated.     

Determination of aliphatic amines in air by membrane enrichment directly coupled to a gas chromatograph

Summary A method is described for the determination of shortchain aliphatic amines in ambient air based on impinger sampling in dilute H₂SO₄, selective enrichment across a PTFE gas membrane and quantification by gas chromatography. The enrichment step is carried out in a flow system directly connected to the chromatograph. The separation is performed on a packed column with nitrogen selective detection. The enrichment per sample volume was in the range 7.3 to 8.2 mL^–1 for C₁–C₆ amines. Detection limits were ca 3–10 nM with enrichment of a 2.9 mL liquid sample. After impinger sampling of 5 m³ air in 10 mL absorption solution, this corresponds, to 0.4–0.8 ng/m³ (ca 0.2–0.5 ppt by volume) in air.